"your first kill stories"

[hoosierhunter]

I'm not sure if this has been done before, but I thought it would be fun to relive our first deer kills...So I'll start this off....

I was in 6th grade and it was gun season here in Indiana. It was a school day, but that night called for very heavy fog and we got a 3 hr delay. My dad woke me up and asked if I wanted to go hunting. You can only imagine how exicted I was! We got in the woods and sat down by a big downed tree. I was hunting with my dad's old 20 gauge that he killed is first deer with and also my grandfather killed his first with it. Like broke and about a 1hr after light we see two deer coming over the ridge. They are both yearlings and they are only 30 yards away. My dad is sitting on my left and they are gonna pass to the left. He says go ahead a take one of them! So I pull the gun up and get them in my sights. They are walking and I'm too scared to take a walking shot so I let them keep coming. As you can imagine the barrell is swining to in front of my dad. He leans back as far as he can and at 10 yards I pulled the trigger....I can still see my dads dazed face when the round went off! The muzzle blast was at a 45 degree angle to him sitting beside me so you can imagine the noise...We we trailed him up and he only went about 40 yards behind me. It was a button buck and I couldn't have been happier!!! So we got him drug out and field dressed and took him back to show my grandpa. We were sitting in his drive way admiring my first deer and I'm smiling about as big as I can and then I see my school bus go by....We got him taken into the processor and then I went into school in the afternoon and had the greatest story to tell all my buddies!!! I don't think I'll ever forget that moment..Heck it makes me tear up right now. Hunting is such a big part of my life and getting to share that with my family can't be put into words.

I'm 27 now and my grandfather doesn't hunt anymore and my dad doesn't hunt as much, but I still to this day everytime I kill a deer the phone call is made literally right after the shot to my dad and grandpa. They always are so excited for me and no matter what they are doing they drop everything to be there with me after the hunt.....I don't think I ever have a better feeling then when I get to spend time in the woods with my father and share the stories with the two of them.

I just want to say thanks dad and grandpa for everything that you have instilled in me and making me the person that I am today. The lessons that you have taught me will be with me for a lifetime and I can't wait to pass them on to my children some day.....

Pat

[backwoods07]

Great thread and great story Hoosier...

My first kill isn't nearly as heartfelt. It was my second year hunting right after the first full summer working our butts off scouting, planting, and hanging stands. It was early October and the corn was still up. We try to manage our deer the best we can in order to grow some big boys, so when a basket rack 8 slipped out of the corn at 40 yds, perfectly broadside, for about 15 minutes, I sat in my tree stand clipping and unclipping my release. I felt VERY comfortable taking the shot, I just didn't know how bad I would get teased for shooting him. I decided to let the arrow fly. I dropped him in 30 yds. My buddies were all smiles and congratulated me. His european mount is still hangin in my bedroom.

The kicker is, my buds teased me more about the 120" I shot later in the year than they did with this guy...

[Eddie234]

It was 1982 and I was 17, no one in my family hunted but I was always interested in it. My mom wouldn't allow my to have a gun so my only option was a bow. I went to the local dept. store and bought a bear kodiak magnum and really had no clue how to "set up a bow" I started my hunting career shooting instinctively. I practiced all the time and would usually stay out from sunup to sundown.

The first deer I shot was a doe it walked right under my stand and I nailed her with a spine shot, she dropped in her tracks. I had to go get help because I had trouble field dressing her, reading books and looking a pictures wasn't like the real thing.

I can remember it like it was yesterday, I still have the tag from where I checked her in. It's in my scrap book with her picture.

[Tominator]

November 5, 1989. My third year bowhunting. My girlfriend of about 2 years basically dumped me the night before. I was pretty upset, but it was the 2nd time I got dumped so I can remember telling myself "I'm not going to let her ruin my hunt...." so I went home, got about 3 hours sleep and headed off to Holmes county. Got in my stand a little late, but around 9 a.m. a doe and her 2 fawns came down the trail. Momma stopped perfectly at 20 yards and I let the Easton 2217 out of the PSE fly. I watched the arrow bury up to the fletch as she wheeled and took off from where she came. I gave it a half hour and got down on the blood trail. I was bumping deer left and right and I was pretty confused to be honest because it was the first blood trail I was ever on, and I was alone. Every time I bumped a deer I'd stop for 10 minutes or so. After about 2 hours of this I got to a logging trail and sat down again. I told myself "next stop I'll make is that rock with bird crap on it..." Turns out the rock was my deer, and the bird crap was the white of the deer's ear.

