Paul Czarnecki

Tbarb......PA's antler restrictions were the BEST thing to EVER happen to PA deer hunting. The Management benefits aside, from a "hunting" standpoint I think the antler restrictions helped bring PA back to a "hunting" state instead of a "killing" one. You actually now have to hunt for deer---not just wait by the road for a young dumb one to run by. I think it has brought back a lot of the "sport" of hunting and its relationship to wildlife management and helped do away with the sense of entitlement that PA hunters have had with regards to getting "your deer". From a business standpoint....well, I can't tell you how many times, in the last 10 years, I have heard....."I HAVE to get it mounted...its the biggest buck I've ever killed!" The past 4 years I have rough scored all the PA racks that come in for mounting and, as of last year, the AVERAGE score was 138! From what I have laying on the shop floor right now, I can tell you that average will be MUCH higher this year. Deer hunting has NEVER benn better in PA!

That's EXACTLY why I have found so many of them Chris---a LOT of people use them. However, it does exemplify the fact that NO broadhead---even a "Bad to the Bone" Muzzy---can penetrate hard bone reliably and a non fatal hit is still a non fatal hit regardless of the broadhead used. Buck's link to the research is a very enlightening one and is particularly useful if one is thinking about bowhunting elk, moose or cape buffalo. However, to think you must use a 650 grain arrow, driven at 350 fps, carrying a 2 blade fixed head just to break some ribs on a whitetail is a stretch. My advice still stands-----avoid the shoulder at ALL costs and you should have no problem recovering your deer--regardless of your setup.

Buck, big bucks die just as easily as little bucks if they are hit right---and it doesn't matter WHAT broadhead or bow you are shooting. If you CHOOSE to shoot a big buck in the shoulder with ANY broadhead you will have the same results Ray and I did. A cut on contact fixed two blade may penetrate a shoulder blade in a test but, hundreds of "live fire" results end in the same result---a deer with a slight limp that is killed later in gun season or the following year. I can't tell you how many fixed blade broadheads I have pulled out of shoulders, necks and HEADS of deer that were killed by some other means. Most of them have been "Bad to the Bone" Muzzys....lol.

Ray.....you should know better than to blame your broadhead for poor results on a poor shot. The shot you took was iffy at best and blaming the broadhead for not killing the deer is just irresponsible. Most 12 GA slugs will not penetrate the shoulders of big mature deer! Expecting a broadhead, fixed blade or mechanical, to do what a 12 GA slug can't is silly. I've hunted the giants of the midwest for nearly 20 years and have killed more than my fair share of them. They are incredibly strong, heavy boned creatures that are usually shot while they are high on testosterone. Their will to live is simply astounding. That said, I'm not going to blame you for taking the shot---as I've done that several times myself but, with the scenario you described, I've found that AVOIDING the shoulder altogether and aiming one inch BEHIND the shoulder is a much more favorable hit. A deer hit in the liver and diaphragm is just as dead as a deer hit in the lungs! I'm with Total Chaos in that I'm a BIG Rage fan. I've tracked enough deer to know a devastating broadhead when I see one and the Rage is one devastating broadhead. Penetration has never been an issue for me as I shoot a 460 grain arrow with 100 grain heads at over 300 fps. All but one of my 11 Rage kills have been complete pass throughs. I lost a terrific buck in PA two weeks ago because of a bad hit in the shoulder that was MY fault! I rushed an easy shot and hit the shoulder blade of a mature buck. I blame myself for not getting that deer NOT my broadhead. You need to use whatever broadhead YOU have confidence in. But, PLEASE DO NOT, for one second, think that a fixed blade broadhead will make a fatal shot out of a non fatal one--it simply isn't possible. You can also take some consolation out of the fact that a hit as you described is as non fatal as it gets. That deer is chasing does right now and will, most likely, still be available to you this Saturday. Good luck and post some pics!

