First big game animal?

[Grover]

I killed my first muley at age 16, literally in self defense. End of barrel to the buck was less than 2 feet. I’m convinced God just gave that one to me as a freebie. Anyone else have any good stories on first animal taken?

 

[rooster440]

I killed my first muley at age 16, literally in self defense. End of barrel to the buck was less than 2 feet. I’m convinced God just gave that one to me as a freebie. Anyone else have any good stories on first animal taken?

How was it in self defense? Lol


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[Jbehredt]

My first was a mule deer doe. I was 13. 1st combined rifle season. In CO. She woke me up from a nap and I missed her completely with the first shot. Broadside, feeding at about 40 yards. Dropped her dead in her tracks at a full leaping bound closer to 80 yards by the time a loaded another round. Just needed a warm up shot. Maybe I could blame the cold bore......

 

[SWOHTR]

Small 8 pt WT on the grandparent’s farm. Dad dropped me off figuring I wouldn’t see or shoot anything. After 4 hours was heading back in and saw the deer. First shot was at 40 yds, broadside, at a full run. Hit it with a 12ga slug in the shoulder and it ran across the marsh about 300 yds. Called dad and said, “I am standing on blood.” He couldn’t believe it (neither could I).

Dad and I jumped it after a 2 hour blood trail. Deer was between me and dad. When it jumped up dad yelled “SHOOT THE SONOFABITCH!” And hit the deck, I swung the 870 up and shot it in the neck, dropping it. We gutted it and dragged it out of the marsh; my cousin met us at the field/marsh intersection in his 90’s Silverado.

This was all on thanksgiving day 2003. Had my first beer (bud light) after that, never finished it and it took me an hour and a half to drink what I did of it.

Was a great day.

 

[Grover]

How was it in self defense? Lol


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I stepped up on a log and it was bedded down on the other side at the base. The buck stood up and we were literally eye to eye......came down to me vs him and I came out on top.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Mine was a small Blacktail on Kodiak island when I was 16.
That week I ended up filling my 4 tags, mostly hunting solo. I faced down a bear with a pack full of meat, I almost watched a gunfight, acted like a guide for a 50 year old that was supposed to mentor me, hopped across pack ice to haul meat to a float plane, and won my first hand in a poker game.

 

[MeatBuck]

Spike fork blacktail buck from front seat of jeep. Age 13. Blew his legs out, then liver shot it at about 75yds. That was about 25 bucks ago.

 

[lonedave]

In 1972 I drew a mountain goat tag here in Washington State the first time I put in at 14 and took a nice 8 1/2" billy for my first big game.

 

[Grover]

Mine was a small Blacktail on Kodiak island when I was 16.
That week I ended up filling my 4 tags, mostly hunting solo. I faced down a bear with a pack full of meat, I almost watched a gunfight, acted like a guide for a 50 year old that was supposed to mentor me, hopped across pack ice to haul meat to a float plane, and won my first hand in a poker game.

I live in Kodak from 1980-1984. When we’re you there? Crazy place, good times.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I live in Kodak from 1980-1984. When we’re you there? Crazy place, good times.

I think it was ‘92

 

[CX5Ranch]

11 years old. Grandpas Winchester 94 30/30. Whitetail doe busting the mail across a corn field jumped by drivers. First shot broke her shoulders in half. Got a pat on the back from pops on that deal.

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[Texizona]

Javelina in AZ. I was 10, which is the youngest you could be to hunt big game. I drew a rifle tag, but had been in bed sick for a week. The season was about to end, so (against my Mom's better judgement) my Dad went ahead and took me.

I was weak and was very queasy. We were stalking up a wash, when we smelled their "skunk-like" musk. The smell (which normally didn't bother me) made me start heaving. After throwing up everything in my stomach, we continued the stalk and I ended up killing a boar with my Dad's 243. The funny thing is that as soon as I killed the Javelina, I felt great.

Hunting was the the thing that bonded my Dad and I more than anything else. That was 46 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

Both of my parents passed away many years ago, but memories like this keep them fresh on my mind. I hope my sons will think back on similar times and smile as well.

 

[.270]

A little spoiled but it was a mountain goat. I grew up in a small town in AK but neither one of my parents hunted. We fished salmon subsistence but that was the extended of my family take in wild game. Working my summer jobs, I earned enough to get a model 700 .270 at 16 and it was off I went. All my hunting knowledge had been ducks and grouse before this. My buddy and I hiked up the mountain with our school backpacks and cotton clothes. No tactical gear, rangefinders, good optics, headlamps, just a bag of dried salmon and blind determination. We harvested a goat and hiked back down a different route then we came up because it looked easier. We ended up getting cliffed out at dark on a little waterfall. I got so cold that night from being wet, I man cuddled with him to stay warm. My buddy now guides in AK in the spring and fall, Africa in the summer and Texas during the winter. I bring up our first mountain goat hunt just to keep him humble.

 

[arwhntr]

It was a Wisconsin whitetail forky buck using an open sight shotgun and slugs at age 12. I was hesitant to shoot at first glace but this was back in the day where if it had antlers you wrapped your tag on it. 120 yards, dead before it hit the ground. I'm still in amazement of that shot. So is my father. I ended up with 3 bucks on 3 slugs that year and with a spot in the local newspaper. #dreamseason

 

[BK Ammenwerth]

BT 25+ years ago inside eureka city limits. 30-30. It was my first big game gun kill and my last. Went Archery and never looked back but it lit the fire. Ironically almost everyone hunted with family where I grew up. While my dad was a great father, hunting just wasn’t something he did. God bless some of my friends family for getting me out there chasing big game animals, steelhead, Salmon, and anything else you could catch or shoot. So much gratitude for the Cormiers and Marcellis

 

[rooster440]

My first big game animal was a forkie blacktail buck with eye guards. It’s not a crazy adventure but it was fun!
We were hunting a friends ranch in Napa county, I was using a savage 225 in .30-30
We were hiking this old logging road, and I seen a game trail that ran down into the ravine so I decided to walk down slowly and I sat behind some deadfall. My dad was behind me and couldn’t see the little clearing that I could so when a buck walked out, I whispered to my dad and there is a deer there and he didn’t believe me until I turned and shot. LOL the buck ran about 20 yards downhill and collapsed. I remember watching that buck walk out of those trees and I thought he was every bit of 200 inches!


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[hayesplow]

Mine was a deer, i was only 14. a lucky lung shot... the deer ran off and drop to the grown a few meters away. i was so happy and that very day set me on a path of hunting/shooting reloading. if funny how time flies when you are having fun, if been other 40 years ago.

 

[NV HUNTER]

Doe mule deer in Ely Nv. i was 12 years old. Killed it with the 30-30 my dad gave me. We would hunt as a family, dad, mom, brother and me. we would hunt early and late and catch trout during mid day.

 

[Gulfgoose]

Respectable 8 pt whitetail in Texas where I grew up. Same property my great great grandpa, great grandpa, granny and grandpa, mom, dad, and sister all have hunted. Heading home to do some mowing on it this weekend.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Mine was a small fork horn blacktail when I was 13 years old. It was the last day of the season and we hadnt seen hardly anything that year. I remember my dad stopping to take a leak and I started to glass this clear cut, as soon as I put my binos up I had that buck in them. My first shot missed and my second shot spined him and put him down. I dont know how far it was cause there were no rangefinders then but I rember it being a good couple hundred yards. For the next couple of years me and my dad would alternate killing bucks on the last day of the season.