I didn't have any trouble gutting or dragging that deer, I was sky high on adrenaline.

[kidd]

It was October, 10, 1999...It was a Sunday and I was hunting with an old bear. I had never shot a deer with my bow and I thought this might be the day!! My wife was 9 months preg. with our first child. It was a clear evening and I saw a spot moving toward me from the north. I was watching it come closer and noticed it was a buck and I decided this was it. I was shooting fingers at the time and remember watching that easton gamegetter 2217 disappear into the chest. I watched it go down and started to shake!!

Well needless to say my wife was happy and excited, BTW--my son was born on the 15th of October!!!

Nate

[wtnhunt]

First one was pretty well a matter of happening to be lucky and be in the right place at the right time, because I sure did not know what I was doing and it was probably somewhat an unlikely bit of luck to have killed that deer. I had been hunting or trying to for probably about two years. Never had anyone take me deer hunting so really was just learning.

It was Nov 26th 1994, my wife and I lived about 30-35 minutes from the farm, and I got her up and dragged her with me very early in the morning to go hunting with me. I had to stop for gas on the way that morning and ended up spilling gas all over me when I picked up the nozzle from the pump. When we got to the farm, my wife crashed on my parents couch and I slowly snuck as quietly as I could to the back of the property up and down the hills to the back field and set up in the tall grass near the top of a ridge where I thought I would be able to see the field really well when it got light. I had put some tinks dominant buck urine on my boots and my parents black lab followed me out about 25-30 minutes behind me. Was starting to get light and got a bit frustrated about the dog, so I moved to a spot where I had put wooden stand in a tree above a barb wire fence. Had sat that spot before with the bow and not ever had any luck, never even saw anything.

That move turned out to be critical because some 45 minutes or so later my first deer and best deer to date would end up coming in from behind me on my right side. Think he may have followed the trail of scent from my boots, but not sure. It was misting a bit and don't know why I turned around when I did, but the buck was about 50 yards behind me and I never heard him come in. I got turned around and raised my rifle and put the open sights just behind the shoulder. I squeezed the trigger and the buck took two steps and dropped.

Will never forget when I got back to the house, I ran all the way after first getting down and looking at my first deer. I told my step father I killed a deer, kind of think he did not believe me and he asked how big(how much did it weigh?) and I told him probably more than me, and he laughed and said no way. He did not laugh after I got back to the house with the deer in the truck. Not really the best pic, wish we had gotten some good quality field pics.

[LifeNRA]

My first deer took me 16 years to get! It had to be a buck, I didn't want a doe, this was my personal preference. I had shots at other bucks when I was younger, only hit one, but never found him. He still haunts me to this day too!

It was the year we got married, 1991. I was out every year for the past 16 years since that day too, except one season. Missed one season due to the fact I could not get off from work. The day started off wet and rainy. Seeing a few does from time to time still had me going through out the morning. I remember looking down at my new wedding ring. Asking my bride for a little luck, as I turned it around my ring finger. Something then caught my attention to my east. A single deer was moving north. By now the rain has stopped. I just bought my first new rifle, my Browning A-Bolt Medallion in .270. Had it three months before the season opened, had it all sighted in, I was ready. The buck was walking on the shelf above me, my guess he was about 80 yards. Soon as he cleared the first opening, I fired. I was amazed that he kept walking??? 20 feet he cleared the next opening, I fired a second time. By now dad was on the radio, which happened to be CB radios, the newer ones that are out now didn't exist yet. He kept saying, "Johnny.....tell me that was you! Johnny.......tell me that was you!" I radioed back saying I fired but I need to go and look. I got up there to the spot where I fired my first round. I immediately seen a patch of blood twice the size of a basketball, I thought I got him! All the time I was walking sideways. I found another patch of blood, each time I looked down and could see my hot seat pad at my tree, five feet from there he laid! Each patch of blood on the ground was from where I shot him. I call my father and said, "I got him!" He was happier than me! When I started to field dress him, I could see that the lungs were nothing but jelly. That 270 literally knock the wind out of him! Since then, bucks have been coming regularly for me, I just needed to break the ice! Here is my first deer.

