Thank you to this forum and it’s members. 1st deer down.

[mcrawfordaf]

I grew up in a long line of fishermen. None of my parents, grandparents or great grandparents were hunters. I decided to break that line and started big game hunting last season. I ate that tag and learned A LOT. I have no mentor and no hunting partner. Everything it took to down this buck I learned from you folks here and reading books. For as heated as this forum can get sometimes y’all can be damn helpful. I appreciate each and every tip I’ve been given, piece of advice or even just the lurking around on the wealth of information that can be found here.

I know he’s not the biggest and the majority of the folks here would even pass on him. But after nearly two weeks of putting in more effort on one singular task than perhaps my whole life - he was a shooter. He rode my bike down 3 miles to the gate and I couldn’t be happier. Thank you to all you fine forum members.

[Encore 280]

Excellent job!!! He's gonna be in your memory bank forever!!! Excellent grub right there!! Well done!!

[Mulie87]

He doesn’t have to be a 5x5 to be a shooter trophy. A trophy is what you want it to be. You will always have this memory. My first buck was a 3x2 mule deer that I call shorty because  his eye guard was barely legal, but he was mine and a trophy in my eyes. Well done sir and congrats!

[kramman]

Nothing wrong with that as a 1st deer. Mine was a spike. You'll always remember your 1st. Congrats

[WapitiTalk1]

Boom. Nice work mister.

[Pinetar]

Great job and Congrats on a fine trophy

[highside74]

I'd say killing a buck of any size in your second year with no in person mentor is a great job and something to be proud of. Congrats

[baldopepper]

MAke sure you hang onto those horns. 30 years from now they'll still be bringing a smile to your face.  Nice job!

[fishnfur]

   Congrats on the quick success.  All the hard work suddenly comes to fruition.  That buck is almost identical to the buck I killed last year.  Sometimes just getting it done becomes the primary mission.  Some years you'll likely find yourself holding out and risking tag soup just to have a chance at a bigger buck.  I'm happy for you.

[elkboy]

Nothing wrong with that as a 1st deer. Mine was a spike. You'll always remember your 1st. Congrats

My first deer was a spike as well.  I still remember him with as much pride and satisfaction as any deer I've ever harvested.  Great meat, great memories.  Congratulations to you! 

The fact you took him out like that on a bicycle reminds me of a certain Patrick McManus story: "My first deer, and welcome to it".  Go look it up!  Some of the best material that McManus ever wrote.   

[jrebel]

Fantastic.....This right here is what it's all about.  Getting out there and getting after it.  Nice job sir...hope you have many more years of great success. 

[duckmen1]

Love your post and success story. Congrats on finding success, learning the ropes and getting out there and enjoying the new experiences. Great job.

[Gentrys]

Congrats.  Trophy or not, it'll be a greaty memory.

[riverrun]

Nice post and glad you were able to fill your tag. Nice buck!

[Naches Sportsman]

Doesn’t matter the size or the sex of your harvest as long as your content or what you harvest. Congrats on a great buck.

[pd]

Good job, Mr. Hunter!

That must have been really difficult for the buck to pedal, with a bungee over his leg!

[Rainier10]

Great first deer and thanks for posting. This is exactly what this forum is for.

[cem3434]

Great first deer and thanks for posting. This is exactly what this forum is for.

  Always enjoy seeing others successful hunts and putting food on the table. As my ol' man use to say, you can't eat the horns.

[Dan-o]

Congratulations!

[ShaneTyTrey]

Awesome, congrats and welcome to the club!

[Smokepole]

That is a dandy buck, and will be a tasty one.  Congratulations!

Good deer buggy rig.  You ride biggyback with that setup?   

[NOCK NOCK]

That is a dandy buck, and will be a tasty one.  Congratulations!

Good deer buggy rig.  You ride biggyback with that setup?   

That would be a funny sight, 

Congrats on a nice buck

[boneaddict]

Congratulations!   I remember every detail of the hunt of my first buck.  That was 1983.   Savor those steaks. 

[Boss .300 winmag]

Nicely done, whitetail meat is the best.👍

[Hilltop123]

It's not the size of the headgear, that makes us take the journey. It's what we learn on that journey, that's important. Congrats. So will you expound on what you learned in your two seasons, that helped you harvest your first buck? There is a lot of new and first time hunters on here that just may learn something. Your turn to help others and pass along tid bits.

[hawks33]

I'll echo a lot of the sentiments here, you'll never forget this. Enjoy and congratulations on your hard work paying off!

[Angry Perch]

I remember every detail of my first deer, and boy did I learn a lot. That buck is a shooter every day of the season for me, and for the great majority of hunters.
If you need any advice/ help processing it, you're in the right place for that as well.

Congratulations!

P.S. No more apologetic success posts! You have every right to be incredibly proud of yourself.

