After almost canceling his hunting trip because he had the flu, Richard Hebert of Pineville, LA, opted to tough it out and get in the field. It was a good decision. Field & Stream Online EditorsEight-year-old Bryan Mitchell used a gray and black rubber worm to hook up this 8-pound bass in Alabama’s Lake Tholocco. Field & Stream Online EditorsNathan Nielsen with his first turkey, shot in Iowa. Field & Stream Online EditorsJohn Hagler of Abilene, TX, shot both these bears on his first Alberta bear hunt. Field & Stream Online EditorsBill Isles of Duluth, MN, just happened to have a camera handy when he saw this eagle circling a dead deer along the road. Field & Stream Online EditorsThis 230-pound buck in full velvet was the first deer ever shot by 13-year-old Eric Schmidt of Green Bay, WI. Field & Stream Online EditorsAndrew Koukoulas of East Northport, NY, took this moose on a hunt in Alberta. Field & Stream Online Editors“Even the wildlife can’t get enough Field & Stream,” says George Johnson of Weatherly, PA. Field & Stream Online EditorsNate Scott, 6, with his first turkey shot near Huntington, AR. The bird was called in by his grandfather, Steve Scott, and the trophy weighed 25 pounds. Field & Stream Online EditorsRachael Hart, 15, of Kalispell, MT, with a big deer she shot on a hunt near Malta, MT. Field & Stream Online EditorsRonald M. Scherba of Clinton, NJ, shot this Red-Cape hartebeest during a safari hunt in Namibia. Field & Stream Online EditorsBen Butzen of Fond Du Lac, WI, trolled up this 130-pound Pacific sailfish while on vacation in Costa Rica. Field & Stream Online EditorsWhen Brett Johnson’s daughter needed a picture for her photography class, he busted out the 460 magnum and lit up the night. According to Johnson, his daughter got a big “wow” from her class when she showed them this photo. Field & Stream Online EditorsAndy Schultz of McFarland, WI, got a lucky shot as this musky took to the air during the spring spawn on Lake Wingra. Field & Stream Online EditorsLaura Bell’s patience and practice with a diaphragm call paid off when she coaxed in this 19-pound bird while hunting near Garrettsville, OH. Field & Stream Online EditorsBradley Hoene with a 200-plus-inch buck killed during the 2007 opening week in Missouri. Nate MatthewsEight-year-old Brandon Pelton with his first bonefish, caught on a flat in the Bahamas just this March. Nate MatthewsMichael Prentice traveled all the way from Alexandria, VA, to Alaska to try his hand at shooting a grizzly. The trip was clearly a great success. Nate MatthewsLacey Leppert shot this 22-pound gobbler with her bow while hunting on her dad’s property in Onalaska, WI. Field & Stream Online EditorsYoung Jon Allibriton proudly displays his first deer. He shot it on a hunt with his dad in Brookhaven, MS. Field & Stream Online EditorsSeth Thurmond, 12, caught and released this largemouth, estimated at 12 pounds, on a Rat-L-Trap near Lexington, KY. Field & Stream Online EditorsDiane Holman sent in this photo of her dog, Buddy Love, with one of his favorite chew toys – a yellow perch from Lake Shirley in Massachusetts. Field & Stream Online EditorsJames T. Church, 12, with his first elk. He shot it near his home town of Torrington, WY. Field & Stream Online EditorsEmma Schiemer, 5, with a goose she shot near Hughsville, MD. Field & Stream Online EditorsKatelyn Bronsell, 8, and Jack Bronsell, 6, are happy as can be with the reward from their first grouse hunt near Blackfoot, ID. Field & Stream Online EditorsStephanie Cornejo with her 6-foot alligator gar. She shot it while bowfishing at Three Rivers, TX. Field & Stream Online EditorsSteve Eide shot this big muley in Northwestern South Dakota. Field & Stream Online EditorsAccording to Brian Baker, his eight-year-old son Tyler picked up the technique of the jerk-pause retrieve with a crankbait real fast. This bass marks one of many trophies he’s already caught and released in his fishing career. Field & Stream Online EditorsLucas Boss and his 3-year-old son Landon enjoyed his first duck hunt at a Kansas Wetland area near Clinton Lake, KS Field & Stream Online EditorsJ.J. Kapuchuck of New Castle, PA, harvested this elk with his bow during a hunt in Canada. Field & Stream Online EditorsBen Mays shot this 8-pointer with a 17-inch spread near Thompson, GA, during the 2006 deer season. Field & Stream Online EditorsEd Lampitt gives his daughter her first shooting lesson with a BB gun she got for Christmas. Now all she needs are some tiny hunting boots and and some pint-sized cammo coveralls, although the Dorothy shoes are priceless. Field & Stream Online EditorsJon Poblocki of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, proudly displays his first bird. This gobbler weighed in at 27 pounds and had two 11-inch