When was the moment that defined deer hunting for you?

[Treestand Troubadour]

I was mowing tonight and got thinking about this. Everybody had that moment when something happened that made you know right then and there that you wanted to be a deer hunter and thus started the addiction. I wanna hear what did it for you all.
For me it was when I was 20. I had hunted a bunch of times but never had any luck, by no luck I mean I probably didn't even see two deer. I went out one evening and sat on stand til I got stir crazy about thirty minutes before dark. While I was walking out I saw 7 deer playing out in a field that I had to walk through to get to the truck. When I got closer they started coming in the woods towards me. I froze and my heart was beating so hard I thought they would hear it. I was standing in some open timber with no trees within 30' of me. I was real easy and got an arrow nocked in just enough time to look up and see a doe not even 15 yards away. I drew back and stifled the shakes enough to get a pin on her and squeeze the release. I saw the lumenok go in tight behind the shoulder just before she bucked and took off runnin. Not 20 yards later she crashed and succumbed to a heart shot. That exact moment I heard her crash I knew that was it. I was so tore up I had to sit down before I went to look at my trophy. I knew right then and there that I wanted to hunt deer and ever since then I have been in love with the sport. I just wanna hear when it happened to you all.

 

[catman529]

Tough to say. Turkey got me into hunting, first sparked the interest Thanksgiving day 2009 when I chased a flock out of the yard and then started thinking how I could kill, cook and eat one. That led to research and learning some basic hunting laws, calls, techniques etc.

Joined this forum the following fall but only deer hunted twice that year, with a friend equally as clueless as myself. I don't know when I got into deer, but it was sometime over the summer of 2010. I do remember playing Deer Hunter 2005 which is more of a simulator than a game. Maybe it was that or maybe just hunting in general, but I got into deer hunting either way.

Killed my first turkey spring 2011 and first deer fall 2011.

I will never forget the first deer, or even the first couple attempts at deer hunting the year before. But what probably secured the addiction, was bow hunting. That first bow kill...then all the ones after it....the close range foot steps in the leaves, the quiet draw and thwop of the arrow hitting rib cage and then the crashing through the brush. I still hunt with a gun every year and enjoy it, but the bow hunting is the most addictive and rewarding hunt to me.

Back in late '09 when I first took interest, it was born out of a pure desire to outsmart those wild critters that were so good at avoiding being caught, and also the desire to eat my own kill, because I've always been the foraging type to harvest things from the wild when they are available. I remember being a little kid excited to find the first ripe blackberry growing on undeveloped lots in my neighborhood. That draw towards finding my own food eventually grew to fishing, and then years later, to hunting. Then it became a lifestyle...


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[stik]

i had always been a small game hunter. there really weren't enough deer for the effort. i went to an old-fashioned bonfire party where i was fed venison for the first time. i knew the only way to get some more was to shoot one. so i started deer hunting in my 20's.
it was 3 years before i even saw a deer and 5 years before i actually killed one.

 

[AT Hiker]

About 25 years ago when I realized that is what my grandfather was doing so I had to do it. First time he took me we didnt see a single deer, frooze our butts off but had an absolute blast! Walking in the woods that early in the morning in the winter was a surreal experience, that moment on I was addicted. Prob took me another year to actually see a deer while hunting and 5 more years to kill one. Wouldnt trade those years for nothing!


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[ImThere]

We camped and hunted since I was born. I always enjoyed it. When I was 9 or 10 my dad and uncle drew a "x" zone tag my uncle killed a Huge Muley it was a 6x6 with kickers everywhere and had like a 32" inside spread. It was game on since that day. I always wanted to kill one that big, never did. Moved here to TN 12 years ago started killing does enjoy the hunting here much more than hunting 1 huge buck in a million acres of the sequoias

 

[Acorn]

My Father started carrying me hunting with him when I started walking. I loved every thing about it. The moment that I knew I was hook for life was Thanksgiving day 1991 I was twelve years old and killed my first deer hunting by myself. Back then you just didn't see deer like this very much.

