# First deer ever! And with a homemade bullet!



## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

I've wanted to put some venison on the table for nearly 20 years and it finally happened today! Decent places to hunt around here seem to be pretty hard to come by, but this fall a friend with a vegetable farm finally invited me over to hunt (after being friends for 4 years) after the deer wiped out most of his fall garden. Saturday morning is pretty much the only time I can hunt, so I staked out on the first day of muzzleloading season with no luck, then the second Saturday of muzzleloading season, then the first day of rifle season, then missed a week due to Thanksgiving travels. Got back in the stand this early this morning, admittedly getting a little frustrated after not even seeing a deer, much less getting a shot, the previous times. 

I sat as quiet as I could for close to 2.5 hours, but finally had to stand up and stretch my numb rear for a minute. While stretching, I was looking back over my shoulder where I had heard some rustling earlier, and when I looked back there was a deer in the middle of the field, nearly 200 yards away. I picked up my rifle and sat back down as quietly as I could, but it certainly noticed me, as it froze. I got my crosshairs on it, didn't see any antlers and I could tell it wasn't really big, but didn't care, it was a deer! 

I was using my Weatherby Vanguard 30-06, and my load was a Lee GC 170 grain (ACWW) over 21 grains of 2400 for an estimated 1800-1900 fps. I had sighted it in to be dead on at 180 yards (max at the house) which had it about 6 inches high at 100. I thought the deer may have been over 200 yards off, so I decided to hold a couple inches high. The cross hairs where bouncing up and down on the deer, so I took a couple deep breaths and did my best to settle down, luckily the deer didn't take off but remained frozen with a perfect broad side presentation. I squeezed off a round, and the deer hit the ground immediatly, he flopped around a bit, and I watched hoping he wouldn't get back up again, after a few seconds, he was still moving, with only his head sticking up above the grass, so I decided to take another shot at him. I set the crosshairs directly on his head (now realizing he was small buck) and sent another CB downrange. He disappeared during the recoil and I knew I had connected. After a few seconds of celebration, I climbed down to collect my prize. 

When I got to him, I realized quickly that my first shot had hit him in the spine about midway down his back. I had certainly overestimated the distance, but still not quite sure why the shot hit so far back, maybe it was the gloves, maybe it was the fact I forgot to take a fouling shot the day before, or maybe I just pulled it, but I am just thankful it worked out. Another inch higher and I would have given him a haircut, an inch or two lower and I would have had a high/rear lung shot that he could have probably made some good distance on. 

On one side he had a small fork about 3 inches long, on the other the fork pointed straight down, but had been broken off by my headshot. I was right about my size assesment, he was small but it didn't matter, I had my first deer! After walking up to my friends house he came out and told me he had gotten his first deer too, a slightly smaller doe, about a half an hour earlier (I had heard the shot but didn't know if it was him) and had watched me shoot mine from his livingroom window. Poor fellow wasn't as excited as I was though because he had just consoled his crying (over the deer) wife 

I was in a bit of a hurry to get the deer taken care of beacuse I was shortly due at my son's 10th birthday party (I knew I would get one when I had somewhere to be!) So we quickly loaded mine into the trunk of my Carolla:shock:, and his in the back of his truck and he departed for the processsor and I headed home. I got home and started right in processing the deer so I could make it to the party. My son came out and asked to help with skinning the deer, so I handed him a knife and let him go to it. He did a good job and didn't wound himself or me! It ended up being better father/son time than his party would be. In the end, I was able to get the deer in the fridge and was only 15 minutes late to the party. 

Afterwards, we bagged and tagged everything and enjoyed some wonderful grilled tenderloins and a backstrap with some homegrown vegetables. My wife said it was like Thanksgiving all over again! And even though there was a hole through both backstraps, it was only about as big as my finger and didn't ruin hardly any meat. Now I am off to bed for some much needed sleep (my excuse for the poor editing)!


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## froebeli (Feb 14, 2012)

Congratulations!!! One satisfying feeling to harvest wild game. Not as easy as some would make it seem. You did well!


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

Excellent! A deer with a cast boolit! 

Way to go!




Tim


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## TnTnTn (Dec 23, 2004)

A big hearty congratulations!!! Good shooting with cast boolits! Every deer taken in fair chase is a trophy. Nothing like the taste and satisfaction of fresh tenderloins. Good job.


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

Outstanding.....esp with a cast boolit--I'm trying paperpatch for about 2100


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

Congratulations! I hunted for ten years before I got my first!


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## Tubby (Dec 14, 2012)

Congrats! Cast boolit kills are the best.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

Congrats!


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## WestFork (Dec 20, 2012)

I made the bullets, just can't find the deer. Congrats. That will be good eating!


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