First-Year Bowhunter Finally Tags His First Deer, Then Friends Mock Him for Taking a Doe

A first-year bowhunter in Michigan said he finally got the moment he had been working for all season, only to have the excitement knocked down when friends mocked him for taking a doe.

The hunter shared the story in a Reddit post titled “Got my first deer ever. First year hunting. Friends shaming me for a doe…. (Yearling)”. He said he had been hunting hard since October 1, spending two to three hours a day in the woods on most days.

For a new bowhunter, that is not a small commitment. Bowhunting is slow, quiet, and humbling. It asks a hunter to get close, control nerves, read wind, stay still, and make a clean shot with far less margin than a rifle hunt. A person can sit for days and see nothing. He can finally see deer and never get a shot. He can get the shot and still have to do everything right in the moment.

After all that time, the hunter finally had a doe come in at 20 yards.

He said it was an easy shot, so he took it. His goal was not to chase antlers first. He wanted meat and the full experience of taking, gutting, and processing a deer with his family. Afterward, he described the experience as great, humbling, and full of lessons.

Then he told his friends.

Instead of celebrating his first deer, they gave him a hard time for shooting a doe, especially a yearling. According to the hunter, their message was that bucks are better and only desperate people take does.

That left him second-guessing a moment that should have felt simple. He had hunted legally, made the shot, put meat in the freezer, and learned from the process. But after the reaction from his friends, he asked other bowhunters whether taking a doe was really frowned upon.

He Wanted Meat and Experience First

The hunter’s reason for taking the deer was straightforward.

He wanted meat first. He also wanted the experience that comes with the whole process, not just the shot. For a new hunter, that matters. A successful hunt does not end when the arrow is released. There is tracking, recovery, field dressing, processing, and understanding what it actually means to bring home food.

That is a lot to learn in a first season.

His decision also made sense because he was bowhunting. A 20-yard opportunity on a legal deer is not something every beginner gets. Many new bowhunters go their first season without taking anything. Some go several seasons before everything comes together.

The friends’ criticism seemed to take the moment and reduce it to antlers. But for the hunter, the deer represented time, effort, patience, and food for his family.

That is why the reaction bothered him. He was not trying to brag about a trophy. He was asking whether he had done something wrong by being proud of a legal, useful harvest.

Commenters overwhelmingly told him he had nothing to be ashamed of.

Several people said his friends were wrong. One commenter said taking does can help the overall health of the herd in an area. Another pointed out that any deer taken with a bow is a trophy, especially for a first-year hunter.

A lot of commenters focused on the meat. They said venison is venison, and a young deer can make excellent table fare. Some said the meat from a yearling or young doe can be especially tender.

Others told him the choice was his because it was his tag. If the deer was legal, the shot was ethical, and he was happy with the harvest, then his friends did not get to define the success of the hunt.

That was the theme repeated over and over. A hunter’s first deer is a big deal. Turning it into a reason for shame, especially because it was a doe, said more about the friends than the deer.

Some Hunters Said the Teasing Might Be Normal, but Only to a Point

A few commenters gave a little more nuance.

They said hunters often tease each other. Razzing friends about deer size, missed shots, drag jobs, and hunting mistakes is common in some circles. If the friends were joking lightly, the hunter might need to take it with thicker skin.

But commenters also drew a line. Teasing is one thing. Making a new hunter feel embarrassed about his first deer is another.

That difference matters. A little friendly joking usually comes with genuine congratulations underneath it. But if the message is that the hunter should feel bad for taking a legal doe, then it stops being harmless.

Several users told him that if his friends were serious, they were being gatekeepers. Instead of helping a new hunter enjoy the process, they were turning hunting into an antler contest.

That kind of attitude can discourage people who are just starting out. A first deer should build confidence, not make someone afraid to shoot another legal deer.

Michigan Hunters Talked About Doe Management

Because the hunter was in Michigan, many commenters brought up doe harvest and herd management.

Several said Michigan hunters are often encouraged to take does in certain areas. Some mentioned that multiple doe tags are available in parts of the state for a reason. The point was that shooting does is not automatically bad. In many places, it is part of managing the herd.

One commenter said the doe-to-buck ratio can get high in some areas, and taking does can help keep the population healthier. Others pointed out that antlers do not matter when the goal is filling the freezer.

There was some nuance here too. One commenter said it can depend on the local deer population. In areas where the herd is struggling, a hunter might think more carefully before taking a doe. But if the population is healthy and the deer is legal, there is no reason to feel ashamed.

That was helpful because it answered the hunter’s real question. The issue is not “buck good, doe bad.” The better question is whether the harvest is legal, ethical, and responsible for the area being hunted.

In his case, commenters saw no reason for him to regret it.

The First Deer Changed How He Looked at the Rest of the Season

The hunter said that now that he had one deer down, he felt like he could be more particular about his second deer.

That is a natural shift. Getting the first one can take pressure off. A new hunter learns what the moment feels like, how the shot unfolds, how the recovery goes, and what it takes to process the animal. After that, the next sit can feel different.

Some commenters encouraged that. They said taking does can help a bowhunter handle the adrenaline that comes with a shot opportunity. If he eventually wants to hold out for a buck, experience on legal deer can help him stay calmer when a bigger moment comes.

Others said he should keep hunting for whatever makes sense to him. If he wants meat, take another doe. If he wants to wait for a buck, wait. The important thing is that the decision belongs to the hunter, not to friends who were not sitting in that stand with him.

That was probably the reassurance he needed most.

Commenters largely defended the hunter and congratulated him on his first deer.

Many said any deer taken with a bow is worth being proud of, especially in a first season. They reminded him that bowhunting is hard and that a clean 20-yard shot on a legal deer is a successful hunt.

Several told him that taking a doe is normal, practical, and often good herd management. Michigan came up repeatedly, with commenters saying hunters in many parts of the state are encouraged to harvest does.

Others focused on the food. They said tender venison in the freezer matters more than antlers, and one commenter summed up the attitude with the familiar idea that nobody eats antlers.

A few acknowledged that hunters joke around with each other, but they said real friends should still be happy for someone’s first deer. If the teasing was serious enough to make him feel ashamed, commenters thought his friends were wrong.

For the first-year bowhunter, the hunt itself had gone exactly the way a beginner hopes it will. He put in time, got close, made the shot, brought home meat, and learned from the process. The only bad part came afterward, when other people tried to make him feel small about it. The comment section gave him a much clearer answer: a legal first deer with a bow is something to be proud of.