[NY_Bowhunter14]

October 29th, 2005

First deer was a small button buck that came from the south of me... it was a 27 yard shot... deer went about 75 yards and was down for the count! About 1 week later i shot my 2nd deer ever, a spike horn... that was a 13 yard shot... it was a bitter sweet week... the day after i shot my spike, we had to put my dog down... he was only 10 years old... but he was suffering so it was the right thing to do...

[muzzy916]

i started going hunting with my dad when i was still in diapers. i dont remeber much than but im still thankfull for it. If it wasnt for that i probably wouldnt respect and love hunting as much as i do. but my first deer hunt i was 11 years old we were hunting state ground. i was using a knight muzzeloader and the night before me i droped my gun and broke my scope but i was scared to tell my dad. well about 45 mins after daylight about a 120 8 point came in 10 i put the cross hairs right on him and hit the dirt. it kills me thinking about it to this day. well needless to say i missed 2 more deer that year before i let my dad know about my scope. 5 years later me and my buddy brad were hunting some private land we had, we parked in the corner of the field and walked up the hill to the cow pasture and there was a doe and two fawns at 10 yards away. i droped her in her tracks. sorry the story about my first year was so long i thought that its kinda ironic i hunted so hard my first year and my first deer was taken with in 10 mins of leaving the truck so easlily. It took me so long to do something that took me 10 mins to do. Thanks for the thread one of the best ones ive seen. Good huntin.

not a good pic but it works. she field dressed 160 pounds

[Michiganbowhunter_SQ2]

It took me a while to get my first deer. I started hunting in 1995, and didn't kill me first deer until 2 years ago, 2006. I think one of the main reasons it took so long was because I have no where to hunt around here, and the only times I ever really got out were the couple times a year I would head up to a friends cabin and the annual trip we take to the U.P. for opening day of gun season. Plus we took a few years off when I was a senior in high school and a few years after that.

Anyways, it was November 17th, 2006, my cousin had taken 2 deer, one on opening day and one the next day, the crap of it was that I had picked out this spot and decided to let him hunt it. Anywho, the 17th he decided not to go out, so I went and set up my blind there the night before and hunted that morning. at around 7:15 I was sitting there, and I looked over to my right into some thick stuff (I was hunting in an area that had a bunch of old trees blown over) and noticed something that didn't quite fit with everything else. I watched for a bit and then I seen him pick his head up. He was about 85 yards away, but there was waaay to much stuff in the way to shoot. He started moving to the left, and I picked a spot right in front of me, about 60-70 yards away, he walked broadside, and stopped right in between two trees, with his head behind a tree and his vitals showing, I decided it was now or never. Using my trusty T/C encore muzzleloader, with open sights, I just aimed for center mass, pulled the trigger, and by the time the smoke cleared, I had no idea if I hit him or missed him. I knew he didn't run left or right, so I figured he went straight away from me. Called up my dad and cousin and they came out. now remember I said I was hunting were my cousin shot 2 deer the previous 2 days. My deer followed the exact same path his first one did, and eventually we got crossed up and followed the wrong trail. his went about 60 yards and made a turn toward the neighbors property, after looking for about 45 minutes I thought, maybe he went another direction, and sure enough, instead of turning, he kept going straight and wasn't 15 yards from where we made the turn. walked past him I don't know how many times . I was pumped, my first deer, and I could tell my dad was just as happy. I gotta tell ya, nothing felt better than having my dad coming up and putting his arm around me telling me congrats.

oh, he was a 7 or 8 pointer, depending on how you want to look at it, one of his brows is split, but just under an inch.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Michiganbowhunter_SQ2

[hoosierhunter]

What nobody else has any stories????

[Flintlock1776]

Good thought.

Mine was very early '83 in the Poconos Mountains. I had access to some land and got to the saddle below the top ridge about 1,400 feet up.

I had been at a Bow hunting show with Kelly Cooper, inventor of Tru-Leaf camo. He had his own scent to pull in the bucks. It cost more than the major brands but I said, ok I'll but some.

So, off I go on opening morning. Typical PA Rifle opener with all the guns going off. All but around me. Since getting upthere and settled in by 5am I saw no deer not even does.

About 10 am when things had settled down and I thought I was done for the day a bunch of does where trotting single file on the ridge about 50 yards from me.

