First Buck for Pennsylvania 13 Year Old

It was the second day of Pennsylvania deer (rifle) season. It was a little windy that afternoon, but the wind was on our side. My grandfather and I were hunting the edge of a swamp. My little brother and my dad were posted about 1,500 yards NE of us. We were hoping that they would spook something to us. I had my trusty Marlin 32 special. It has taken deer. I used it to take my first deer, a doe, but that is another story for another time. Before long, my grandfather spotted a deer creeping out of the pines along the swamp. He was trotting pretty swiftly. My grandfather whispered, "It's a buck, Evan, take him when he stops, right behind the shoulder. Take your time." As soon as he stopped, I pulled the hammer of my rifle back, took aim, and squeezed off a fatal shot.

The buck took off, bad outta heck. We heard him go down, it was obvious he was dead by the blood trail. I chambered another round and we went after him. He was lying on the ground kicking a little, but I rested assure that he was dead, his body was just doing something every lung shot deer does. We went to the deer as I said, "Now the fun begins, Pap." We saw my dad and brother coming, they heard the shot, and they were about excited as I was when they saw it. It was a trophy spiker, the biggest one my Pappy has ever seen, and he has been hunting for over 40+ years! One of the nice things about deer hunting is that all the hard work and scouting in the off-season usually pays off, if done correctly. Now that deer season is over, my father and I are going ram hunting next February, I will be using my bow, I also love to bowhunt.