Home
Over 150 pages! Use our SITE MAP! SITE MAP
About Us
Contact/Membership
SYH Blog
Bow Hunting: Bow Hunting
The Stick Bow
Best Hunting Bow
Slingshot Hunting
Gun Hunting: Deer Rifles
Rifle Calibers
Shotgun Slugs
Best Rifle Scope
Other Tools: Small Game Hunting
Air Rifle Hunting
The Rimfires
Hunting Tech.
Outdoor Tech.
Hunting Truck
Whitetail School: Whitetail Hunting 101
Rubs & Scrapes
Hunting Tips
Hunting Stories
Authentic Hunting
Scoring Hunting
Deer Management
Other Stuff: Clothing Store
Resources
Donate
Disclaimer
Privacy Policy

[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines


My First Deer (s)

My first deer took a long time. I moved to the more open land
of Western Oklahoma. I needed several years of deer hunting education there. It turned out to be more than I expected.

My brother-in-law and I hunted his dad's old farm. We tried quail hunting, but when walking around the property we jumped deer. The quail hunting was tough; soon we were walking around looking for deer. I'd hunted all my life, but mostly for quail and small game.

The scrub-brush and canyons made walking difficult. We didn't know what we were doing, but we started looking for deer tracks, droppings, scrapes, rubs... We were learning and "patterning" the deer without even realizing it.

Some deer bedded in the canyons, so we would get on opposite sides of a canyon and try to drive them out of their bedding areas.
All we got was tired feet, and white flags in the distance.


After a few seasons we realized some deer move from the canyons to the wheat fields in the evening and back in the morning. We soon knew some areas they moved through. Knowledge is power!

We began to sit and still-hunt more. I named one area the "staging area". It's an old tree/fence row near the middle of the property, deer like to "hang-out" there before moving on to the bedding areas or the wheat fields.

hunting whitetails We call this area, to the right of the road in the picture, the staging area.

One glorious morning, I had a plan; my first successful plan.
I'd seen a few deer and lots of sign in the staging area. I found a clump of scrub-brush (pictured) which I could get in without much disturbance. The wind was in my face, and I could watch the staging area about 150 yards away.

(It was a much better plan than I realized at that time.
We still take deer each rifle season, with about the same plan.)

Before sunup I moved quietly into this natural hiding area. Just after sunrise a doe almost slipped by me. She came out of the staging area, crossed the road, and was almost across the open area. I didn't have a shot where I was sitting, and had to quickly go around behind the brush about 10 steps. My only choice was a standing shot over the brush.

She stopped and looked back. When the bullet hit she was knocked off her feet without a flinch. I watched, and when she didn't move I sat down again. My first deer, my heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking. I realized what a long "off-hand" shot it was later. I walked 182 steps to her.

I was trying to calm down when two bucks walked out to the edge of the staging area at less than 100 yards. (I didn't have enough deer knowledge back then to expect bucks following her.)

hunting whitetails

I-could-of-had-a-buck was my first thought! Then I realized I could have both! I was so pumped! I missed the fairly easy shot!

Both bucks ran; one stopped, or a third buck (not sure) stepped out at 120 steps. He ran about 30 yards after the shot and crashed.

Field-dressed the doe weighed almost 100 lbs., and he 130. An average 6 pt. buck for our area. After years of nothing, in five minutes, I had my first doe 'and' my first buck.

Click on the book to shop!

We have many more pages of information.
Find any page easily with our: Site Map




First Deer to Deer Hunting Stories
First Deer to Score-Your-Hunting.com



New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.

Buck's Favorites!
I use these products:


If you like us wear us.


Fenix LD01 Flashlight


Gerber Pocket Multi-Tool


Wyoming Knife


Zwickey Kondor Points


Magnus Snuffer Broadheads


Gerber Sharpener


Gerber Folding Shovel


SOG Hunter Revolver


Marksman Folding Slingshot


Trumark Slingshot Bands


Kwikee 3 Arrow Quiver


Panasonic Lumix Camera


Glif iPhone Tripod Mount


Mini Tripod W/Velcro


Esbit Pocket Stove


Esbit Fuel Tablets

Shop Cabelas.com!