Finally-a deer on the ground!!!

I finally got my deer with 15 minutes of legal hunting time left. It never got above27* today but I braved the cold and went to my blind at 3PM. The wind picked up and the temp starting dropping and I was praying for patience and endurance of the bitter cold. At 5:10 a small doe game in to my stand so I turned my scope on(the battery was getting low) and turned my safety off. She was small and I was certain a bigger mature doe would surely follow. Within 2 minutes here she came out of the wood line. The first deer was standing broadside to me and the big one stayed on the other side of her facing me making it impossible to shoot. After what seemed an eternity of me holding my ice cold gun up w/o gloves on I finally decided that if the small one would just take 2 steps forward I would aim for her neck. Well she finally stepped forward but the big one wouldn't raise her head so I aimed at the back/top of her neck and dropped her in her tracks. I came in to find my hubby anxiously waiting to hear the results of my gunfire. He was proud of me. I was so cold that I could hardly talk. After I warmed up a little we went to get her only to find that she was a he. He had a 1in spike on 1 side and a 2-1/2 in spike on the other but he was an older deer. Jay said it was good I took him as that was bad genetics as far as bucks go. They have to have at least 3 in antlers of some sort or they check them in as a doe. So I still have my buck tag. Bobby has a doe cut up and ready to can so looks like I'll be canning again in a few days. This is probably boring to all you non hunters but exciting for me. Later

Snow and cold

We have had a very cold week and it is white outside. We got about 1-1/2 inches of snow yesterday. No deer yet and the first of our shotgun seasons ends tonight. Our disabled friend Leah and her husband Jason arrived Friday from N. Carolina. Leah is such an inspiration to be around. She was in nursing school when she was 21 and was diagnosed with MS. When I first met her 6 years ago she could still walk but she is now in a wheelchair and only has the use of her right arm. She always loved to hunt and hasn't let her disabilities stop her. Her husband Jason is an angel in the 100th degree. We went to their home a couple years ago and they took us bear hunting. Jason will literally carry her up a 20 ft ladder stand on his back.She has 4 kids from age 6 to 16. Three years ago he carried her up in a tree stand, cocked her crossbow and then went to his stand. They communicate by radio. Boy was he surprised when he came back and she had shot a 250 lb black bear. If you are a Nascar fan you would love to live where they do. They are 40 minutes from Bristol, 1 hour from Charlotte and 2-1/2 hours from Martinsville. We took them to the Martinsville race the weekend we went bear hunting and had a blast. It didn't hurt that Gordan won the race either. They left right before noon for home today with the promise we would go over this spring and trout fish with them. We decided they would come next year and bow hunt when it is not so cold. Jason said he and the boys would come over and help build some handicap accessible blinds this next summer. Well I am back to the woods and hope to at least get a doe before the end of the day. Later