First Critter with which Implement ...

[Pygmy]

This sounds like a good off season fun topic....

I was just looking over some of my guns and thinking about what I have taken with each... Lots of memories there...

Here are some of the  implements I took my very first critters with....

Stevens M15  .22 single shot... First grey squirrel,  rabbit,  crow, woodchuck, ruffed grouse....

Eastern Arms Co  16 gauge single shot...First pheasant , woodcock.....

Remington M 11-48 16 gauge....First  wood duck, red fox , snipe...

Winchester M 59 12 gauge....First  fall turkey,  Canada Goose,  Mallard , grey fox....

Ithaca SKB M100 20 Gauge..... First spring gobbler....

Winchester M 37 single shot 12 gauge..First whitetail..

Hoyt Superslam  100 grain Thunderheads...First cow elk...

TC Hawken  .50 cal...  First bull elk....

Winchester M70 Lightweight .280 Rem....First  bull moose, first caribou, first mule deer, first pronghorn...

Rem 11-87 SP 12 gauge....First coyote...

[Jeremy K]

1st deer ever was with a bow my dad built from a kit ,I was 14.

[rachunter]

my first kill ever was a sparrow with a crossman 760

harrington & richards single shot 12ga. crow,squirrel,rabbit and bobwhite quail 

marlin .35 first deer

my father's remington 1100 first turkey

pse mach 6 first bear and hog

marlin m2 .22 first porcupine and grouse

[rob-c]

My dad bought me a H&R single 12  I used it for - rabbit , squirrel , turkey’s. then when I turned 16  ( way back when we had to wait till we were 16 to hunt big game ) he had a gunsmith machine a dovetail mount and installed a rear flip up sight. Killed plenty of deer with that smooth bore and Remington sluggers. I still have it, man I haven’t shot it in many many years. 
First archery kill was with a Hoyt magnatec and xx78 aluminum arrows . 

Edited July 5, 2021 by rob-c

[suburbanfarmer]

First sparrow, crow, mouse and lizard with .22 air rifle

First deer and duck with mossberg 500

First turkey with an Elite Pulse bow

First bow buck with PSE Nova

Edited July 5, 2021 by suburbanfarmer

[Lomax]

First squirrel with my brother using a marlin 22.  It was a long time ago I remember I missed the -1st shot but the 2nd was true.  I was hooked on hunting after that

[518BowSlayer]

First deer with my PSE that I still use
First buck with my mossberg 500 12ga
First turkey and squirrel with my mossberg 500 20ga
First coyote with my savage axis 30-06
First Moose with my guides browning 30-06 because the cheap scope on my savage fogged up on day one of the hunt. Got a nice leupold on there now

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[Robhuntandfish]

Red squirrel with a red Ryder! 

First deer and first buck with a mossberg 500, that I gave to my buddy's son to use. 

First bow deer with a bear bow.

First yote with a parker xbow

 

 

[jperch]

First deer with a 45 lb Shakespeare recurve bow with Fred Bear broadheads and fiberglass arrows.  First small game (rabbits, grouse) with 870 Wingmaster bought for me by my father, who didn't hunt.  (It must have been almost a weeks pay at the time, we had a lot of mouths to feed.  Thanks, father.)

[Dinsdale]

14 hours ago, Pygmy said:

This sounds like a good off season fun topic....

I was just looking over some of my guns and thinking about what I have taken with each... Lots of memories there...

Here are some of the  implements I took my very first critters with....

Stevens M15  .22 single shot... First grey squirrel,  rabbit,  crow, woodchuck, ruffed grouse....

Eastern Arms Co  16 gauge single shot...First pheasant , woodcock.....

Remington M 11-48 16 gauge....First  wood duck, red fox , snipe...

Winchester M 59 12 gauge....First  fall turkey,  Canada Goose,  Mallard , grey fox....

Ithaca SKB M100 20 Gauge..... First spring gobbler....

Winchester M 37 single shot 12 gauge..First whitetail..

Hoyt Superslam  100 grain Thunderheads...First cow elk...

TC Hawken  .50 cal...  First bull elk....

Winchester M70 Lightweight .280 Rem....First  bull moose, first caribou, first mule deer, first pronghorn...

Rem 11-87 SP 12 gauge....First coyote...

Thanks a cool list.

Be interesting to know some years in general.

[BizCT]

1st deer ever was with a bow my dad built from a kit ,I was 14.

Lifetime ban!


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[BizCT]

Crossman .17 CO2 pellet gun was used for a lot of my small game kills in the backyard woods and neighborhood. I would load the co2 but not puncture until I saw an animal so the first shot was most powerful. Squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, several species of birds, even a raccoon (many shots) basically anything i could get close to in the woods. I was nowhere close to 12 years old so hopefully the statute of limitations protects me?


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[mowin]

Benjamin .177cal pump pellet gun. First gray and red squirrel, chipmunk, grackles, cow birds, Bluejays, Racoon, woodchuck. 

