What was the first animal you took with rifles you have owned/used?

[Blkram]

After delving into what rifle I used to take the first animal of various species, it made me think of what animal was the first I took with various rifles I have owned or used over the years...

For me, it is as follows:

• Marlin 336 in 30-30: whitetail doe
• Winchester Model 94 in 30-30: whitetail doe
• Browning BLR in 308 Win: whitetail doe
• Parker Hale in 30-06: moose calf
• LH Sako Finnbear Deluxe in 300 Win Mag: buffalo bull
• Browning A Bolt in 280 Rem: mule deer buck
• Rem 700 Classic in 6.5x55: stones sheep
• Winchester Model 70 in 270 Wby: bull elk
• Rem 7600 in 35 Whelen: cow elk
• Marlin 375S in 375 Win: black bear
• Rem 700 LSS in 7mm Rem Mag: bull elk
• LH Rem 700 BDL in 338 Win Mag: cow moose
• LH Rem 700 LSS in 270 Win: caribou bull
• Custom LH Sako AV in 7MM STW: mountain goat
• Pre-81 BLR in 358 Win: bull elk
• Custom LH Rem 700 in 300 WSM: bull elk
• Browning B-78 in 270 Wby: mule deer buck
• Custom LH Rem 700 in 338-06 A Square: black bear
• Custom LH Ruger M77 Mk II in 376 Steyr: buffalo bull
• Custom LH Rem 700 XCR in 280 Rem: bull elk
• Custom LH Browning X Bolt All Weather in 6.5 Creedmoor: bull moose
• LH Sako 85 Hunter in 6.5x55: caribou cow
• Custom Winchester Model 88 in 338 federal: bull caribou
• LH Sako 85 Hunter in 9.3x62: bull moose
• Custom LH Sako 85 Finnlight II in 338 Federal: bull caribou
• Ruger M77 Mk II in 300 Win Mag: nyala
• LH Browning X Bolt All Weather in 270 WSM: bull caribou

These too, I can recall all the details of the hunt vividly!
Fun to reminisce on past hunts, rifles and cartridges...and to see the various firearms and cartridges used over the years!

 

[PJGunner]

I was all of 11 years old on my first deer hunt on Labor Day weekend 1949. I was on a stand and was hunting with my Great Grandfather's Winchester M94 carbine chambered to the 30-30 which I now own. Day one of the hunt, I'm on a stand and a nice 4 point buck walks past me not even noticing I was there. The shot was at about 10 or 12 feet. To say I was hooked on hunting would be no exaggeration.
Paul B.

 

[bkordon]

Blacktail- 6mm Rem, 100gr Corelokt
Roosevelt Elk- 300 RUM, 190gr Hornady SP
Whitetail- 22-250, 60 gr Nosler Partition- legal in WY
a Snow White Fallow Deer- TX- 6.5x284, 125 Nosler Partition
Feral Hog- TX- 6.5X284, 125 Nosler Partition
Antelope- 6.5X284, 120gr Barnes TSX

 

[Bruce Mc]

Doesn't anyone have a rifle that the first animal was a rabbit, squirrel, coyote, or javelina.

 

[Blkram]

Doesn't anyone have a rifle that the first animal was a rabbit, squirrel, coyote, or javelina.

I no longer have the Winchester Model 69A 22LR or Winchester Model 37A .410 my grandpa got us kids when we moved to the family farm in 1980 that was used for my first ruffed grouse and snowshoe hare. My first squirrel was with my first 10/22 that was traded off long ago.
I forgot about my first coyote; used the Browning B-78 in 270 Wby that I eventually bought from a friend. No longer have that rifle either.
Edit: never ate a coyote, but like the response below, we were taught to eat what we shot.

