what caliber did ya use on first whitetail

270. first mule, white tale, and elk.

it was my father's and a remington. 150 grain reloads.

i had to edit this. my first deer might have been with a 1992 ford half ton. i can't remember which one came first.
 
Whitetail caliber

Shot my first several with my Marlin 336's. First deer with the old 336 with the gold trigger. That one got stolen buy a drug addict in California. Then all the rest with the one I own currently. Last deer I took was with my Winchester Model 70 in a .308. I have the featherweight....love that gun.
 
Remington .300. Spine shot. I was young and a bit wobbly. We came up an old logging road and there she was. I didn't have anything to brace on and had to take a standing shot. i shot high, hit vertebrae and watched her drop on the spot. I was all excited until I saw what happens when you hit a vertebrae with a .300. Poor tenderloins...
 
Like many others, my first whitetail round was 30-30. I traded that Marlin 336 to my cousin, for a 1980 Toyota Corolla that need a LOT of TLC, and he used it for his first deer. He still has it, and uses it regularly, and I've long ago taken the car to the junk yard. I've never traded a rifle for ANYTHING since- LESSON LEARNED.
 
30-30 with a Winchester 150gr. SP. The shot was 60yds. with open sights. That fat ol doe dropped like a rock. I think I was 11.
 
30-06. With a Remington 740 I had just bought a week or so before and sighted in that morning. 180gr Remington Core-Loct. Through the lungs. I was standing against a windfall tree with my face into the wind looking at a nice choke point between a ridge and a field.

As planning would have it, the small buck came up from downwind BEHIND me. I shot it at 30-40 yards.

It dropped after about 10 feet and I took a quick second head shot to stop it from suffering. A great sad and joyful moment to take my first deer.

(editied for a little more detail after reading the great stories above)
 
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First couple deer I took were with my dad's bolt action .300 savage. This gun is called Meat in the Pot, cause it always delivers. You all probably have similar rifles in your family, but if I had a dollar for every meal that rifle has put on the table, I'd be a lot better off. Was my grandpa's, then my dad's, and now my oldest brother's. I shot a doe with it one year, and then a 6 point the next year. Both with open sights, the doe through the head and the buck through both lungs and heart. Still my favorite rifle of all time to this day.
 
My first deer was with a Rem 700 in .270 win, My second deer was with a bow, my third deer was with a Win M94 30-30 and my last deer was also with the M94. Next season I think I am going to try getting one with my Smith 686. I know I've posted some of these pics before but I just like showing them off, we are only allowed 1 buck a year, unless you bow hunt, and the deer pop is way down so your lucky when you get one.

I used 130gr Hornady SST hand loads with the .270, buck was about 60 yards quartering towards me, I was walking down a Skid trail. The round hit right on the front chest just forward of the his left leg and exited just forward of the last two ribs on opposite side. Deer actually flipped over backwards landing on his back and was dead before he hit the ground. He was a 10 point that dressed out at 213 lbs. Shot him at about 7:50 AM.

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My second deer not a gun but still:

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I used 170gr flat point Speer hand loads for the 30-30. The buck came running through the woods in front of me at about 30 yards, There were a lot of trees in the way, but I saw an opening coming up, so just before he entered it I made a loud grunt with my voice. I had the gun already up and aiming into the opening. At the grunt he slowed down and stoped in the opening broadside looked right at me. I put the front post just behind the shoulder bang flop, dead before he hit the ground. Bullet completely passed through. Shot him about 45 min after sunrise. He was an 11 pt. that dressed out at 201 lbs.

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The second buck with the 30-30, using same load, actually almost snuck by me. I was hunting from a tree stand, it was around 3:45 in evening, I had been watching a trail to my right when I heard what sounded like deer's hooves making a sucking sound as it walked through the mud' to my back left. I looked to the left saw nothing,(really thick where I hunt can only see about 28 yards all around), so I pulled out my grunt call made two grunts, and then I heard the deer trotting back towards me. I was still sitting down with the my rifle hanging on a hanger to my left. I stood up and turned so I could look to the back left of my stand. When I did this my size 13 foot hit the side of my stand "dungggggg" the buck didn't like that. He started fast stepping away, So I pulled a John Wayne and snapped my gun from the hook cocked the hammer and as soon as my gun came up the front post was settled on the last two ribs. It was the only shot I, there was about a foot hole between two trees to sneak my bullet through, bang, the buck kicked his back legs up ran out of sight then came back into sight almost 25 yards to the right of where he had been standing. He stopped looked both ways and collapsed. He was a baby 9 point that only dressed out at 151 pounds. Think he was about 2-21/2 yr old.

He was quartering away going right to left, the bullet entered just forward of the last 2 ribs ran right up the middle of the vitals clipping the top of the heart then exited the front of his chest just right of center.

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Didn't want to advertise for Miller for free so I blotted it out.

I own and hunt with: Rem 700 .270, Rem 700 Mnt. 7mm-08, Rem 600 .308, TC pro hunter .50 call muzzle loader and the M94. My favorite one to hunt with is the M94, she is light fast and accurate. I fear for any deer out to 100 yards shooting of hand with it. It just points so natural for me, it is almost like the gun automatically aims for me, all I just have to do is squeeze the trigger.
 
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Remington 722 in .257 Roberts.:)

Actually, over twenty people have taken their first deer or antelope with this gun since the 1960's. My 12-year-old daughter took her first antelope & 4 deer with it last fall. She was #23. My brother in law was #25. It's oldest user is 89years young ( but took only mule deer with it) and it's youngest user is 12. Three generations of meat in the pot. Likely over 100 notches & still knockin' 'em down!

So here's the first through the 25th entries for the .257 Bob!
 
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That is a cool story about the family history of your 257 Roberts. That might be my favorite round. I just wish more "in the box" ammo was available.
 
Not a whitetail, but the first mule deer I took was with a marlin .357 carbine. 121 paces- one shot, standing position. A truly huge doe. She took 5 steps and dropped. Went through both lungs and exited. I had been shooting running jackrabbits all summer with that rifle so I was very confident with the shot.
Ground pepper and rosemary crusted backstraps on the grill...you know.
 
I used a bolt action savage .30-.30 with a factory clip I still have it in the vault. My brother has the next one in ser# line.
That was back in the 60's
 
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