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[Mike Belt]

I grew up hunting small game. By the time I was 15 I could probably out hunt and out shoot most grown men. I lived to be in the woods and fields. We didn't have deer but they graced the covers of most outdoor magazines back then and I drooled as I read everything I could get my hands on. When I married, my wife's family were deer hunters. There were 7 brothers and all their offspring. They hunted locally and made yearly trips out west after elk and mule deer. They invited me to tag along on their local deer hunting. I soaked up every bit of information I could get. Along with my experiences in the woods and this new knowledge I struck out scouting with a cousin and picked a spot that looked promising. I shimmied up a crooked tree and took a seat on a crooked, knotty limb and waited on sunrise. In a matter of minutes an 8 pointer dropped off a ridge top and headed straight for me. I shot him at 25 feet. He was a monster 90" buck and I was a deer hunter.

 

[MattZ9]

When I was 12 or 13 my buddy asked me to go with him and his uncle. Just a weekend trip close to home. Killed my first deer a few weeks later. Been hooked ever since!

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[Os2 Outdoors]

I never knew any different. I was raised on it. I was wrapped in a blanket as a baby in the tree with my dad an brother hunting before I can even remember. Killed my first gun deer some 26 years ago at age 5 an first bow deer at age 9.
Its all I know lol. GLAD Dad brain washed me.

One Shot One Soul

 

[redblood]

I never knew any different. I was raised on it. I was wrapped in a blanket as a baby in the tree with my dad an brother hunting before I can even remember. Killed my first gun deer some 26 years ago at age 5 an first bow deer at age 9.
Its all I know lol. GLAD Dad brain washed me.

One Shot One Soul

great story. I bet you weren't an easy baby to tote through the woods, lol

 

[redblood]

My Father started carrying me hunting with him when I started walking. I loved every thing about it. The moment that I knew I was hook for life was Thanksgiving day 1991 I was twelve years old and killed my first deer hunting by myself. Back then you just didn't see deer like this very much.

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great deer, especially for 1991. I can still remember my Thanksgiving 1991 hut. I was a sophomore in high school. I could take you to the try, about 7 miles from where I type this

 

[Os2 Outdoors]

I never knew any different. I was raised on it. I was wrapped in a blanket as a baby in the tree with my dad an brother hunting before I can even remember. Killed my first gun deer some 26 years ago at age 5 an first bow deer at age 9.
Its all I know lol. GLAD Dad brain washed me.

One Shot One Soul

great story. I bet you weren't an easy baby to tote through the woods, lol

My dad said I ran more deer off than we killed. He said big brother hated me going lol.

One Shot One Soul

 

[Os2 Outdoors]

My Father started carrying me hunting with him when I started walking. I loved every thing about it. The moment that I knew I was hook for life was Thanksgiving day 1991 I was twelve years old and killed my first deer hunting by myself. Back then you just didn't see deer like this very much.

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That was a world record in this part of the world in 91. Amazing how far we've come!!

One Shot One Soul

 

[Vince]

November 2013. First time ever hunting. My buddy wanted to deer hunt but he didnt want to go alone. Another friend had committed to go with him but backed out last moment. He asked me if I would come instead. I said i know nothing about this. He gave me some coaching, and all gear including boots, coveralls, heater, everything. The next day we start out at 3 am, reach the hunting place at 5am. Two blinds in the woods, he knew where they each were. Pitch dark, my first time ever in woods, first time at that place. He walks me to the blind I am supposed to sit but starts panting and says he is too tired to go to 'his' blind. In the dark, he points me to the direction of the other blind. I don't have much clue but start my walk in the dark, across a creek and atop the ridge when suddenly the blind appears in front of me. I make myself comfortable in the blind, open the zippers. I will not forget any moment of that day - how light dawned, the view of the woods, the silence of the woods, the bugs I saw, the bobcat I saw and sitting in there until 4.30pm, eagerly hoping every minute a deer would pass by, and wondering how I would shoot one if I saw one. Sat there until I heard my buddy's voice, "lets get back home".