Just at the end of this was a buck, nose to the ground following the does hard. They were going down this ridge right to left with the left part of the ridge lower so I was like they were on an escalator going down.

Suddenly, just where I laid out Kelly Cooper's scent stuff this buck hit it and skidded to a halt!

I still can see it today. His back legs digging in to stop and then he followed the scent line I had put out in a slow lazy S style.

Back and forth he walked in front of me following that S line of scent line.

Buck fever started but I pushed through that brought up my Marlin 30.30 with my 4x Fixed Simmons scope (that I had bought at Kelley's Bard & Gun Shop on Rte 715 near Reeders - man were those the days!) and I fired the gun.

Down the buck went! Right there, zero yards!

Wow!

Then I remembered. I was alone my buddies could not make it. I never got a deer before. I never gutted a deer before. I looked around but the woods were empty. I found a rudimentary guide on the back of the deer drag I had purchased and gutted out the deer.

I was so excited! Now it was time to drag him dwon the mountain.

Down the mountain I went. In my excitement I got lost! I kept going down the mountain and would up in the backyard of a house I did not recognize. Oh, boy! Out the door comes this older woman and I explain that I just shot my first deer. She yells into the house for her husband to come out. Oh boy, I'm in trouble I think! Then her husband comes out, a really BIG guy, and she exclaims "Look honey, this boy got his first deer! Go grab the camera!"

Well, that was fun but I was one mile from my truck. She said leave the deer there and go get it. So back I go and get the truck, load up the deer and thank them for their help.

I went back a few weeks later with a cake to thank them for their help. They gave me a print of that deer. I can't find it anymore but the memories of that first deer are vivid in my memory and in color!

[Canuck2]

Very cool stories, folks.

My first was in 1974, I think. My wife and I had bought a farm and I was working at a nearby mine. In the fall, my neighbor had to go to the coast for a few days and he asked me to check his cows a couple times a day. So I stopped and hiked around in the morning on my way to work and then again coming home in the afternoon. Each time I packed my rifle with me - just in case.

On the afternoon of the third day, I got about 1/4 of the way across his big hay field and spotted a buck along the trees on the far side. I just waited until he had moved across enough to get a big hay shed between us, and then I ran to it for cover and to use a bale as a rest.

Then commenced the shooting with my iron-sighted .303 British. At each missed shot, the buck looked around in confusion but didn't take off. The last bullet in the clip hit him in the head, splitting off one 4-pt antler and dropping him on the spot. Blind luck, for sure.

Not having a clue about how far I was shooting, I paced it off. Worked out to 246 yards. That was the signal for me to get more serious about how I was doing my hunting and shooting. I still have that broken rack and will try to get a picture of it to edit onto here, if I can still add it later on.

[hoosierhunter]

Come on where's some of the old forum vets stories.....I know you guys like to talk about yourselves just as much as I do:D

[layin on the smackdown]

THIS IS AS RIDICULOUS AS IT GETS FOR A FIRST DEER!!!!!!

It was my first year deer hunting ever, and i was trying to learn the fine art of bowhunting between guiding waterfowl hunts for a local hunt club and going to college. I had gone out roughly 10 times up until that fateful day - 11/12/2000...I had laid eyes on what i called "the biggest buck ever" two weeks prior to this day as he ran by me at 35 yds...i soiled myself...

Anyhow, it was november 12th 2000, and i figured it would be a great day evening to hunt. My stand was unstrategically located along a fenceline in the middle of two fields about 150 yds down from a large thicket. I had been watching deet running in and out of the thicket for about the last half hour when i mentally had enough...I figured i needed to move my stand where all the deer were, so i got down grabbed my bow and started walking down the tree line toward the thicket. mind you i wasn't educated about the rut, i just knew that having doe pee on my boots might make a buck mad and he might charge me...I didn't have a climber or anything, i was just going to scout out a tree to put the ladder stand in the next day. As i am starring into the thicket examining every tree for a potential spot i noticed some movement out of my left eye. i look over and here comes a doe with "the biggest buck ever" right on her tail. They run right up to me and stop at what i thought was 25 yds. Its 5:10 p.m. and not a lot of light, but i was able to make out the white patch and antlers through the sunset. The doe made me and took off, while the buck just starred at me- and i started thinking - doe pee on my boots, uh oh...I drew back, put the 25 yd pin on his white patch and let her fly...probably more out of protection than anything...I heard a loud CRACK and he kicked and took off into the middle of the bean field where he laid down, and kept his head up.

