2023 N Ga Mountain Deer Season

I’m as happy with the fact that I’m not completely crippled from the ruptured bicep tendon, as I am with getting a deer. I’ve been worried that I would nit be able to pull back my crossbow this year because it was already close to the limits of what I could pull back prior to the detached tendon…. I got yo our cabin Saturday night and hung my stand yesterday. Finally got the nerve to try drawing back the crossbow in the afternoon. Got a sharp pain in the muscle that’s not longer attached at one end right at the last couple inches of the draw, but I got it cocked. Hurt pretty bad last night but when I tried again this morning I had no problem or pain. Guess something needed stretched-out.
Half an hour before it started getting light I could hear a group of coyotes carrying on. More than I’ve heard nearby in over a decade of being here. Temp is sure a nice change from FL and actually slightly cooler than usual this time of year. Was about 52 to start the day, mid 70s for the high, and should be the same all week. Nice.
Didn’t hear anything moving through before sunrise, and had a couple squirrels doing their thing after sunrise. Around 8:30 I had one blow on the ridge about 40 yards above me. Actually because of the incline my tree stand put me about eye level with the top of the ridge… Scented me but dont think she saw me. Either walked the ridge above me and came from the east behind me, or had just come over the hill from the north. I turned to watch her run along the ridge toward the west, stopped about 30 yards away and started downhill, but I didn’t have the crossbow up that fast. Would run about 20 yards and stop for a split second each time. Basically making a 40-50 yard radius circle around me. Figure she was trying to figure out where that smell came from. Finally one of those split-second stops was an an open lane and I fired as soon as I had the crosshairs aligned. Ended up 180 degrees on the downhill side from where she started. Was kind enough to run halfway back to the cabin for me. Typical sized doe for the mountains around here.
I’ve got to setup a blind this week for my son and daughter-in-law to come hunt with me this weekend for their first time. My son never had any interest but his wife has been asking me to take her. She finally got her hunter safety certificate this year so hopefully I can get them on one. I don’t have high confidence that we’ll get one because they are so easily spooked around here and know when someone is in the woods, but would at least be nice to get busted by a few. Next year she’ll be ready to go sit by herself in a stand or a blind. nit sure if I’ll go again before they come. Don’t want to get the local deer on further alert…

 

Thanks. Loving the weather.