iamyourhuckleberry

How many of you remember the experience and excitement of shooting your first deer? Back then did it really matter if the deer was a buck or a doe? What if your hunting memories were wiped clean every day right down to the basics? What if every deer from this point forward became your first deer-again and again until you die? If given the choice, would you rather a daily clean slate or the accumulated knowledge you have now? I can see the benefit of having both, but in this case you have to choose one or the other.
Your choice and why…

IL-Cornfed

I remember that excitement very well but I would still have to go with the knowledge today then the bumbling idiot of 25 years ago!!! LOL!

deerdust

I very well remember the excitement. It was a doe and I shot her in the last light of the day on my trek back to the cabin in Arkansas. She was in the meadow below the cabin and she ran up the hill, past the cabin, turned and came back down the hill. She expired just a few yards after her turn. Perfect for me, as it put her on the same plane with the cabin and not 100 yds to drag. Field dressed and hung, and off to bed awaiting the morning hunt. A bitter cold morning with no success, and back to the cabin to warm up and lunch. I fell asleep with my feet propped by the wood stove and woke quite some time later sick as a dog. I spent the next few days at moms house as it was just a mile away. Completely incoherent with fever. She nursed me through the fever with Mommas good cookin. lol Then we butchered the doe and she canned her portion.

Ahhh what a good time, lol even with the cold.

Would I trade the knowledge I have today for that feeling again? Not on your life. Having worked in the industry for over 10 yrs now, I have learned so much about more about deer than I knew then. It has given me the opportunity to be up close and personal with some of the biggest bucks. Scouting, tracking, patterning the big boys of the mid-west has been an experience of a lifetime, that many will never know and is hard to put it all into words that would suffice to tell the tale. When I do go hunting now, it is generally early season with the bow. Or I will wait until we are done with all hunters and go doe hunting for the freezer. I still get the same feeling of elation I got back on that 1st hunt, just minus the fever, as I have better gear now. lol At this point in my life, I am not concerned if I get horns on the ground, as long as I put meat in the freezer. I get enough satisfaction at seeing the joy of the hunters that I guide to success, and others in camp. When they get a good buck, I am as proud as if it had been my own. Because I know that it has been my hard work and my fellow workers, doing our field work, scouting and patterning the deer, and above all the Hand Of The Almighty at work.

Rhody Hunter

That is like asking about your first girl, Remember the exxxcitment , you thought this is heaven and you can't get any better than this.
My first deer i wlked right up on her as i came oner the hill. she was right under my stand at 10 yards away . she froze there looking right at me, So i pulled back the bow because there is no way she is going to relax now and put one thru both lungs.
she ran 15 yards stopped then looked back . A few seconds later she calapsed. No tracing needed. Also it was my Birthday that day. Brought her back home then had
dinner with my Mom and brother. great day
but just like your first girl i wouldn't want to change life experiences that i had later on and with my wife.
Will you have a hunting portfolio that most people could only dream of doing.
I'm willing to bet you wouldn't want to forget them.
Also if your ever in my area on your quest to get a deer in all 50 states let me know
i'd like to hunt with you sometime

MZS

I vote for the knowledge gained over the years. It is not much fun hunting when you are in the wrong place at the wrong time nearly all the time.

brushbustin

I remember my first deer. your right,it didn't matter what it was,and still to this day,I hunt for what makes me happy.And it doesn't take much to make me happy when it comes to killing deer to eat!Every deer I see gets me just as excited as the first deer I kill.When I stop getting excited when I see any deer,I probably will give it up.

I tried the whole, pass em up and let em grow crap,and its just no fun. I did that for a few years and it was boreing. I get far much more enjoyment out of hunting by just shooting a small basket rack 8pt than I would by shooting a 150inch giant. Deer hunting to me is the most fun you can have with your cloths on.

iamyourhuckleberry

I'm actually torn Rhody. My hunting portfolio is crammed with one first after another and each was a hard felt ardenalin rush filled with heaps of emotion. I hold my head high when I state, "I blubbered like a three year old when I arrowed my lioness". I was asked, "Are you crying because you killed that lion?" I replied, "Damn straight, but these are happy tears!" I was in a state of blissful happiness-on the proverbial "cloud nine". Moments like those make hunting everything for me. However, without the accumulated knowledge, I doubt I would have as many moments like those.

Deerdust, I agree. There is nothing like passing your experience(s) to others and watch as they successful bring their hunt to an end. It is truly win-win. Wouldn't it be cool if we could bottle that joy?