I exited the field using the longest route possible - it was a 190 acre field so it took a lot longer than i had imagined.

I drove 20 minutes home, called my dad, and we met back out at the farm about an hour later.

We get out there and he still has his head up but it keeps going down. about an hour later he was motionless. spotlight in hand, we walk up and sure enough hes done!

"where'd you hit him?" asks the old man...

i aimed for the white patch...OOOPS, i got a quick lesson in ethics after that - but i didn't know. Needless to say, my shot hit about 12 inches below the white patch and had just grazed the heart. so he was more like 35 yds away.

He was a 146 inch 9 pointer....

[Dawg]

Well I'm not an old forum vet but here's my story.

I think it was around 1995, I was sitting with one of my dads friends waiting for my dad and some more fellas to make a deer drive. We were sitting there long enough that the guy I was with fell asleep! After awhile I hear a gun shot and about a minute later a doe and a button buck ran out, I dropped the doe with my 20 gauge and quickly took aim at the button buck. I shot and the other guy shot at the same time, I never have found out if I hit the deer or not but the guy I was with said I did. I was 13 and walking on cloud 9!

[sskybnd]

mine go's something like this dec 25 1977 i was 16 i got a new pump 12 gage for christmas, i told my dad i was going to use it,to hunt deer with tomorrow, well i was so eager to hunt that i left the house around midnight i had already scouted and knew where the deer were coming through, when i went out side it had snowed sometime during the night, so i went in and bundled up and headed out to the pine tree i was going to hunt from, i climbed up the tree and was sitting on a big branch, well the wind started to blow and i was freezing so i told myself i would go home and get worm than come back, well i let my flash light fall and it went out realy quick so i thought i hadnt climbed very high and was just going to hang onto this brach and let go, needless to say i went head over heels falling to the ground , i landed head first into a fern bed and knocked my self out when i can to it was daylight and i was bleeding from my mouth blood all over my jacket, couldnt find my wallet,knife flashlight, so on to the house i went, on the way home i had a 8 point and some does come across the path i was on, i shot the 8 point and watched him fall on the other side of the path, than a 6 point came across i shot him and he fell right down, the 8 point got up and ran off. but the 6 was dead, afraid some would steal him, i hid him under a christmas tree. i was so happy i had killed a deer i ran all the way home, the door was locked and no one was up yet, i had to beat on the door to wake them up, mom opened the door and freaked when she saw me covered in blood, and my dad came running into the living room, they said all i was doing was babling about a deer, after they cleaned me up and the story was told we went and got my deer and the stuff that had fallen out of my pockets in the falling, thats the first time i had ever got a wiff of a gut shot deer, and the vomiting started,but i still had my first buck..

[aujack]

Mine was very memorable my dad ran a story on it check it out:

http://www.realtree.com/community/photoEssay.php?ID=15

[Guest shorty785]

well here it is it was nov 23 2005 my older brother and i had went put up stands in this spot a few days earlier my brother came in to wake me up at 5 and i was already ready he got ready and we walked to our stands i had a brand new savage 270 with scope ready to go i climbed up in my stand and waited as i watched the sun coming up i could here some crunching behind it got me so excited i almost fell out of the tree but it was a red squrriel bout an hoour later i seen 2 does coming out of the swamp about 100 yards away but i was not going to shoot them i was gonna wait it wasnt 30 seconds and here comes the buck behind them i waited until he go to about 20 yards and let him have it he dropped right there. i immediately climbed dowm ot of my stand and went and got my brother he was a little mad the i got down too early but happy i got a deer when we walked up to it he was happy to see it was a 9pt with a 18 inch spread he is above my bed as we speak my bro must have been extremely proud of me.