beards. Field & Stream Online EditorsWe suppose that young miss Aislynn Garrett of Collinsville, OK, possibly thought she was headed to a ballet competition instead of a fishing derby when she woke up. But it’s all good. She had a great day catching trout with her grandpa, Mark Corbell. Field & Stream Online EditorsEd Skinner shot this 6-point bull elk on opening day outside of Salt Lake City, UT. Field & Stream Online EditorsJared Robinson of Lenox, IW, took this non-typical buck with his bow during the 2007 season. Field & Stream Online EditorsSergeant First Class Douglas Anderson landed this 5-foot mangar in Baghdad, Iraq. They didn’t have a scale handy, but he estimated its weight at about 100-pounds. Field & Stream Online EditorsDean Sankey of Menomonie, WI, has his 14-year-old son to thank for this buck, as he performed a one-man drive and pushed the monster right to dad. Field & Stream Online EditorsThomas Cooprider of Pembroke Pines, FL, with a 12-foot gator he shot during a hunt in 2007. Field & Stream Online EditorsEmily Norby hooked this sockeye salmon while fishing the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Her dog, Fila, always comes along for the ride in her backpack. Field & Stream Online EditorsThree-year-old William Millage does his best impression of Gene Simmons from KISS while mugging it up with the elk sheds his dad found near Kamiah, ID. Field & Stream Online EditorsJake McDanel, 5, of Boerne, TX, enjoys his first pheasant hunt with dad Brad. Jake carried this bird directly to his grandma, who we’re guessing was going to turn it into dinner for the family. Field & Stream Online EditorsJamey Hendrix of Newton, AL, boated this 250-pound blue marlin during a trip to Quepos, Costa Rica. Field & Stream Online EditorsJessica Wier of Austin, TX, shot this elephant in Botswana while hunting with her dad. She put three rounds into the animal as it charged her. Field & Stream Online EditorsJacob Holtz, 14, with his first turkey. He shot the 25-pound bird during Indiana’s first Spring Youth Turkey Season. Field & Stream Online EditorsKelly Pence of Bedford, TX, with her biggest buck in two years of hunting. Says Pence, “If only more women knew what they were missing!” Field & Stream Online EditorsLittle Suzanne Wylie of Cary, NC, preparing to cook a nice crappie in her toy oven. Field & Stream Online EditorsCasey Walker of DeWitt, IA, shot this monster buck with a muzzleloader during the 2007 season. Field & Stream Online EditorsKeri Book of Palmyra, PA, with her first turkey. It took five years of hunting for her to finally get a good shot at a gobbler. Field & Stream Online EditorsBryan Brumwell of Minot, ND, sent us this shot of his hunting dog Bailey in mid-air. Field & Stream Online EditorsBrent Barnes played tug-o-war with this massive sturgeon for over an hour before subduing it on his kayak. The fish was safely released back into San Francisco Bay. Field & Stream Online EditorsKen Smith of Front Royal, VA, shot this bear with his bow while hunting in Saskatchewan last May. Field & Stream Online EditorsFrom all the way across the big pond, Dr. Alex Newman sent us this shot of a “brace” of impressive trout he pulled from a lake in Oxford, UK, with his fly rod. Both fish topped the 10-pound mark. Field & Stream Online EditorsMichael Sutherin took this 12-point buck with his bow last season during a hunt in Ohio. Field & Stream Online EditorsTwo-year-old Natalie Mather landed this sunny, her first fish, over Fourth of July weekend. It appears her family planned to celebrate Natalie’s achievement later with a mean fireworks display, which you can see is set and ready for ignition in the background. Field & Stream Online EditorsEleven-year-old Jade Trusty poses with dad Jason Slaughter after a successful turkey hunt near Bethany, MO. Jade shot this 23-pound bird just before dusk. Field & Stream Online EditorsMike Van Sicklen of White Lake, MI, with his first elk. Van Sicklen dropped the bull last October. Field & Stream Online EditorsFour-year-old Sam “Bubba” Stevens can’t take his eyes off his rod, even to take a picture. Now that’s a true fisherman. The perch Bubba’s holding fell on Lake Sammamish in Washington State. Field & Stream Online EditorsChris Lemoine and son Evan show off a trophy from their first duck hunt together near Rutland, MA. Field & Stream Online EditorsGreg Nichols sent in this photo of his Dad with a nice bull elk he shot in 2007. Field & Stream Online EditorsTaken in 1974, this photo of Mario Marulli is classic as far as we’re concerned. Nothing like a deer strapped to the grill of a Bug. Marulli shot the deer near Pittsburg, NH. Field & Stream Online EditorsAaron Rzepka (center) with has father and brother and the 12-point buck he shot last season near