Just trying to start a new thread here, how about the story of your first deer (or other big-game animal if not deer).
Mine was a large bodied, small racked 4pointer on opening day 89. I had found a well travelled path that followed a long abandonned and forgotten wagon road through the bush behind one of our hay fields. I went in and hit the trail and as soon as it was legal shooting (about 0730) I started slowly and quietly walking along the trail toward the field.
About 20min later I reached a small rise - about 15ft high and 25yds away from me. Something looked funny at the top of it. It was still quite dark, overcast and snowing - but something definitely seemed out-of-place at the top of that little bump so in case it was a deer I froze like Dad had told me.
My Dad only ever gave me 2 pieces of hunting advice: when posting a field that deer are feeding in, never shoot the first one that walks out; and if you meet a deer in the woods freeze stone still.
After staring at whatever it was for at least 5 min, I still wasn't sure so I brought the rifle up to check it out through the scope (whatever it was it wasn't a person). I still couldn't be sure; I thought it was a deer, but it might be a fallen tree too. I didn't want to shoot because if wasn't a deer I'd spook every real deer that may be on the trail heading back from the hay field; and even if I did I would be aiming at the centre of a vague shape not a vital area.
After a couple more minutes, I convinced myself that it couldn't be a deer because if it was it should have bolted when I brought the rifle up, and this didn't. I sharply brought the rifle back down - still it stayed put. No deer.
So I started to walk up the trail. The second my foot started to move forward the "log" came to life and bolted off to the side. I had the rifle up in a second but there was no way I was going to hit a deer bouncing and weaving at full speed through the bush, but I stayed with him. Good thing because he did stop for a second and I fired.
I'd like to say that I killed him cleanly but I'd be lying. I got him in the hindquarters and he crawled away on his front legs. I found him and finished him off in a hazelnut thicket on the other side of the ridge.