Close to my best Ny. buck

[ray koziatek]

Yes I've been blessed this year....

[fish-on]

Nice Buck, Nice one with the bow too. Before big Dave says something i'll say it, You must be puttin somethin on yourself

[ray koziatek]

I shower with rogane!

[Gill-T]

OMG Ray!!!! great deer.

[Fish Junkie]

Awesome, awesome, buck! Why didn't you dress him in the field? just curious ?

[skipper19]

He wears bald eagle feathers on his little head...fur is naturally bare!....

You are doin stuff right Ray!....Congrates again!

Mark

[ Post made via Android ]

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Nice deer AGAIN Ray.

Pssst............. did u forget your guttin knife AGAIN ?

Jerry

Rebel Charters

[on the lam]

GREAT buck Ray Was there alot damage to your truck??

[TyeeTanic]

GREAT buck Ray Was there alot damage to your truck??

LOL! That's one way to get a buck!

[Gene Shenk]

Thats a great Buck Ray!! Congrats!

[ray koziatek]

um in my post last nite that got lost in russia I did downgrade from expert to beginner ,yup I forgot my knife thingy after draggin that buck over 500 yds alone ,it was a good stress test with the extra weight. UM NO rope either..2nd time i forgot a knife in 40 plus years ,at least the last buck was with a bow and i field dressed with broadhead..wasnt gonna leave that rack for a 1/2 mile paddle up river to van,at least i had a paddle. made last min decision to stalk instead of bring stand and backpack. only scores 146 but I ant complaining..After he droped i lite up a smoke and sat still 2 doe and a 6pt then a 9pt were within 5 min behind him and they walked 20 yds from me downwind with me smoking had to shoo them away before i started fillin doe tags,1 a day is enuf. all corn feed deer. Dec was at meat cutter and it only 3.5 yrs.. suprised me it was that young ..Thanks

Ps i walked less than 300 yds in 5 hrs still hunting and they was up and moving at 1130 am..

[dubblec]

Great Buck Congrats Ray!

[BSmaster]

Nice Buck. Please use the word "only" loosely. I am without a hot dog deer so far. After seeing the other buck I am thinking two things. I wish you were my father-n-law and isn't that golden horshoe a little uncomfortable? It looks like you worked for it. Congrats.

[ray koziatek]

I used the word "only" as i guessed it was bigger due to spread and mass..I'm as happy as " a pig in sh^t" with this deer. Getting Nice deer has a lot to due with the hunters skill, to put himself in the" right spot" the " right time" is controlled by the deer movement .

You need to be able to read the woods you hunt, not the easy stuff rubs and scrapes , but broken spider webs,nibbled ends of small brush,stickers missing on one side of a pricker branch, small tender plants with signs of recently beining stepped on. direction of weeds and grass near a bedding area (returning ,going ,or both). and just as the 3-S's =speed ,speed,speed,apply to trolling (and hunting), the 3 W's = wind,wind,wind (direction) are the most important in hunting the big boys..All the scent gimmics in the world at gonna fool a big bucks nose ,underware ,innerware,outer ware, waffers,electronic gizmos and gadgets some costing over 400 bucks....For many many years nice deer were taken using "tricks and methods" learned at deer camp and family gatherings ,those secrets are being lost and replaced by Editeded hunting shows ,sponcered by the products they flaunt carelessly with a heard of deer 5 yds away,yes sir its good for the stores and products, but does little for a hunter who lacks basic skills..if you need a little "camp info" and help with yer woods I suppose i could be a little help full .

[FX]

Great buck Ray! Did you have him on any of the trail cams?

