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Tony’s 10 point buck 2017

Pat Jr 9 point buck 2017

While still hunting and occasionally using the grunt call, Tony reached an
extremely thick blowdown. After a few hits on the call, the sound of a deer
trotting broke the silence. The deer stopped often to listen to the call.
Then, using the call only when necessary, what seemed like an eternity --but was only 15 minutes-- this buck appeared and Tony took him down.

Tony & Pat Jr. with Tony's buck.

Deep in the Adirondacks, Pat Jr. and Tony still-hunted scrape lines. Pat spotted a large buck rub that brought him to a halt. He was awed, examining the rub, and decided this was a good place to take a break.
Sounds of deer hooves below him caught his attention. He snuck to a nearby tree and braced his model 700 mountain rifle. Looking into the thick green cover, Pat got a quick view of a mature, large antlered buck.

It was on the move, checking its scrapes; Pat had no time to waste. He shouldered his rifle, pointed it at the next opening, the Nikon crosshairs at
6 o’clock on the buck's heart, and gently squeezed the trigger. Pat rocked the buck and watched it go down, get back up, run till it couldn’t go anymore, to be finished in its final bed.

Pat was even more surprised, when he looked over the heaviest, palmated
beamed antlers he has ever seen.

The drag was a two day event to the scales, the buck weighing in at 225 pounds with 14 points.

Tony, with a wide-screen view of
Pat Jr.'s huge buck.

This buck not only shows its maturity in size of the body, but the antlers confirm this with dark, thick and heavy mass. Mature bucks like this one are truly “one-of-a-kind.”

Congratulations Pat!

After looking for big buck tracks, rubs, scrapes and hours of scouting, Pat Jr. put the puzzle together and still-hunted "Higher and Harder" - the Salerno family way of attacking the great Adirondack Mountains of NY.
Late one November afternoon, he heard a buck rubbing and thrashing trees. Pat quietly closed in only to hear it sneak away. Spotting tracks and fresh rubs, he ran several yards and saw a running "ghost," that would shock any hunter!

He unleashed his Remington 700 mountain rifle 30-06, topped with a 3-9 Nikon Monarch scope. Losing sight of the buck, Pat radioed "I just saw a 'Monster' - I'm going down to check."

150 yards downhill, he felt a rush, sitting next to a heavy-beamed 14 pt., 232 lb. buck - one you might see but once as an Adirondack whitetail hunter.

Counting all the points on the head of this buck including kickers over an inch, gave Tony a 12 pointer that tipped the scales at a respectable 219 lbs. dressed.
After shooting at the buck -- which was running at full stride -- Tony and Pat decided to let it bed down due to the evidence left behind on leaves from the first shot.

Based on past experience, waiting a full 1 1/2 hours before tracking it any further paid off! It was finally found laying in its last bed. With one final shot Tony finished the buck as it tried to get up for the last time; Tony had his buck anchored.

Pat Jr., Tony

After climbing up and down the Adirondack High-Peaks all season, spotting bucks and does while still-hunting, viewing bucks in Pat Jr.'s Nikon scope proved challenging. Brief glimpses of deer made for difficult opportunities. Using a grunt tube to the max, yet failing to bring bucks within rifle range resulted in many nights leaving the woods frustrated. One December morning, he left his truck, hiking at a fast pace to reach the remote backcountry. Upon nightfall, he heard a running deer and decided to wait for daylight to still-hunt. At dawn, Pat continued in noisy conditions, stopping more often to hear the crunching of a deer walking below him. Seeing the buck, Pat took a braced long-shot from his 30-06, downing the
8 point, 188 lb. trophy!

Eating cornflakes for breakfast may be a good thing, but hunting in them is another. Crunch-Crunch-Crunch...
This day once again proved no matter the conditions, bucks can be put to the carpet, even if still-hunting, using a couple of known tips and secrets from our latest DVD.

After hearing crunching sounds of a deer on the move, Tony spotted movement and grunted this 183 lb.,
8 point buck within seventy-five yards. With his Remington 7mm-08 rifle (mounted with a 3x9 Nikon Monarch scope) braced against a tree and ready, he was able to take the perfect shot, dropping this buck in its tracks.

Tony took this buck after seeing a doe about 150 yards below him.
Using the grunt tube to bring the doe closer just didn't work, but after 10 minutes the buck made its appearance.

By hitting the grunt tube for about 20 minutes on and off, Tony had teased the buck from 150 yards to 50 yards, patiently waiting for the best opportunity.

Tony downed his 196 lb. deep-woods
8 pointer with one clean shot.

On Nov.20th 2009, Pat Jr. spent the night in the deep woods with 50 mph winds.
In the early morning light of Nov.21st at 7:05 am, hidden between three trees to conceal himself and at an elevation of 2762 feet, he squeezed the trigger of his cannon (a Remington 30.06 Mountain rifle). Pat stopped a monster mature Adirondack Mountain 8-point buck from reaching one of its secret hideouts.

The buck tested the scales at 243 lbs dressed. A tape around the buck's lower neck measured an incredible
36 inches!!!

Pat Jr., Tony

Tony caught this coyote sneaking back to its den one early morning. With the coyote on the run and in the cross hairs of a Monarch Nikon scope, Tony decided to wait for an even better shot.
The coyote stopped behind some trees making it invisible. Mouse sounds from Tony brought the coyote out of hiding and right in its own back track. You know the rest!!!

Tony: "I just heard a loud crack from a cannon just below the clouds."

