My Boy's 1st PA Buck!

[Casey]

I am so proud of my boy! He shot his first deer ever, a 5 point at 600 yards across two feilds with a 7 Mag!

The only thing I regret is not being there to see it <I'd of video'ed it!> but he was with the men of our family, my brother and dad! He used my brother's gun which, he refused to shoot on Thanksgiving because it was too scary for him he said. My brother set him up in the Y of a tree. Bro said he was shaking like a leaf and he talked him through it and ds delivered the fatal blow! It ended up being a gut shot <lots of wind> but shattered his left rear leg as it exited. He didn't go but 50 yards and fell. That boy reached out and touched him!

Ds and his buck...


A proud MaMa moment with her boy and his first buck...


My brother tagged both his does on the first day. The one, he shot 2 minutes into the woods and the second one about 12pm. I have yet to get one but we'll be driving them through the slaughter house tomorrow because they weren't moving at all where I was set up yesterday. My dad also shot his first doe in 2 years yesterday too so I'm happy the old man got one.

I did track and gut my first deer though, my brother's second doe. He asked if I was draggin too but I told him, you shot it, you drag it! He shot her with the 7 Mag at about 30 yards away as she was coming off a hill. She had another doe with her and a 6 pointer too. She ran over 200 yards from the adrenalin. We waited her out because he was unsure if he smacked her. I took a pee break and my brother found rib meat and blood on the ground. 40 minutes later, I took the lead and tracked her. We followed her blood trail like bread crumbs. She bled out nicely and pretty much ran out of steam. There was blood on two trees about 100 yards apart and I found her 50 yards off from the second blood stained tree. Gutting her wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but ds refused to gut his. His gut shot ruined both the boy's and the deer's stomach so he ended up doing his butthole with his shirt over his face! I did tell him though if you can't gut it, don't kill it!

4 deer down in 2 days and 8 to go! We'll be going back out tomorrow but need a break today but the work is not over! We have to cut it up and get it packaged.

On Monday though, I could kick myself. As my brother was dragging his first doe out, he saw a shooter <BIG BUCK> and he kept saying Casey and pointing --> --> --> I kept saying, I don't see it and he kept pointing --> --> --> and I'm like WHERE?! And then he high tailed it outta there and THEN I SAW IT but it was too late! I could have kicked myself but in the position I was, I really could not see him.

I've had a blast so far! I can't wait to get back out there and fill my tags tomorrow!

Dad's shed looks like a meat locker now! We'll all be eatin good this winter, even if we don't harvest anymore, we'll make sure we're all taken care of! Ds's buck is front and center!


It's been good so far! Even if I don't get anything, I've had a great experience I'll not forget for a long time!

 

[MikeInTN]

*waiting for the first "Ewwwwww!!! You killed Bambi!" post*.. :lol: :lol:

 

[geekgranny]

Well.......... we did have Babe, a few Christmas' ago. He wouldn't fit in our oven so we had to bend him. All day long, all round the house, we could hear "Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabe" :lol:

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

You killed Bambi? LOL

Did you hear the story last week about the guy that tried to shoot the buck and got it's ear and it was startled and it fell off a 20 foot cliff and drowned? They may give him a record - it was a 25 point Buck....

 

[MikeInTN]

You killed Bambi? LOL

Did you hear the story last week about the guy that tried to shoot the buck and got it's ear and it was startled and it fell off a 20 foot cliff and drowned? They may give him a record - it was a 25 point Buck....

I didn't hear it, but I can hear it in my mind now when his friends look at the head on his wall.."WOW! Now that's a rack! btw, why does it only have one ear and smell like a wet dog??".. :lol:

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

I hope it is COLD in that shed with all that meat hanging!! I don't like venison, but that is great!

 

[geekgranny]

I hope it is COLD in that shed with all that meat hanging!! I don't like venison, but that is great!

We don't like venison much unless we get it in a high end restaurant with an excellent chef preparing it (with one exception, below). :lol: Which is a very rare occasion. I think we just didn't know how to prepare and cook it properly.

DH's father used to give us loads of his venison and wild turkeys, which is my favorite turkey. (We took him to his lease when he was in his 80's - tough ol guy, who loved every second, sitting in the blind for hours on end, even if he didn't see a deer)

Coarse ground, venison makes the most excellent chili. It was also a very special treat, raw, for our dogs. They loved it more than anything. BTW... nothing is too good for our "Bubs".

