Teen shoots first deer with new gun

Ryan Petersen, 16, of Princeton, Minn., bagged his first deer Nov. 11 in a snowstorm. Ryan, using a new gun, shot the buck while its nose was to the ground, grunting at 40 yards. "Congratulations, Ryan'' his grandfather, Varyl Raze, said. "I am so proud of you!''

Kash Rasmus of Bemidji, Minn., shot this 9-point buck Nov. 4. His dad, Greg, was Kash's hunting mate. Kash first saw a doe, but his dad suggested he wait for a trailing buck. The deer was estimated to weigh 200 pounds.

This 8-point buck was taken by Bridget Bohnsack, 12, on opening day, with only five minutes of shooting time left. This was Bridget's first year hunting, first day sitting in the stand and first deer taken. She was with her dad, Ben, on property the family owns and lives on near Cold Spring, Minn. The hunting party consisted of Bridget, her dad, grandfather, and two uncles, representing three generations of hunters.

JP Little of Chaska shot what he called his buck of a lifetime on opening day near Bruno, Minn., where he has hunting land. The buck was a 10-pointer and dressed at 210 pounds. "He walked right under my box stand and the shot was only 15 yards," Little said. " Right up my alley!''

Drake Fritz, 11, of Lakeville, dropped this 10-point buck during his first hunting trip last week near Deer Creek, Minn., with his dad, Rick. "Drake was being very patient watching some other deer in the field when this big boy jumped out,'' Rick said. "He was very excited to take his first deer, as you can tell by his smile!''