[Flintlock1776]

Mine was very memorable my dad ran a story on it check it out:

http://www.realtree.com/community/photoEssay.php?ID=15

Is that place still in business? Their web site is way too old. I have a GA Lifetime License and would like to get back one of theses days and get some time in deer hunting;)

[92xj]

I was six years old, During christmas my uncle and cousin ask my dad and I to come hunt with them on there plantation on the coast of South Carolina. They put us up in a condo stand. it was 20 feet high and the box part was about 8 feet by 12 feet, it was freakin huge. They had a corn feeder out 75 yards out in front of us and the feeder went off at 5:30. Well at 5:31 3 deer come out. They stood in line all broadside where the head of the next one was even with the first ones stomach. Dad handed me my grandfathers 32special pea shooter. he said Aim at the first one, seems to be the biggest doe and shoot. Well I steady on the first one holding perfect and shot. After the shot, the third one in line drops. We were like what the heck. It was 3 feet to the left and 5 yards back from the first one. We didnt know what happened but I got my first deer which turned out to be a button buck. I was thrilled and shaking like crazy. The next day we shot the rifle at 25 yards to see where it was hitting and it hit 13 inches to the left and 8 high, so we figured out why I missed my original target by 3 feet and spine shot him. The scope was a side mount because the ol lever action had top eject which made it kinda hard to site back in but dad did and the next weekend at dads lease I shot my second at 147yards dead on. It was so amazing and I will never forget it.

[Stinger-Hunter]

Flintlock1776 - You stole my story.

Virginia - 2000, George Washington National Forest.

I scouted this land for a while and then found a nice spot - I hiked in the day before opener and set up my tent. I was about 800 yards from a road in a deep, but dried ravine with a lot of big rocks.

As soon as night fell, I climbed into my sleepingbag and woke up when my clock went off (I know, I know). So cold during the night that my tent had ice on it.

I broke down the tent and sat on the designated rock and shiverred for an hour or so. It was so cold that my 7:30 I decided to break out the Ramen noodles to warm up.

Then I heard some deer behind me - but didn't see any. Again and again I kept hearing them - turns out the sound was echoing from across the hilltop - 2 deer coming down the hill across from me.

One doe and a real nice 8 pointer following her. When the doe was within about 25 yards of me, she started stomping her foot - the buck hid behind the tree, but then stuck his head and neck enough for me to get the shot.

Neckshot - down in a flash.

I couldn't move this Haus 2 feet so I hiked it back to my truck, loaded all my equipment and asked some fellow hunters for some help.

I still say they saved my life, cause I was exhausted by that time.

2 guys came out and helped me carry it back. 3 years later after I finally got it mounted - I sent it to them at about $150 shipping cost and $400 for the mount for helping me.

Here's a pic of it mounted. I had to use a Minnesota cape, but the rack is a dandy for that area. Extreme hunting, baby!

[IN_hunter]

My first deer was taken on opening day of the 2001 Indiana gun season. I was sitting in a stand that i really didnt want to sit in, but dad thought i would see something there. After sitting for some time and not seeing anything, i saw a yearling come running down the fence at about 15 yds. I was shaking so bad after the smoke cleared and i heard her crash just over the hill.

Dad was up at the truck waiting for me when i shot and came down to see if it was me who shot. We were yelling back and forth before he got to me, and weren't trying to be quiet at all. He actually lit a cigarette and suddenly stopped talking. He said I just heard a buck grunt, how he heard it i have no idea, and he saw the buck standing about 50 yds away. He handed me his muzzleloader and i was able to shoot the buck also.

So the first time i got a deer, i was able to get 2 deer within 10 minutes of each other. They actually died about 15 yds apart, and i will never forget it.

[arrow32]

Great stories ya'll got.

My first deer was with my bow just the way I wanted it to be. I had been hunting alot with my dad I think I was 12 or 13 to be honest I can't really remember but it doesn't matter. He had just taken me in to my spot and I was using a climber for the first time ever I remember that more than anything because I was rather scared to use it for some reason.

Anyway I get up in the tree it was around 1 or 2 I'd say I'd been sitting there for about an hour or two then this deer comes up the hill towards me its a little button buck. He walks straight up the hill and he is 10 yards broadside. Try pulling my bow back the first time couldn't do started to get frustrated. Then the second time I got it pulled back and let er rip. Hit him little high but a good shot. He ran down the hill and off he went.

Now me I had no idea what to do now I sat there for what seemed like forever to me and then had to get down went to where Dad was and said I just busted one I think I was shaking like a dang leaf I was so pumped I'll never forget that day.

We walked up on it the first time Dad got 5 feet from it laid his bow down and started to kick him he got up and walked off. Talk about being sick I was. Ended up backing out and coming back the next day and hunting then finding him.

I'll never forget that day it was awesome.