I believe I was 14, maybe 13. First deer hunting trip with my dad in the SE area of Washington state. Nothing but gorges, rivers, and dry brush land, with the wheat farm thrown in here and there for good measure.
Season had just started, and me being younger, had the any deer tag, my dad had the buck tag, so if I wanted to I could take two, if I liked. Yaaaay me. I'm gonna get SOMETHING!
Anyway, we only had three days, as I had to be back at school on Monday, and we left right after school on Friday. We spend the next three days hunting...searching...waiting...and a big fat nothing, besides the occasional doe, and we wanted to wait until the last second if we had to.
Last day, we're walking around a gorge and its getting late. My dad says "Ok, I'm gonna start walking back to the truck, sorry son, I guess we'll try again next week." "Ummm...actually, Dad, I think I'll go up the ridge a bit to see if theres anything there, one last time." "Ok son, don't be too long, and call on the radio if you see anything."
So I go walking around the hill and come out on the ridge of the gorge. Look down in the gorge...damn...nothing....
***! Hell yeah! Theres a herd of does cresting the ridge around 250-300yards in front of me, moving perpindicular to the way the ridge cuts. Today is my lucky day!. I call my dad on the walkie-talkie and tell him I found some.
I creep up and take up a prone position in the shade of a small tree and deploy the bi-pod on the .243 WIN, 5 shot bolt action (don't know what make) with a 9x Tasco scope. I remember in my head my dad telling me it was zeroed at 100 yards...so I pick a deer at the lead of the pack, hold on the shoulder...and bring it up jjjuuusssttt a tad.
Safety off.
Squeeeeeeze the trigger.
Boom!
Aww-man. I knew I biffed it. I had flinched at the last second. I look through the scope again...huh? Whered it go?
Come up to the body and find...a pool of blood around its neck. Smack dab in the neck at (paced out by my dad) around 225 yards...at 13...with a rifle I'd fired like 20 times in all...on the last day. Hell yeah.