My father was a major bleeding heart when it came to birds. We were all birders (bird watching). He wouldn't allow any fowl brought into the house unless it was specifically grown for food, and free range. Friends were always offering him game. I didn't even taste game birds until I was an adult but I never told him.

gg=alice

 

[Brentr]

You must be really proud of your son......... We love deer on the grill When is the party we will be over. Congrats to your son

 

[Casey]

You must be really proud of your son......... We love deer on the grill When is the party we will be over. Congrats to your son

MMM! We had back straps last night and OMG! They were so goooooood!

I am very proud of my boy smacking that buck! It was a once in a life time shot and he nailed it! Not many 14 year olds can say they killed their first buck using a 7 mag that he's never shot before at 600 yards.

The shed is cold. It's been chilly her in PA since opening day, mid 40's... It's all in the fridge now.

My dogs are RAW fed dogs too GG and they love venison. My boxer would do back flips for venison!

I went out today and saw a small 4 pointer at 20 yards walking up the wood line. He never even knew I was sitting there, I had the wind in my face. I had to let him walk... it was his lucky day. If he'd of been an 8 pointer or more, I'd of lit him up like the 4th of July!! I have yet to get one though.

 

[Casey]

Here is a pic of the distance my boy took this buck from. I circled the tree <er boxed it>

 

[MikeInTN]

I am very proud of my boy smacking that buck! It was a once in a life time shot and he nailed it! Not many 14 year olds can say they killed their first buck using a 7 mag that he's never shot before at 600 yards.

I went out today and saw a small 4 pointer at 20 yards walking up the wood line. He never even knew I was sitting there, I had the wind in my face. I had to let him walk... it was his lucky day. If he'd of been an 8 pointer or more, I'd of lit him up like the 4th of July!! I have yet to get one though.

All kidding aside, you're absolutely right, that is one heckuva shot. Not many adults can say they hit anything at 600 yards, much less a 14-year old hitting a buck.

Does PA still have the overpopulation issue y'all had a few years back? I remember reading an article about it some time ago.

 

[Casey]

Well, some people are very PO'ed that he took that shot on another forum. They said it was unethical and you know what... they can kiss my butt! They are ****** perhaps that he showed some of their 30 years or more of hunting up! Pay the boy your respects and congratulate him! He may never have that oppertunity again! He didn't maim him, he killed him! BIG DIFFERENCE! DOA!

He laid the smack down on that buck and he's earned the nick name Dead Eye! He's a great shot! I've seen him target with his 35 Marlin lever action and I wouldn't wanna be a deer looking down his muzzle. NO WAY! He will be an ethical, good, successful hunter once he get's over gutting them.

The deer here are plentiful. It helps if you have people driving them though cuz they're not dumb! They bed down and make it difficult if you're hunting private land by yourself... KWIM? I found that out real fast! Just drive PA... You'll see alot of deer dart in front of you once it starts getting cold! We bought 2 doe tags a piece for the 4 of us this year. We intend to fill them all, even if we have to give the meat away!

 

[MikeInTN]

What did they find unethical about it? Did they think he should've gotten closer to make sure it wasn't a gut shot?

I had read an article back several years ago about the overpopulation of deer in the Gettysburg park, and the Park Service had hired hunters to go in and thin the herd. People were all up in arms about it, but they don't realize that since most of the deers' natural predators have been hunted to extinction, there's no natural way to control the population any more. I would much rather have hunters keep the population in check rather than have deer overunning the place, dying of disease and starvation. Kind of ironic - I grew up in the sticks here in Tennessee in some prime hunting territory, and never did take up hunting.

BTW, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency here has reintroduced elk to the state. They allowed 4 to be hunted this year (the herd's been estimated around 300 - 350). How would you like to see an elk in your scope?

 

[Casey]

You are absolutely right Mike. Some people just don't understand how hunters are making the deer healthier even though we are harvesting them but it all boils down to saving and preserving them. They don't want to grasp the concept that Mother Nature has something much crueler in store for these herds if we don't manage them by hunting them. They will over populate, become diseased, over run with parasites and die of starvation. It's a slow horrible death that hunters can stop. We do our part!