Shawn

[BSmaster]

There are a lot of posted signs and too many people who see brown then shoot brown. This is my challenge. If less people shot little bucks and got a doe instead, we would probably start harvesting more 140-160 class buck around here. I can't stop the neighbors from doing what they are doing. One hunter I call him making coyote bait. If the deer doesn't drop in its tracks, he doesn't get it. He is a one man herd culler. And I am referring to those that kill multiple deer in a season - not those that have never bagged one or handicapped people or haven't gotten any in a long time etc... I am not trying to preach - just don't claim viking rights when you show up to the party with a croch horn. I won't be impressed. I will be impressed when you let a 10pt go by because you know it will have a chance to get bigger. I am not hoity toity either. I use to kill em all too. Got it from my Dad. But I have changed. I need the hotdog deer for the kids but I am wanting the wall mounter. So I will kill a doe for meat and wait for my big buck.

And I have read the farm - It is bad this year. The food is not where it use to be and the the woods were logged last year so it will take a few years to get the undergrowth up where the deer will be happy again. Scrape lines are fewer this year too. We have discussed redoing the food plot. It is a lot of work but it keeps the deer on the hill. I'll get the hotdog deer. If I don't its alright.

Ray, I agree with what you said. I'd rather be good than lucky (and commercial products). I'd love to stop down and talk shop with you.

Joe

[ray koziatek]

no dont use em those pics i posted are from my "brothers spot".. I stay away from his woods as he has been in them everyday during bow and gun season. (and he cant figure out where all the big bucks went hee hee). Well being a younger brother who dont know nuttin about deer he never listens to me. I still use old school to "read the woods" tho I like lookin at the pics. Was just wiping down the cape of my buck before taking to get it scalped and noticed a straight line straight across its neck gotta love those neck aimers yes 2 inches higher it woulda been some one elses deer.. but a 20 inch chest cavity seems like a better target ,but in the words of my brother ," I don't know nuttin about deer" ,and lookin at his r hind leg i think this is the buck i melted on last bow season,as i hit it right where the scare was (just above the knee joint grazzed it)... hey even a good shooter with a bow can get buck feaver on a rack like that so its a double reward to finally get to hug its rack.. Soooooo I guess i could say i got it with my bow or gun just don't have to elaborate on which one killed it...

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

Congrats Ray, a "Dream season"! BS master, you are dead on. Still too many guys killing yearling bucks for bragging rights instead of a doe. In my opinion, drawing a bow on a MATURE doe is the toughest thing you will do in the deer woods. It will teach you loads about deer behavior and how to read it. Lets not forget all the button bucks shot as does on drives. Tough to change old habits but everyone needs to know the area they are hunting and if it needs doe harvest or if they need to be let go for awhile.

[Jersey Len]

Congrats on a nice Buck looks like a wall hanger to me. Its real nice on payday after putting a lot of your time in. YOU DID BUILD IT.

Len

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Ray, Great deer again. Everyone wants higher "score" and older years of age. BUT you just showed a great example of what BIG bucks need.

3 things:

FOOD/habitat

Genetics (cull the spikes & the opportunistic doe breeders)

Time............. 3 years is NOT that long for trophy bucks in your areas.

And if you can Watch over the "area" with trail cams, it makes the waiting/confidence to pass on smaller bucks & does ALOT easier, KNOWING whats on your trail cam HIT LIST ! I feel like a WW II fighter pilot when hunting now with pics of the "buck hit list" ==== the pictures of the certain ships/targets i am only after.

Jerry

Rebal Charters

[Duckman1]

Nice buck ray. Keep the stories comming.

[ Post made via Android ]

[choo-choo]

nice looking buck Ray. I see you forgot your knife and drag rope. I hunted deer for 42 seasons , up until 3 years ago. Lot"s of fond memories...and some bloopers too..including forgetting my knife and rope a couple of times.One time after killing a buck,and realizing i had no knife, i used what i could find at an old abandoned campsite near where my buck dropped.....a ten penny nail to puncture his belly, shard of broken beer bottle glass in the old ashes to slice him open!!! No fun...but it worked!!.I had to use my belt around his neck to drag him out! Anyway....great season for you Ray.

