Hunting story and a thank you

[seal]

2ndAmFan as most of you know him has graciously allowed me to come to his property and do some hunting this year. This is my first time deer hunting and has been an absolute thrill.

The man has been more than gracious and accommodating to a person he knew in no other way than through this forum. I have thanked him in person as best as I can even though i feel that to be coming up short.

My whole life i have begged my father to take me hunting and he would not. I was either denied the weapon to go or denied the chance. 2ndAmFan voluntarily allowed me to come out and hunt, allowing me to get my FIRST DOE this season on the second to last day of the season. I had come out before and come up dry and he looked more disappointed about it than i did. I was excited to just be trying.

I got my first doe Saturday and also cleaned and processed most of it by myself. I always thought my dad would one day teach me how to do that but that time has passed. Thanks to YouTube lol and the kindness of a stranger I have finally harvested my first deer.

2ndAmFan I just wanted to publicly express my gratitude for the experience you have provided for me.

I got my deer about 20 yards from where i was set up. I took a shot with my heart pounding in my ears using my 700 in .308. The deer spun and ran and i watched it go into the brush. I was horrified i had missed or was going to have to track and I am unsure of my skill. Luckily i waited patiently and went into the brush only to find the deer laid out just over the top of the berm i saw it go over about 25 30 yards from the shot. The shot had gone through the lungs just above the elbow and exited through the far side elbow btw the tendon and the bone. leaving about a thumb sized sucking wound on exit. 180gr core bonds may be a little to much for these size deer.

I then proceeded to skin and quarter on the ground. thats a lot of work. 2ndAmFan came out after a short nap lol and helped me finish the front.
Thank you,
J. Seal

 

[critter]

Congratulations on successfully taking your first deer and sounds like a good job on the shot too. This is one you will never forget no matter how many you take.

 

[jbkebert]

Very nice and congrats on your first deer.

 

[cottswald]

Thanks for sharing. Great story! Did you take any pics?

 

[Flintknapper]

Great story Seal, thanks for sharing with us.

Also, your humility and appreciation show a lot of class.

Well done Sir!


Flint.

 

[Yarddog]

Great story & congrats on a fine exsperence & a thanks to 2ndamFan ; )
Y/D

 

[Liberty1776]

Congratulations! Great story, wonderful experience and the first of many, I'm sure...
p.s. try Remington Core-Lokts in 150 grain...

 

[dconrad]

First Deer

I would like to thank 2ndam also. He probly did more for our sport by giving that young man a chance to harvest his first deer then we can hope for. The young man will tell his friends about the positive experence he had, and thats how we keep our sport alive.

 

[seal]

no i was so excited about it and had some many things running through my head. did i down it? how far did it run? how hard is this going to be to get back to the car? Do i gut it there? should i gut it there? where do i tie my rope? feet? head? Am i sure its dead before i grab its legs lol? where did i hit it? did it pass through? do i need to dig out the round? which end do i start cutting from? etc. grabbing my phone for a pic was the last thought id had.

Ps now i see why people buy grinders there is a lot that can be made into burger.

But the rest tastes great!

 

[788Ham]

Congratulations Seal !!! Sounds like you did better than some folks do their first time out. All of the questions you posted, don't worry about all of those, they'll be there even when you get your 10th one! LOL Sorry to hear your Dad wouldn't go with you, he'll never know what you've experienced will he?! Good luck next year too.

 

[Tim the student]

Good stuff. Great story, thanks for sharing.

 

[Gromky]

Congrats. I'm sorry for the resistance from your family. It sounds like they hunt, or at least shoot, so I have no idea why they wouldn't be more supportive. I do have to ask, is it because you're female or some other factor that they think means you can't hunt? That sort of bull**** is a huge problem, and I think it really hurts hunting and shooting in general.

I did hunters safety as a kid, and my father would have taken me out if I'd asked more. He only hunted because we absolutely needed the meet, so I didn't take my first deer until 15 years later. I would have been furious if he'd actually prevented me from hunting. So I'm sorry for the problems you've faced, and I'd say make as many friends as possible. In many regions of the country it's easy to find people who will let you hunt their land if you ask, and many more who will give you help and advice.

 

[Davek1977]

Awesome story! I oftentimes wonder how, or even if at all, I'd have been introduced to shooting or hunting had my circumstances been different. Growing up on a ranch in rural SD, learning to shoot and going hunting was simply part of growing up. It just seems odd to me now, looking back, and realizing that if things were different, I might not be the hunter and shooter I am today. Without dad there to instruct, guide, and teach me, I may have never had the opprotunity to take part in somehting I so deeply love today. In fact, this thread serves as a reminder--to thank him for that, along with so many other things he taught me about life. And 2ndAmFan, thank you for taking a role so few are willing to play these days. Without people like you, our tradtions would slowly wilt and die. Thank you for brining another hunter into the fold. Seal, congrats on your first deer and your introduction to the world of hunting. I hope this success was the first of many memorable trips

 

[seal]

nope not female. we had guns growing up. I was taught how to shoot a bow and did it often. was given pellet guns to learn to shoot with etc. just was never allowed to go hunting there was always some excuse or just a no.

 

[2ndAmFan]

Well, seal, you can't know how glad I am you got a deer. I expect I'll be here next year, and assuming that's true, you've got a place to get a deer or two then. We'll be gearing up for hogs soon too...

 

[Durty]

Congrats Seal. I hunt outside Fredericksburg- an hour west of Austin. And you are right about the smaller deer around here. I have killed em stone dead with 80 grain bullets on more than 1 occasion. But, hell, if you wanna shoot the 180, shoot it. I shoot these hundred pound deer with a 300 win mag every so often- Why? Because this is America and I can. Congrats again, and thanks 2ndAm for doin your part.