 

[RL338]

Lets see
Weatherby Vanguard S2 / 257 Wby - whitetail doe

Weatherby Vanguard S2 / 7mm08 - whitetail buck

Remington 7400 / 308 Win - whitetail doe

Marlin X7 / 30-06 - whitetail doe

Weatherby Vanguard S2 / 300 Wby - whitetail buck

Weatherby MarkV 30-378 Wby - whitetail doe

CVA Scout V2 / 35 Whelen - whitetail doe

Weatherby Vanguard S2 / 375 Wby - whitetail buck

Weatherby MarkV / 416 Wby - whitetail doe

Weatherby MarkV / 460 Wby - whitetail doe

 

[Ridge_Runner]

mossberg 410 ga, it was a grey squirrel, I was 10 years old

 

[bkordon]

Doesn't anyone have a rifle that the first animal was a rabbit, squirrel, coyote, or javelina.

I grew up with the understanding that we didn't shoot something unless we were going to eat it. My grandfather fed pheasants, quail, silver gray squirrels and rabbits in his yard, so those were off limits.

 

[RememberBaker]

Doesn't anyone have a rifle that the first animal was a rabbit, squirrel, coyote, or javelina.

I grew up hunting with my great grandfathers Remington model 12, I think a 12c to be exact, it had a straight grip stock with a curved metal butt plate, an octagon barrel and a Lyman tang sight with a super cool combination front sight. I killed a bunch of rabbits and squirrels plus more than a few grouse and muskrats with that rifle as I’m sure my great grandfather did before me.

 

[Hunter26]

I won't go through a big list, but all my center fire rifles were first used on whitetails from 257 Roberts through 45-70. The majority with Nosler bullets. A very memorable hunt was when I was 10. Using a beautiful Browning A-Bolt Micro Medallion in 7mm-08, the rifle's first animal and my first buck was a smallish 7-pt & I still remember the excitement from that hunt! Shot with a reduced load my Dad made using a 120gr BT. My 260 Rem Encore pistol's first kill was a decent size hog with a 140gr Berger. Ruger 10/22 was used on a squirrel first. A 20 GA single shot H&R got me & the guns first dove.

 

[Blkram]

I grew up with the understanding that we didn't shoot something unless we were going to eat it. My grandfather fed pheasants, quail, silver gray squirrels and rabbits in his yard, so those were off limits.

Squirrels were off limits on my grandparents farm as Grandma enjoyed watching them at feeder out of the kitchen and dining room windows. Didn't shoot one until I was an adult.

 

[longrangehunter]

Doesn't anyone have a rifle that the first animal was a rabbit, squirrel, coyote, or javelina.

Now that’s funny! I had a Crossman .177, and a .22 pellet gun that were identical. Plastic stocks, some diamond on the fore end, 10 pumps and they were screaming fast back in the day, 1970’s I don’t remember the first. But everything from Muskrats, Squirrels, Crows, Bobwhites, and a lot of Tin cans!

After that I graduated to a Marlin 39A…. I thought it had to long of a barrel though. I shot more than a few different.22 LR’s at Camp Charlevoix when I spent 8 weeks there in 1971. I got my Marksman and Pro-Marksman there. If I only had a Vudoo 22 back then…… I’d be like Annie Oakley!

 

[1100 Remington Man]

.22LR. a lot of squirrels and rabbits don’t remember what was first.
.223 Rem. Prairie Dog
6mm Rem. Antelope
.264 Win Mag Whitetail Deer.
.270 Win Antelope
30-30 Win. Rabbit
300 H&H Mag. Black Bear.
.54 Muzzleloader. Whitetail Deer

 

[TackDriver284]

Red Ryder BB - crows
Benjamin .177 - squirrels
.22 Browning semi auto - jackrabbits
.22 Winchester Magnum - jackrabbits
.410 Rem 870 Wingmaster - bobwhites
.20 gauge Remington 1100 - whitewings
12 gauge Browning- whitewings
10 gauge Browning BPS - ducks
.244 Rem - whitetail buck
6 BR - jackrabbit
6.5 Creedmoor - 8 pt buck
6.5 x 284 - doe
7 Mag Sako M995 - 10 pt whitetail buck
7 STW - 8 pt whitetail buck
308 Win - feral boar
300 Win Mag- nilgai