First coyote and fox with Ruger 22mag.

Savage pump 16g. First partridge, first hen and tom turkey. 

Marlin 336c.  First doe and buck. 

First bow kill.  Browning deluxe nomad xx75 2113 and bear razor. 

First bear with pse legacy.

Edited July 5, 2021 by mowin

[wolc123]

First sparrow with Daisy pump action bb gun, first rabbit, ruffed grouse and with J. Steven's Springfield 16 gauge side by side, first grey squirrel with Winchester model 51 410 single shot.

First whitetail (button buck), first legally antered whitetail buck, and last doe with 16 gauge Ithaca model 37 Ithaca featherlight deetslayer.  First coyote, red fox, grey fox, crow, coon, possum, skunk, red squirrel, and first and last woodchuck with Ruger 10/22.

[Daveboone]

Probably first kill....(that I remember...) woodchuck with a brick. Finished off with a golf club. Used for trout flies.

First woodchuck with a rifle...Marlin model 39 .22

First fish...sunfish on a fishpole made out of a piece of old tv antenae with bacon fat for bait.

First deer...big southern tier doe with a single shot JC Higgins bolt action goose gun (slugs).

First buck....205 lb Tug Hill ten point with dads sporterized 8mm model 98 Mauser.

Rabbits, squirrels, etc...damned if I remember.

First bear...300 win mag Ruger Mk 2. Horrified me. Almost blew the damn thing in half. Only thing I ever shot...immeditly sold it.

First moose...the 8mm Mauser again (after about forty years of slow conversion to a modern bolt action shooter).

First bow deer...6 pt with a PSE Thunderbolt (did I get the name right? been a long time and havent bow hunted in decades)

First ML deer...finger lakes doe with a Traditions Hawken type 50 cal.

[airedale]

My Dad started me out hunting with a Savage single shot 22 rifle and a Mossberg 3 shot 16ga bolt action shotgun with an adjustable choke. To the best of my recollection those two guns accounted for most of my hunting firsts, I know I killed my first Rabbit and Woodchuck with the 22, Squirrel, Grouse, Woodcock, Pheasant, Hare and Ducks I believe were firsts taken with the 16 ga.

My first Deer was taken with a Sako bolt action 222 Remington

First Fox a Mossberg 22 mag Chuckster

First Coyote Remington 597 22 Mag

One Elk a Sako Finnbear 338 Win Mag

One Caribou a Sako Finnbear338 Win Mag

First of 4 Moose a Husqvarna Bolt Action 280 Remington

Hog S&W model 29 44 Mag

Turkey LC Smith 12 ga

Edited July 5, 2021 by airedale

[Will_C]

First squirrel and rabbit- 16 gauge Winchester 97.

First woodchuck- Winchester 62a .22.

First deer- Ithaca 37 12 gauge Deerslayer.

First Grouse- Ithaca 37 16 gauge.

First turkey- Ithaca 37 12 gauge.

First coyote- Remington Model 7 7mm-08.

[Pygmy]

7 hours ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

Crossman .17 CO2 pellet gun was used for a lot of my small game kills in the backyard woods and neighborhood. I would load the co2 but not puncture until I saw an animal so the first shot was most powerful. Squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, several species of birds, even a raccoon (many shots) basically anything i could get close to in the woods. I was nowhere close to 12 years old so hopefully the statute of limitations protects me?


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Same here...When I was 10 my Dad allowed me to roam about our 187  acres with his Stevens single shot .22..

Of course, that was 60 + years ago... Kids could walk down Main Street with their guns and nobody would so much as bat an eye...

[Jeremy K]

8 hours ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

Lifetime ban!


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For what ? Being awesome? 

[The_Real_TCIII]

First bald eagle was with a wrist rocket. First spotted owl was with a 90lb PVC self bow.


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[crappyice]

First bald eagle was with a wrist rocket. First spotted owl was with a 90lb PVC self bow.


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Hopefully you were under 10 years old!!!


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[UpStateRedNeck]

First Grouse, Deer and Turkey with the old Mossberg 500.  First Coyote with the old Marlin 22 mag my grandmother kept in the farmhouse.  Still using the same bow, '08 Commander.

[Robhuntandfish]

8 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

First bald eagle was with a wrist rocket. First spotted owl was with a 90lb PVC self bow.


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did they both taste like chicken? 

[Jeremy K]

8 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

First bald eagle was with a wrist rocket. First spotted owl was with a 90lb PVC self bow.


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The mount looks incredible, the way its incorporated over the snow owl looks really nice.

[Pygmy]

I noticed that Mossberg 500 shows up very frequently, especially among the younger guys ( 50 and under) hehehe...

A real workhorse...Not fancy  or pretty, but affordable and reliable..

The M 500 had not been introduced yet when I started hunting...A  beginning hunter was more likely to start with a break action single shot or bolt action ( often a family hand-me-down)  and then move up to something like an Ithaca 37  or a Remington 870 after a few years..