My Kid gets his first Deer on his first hunt!

[cphilip]

Caleb, my 15 year old Son, got his first deer Saturday. He was hunting with one of his High School Football team mates on his Dads land (600 Acres) in Laurens County South Carolina. He just received this Rifle as a early X-Mas present two weeks ago and it was his first ever Deer hunt and with his new Rifle. He was taking a doe at the property owners request who manages the land for Trophy bucks and he is over populated with Does right now. He saw four deer that day. This Doe (reportedly Bambi's Mother but we are not sure) and two others and a small four point buck, all of which he passed on for this the biggest of the Doe's he saw. One clean shot from a Remington Model 700 in .270 caliber at about 40 yards about 5:30 PM Sat Dec 1st. About 120 pounds.

At the meat processor now. Good eatin! See picture:

[shartley]

Congratz!

Phil! Put the heart in an igloo cooler and send it overnight to me!

Serious folks, if you have not had deer heart, you don't know what you are missing. Slice it thin and slow cook it with lots of butter, onions and mushrooms. It melts in your mouth, and tastes SO darn good!

[cphilip]

Oh man..Sam...I got bad news..he took it to one of those processing places and they did not save it. Although he will be going again and I will indeed do that for you the next time. He has been asked to take another Doe.

That brings up another point. When did Deer hunting get to be so easy? Is it just me or did I go out day after day after day and not get a darn thing. And when I did get one did I just drop it off at a professional place to skin gut and package neatly ready for the freezer? Nooooooo! I was up all night cleaning gutting and chopping into small enough pieces to put in the old fridge for a few days to salvage the meat. Kid tells me by the time he had checked off the blocks as to how he wanted the meat processed Sausage made etc. they had it gutted and skinned! All for $15 to skin and dress!

My friend Dr. Walt Ligon (the one who wrote the thoughts on PB thing) had this to say about it: "too bad! his first hunt with his first rifle and he kills a deer? now he'll
never know the joy of sitting for hours on end, day after day, freezing his *** off in a tree without even SEEING one of the damned beasts!"

Now thats how it was in the olden days!

[cphilip]

Oh yea let me stess this point... It was his first Deer hunt! Ever! And his first time out (other than the practice range) with this rifle.

[shartley]

I agree. Part of the process IS the process. Now days it is more like simply shooting at a moving target. The REAL hunting experience is MUCH more than that and can be a wonderful bonding with both your friends and family as well as the deer. (Some should take note of Old Native American beliefs.)

And the gutting, cleaning, etc. was a part of that process. It made you WORK for it, as well as know the effort it truly takes. It also made you realize that what you did was kill a LIVING thing, and it is not a disposable item like a Big Mac in a paper wrapper. Killing is EASY, but dealing with the process AFTER is often very hard. And if you can not deal with it ALL, you should not be hunting.... because then it just cheapens the experience and the life you just took.

If all you want to do is kill something, you missed the point of the hunt. And if all you wanted was to hit a moving target.. go to a good rifle range, and then stop in to your local butcher for some meat.

I guess we can call it Nintendo Hunting? Point shoot, and let someone else deal with the reality of it all.

But that is just my opinion on the matter... to each their own.

[mrhooie]

congrats to your boy I got my first deer 4 years ago and still remember the feeling..

And when did deer hunting get so easy? well, 2 years ago I didn't get, didn't even see one after a week of freezing my butt off.....



As for the heart, they've really discouraged eating any organs here, so I haven't had one...

[cphilip]

This is more like "harvesting" in some respects but I will bite my tounge. Its not like those game farms you see now a days. These are truely wild beasts so I cannot get too concerned about that respect. He had success so he is real excited and I couldn't say much right now. And having the processing done is real nice for me as I woulda been the one to show him late one night and I wasn't realy prepared to do it right. However I do hope he does experience the real joy of being outdoors and hunting with a respect. The guy who takes him does and I am sure he will instill in him a healthy respect for life as I have always done before. So we shall see. I know he will experience the "joy" of cleaning game soon as I intend to thin our squirrel population and he is also going Rabbit hunting later in the season. He will not hunt if he is not willing to clean game. I can see a deer not being the first thing but he will clean and eat what he kills for the most part. My rule that was passed down from my forefathers. Worked for me and them. That should fix it.

[shartley]

You said it.....

[cphilip]

Originally posted by mrhooie
2 years ago I didn't get, didn't even see one after a week of freezing my butt off.....

Now that's how I remember it! Still was fun though huh? Most of you may not know that I actually have solved many of the worlds complex problems while doing that...however they were never implemented as I forgot them by the time I got warmed back up...

[Army]

Ahhh, first hunt, first deer, way to go Caleb!

.270 at 40yds? Was there any meat left?!

I remember my first hunt..................actually I don't, it was too long ago, but I do recall my last hunt: Squirrels to the left of me, squirrels to the right, looking over the field to the front I can see them massing for whatever squirrels do. I place the crosshairs, slowly start taking up slack...and a Forest Service truck rolls into the view! I wait for another half hour until he finally spots me and drives over to say hello. I asked if he saw the warning signs I put up, that someone was shooting in that direction, he said "well, yeah, but I didn't think to look for you". Sheesh, bright white Ranger less than 50yds from the road, no brush to conceal it, and you drive straight at it until the road turns. Oh well, turns out he made the critters mad, so they were all out cussing at him as he drove away. I waited until he was out of sight behind me and started busting caps. Glorious day it turned out to be anyway; if I saw them, I hit them!

Sam is right Phil, save the heart next time. Deli sliced, and saute'd with onions and lots of butter...heaven. Seems to only work with deer and elk, cow heart is tough.

[mrhooie]

Now that's how I remember it! Still was fun though huh?

Yup....nothing like it. Being in the woods or a field for hours on end, with nothing to do but think

I used to think long drives of 10 hours or more were relaxing (because you've got nothing to think about but the drive) but the time I've spent just sitting and looking and thinking are some of the best times I've had.

[Russ]

Good going, Caleb! First deer on the first hunt? It's all downhill from there!

[BenRob6969]

hey good job caleb.. I'm 16 and My father and I were hunting the otha weekend but.... we didn't get anything!!!!
O well next time right.

[bornl33t]

Excuse my ignorance but is it leagal to deer hunt with rifles? I though it had to be pistols for shotgun slugs? I've never seen hunting b4, I'm not quite on the up and up on this?

[shartley]

There are different seasons, even bow and black powder. So, yes it is legal to hunt deer with a rifle.. if you do so in season.

Of course I wonder why they don't have "Truck" season? Now THAT would take skills... but it would have to be on THEIR territory, not on the roads. (j/k)