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Archery season begins Saturday for deer hunters

The state says all of the rain we had this year should help with deer season. Last year archery hunters harvested 65-thousand deer.

Deer season begins Saturday when folks with a crossbow get to take aim.

Last year, archery hunters harvested almost 65,000 deer throughout the state.

It's the busy time of the year for Clayton Williams and Johnny Sanders at Chuck's Bait and Tackle.

"Everybody's gearing up and getting ready, some wait until the last minute. This week has been really crazy just trying to get everybody's bow ready," Clayton said.

This is the start to deer season. People who hunt with primitive weapons get going October 13th, while firearms season hits on October 20th this year.

"So yeah, it kind of starts with dove season we had last weekend. We'll have a little over a month of archery season and then gun season kicks up and the cool weather comes and it gets everybody really excited," Clayton explained.

The Department of Natural Resources says, sure, it's hot outside, but all that rain we had this year may just pay off for hunters.

DNR says you can expect excellent antler growth this fall, but Clayton says the folks that put meat in the freezer work year-round to hunt over these few months.

"A lot of people that get consistent deer, I mean, they spend a lot of time and it's not just something they do at this time of the year. I mean, they've been working on it all year, they've been feeding their deer right and they make sure they have the nutrients to grow big deer," he said.

No matter the size, the state says you can get ten antler-less deer and no more than two antlered deer. You can use your bow and arrow throughout the entire 2018-19 deer season.

To hunt deer in Georgia, you must have a valid hunting license, a big game license and a current deer harvest record.

And don't forget the state's wildlife division operates more than 100 public wildlife management areas also called WMAs.

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