I haven't seen a deer since then (that is, have never seen a deer in shot distance while on a stand or in a blind - last yr saw a doe at 85 yds while bow hunting) but have returned to the woods several times since then. Practised shooting a little more over last year. It's an itch that can be cured only by your presence in the woods..that tells me I am hooked. It used to be fishing that gave me this feeling, well until I started hunting...

 

[Devin2009]

As long as I can remember, I have had a raging desire to hunt. I can remember my dad taking me around 3 or 4 years old but I know I haven't missed many weekend mornings during deer season since I was 6 years old. I would get my dad up fix the coffee for him, spray all of our cloths down with scent killer an would worry my dad about wanting to go even when I was to young to even carry a gun, now he rarely hunts but I am glad he took the time to take me an teach me the ways of the woods. I really got the burning desire to kill big bucks when I killed my first really good buck on 11-11-09 I was 18 years old. I had killed a bunch of does an smaller bucks but when I killed him I felt like I had reached the top of the mountain. I could not imagine life without the chance of getting up way to early an chasing deer and turkeys.

 

[7mminatree]

Seems as though a lot of people here grew up in the best days of deer hunting in Tennessee. Back in the 60's when I started deer hunting, there wasn't any. But that's ok, I'm not sure if I have an answer for that question.

 

[fairchaser]

It was 1973, I was 16 and my older brother was back from boot camp in NC. He had met some deer hunters and thought we could go deer hunting. It was bow season so we borrowed some recuves and cedar arrows and off we went to Chickasaw state park. Somehow I found an old wood stand in a giant oak and figured it was there for a good reason so I climbed up. About an hour after sunrise I looked up to see a threesome of does and fawns headed my way so I got ready. At about 20 yards I flung an arrow and missed big time. That was my first deer hunt. Everything about it made a profound impression on me and I wanted to do it again. My first kill was a doe while in college. I've deer hunted for the last 42 years.

 

[TboneD]

Good question. It's likely that my 25 yrs or so of deer hunting have all been an attempt to make up for wounding and losing the buck of my life back in Illinois while in college, first morning in the woods with slugs and a shotgun sling that somehow ended up over the barrel. Instant buck fever, and instant disaster.


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[AT Hiker]

We camped and hunted since I was born. I always enjoyed it. When I was 9 or 10 my dad and uncle drew a "x" zone tag my uncle killed a Huge Muley it was a 6x6 with kickers everywhere and had like a 32" inside spread. It was game on since that day. I always wanted to kill one that big, never did. Moved here to TN 12 years ago started killing does enjoy the hunting here much more than hunting 1 huge buck in a million acres of the sequoias

Whitetail hunting has improved drastically and the mule deer hunting has declined drastically. You got out of Mule deer and into whitetail hunting just in time, Im the exact opposite.

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[cozy23]

My hunting career started about 6 years ago when I was 23. A new buddy from Fl got me into it. It was November before I committed to going. I bought a set of bibs and jacket. These were my first 2 articles of camo clothing. I bought an old bear bow off Craigslist and started shooting it as much as I could. The first deer that walked in front of me was a button buck. I drew back and my arrow fell off my rest. I tried to fix it but he was out of range by then. That Christmas I got some cash and bought me a new Bear bow. I bought it on a Saturday, took it to the range and sighted it in. I hunted that Sunday and killed my first deer. She was a HUGE doe. That gave me a sense of accomplishment that I don't think anything else could have given me.

I think my desire to hunt has always been inside me. I never had the opportunity growing up but always knew I wanted to. I have always jumped from hobby to hobby but hunting has stuck with me. I hope that by the time my son is old enough that I will still have place to hunt so I can take him. That's the biggest thing I worry about. If I don't have somewhere to hunt then I will lose interest. I can only handle hunting public land around here so much before I lose hope.

