Time to brag about my first buck at 38

[JakeC]

I'm finally getting around to sharing my hunt. October 2022. I whitetail hunted for years as a youth and teen and gave it up for more than a decade. Sitting in subfreezing shrubbery waiting for another animal to walk through that exact bush is not my cup of coffee. When my lady's job brought me to the west I decided to get back into it. Learning about public land and spot and stalk really put the spark back. Took a few years to get the license, build the rifle, gain a point or two and make a plan, but I finally found a deer I couldn't pass up.

mature mule buck, general tag, public land, gun I sort of built, bullet I picked and loaded myself, doing it on my own plan and terms with the help of a close friend. Clean kill, no suffering. Basically I am finally very happy with my first, worth the long wait. I would not mind hearing about others' first or favorite deer.

Super grateful for the help here on the long range forum and I'm happy I drilled regularly out to 550… but it was only a fifty yard shot in the thick woods! Almost exactly how I started out in Maine. It's how she goes.

7 Saum, 140g absolute Hammer mv 3230. happy to talk about the setup more if anyone's curious.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

I'm finally getting around to sharing my hunt. October 2022. I whitetail hunted for years as a youth and teen and gave it up for more than a decade. Sitting in subfreezing shrubbery waiting for another animal to walk through that exact bush is not my cup of coffee. When my lady's job brought me to the west I decided to get back into it. Learning about public land and spot and stalk really put the spark back. Took a few years to get the license, build the rifle, gain a point or two and make a plan, but I finally found a deer I couldn't pass up.

mature mule buck, general tag, public land, gun I sort of built, bullet I picked and loaded myself, doing it on my own plan and terms with the help of a close friend. Clean kill, no suffering. Basically I am finally very happy with my first, worth the long wait. I would not mind hearing about others' first or favorite deer.

Super grateful for the help here on the long range forum and I'm happy I drilled regularly out to 550… but it was only a fifty yard shot in the thick woods! Almost exactly how I started out in Maine. It's how she goes.

7 Saum, 140g absolute Hammer mv 3230. happy to talk about the setup more if anyone's curious.

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NICE
GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't see the MARK on your forehead for first kill. Also you need to take the first bite out of the Heart!
Congrats on a very nice BUCK!!!

 

[HRstretch]

I'm finally getting around to sharing my hunt. October 2022. I whitetail hunted for years as a youth and teen and gave it up for more than a decade. Sitting in subfreezing shrubbery waiting for another animal to walk through that exact bush is not my cup of coffee. When my lady's job brought me to the west I decided to get back into it. Learning about public land and spot and stalk really put the spark back. Took a few years to get the license, build the rifle, gain a point or two and make a plan, but I finally found a deer I couldn't pass up.

mature mule buck, general tag, public land, gun I sort of built, bullet I picked and loaded myself, doing it on my own plan and terms with the help of a close friend. Clean kill, no suffering. Basically I am finally very happy with my first, worth the long wait. I would not mind hearing about others' first or favorite deer.

Super grateful for the help here on the long range forum and I'm happy I drilled regularly out to 550… but it was only a fifty yard shot in the thick woods! Almost exactly how I started out in Maine. It's how she goes.

7 Saum, 140g absolute Hammer mv 3230. happy to talk about the setup more if anyone's curious.

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Glad you found that hunting and the planning of hunting can be fulfilling again. Great job of all the prep and taking a good Mulie. Hope you have many more years of hunting memories to come.

 

[Hela52]

Congratulations!

 

[JakeC]

NICE
GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't see the MARK on your forehead for first kill. Also you need to take the first bite out of the Heart!
Congrats on a very nice BUCK!!!

Haha, yeah there was a bit of a time crisis going on but that's a much longer story. Thanks!

Glad you found that hunting and the planning of hunting can be fulfilling again. Great job of all the prep and taking a good Mulie. Hope you have many more years of hunting memories to come.

I miss where I grew up and being able to wander out back to hunt but having it be the result of a lot of initiative and planning was very rewarding, you are right. Thanks.

 

[fordy]

NICE
GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't see the MARK on your forehead for first kill. Also you need to take the first bite out of the Heart!
Congrats on a very nice BUCK!!!

Gday jakec x2 above
some of us are sick puppies to others it's the norm so ea to their own methods but your smile has been worth the wait & may there be many more to come
Congrats
Cheers

 

[jessej]

Also you need to take the first bite out of the Heart!

It's a real thing we do on first bucks.

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

Congratulations very nice buck

 

[Hand Skills]

Great buck, @JakeC - thank you for sharing the story (and backstory).

Can you post a pic of your rifle and maybe a loaded round?

I have been having great success with the 140gr Absolute Hammer as well, pretty close to the ideal deer bullet in my mind!

 

[GDKinCO]

Congrats, JakeC! Well done!

 

[JakeC]

Great buck, @JakeC - thank you for sharing the story (and backstory).

Can you post a pic of your rifle and maybe a loaded round?

I have been having great success with the 140gr Absolute Hammer as well, pretty close to the ideal deer bullet in my mind!

I will, I'm traveling now but remind me a week from now if I haven't yet. Just a mutt savage but it's my mutt. Thanks.

 

[jsmitt6]

I'm finally getting around to sharing my hunt. October 2022. I whitetail hunted for years as a youth and teen and gave it up for more than a decade. Sitting in subfreezing shrubbery waiting for another animal to walk through that exact bush is not my cup of coffee. When my lady's job brought me to the west I decided to get back into it. Learning about public land and spot and stalk really put the spark back. Took a few years to get the license, build the rifle, gain a point or two and make a plan, but I finally found a deer I couldn't pass up.

mature mule buck, general tag, public land, gun I sort of built, bullet I picked and loaded myself, doing it on my own plan and terms with the help of a close friend. Clean kill, no suffering. Basically I am finally very happy with my first, worth the long wait. I would not mind hearing about others' first or favorite deer.

Super grateful for the help here on the long range forum and I'm happy I drilled regularly out to 550… but it was only a fifty yard shot in the thick woods! Almost exactly how I started out in Maine. It's how she goes.

7 Saum, 140g absolute Hammer mv 3230. happy to talk about the setup more if anyone's curious.

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Nice work! I am also in N. Utah. Great buck!

 

[AZHTR]

Very nice job!

 

[john k]

Congrats! Nice buck, great cartridge, great bullet and load, and great memory. I still can't believe you got out of a blood bath. That's a rite of passage! Really like the way you prepared shooting. Now you officially got the bug!