I would love to stare down my scope at an elk!

I read a story about a guy in Idaho who shot the first wolf of their season since it was closed in years! He got death threats from anit hunters. He pulled his tags and it was all legal but the man can not live in peace. They found out where he lives, his phone number and email and just will not leave him alone over that wolf tag! It's horrible!

Who will anti hunters blame next when Mother Nature takes her course if they have their way?!

As far as my son's deer and why some people are mad is because they said that it was too far of a shot and he should have gotten closer. I'm calling BS though because he used the right gun to get the job done with 180 grain Remmington bullets. My brother is a marksman and he knows a woman who could hit a bulls eye at 1,000 yards with the 7 Mag so I am not one bit concerned that he shot that buck at that distance.

The boy nailed that buck and you can't argue with a dead deer. I don't care who ya are! He shot that bad boy fair and square!

 

[Casey]

I secretly sent my son's rack out to be mounted. I had a gracious offer from a guy in PA to do it for free. It should be here by Tuesday! My boy will be so surprised! The guy sent me a pic. I can't wait for ds to see it!

 

[gtm]

When my now 11-year old (b'day today!) was 4 or 5 I was home alone with him one night and made venison burgers for dinner. I haven't hunted in years, but my brother and father keep my freezer stocked. BTW, Geek granny is absolutely right about the chili, but I made burgers that night.

My son said, "Daddy, what's this?"

Daddy, being a smart ***, said, "It's a Bambi Burger."

My son, after thinking a bit, said, "You mean like the movie?"

Daddy, "Yes."

My son, after tasting it, said, "Daddy .... Bambi's GOOD!"

I know this might not be politically correct, but I love my venison chili, and my son lobbies me regularly for Bambi Burgers!

P.S. He won't eat my chili. It has tomatoes in it ...

 

[Casey]

That's so funny you said that because my brother told his 2 year old daughter to try Bambi and his wife yelled at him. <wife doesn't like venison but the baby loved it!>

 

[AnnaK]

I'm sorry to see this thread resurrected.

 

[geekgranny]

I was just telling DH about "dead eye" and the discussion. When DH was a youngster, born 1935, his family, who weren't particularly well off, ate mostly venison, much of the year and wild turkey for holidays. Otherwise it would have been mostly chickens from their small town, urban yard or nothing. Back then many people kept a cow for milk and chickens for eggs and meat. Many people had small vegetable gardens, also, and put up (canned) veggies (and meat) for the winter.

Anyway, the point is... during our discussion, DH reminded me that every part of the deer that his mother prepared tasted wonderful; the best he's every had and as great as some of the best meat one can buy today prepared by the best chefs (my DD's DH is an executive chef and we all appreciate a fabulously prepared meal every once in a while ---- I used to call DH my private chef but now I have to call him my cook having a real chef in the family). DH doesn't know how his DM prepared the venison but we decided, and had forgotten that we knew this, that we just didn't know how to prepare it. I have his mother's old recipe box but venison is not anywhere in there. I'm probably, not any time soon, going to need instructions but I'll bet there's plenty of info now on Internet.

On a side note, DH was telling me about a report on radio about a growing problem with eagles getting lead poisoning from eating carrion that contained lead buck shot. It has become a real problem in some areas of the US. I suggested that hunters be more diligent in tracking down their wounded prey; large and small. He commented that at times is is impossible to track them for miles if they are just wounded enough for them to go a distance.

I don't know if Casey specifically said this, but I'm sure she is even prouder that her boy's shot was good enough that the deer went down fast.

I spent a great many years as a vegetarian. It was mostly because my digestive system preferred that. Now, my greatest gripe is the manner in which domesticated animals are kept, and even more so the, still incredibly cruel, in most situations, slaughtering process. I eat meat and I experience much guilt for the experience most domestic animals go through in order for me to eat that meat. In addition, so many more people can be fed on an acre of soy beans vs an acre of food for meat producing domesticated animals. I don't like shooting animals but even for those people whose sole reason for hunting is only for sport, in most situations, they are helping to control an otherwise wretched existence for wild populations and major health issues for animals and humans. That's my 2 cents.
gg=alice