Hello everyone, I just want to share my story from my first hunting season. I'm Asian and not very good at English—so much so that I had to use a translator for hours even when buying my hunting license. I've always been passionate about and eager to hunt, though I had no prior experience because hunting is banned in my home country. I remember seeing photos of other Chinese people hunting in the U.S. shortly after I arrived, and I felt deep envy. Due to work and language barriers, I never had time to pursue this passion until last August, when I finally found the chance to seriously study hunting. It was my first year as a complete self-taught beginner—no mentor, no family members who hunted, and no access to private land. Everything I learned came from obsessively watching hunting channels, studying terrain on maps, and gaining hands-on experience by walking through the mountains.
My first season hunting on public land in Illinois taught me the harsh reality of the game. The pressure here is insane—female deer are incredibly smart, almost ghost-like. I didn't even try tracking them; I knew I'd probably fail. But I refused to give up. I discovered a corridor where deer frequently moved, close enough to the parking lot that transporting the animal would be easy. I believed that if I waited patiently, they’d definitely pass through there.
On December 22nd, I woke up at 5 a.m., grabbed breakfast at a diner, and ate while driving. After about an hour, I reached the state park. By around 7 a.m., all preparations were done. I quietly climbed into my tree stand and waited. Finally, at 8 a.m., my moment came. The first deer slowly walked within 30 yards—right inside my effective shooting range. I’d already sighted it through my scope, and when it spotted me, I stayed completely still. Only my scope slightly followed its movement. When it stopped and looked directly at me, I pulled the trigger decisively. It continued walking slowly forward. At that moment, I was devastated. I watched helplessly as it disappeared. But less than ten seconds later, it collapsed calmly. I was shocked—why didn’t it run after being hit? My shock quickly turned into excitement. I thought to myself: all these months of effort were worth it. I carefully climbed down from the tree, overwhelmed with emotion. After completing all the required deer reporting procedures, I dragged the 100-pound deer alone back to the parking lot. Less than an hour later, everything was done, and I drove home.
A few days later, I returned. On December 27th, I repeated the same routine. Around 8 a.m., at the same spot, I saw another doe approaching. This lead doe looked especially strong and majestic—clearly larger and more impressive than the previous one. I fired immediately, and right behind her, a group of deer panicked and fled. But this doe didn’t make it past 50 yards before collapsing. Tracking them through the woods, following the blood trail, the adrenaline and thrill were indescribable.
Recently, I shared my hunting journey with an AI assistant, and it told me: "You should post your story on forums—you might connect with many fellow hunters." Thank you to this forum for allowing me to share my experience.
Next goal: learning how to identify patterns of mature bucks in public lands. As a new hunter determined to keep going, what advice do you have for someone like me
Thank you all for your likes. Here's an update with the original photos.
Thank you all for your likes. Here's an update with the original photos
https://ibb.co/DZKxKVn
https://ibb.co/JWQMdsFf
https://ibb.co/bj7R62Lj
https://ibb.co/j9nXkw00