 

[Treestand Troubadour]

Thats like me all I did growin up was hunt rabbit n squirrel and never really thought nothin about deer til after high school, I just seen them as mystical creatures that only inhabited back in deep hollers of posted land. I've only had few opportunities to hunt private land, and never been able to hunt it the way I hunt. Always been with somebody that's told me I gotta go this way and set up over there. But I'm not complaining because huntin public land exclusively has taught me many things that I would have never learned any other way

 

[Bone Collector]

I started chasing critters with a BB gun in VA and always wanted to hunt, because my grandfather told me stories about it. I deer hunted a few times in VA without luck, and would say in reality i was hooked the moment i started getting into the woods. Just the chance at a deer was exciting.

Of course the moment, i knew I was hooked was when i killed my first in 1993. I was so tore up, I knew I wanted to do this as much as possible.

 

[ferg]

The very first time I was in the woods with my Grandfather - I sat with him, I was all of 11 or 12, I learned then that it was MORE about 'being' in the woods with family, than 'hunting' per se' - there is nothing like 'deer camp'

ferg....

 

[Hunter 257W]

I didn't have any single event that got me into deer hunting. It was more of a gradual thing. I do recall very clearly the 1st deer I ever saw on our farm back in the mid 1970's. I was in my mid teens and had been out shooting blackbirds sometime in the Fall and when I came back out of the field into my Grandparent's garden, there were 3 does just inside the pasture beyond the yard. My jaw almost dropped to the ground. I started pestering my Father, who wasn't a hunter, right away for some kind of gun to deer hunt with. I didn't get one for several years and that just made me want to go that much more. I was already a rifle nut motivated mainly by sniping groundhogs from across big fields. Deer hunting was just another excuse to get and shoot more rifles. At that time, big antlers didn't really have much of an influence because NOBODY had even heard of the Boone & Crocket scoring system and ANY buck was something to be proud of.

 

[TDW05]

I got hooked from my first hunt when i was about 6 i would say. I would go with dad when i could and walk beside him step for step. He tells me when i was about 5 or so we went to A-row in franklin county turkey hunting and he was calling and nothing happened so i yelled "here turkey turkey!!" lol. But i'd say the moment that really got me into it was when i was about 8 or so and had some does come in and being so excited. Got the cross hairs on her and squeezed. BOOOM! Deer take off. Feel something cold on my face that turns out to be blood from the scope hitting me in the eye lol. Then come to realize i completely missed. The roller coaster of emotions and the memories of me and dad are what had and has me hooked to this day. :super: :party:

 

[Apple1982]

I started hunting when I was 10 year old now 32 years old. It was when I killed my first deer at age 13. Little basket 8 point. That's how I got hooked on hunting!

 

[moondawg]

I didn't start hunting til I was almost 30. I had been camping and fishing for several years, but never did any hunting. I started out small game hunting with very little (read: No) success. Then i got the interest in deer hunting through my inlaws. They were kind enough to let me hunt their property, and mentored me along the way.

There's two moments that defined me. I borrowed an inlaw's 30.30 one morning. I had never fired a rifle before. I was in a deer stand and a buck came by. I don't know the yardage, but I remember looking at it through the scope. It was a broadside shot...and I didn't take it, not knowing the range of the rifle. In retrospect, I could have made the shot. I remember the deer looking at me, probably laughing as I was a total noob. That's when I realized I needed my OWN rifle that I could practice with and get familiar with.

The other moment came maybe a year or two later when I had my very own rifle...a .45 caliber muzzleloader. It was a cold morning during muzzleloader season. I was in the stand, and a two inlaws were hunting the area as well. I remember seeing deer coming down the dirt road. Oh wow! There's some deer! I was excited just see deer. A buck was walking towards the north of me and...hmmm, this deer is in range. I carefully raised the rifle, got the buck in the crosshairs, and pulled the trigger. Through the smoke, i saw the deer run, and I thought I missed. Then the buck's shoulder started drooping, and his head started drooping and swinging. And then he collapsed! I hit him! I remember the heart pounding and the shakes that followed afterwards. And that was a rush I will never forget.