1o "Buck" Don's 1st Kill

[Professor T]

“Buck”
Don’s Other Deer
Don’s Shotgun Kill # 1
Don’s 1st Deer Kill

November 30, 1975
Rainbow Hunting Club
Morning Hunt
9 point
225 lbs. estimated
4.5 yo
20 Gauge Model 1100 Remington Shotgun

My very first deer, He has been remounted using the cape off a buck, “Broken Beam”, that I had let walk two years before he was shot on “My Brothers’ Place. I was given the cape by Doug Harrell who killed “Broken Beam”.

The Story
I was working offshore at the time. A friend of mine was invited to go hunting near Natchez, MS on Rainbow Hunting Club. Ralph Sargent was a member there. He invited Ray Doescher and myself to hunt with him. The year before Ralph had killed a 300 lb. 8 point with a 24 ½” inside spread.

It was November 30, 1975 anf we made a still hunt in early morning. We then met back at the camp for running the dogs at about 8:00 am. Everyone chose their postion and I was dropped off on the road behind an old graveyard. As I was walking in the woods I jumped a deer. It was a good size deer but I didn’t have the experience or forethought to look for antlers. All I saw was that big white tail.

It wasn’t long before the beginning of a front moved through and it sprinkled rain a few minutes, then the wind got cold, not much, but enough to notice and remember. After the wind and rain quit I could hear dogs coming. “Hot Dog, I’m going to see some deer.” We could only shoot bucks in this club at the time. The dogs soon turned and headed a different direction. I thought I had missed all the action.

I heard leaves rustling to my left. I was standing on the ground, leaning against a tree for some breakup of my outline. At about 30 yards a beautiful buck walked right up and gave me a broadside shot. I was using my 20 gauge model 1100 with a slug, then buckshot, then another slug. I picked a spot behind the shoulder and squeezed the trigger. In my amazement the deer whipped around and started running off. I took a second shotas he entered the switch cane. This I know was a miss. The buck’s tail had barely cleared the interior of the cane when… (Here is where I don’t know what happened) It was either him or another buck came out of the canein the same place he went in and was running straight towards me. At about 30 yards again he turned to run down hill and gave me a broadside shot at about 200 mph (So it seemed).

I put the sight behind him, passed through the kill zone shooting as I got behind the shoulder. Again, he kept running! What?... I cannot have missed a second time. After 30 to 40 more yards I could see blood pumping out his side like a hose. A few more steps and he laid on his side and gave a few kicks. During this time I was not the least bit excited. I just knew what I had to do and did it. I had never met “Mr. Whitetail” before this date. I tried to reload my gun thinking he may get up again. You know those stories you here.

Let me tell you, shotgun shells are not easy to put in backwards. Three is to many to hold in your hand when you are having a heart attack. I know it didn’t take me a minute to reload but it seemed like an eternity. Now I walked up to him. OHHHH SH******! I had never seen this before. I counted 11 points and tried to grow more. (He was actually a 9 point because 2 of the points were less than an inch.) I called him an 11 point for many years until learning better.

The president of the club got to me first and started cussing me out because I killed his pet deer. Kidding of course, but I wasn’t 100% sure. There was no way he was going to take it from me now though. We drug the deer back to the road, loaded him up, and then drove back to the camp. Within minutes the deer was divided 14 ways.

On the was back home I decided that I knew how lucky I was to have made such a kill and I have my head to hang on my mantel so I won’t go back hunting any more. Well at least until my next day off. I was hooked. First day hunting and a 225 lb. (est.) 11 point. Wow!

It has been a little time since that happened but the feeling has never changed. When I shot the 8 point with my bow on Bayou Bucks DVE II there was no difference. I stuttered, shook, had that heavy heart beat and that deep feeling we all know.
Man, I love this sport!