First successful solo hunt?

[Green1]

Springs got me dreaming of fall backpacking again, so what's everyone's first successful solo backpacking hunt? I'll start, drew a tag for a mule buck in a zone I'd only hiked in before, more hikers than hunters usually. Got to the last day of the season about a half hour before dark and I snuck in on some small bucks and does. After a few misses and shaking off my nerves I finally composed myself and landed a small buck. I decided to gut it and drag it whole out to the road since it was already dark by now. It should have been all downhill to the road from where I was but there were no trails, and tons of deadfall and rock cliffs that I had to navigate with a small flashlight. It was brutal but I finally made it to the road and walked back a few miles to get my truck. Luckily it wasn't a big buck but to this day it was the finest tasting deer I ever took.

 

[Travis907]

Congrats! Any solo DIY animal is a trophy no matter it’s size!

 

[Elkhntr82]

Springs got me dreaming of fall backpacking again, so what's everyone's first successful solo backpacking hunt? I'll start, drew a tag for a mule buck in a zone I'd only hiked in before, more hikers than hunters usually. Got to the last day of the season about a half hour before dark and I snuck in on some small bucks and does. After a few misses and shaking off my nerves I finally composed myself and landed a small buck. I decided to gut it and drag it whole out to the road since it was already dark by now. It should have been all downhill to the road from where I was but there were no trails, and tons of deadfall and rock cliffs that I had to navigate with a small flashlight. It was brutal but I finally made it to the road and walked back a few miles to get my truck. Luckily it wasn't a big buck but to this day it was the finest tasting deer I ever took.View attachment 389604

Congrats

 

[Hoosker Doo]

It's an old thread, but I'll play. My first successful solo hunt was when I was 13. I had a broken foot and a cast, so my dad and bother left me opening day of deer season to go to the honey hole. I was mad and decided I wasn't going to sit there, so I threw on my army surplus camo shirt and orange hat and grabbed the model 7 6 mm my dad let me use, hopped on the 4 wheeler and drove down to where alfalfa fields touch the foothills and started walking the edge. I walked about 200 yards, looked up on the side hill and there was a 2 point just staring at me 50 yards away. One shot through the shoulders and down he went! I had watched and helped my dad gut before, so I went to work. I didn't have a saw to split the brisket, so I went in shoulders deep up into the chest cavity cutting and tearing until I got it all pulled down and out.
I pulled into the driveway as my dad and brother were getting home. My 15 year old brother was very jealous, because they didn't even see a deer. That's still one of my favorite hunting memories.

 

[S.Clancy]

The first thing I killed solo (kinda) was an antelope buck when I was 14. My mom had to drive me to the spot (couldnt drive yet), I hiked 3 miles in and crawled up on a group of goats and shot one with my 270. It was around a 14" goat, not giant, but decent. Got him gutted out and started dragging. Realized how much it sucked to drag an antelope when you only weigh 120 lbs. It took me over 4 hrs to drag that thing back to the road, well after dark. My mom was still waiting there, pretty worried. Got him loaded up and headed home.