[BLOCKHEAD]

hell of a deer ray. i personally hate the path deer hunting has taken. farming deer and living in a tree doesn't do it for me . lusting over inches and texas whip it out photos have almost ruined deer hunting IMO. i took a "trophy" sunday. 11 guys worked ther butts off to produce 3 deer seen. patton would have been proud of the planning that went into safe ,effective drive. i was lucky to be on set when 1.5 y/o came through. i'd love to shoot a wall hanger. my goal each season is take excellent table fare . usually young does or button bucks.

[ray koziatek]

Good for you ,ya almost overlead that one,I got a nice 9 pt last year that way.......well not exactly,but low neck shot it........Here Is my excuse:

It was the last day of muzzy season and I passed on 2 smaller bucks a 4 pt and a 6 pt,both basket racks..They were early in the morning and after messing up in Indiana,,on a smasher I continued to stalk away. These woods are full of mature loural and me being a tad over 3 ft tall,I had to stay high on the hill ,slowly zigzaging my way down. In a short 8 hours I traveled maybe 1.5 miles total ..saw a few doe so i had to sit them out as not to light up the area..I timed my pattern so at just about dark I would make my final assult on a area where I've seen nice bucks in the past at the "witching hour".....Well Shiver me timbers there was a buck just stood up in front of me at 80-90 yds. All i could do was freeze as he did his little look a bout , after 30 sec or so and a few head twirls he started licking his side to fancy up before looking for the girls. Well I intentionally let my walkin stick drop when I first saw it so I could ready for the shot...Yup nuttin to lean on for a dimming shot (light rain too) just as I touched off the smokepole he was bringing his head around for a final grooming..I musta misjudged his angle or was weaving like a Indian on a loom .. I knew he was hit and pretty good for the way he went into brush removal mode..

I went to where he stood and found tons of hair,so I knew it was a graze shot (thought) ... I followed the trail of leaves and everything turned red just as it turned dark. With no flashlight ,light rain and good blood I was shure he was done. I waddled in high gear back to the van to get my light and drop off the gun..(mistake) but it was dark now . I took my top of the line 88cent flashlight (home depot) and headed back to the trail..oh it was 1/2 mile one way to the van .

As i started on the steep part of the hill down comes the rain ,so I pick up the waddle pace ... Well yup lots of blood even in the rain. I'm in major beagle mode for 300 yds then things start to wash out and I have to slow down, Well i worked for the next 50 yds and saw eyes in a blowdown 10 yds in front of me..yup dispite loosing 10 gal of blood he pushes on ,but now he is on empty ,and I used up 85cents worth of battery...I give my brother a call and dispite laying on the couch showered he said he would be right there, um problem was right there was 15 miles away and on top of the hill now so I knew i would be sharing the woods for over a hour waiting for backup flashlight ..well after 5 min the sweat and rain had me wet to the crack of my a s s ,so i went into surival mode ,found some dry leaves and enuf small twigs to get a small fire going luckly a large log protected some dry stuff.

The rain stopped and I built the fire into a nice heat source despite the tuff time of gettin a fire big enuf to dry the only fuel left (vertical sticks) ...well 12 hours went by opps 1.5 and my cell rings with my brother within 200 yds .of me (we both have hunted this area for 40 years so 1 instruction put him on me ) I direct him by his light to where the buck was headed, and as we are talking he steps on the buck 70 yds away.. (next time i will buy 2 88cent flashlights).. It was a nice main 8 with a 2in sticker on its base (9)total.

Well know nuttin left to do but drag 400 yds to the nearest trail....weeeee...

Its was another great adventure and to have my brother there to finalize it (help dragging he he ) it was a great way to end the season...I dont know if i ever scored it but it should go 120 to 130 in .

Yes my wife always reminds me "I Ant Right" as i waddle to the shower at 1030 at night ,But days like that are what keeps my Love of Hunting Adventures ALIVE!!!

P.S. Ive still got my muzzy tag for this year,tho I have taken a great buck with the rifle .....I know their are 2 really big bucks in that area but its gonna take some snow and 1 day to pattern them before i expect to see one. But stranger thing have happened (belive it or not).................their might be one more story this year, and it will be with a good light in hand in case i screw up another shot..

[fishuntrapper]

good deer and great job congrats