[Blacktail Sniper]

Nice job, congrats!!

[Oldguy]

Congratulations! Please elaborate regarding how you managed to transport your trophy back to your vehicle. That looks more difficult than the shooting part.

[mcrawfordaf]

Thanks all! I'm very satisfied with my harvest and cant wait for next season already.

It's not the size of the headgear, that makes us take the journey. It's what we learn on that journey, that's important. Congrats. So will you expound on what you learned in your two seasons, that helped you harvest your first buck? There is a lot of new and first time hunters on here that just may learn something. Your turn to help others and pass along tid bits.

I guess the main thing would be the importance of scouting and ensuring that there are deer where you intend to hunt. Last season I did nothing but e-scouting and using harvest statistics for GMUs to pick my location. This year I combined the "e-scouting" with boots on the ground. I spent a lot of time biking into non-motorized areas and glassing. I also finally purchased a trail cam for this season which is a great confidence booster in knowing there are deer where you plan to hunt. I also learned through the forum that these bucks really do go nocturnal come October and your chances are vastly improved by hunting first and last light with the most conviction. Last year I was timid about hunting until last light.

Congratulations! Please elaborate regarding how you managed to transport your trophy back to your vehicle. That looks more difficult than the shooting part.

It definitely was the harder part!    After gutting him I first tried to mount him onto my bike as the bike stood against a tree. This did NOT work as intended. So I opted to mount him as best as I could to my bike while they were both laying on the ground. Once he was secure enough I lifted him and the bike came along. Then came the fun part - walking him down 3 miles to the gate, in the dark, where I've had cougar on cam. Thankfully nothing challenged me for the kill and we made it down. During the mounting his front leg knocked my rear brake cable out of the lever and for how hard it was to finally get him up right on the bike I didn't want to fuss with trying to fix it. So I only had the use of my front brake to maintain control over him while going down hill. It was all well worth the effort though.

I did have him on cam in velvet a couple times as well. My initial target buck was one a bit higher in the family tree, but to be honest I'm glad I didn't get him for my 1st. It would've been all down hill from there 

[OutHouse]

Great job Sir! Second season on your own that IS a big accomplishment. Good things in your future are coming!   

[fowl smacker]

Congrats.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  I've killed a lot of bucks, some really great bucks.  This year I shot a spike because I had very limited time this season and I'll be in Idaho during extended buck.  I'm still just as happy with a spike today as I was 30 years ago.  I'm about putting that wholesome meat on the table.

[Oldguy]

Next time, just tie each front leg to the corresponging back leg which will make a pack. Arms through the newly constructed "leg straps" and jump on the bike and pedal. Might not work but please video the attempt. I've carried a deer out with this pack method when I was younger. Now someone would have carry me out

[bearpaw]

That first deer will always be one of the biggest trophies of your life, congrats!

[GOcougsHunter]

Congratulations on your first deer!  months and months of healthy protein for the table.

[wafisherman]

Congrats!  Way to put in the work. So much more rewarding that way.  Now go get that big one next year!

[carpsniperg2]

Congrats on your deer!

[Rob]

congrats!

you must watch this video:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=my+first+deer%2c+and+welcome+to+it+patrick+f+mcmanus&view=detail&mid=22AEC4E5D8C42FCFDC4022AEC4E5D8C42FCFDC40&FORM=VIRE

(or read "My first deer and welcome to it" by Patrick F McManus)

[Jpmiller]

Congrats! That's quite the accomplishment! I'm can honestly say I hat I'm not positive I've shot a buck bigger than that after 20 or so years of hunting.

[Shawn Ryan]

I'd say killing a buck of any size in your second year with no in person mentor is a great job and something to be proud of. Congrats

Exactly this. You also describe this forum well. You learn fast. Are you processing the meat yourself?

[ironbuck]

   Congrats everyone's first is a is always a trophy as is yours, thank you for the post.

[HuntnFishman]

Congratulations man!!! My first was a small spike! Savor every tender morsel dude! If interested, slice the tough meat thin, and season it with fajita season, fry up some peppers and onions and make venison fajitas, there bombin good 👍

[wadu1]

Well done, thanks for the post. As stated, above save your antlers for the memories. I still have my first mounted on Tennessee Red Ceder from 1966, just a spike but my first deer.   

[MLBowhunting]

Nice job

[ctwiggs1]

  Fantastic buck. Great work

[Mfowl]

Congrats! Great job! 

[DeerThug]

That is awesome.  You are on your way.  Just keep after it.  Dont ever overthink deer hunting. The key to success is time, effort and more time - and then maybe a little more time. You figured out what works. Just build off of that.  Next year will be another adventure..

[mcrawfordaf]

Again thank you all for the congratulations and words of encouragement! Finished the meat processing this weekend and euro mount. Also tanning the hide to boot.