Here we go, I am 16, I live in lumberton texas, I have grown up around hunting and the outdoors, I sat in the stand with my dad for a while at our huntin lease in Kirbyvill Texas, till I was about 13, then my dad bought me a .243 new england firearms single shot rifle, I started out huntin like all kids do, whatever walked out, I was ready to shoot, till I shot the first thing that was a nubbin buck, I was so disappointed, so the next few years I matured into bigger dear, which was a big do or any buck, and I only got a few does till I turned 15, my dad stepped me up to his .270 auto loader, I started off this huntin season hoping to find that boone and crocket buck which every kid hopes to get, but knowing our lease wasnt known for the bucks I didnt think I would even see a buck.
Opening day, I had picked out a spot I thought the buck would be, we had a stand near and open field with thick brush behind us, usually the deer came from the brush and into the field to eat from what we observed earlier, in our scouting, well the first day I had only seen a few does and they were very skidish, I figured there was a buck behind them so I waited , but nothing came, and finally the does left, so I headed back, ate lunch and came out for the night hunt, the same does came, still skidish, but I never saw the buck, so disappointed, I went in for dinner, hoping tomorrow would be the day, I woke up an hour before my dad did, he decided he would hunt with me that day to help me figure out why the does were so skidish but why the buck never showed himself, he thought I just wasnt looking hard enough, we headed out, about an hour before daylight, we got to the stand and it started raining heavily with thick fog, just about 30 minutes after daylight dad fell asleep, so I kept a good look out to try and show him up, then I fell asleep.
At about 7:30 my dad tapped my on my shoulder saying wake up, he told me to look over on the side about a hundred yards away cause he saw a peculiar looking bush, I looked and as I turned he lifted his head, I pretty nice size buck, I slowly brought up my .270 and scoped him out carefully, but I never got a good shot, he was behind a group of pine trees just beyond a ditch, I kept following him in between the trees hoping he would get his should open enough I could shoot.
Finally I got the shot, I slowly pulled the trigger and click, it wasnt chambered, I thought to my self, what an idiot, I never chambered my gun, so looked over to my dad and told him what happened, and luckily he had brought my trusty lil .243 single shot, I grabbed it knowing I had already loaded it, then I put it back upon his shoulders, he moved behind the tree again, I was really getting impatient, I knew he was gonna walk those five more feet to the left and be out of sight forever, but then he turned to his right, and walked between a gap in the trees, without even thinking I pulled the trigger, he fell like a rock, he was grunting as he slid into the ditch, all I could see was antlers sticking out of the ditch and here that loud grunt.
I was so nervous, so we waited about 20 minutes, dad was asking me how come I didnt chamber the gun, and then gave me a high five, "how does it feel to get your first buck" he said, I said I dont know, lets go see him, I said yes, he gave me a big hug, then we went down, I walked with a spring in my step knowing I was gonna get to brag to everyone I had shot my first buck, and what a beauty, I had shot him perfectly behind his shoulder and hit his lungs and the bullet splintered into his spine knocking him into the ditch. I then pulled him out of the ditch and loaded him into my truck and brought him back to camp, he had a 14 inch spread with 9 inch tines, it weighed in field dressed at 103 pounds, first thing I did when I got back to school was brag, all my friends thought it was very nice, they seen it European mounted in my room. Now I am prepping up for next years hunting season.
Joe Culpepper