Pat: "The barrel of my Remington 30-06 mountain rifle just shook the mountain."

In the thick, green, dark timber and ledges of the Adirondacks, Pat Jr. saw a movement of antlers disappear. He hit the grunt tube causing the buck to freeze. A mature 10 point, 263 lb. live-weight buck was stunned by the only shot Pat had -- right on top of the head. The buck dropped, no longer able to hide in the high mountains. One good thing... the drag was all down hill!

Well known for their Mountain hunting expertise, Tony and Pat Jr. pose with a true Adirondack monster-buck that for the most part hides in the steep rugged terrain of the high peaks.
With a split second decision, Pat took the only shot he had to drop this buck "right on top of the buck's head."

Sometimes you have to just react and not hesitate or you'll lose that golden opportunity.

And when opportunity knocks --
KNOCK 'EM DOWN!!!

Even though he can't climb the hills as well as he used to, Pat Sr. still connected on this 201 lb.,10 pointer on November 9th.
The buck was rubbing and rutting heavily and had other things on his mind. Pat took advantage of this and downed him with one shot.

The 2006 hunting season rang in with 3 shots on Halloween with Tony downing a 10 pt. high-and-wide rack, weighing in at 219 lbs dressed. Tony said it was a treat and not a trick.
This "treat" brought wide grins to Tony's, Pat Jr.'s and Tim's faces which weren't quite as wide upon reaching their final destination. That's because shortly after this photo was taken, they started what turned out to be, a 6 hour journey dragging the deer thru beaver marshes and thick cover – sometimes actually floating the buck in the water!

They reached their truck at 8 pm, having spent at least 2 hours in total darkness –except for their green stylus pen lights which were lifesavers.

Tony took his 229 pound, 10 pointer, on Nov. 11, 2005.
Just after getting some light snow, he was able to get 3 shots at the buck. Two miles later, his Adirondack buck was down.

Pat Jr. – Nov. 10, 2005, 12 noon.
The buck was sneaking in a whiteout snowstorm. Pat took him from 30 ft. away with his 30-06 mountain rifle.

Dressed weight: 235 lbs., 8 points.

Tony took this fine 182 lb., 8 pointer while still-hunting with Randy, Pat Jr., Dustin, and Paul Jr.
Pat Jr. jumped the buck early that morning and Tony was able to end the day with a flurry of rounds, anchoring the buck.

Pat Jr.'s 10 point, 227 pound buck.
It was taken 6 miles deep in the Adirondacks.

Pat Jr. took this great 9 point, 206 lb. buck on a wet rainy day deep in the Adirondack's.
The conditions were perfect for still hunting and he closed to within 20 yards of the snoozing buck.

Tony downed this 221 lb., 10 point buck. He found it working atop a mountain rubbing big trees.
We finally got some snow and Tony was able to get a quick shot at the running buck. After a short distance, his buck was piled up.

Clockwise from lower left: Pat Sr., Pat Jr., Randy, Tony, Tim, and Paul Sr.

Pat Jr. connected the very next day on this 208 lb., 9 pointer.
Tony got some lead into the buck, slowing him down. Pat Jr. then tracked him, finishing him off with a flurry of rounds as the buck fled from its last bed.

Tim got some action on an early morning while still hunting. He jumped this 9 point, 180 pounder from its bed, firing 3 quick shots and downing his Adirondack buck.
Pat Jr., Randy, and Tim.

Pat Jr. had tough shooting at this
200 lb., 10 point buck. It stopped in some thick cover and Pat took good aim and squeezed off a shot...the buck dropped in his tracks.
After close inspection, he was amazed. Ten feet, in front of the buck, he discovered the bullet from his 30-06 had ripped through an 8-inch diameter tree, still killing the buck!

Pat Jr., Randy, and Tim.

Using his muzzle loader, Pat Jr. took this rut-frenzied buck while it was hot on the trail of 2 does.
The buck weighed in at 190 lbs. and had a thick 8 point rack.

Pat Jr., on fresh tracking snow, got on a 10 point, 182 lb. one-eyed buck.
The night before, this buck was in a ferocious fight with another buck, and suffered a major eye injury.

Although it was still with the doe, Pat tracked him 3 miles...several shots later, the Adirondack buck was down and the hard part began. Help arrived though – Pat Sr., Dustin, and Paul Jr. hauled him out late that night.

Pat Jr. tracked this late season beauty for several hours until finally getting a good look at him.
The 12 pointer weighed in at 180 lbs.

Tony got his 196 lb., 8 point buck while still hunting in a area with some does around.

Pat Jr. downed this great 10 point, 191 pound buck while still hunting.

Tim downed this 10 pt., 192 pounder in 1996 while it came sneaking behind, trailing two does. He fired at it and Randy (who was 120 yds. below Tim) also fired at the same time.
It was unreal...the buck was hit simultaneously by Randy and Tim!

After a brief look at the buck, they discovered Tim's shot pierced its heart. Tim said, "I'm glad the 'Slayer' was ready just in case I missed. This buck didn't stand a chance between the two of us!"

Tim, Pat Sr., Tony, Paul Sr., Paul Jr., Pat Jr., Dustin (holding rifle), and
Randy ('holding' the camera)

Pat Sr. got some action on a snowy day! Randy had slowed this buck down the day before with his 30-06, but not enough.
Pat Sr. got into the area, and put his skills to work, dropping the 10 point, 180 pounder with a flurry of rounds.