Macedon, NY. Field & Stream Online EditorsAfter shedding a few tears over a missed doe, young Clayton Cheatham thought his first hunt last Thanksgiving was going to be ruined. Luckily dad Deane called to ask mom for a time extension on the hunt. Clayton redeemed himself not 30 minutes later when this buck came by. Field & Stream Online EditorsCharles Scobee sent this photo to his son via cell phone to bust his chops for choosing to go on a date instead of fishing with dad. Field & Stream Online EditorsChris Straiter and pal Jack Weleba show off the fruits of a great morning duck hunt on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Field & Stream Online EditorsJeff Weems got some weekend leave from his home on Hawaii’s Hickman Air Force Base to doing a little trolling. His efforts paid off when this 37-pound Mahi Mahi found his spread. Field & Stream Online EditorsJeffrey Cornish of Newport, NH, with a huge buck taken on the last day of rifle season. Field & Stream Online EditorsFive-year-old Ben Vastola of Washington, DC, made the cast, set the hook, and reeled in this near 7-pound brown trout all on his own during a trip to Wisconsin. Dad only helped net the monster. Field & Stream Online EditorsJohn Hedstrom of Princeton, MN, with his 286-pound black bear shot in 2006. Field & Stream Online EditorsDanny Freemna of Dameron, MD, nabbed this killer shot of his son and a friend early in the morning on Briery Creek Lake in Virginia. Field & Stream Online EditorsDamian Turpin proudly poses with his first turkey. He shot it while hunting with dad Eddie during a 2008 NWTF “Jakes” Youth Hunt in Indiana. Field & Stream Online EditorsKevin Van De Graaff of Gilbert, AZ, took this buffalo during a 2007 hunt. Field & Stream Online EditorsCraig Brewer and his net man/son Bailey combined angling efforts to boat this giant muskie. Field & Stream Online EditorsAlex Uphoff took this big buck in Central Illinois last season. Field & Stream Online EditorsRick Garrett of Louisville, KY, says helping his grandson Matt get on his first turkey was one of the most rewarding hunting experiences of his life. Field & Stream Online EditorsJosh Pollock of Cedar City, UT, with a massive bull elk he killed on public land last November. Field & Stream Online EditorsThis snapping turtle spit at Craig Snook of South Euclid, OH, constantly until Snook released the beast. He caught it during an outing for catfish. Field & Stream Online EditorsDevin Johnson of Dexter, MI, shot this nice deer on a hunt in Southern Utah. Field & Stream Online EditorsZack Spence of Cochrane, Alberta, was actually wearing a cast on his arm the day he hooked this 210-pound halibut off British Columbia. Field & Stream Online EditorsHunter Anthony, 10, took this 25-pound long beard on his first turkey hunt. The bird fell near his home town of Granger, IN. Field & Stream Online EditorsMichael Washam of Las Cruces, NM, with his first mule deer after 38 years of hunting. He shot it with a muzzleloader. Field & Stream Online EditorsDiagnosed with Leukemia in 2005, Daniel Romero, now 10, still studied hard for his hunter’s safety course despite being sick. He missed the test twice from being too ill to attend, but made it the third time and passed with flying colors. He and dad Chris immediately went to buy his first hunting license. Now in his final 2 months of treatment, Daniel is finally able to take to the field with dad. Here, Daniel is all smiles over his first two pheasant, shot near Corning, CA. Field & Stream Online EditorsDan Uelk of Ballwin, MS, got towed by this big roosterfish for a while after hooking it on 15-pound line from his kayak during a trip to Costa Rica. Field & Stream Online EditorsScott Stoughton of Parker, KS, shot this aoudad on a self-guided hunt in West Texas. Field & Stream Online EditorsWhile crappie fishing in Red Gut Bay, Ontario, John Kemp noticed this eagle circling the area. He grabbed his camera and got lucky when the bird picked up one of Kemp’s target species. Field & Stream Online EditorsJessica VanBuekenhout, 2, of Manitoba, Canada, battles her first-ever northern pike. Check out the bend in that rod! Field & Stream Online EditorsMeagan Cathey, 7, lured in this buck with a grunt call during a hunt near Lone Grove, OK, with dad Michael. Field & Stream Online EditorsDonald Parker sent us this photo of his granddaughter Lori and her first turkey. She shot the bird last April near Durant, OK. Field & Stream Online EditorsYoung Ethan Townson holds an 8-pound bass he caught all by himself from his family’s private pond. Of course, dad Chris needed to provide a little muscle for the photo. Field & Stream Online EditorsBrian Downs of Cape Cod, MA, shot this coyote last winter in two feet of fresh snow. Field & Stream Online Editors