I do both fiberglass reproductions and skin mounts and they are both the same rate. With the quality of the molding and casting materials available today there is really no need to do a skin mount unless its what you prefer. The detail captured in the fiberglass blanks is actually better than that of a skin mount.

Ollie I have a smallmouth blank that would fit that fish almost perfectly. Give me a call and we can work out details. Thanks for the endorsement Mortigan.

I used to shoot Heavy Shot Matt---back when Remington had it. I loved it. However, when the company changed hands the shells did too---at least that's what I and a few friends thought. It doesn't seem to be as good as the old stuff. The new super fast stuff from Remington has some good reviews but the recoil is ridiculous! Congrats on winning the hunt and if you happen to take an extra king........ Or........perhaps you would like to invite your own personal taxidermist to advise you which birds would be best to mount before you pull the trigger. I could load your gun. Or wipe the ice from your eyelids. Or ..........

That best is next on the list Jer. Got that ugly head cast and its ready to go.

No firstborn----already have one of those. I do take payments though.

Just finished this nice Atlantic for Capt. Travis Johnson. It came out of one of the Fingerlakes this spring.

I've got a "like new" MOOR Sub Troll unit for sale. It comes with TWO antennas and antenna wires and TWO probes. All the wiring is good and I will also give you 100 feet of good coated cable. $300 Call 716-390-0085 or PM me here. Paul

Lead length isn't the issue. Most of my SD's are run 6-12 ft off the ball. Try lowering it more slowly to start. [ Post made via iPhone ]

Well..... For the second year in a row Mother Nature has forced a postponement of the One Man Fish Bowl Tournament. We will hold the tournament NEXT Tuesday September 13th. We had 8 ready and willing participants for today but the lake is just to rough to fish by yourself. All 8 will be ready to go next Tuesday and I'm very hopeful to pick up several more. The more entries we get the bigger the payouts! Join us next Tuesday if you can! [ Post made via iPhone ]

Actually Rollie it's supposed to lay down. The front wasnt near as bad as predicted and the forecast is for a pretty mellow day tomorrow. We will have a captains meeting at Lake Breeze Marina at 6:30AM to discuss rules and stuff. If weather is an issue we will delay a few hours. Our intent is to fish tomorrow.......too many of us are looking forward to it to postpone it like last year. Bring your $100'cash to Lake Breeze by 630 and have some fun! [ Post made via iPhone ]

Its just a tradition born out of respect for our fellow competitors. When Bob Stevens won the Innaugural One Man he treated the rest of us (all TWO of us) to lunch at the Black North. I continued the tradition when I won it the following two years--although it was starting to get expensive! Butch Cooley (Pisces) won it last year and we took mercy on him and he bought three large Black North pizzas for the 7 of us that were there. Drinks are on your own but the winner provides lunch! Some traditions just should not be broken.

You don't need any heavier than a 20# leader for spoons. Any more than that will hamper the action of some spoons. Without knowing "what kind" and "what colors" of spoons you're running its hard to say where the problem lies but my bet is on speed. Spoons are not nearly as speed forgiving as flashers and a spoon run too slow does not work well/ neither does a spoon run too fast.

Well......we are just a couple days away from Labor Day. They are no darker this year than at this time any other year.

Actually Ray.....one of the co-founders of this tournament, Capt. Bob Stevens (Sunrise), fished the Innaugural Tournament "Ray K Style"--in the BUFF! Having to endure the sight of Bob fishing naked all morning caused the rest of the competitors to be off their game and Bob ultimately won that event! A new strategy? To answer your question Ray.......fish it anyway you want------just FISH IT!

I know the feeling Bruce!

You can fish it out of a kayak if you want to. You and your boat---whatever it is. Like I said.....this tournament was set up to be a FUN, end of the season, BASH! Come and enjoy the camraderie.

This Sunday September 4th, Oak Orchard will host the 4th Annual Johnny V Memorial Tournament. This tournament is in honor of Captain John Visich who died of cancer 5 years ago. In keeping with the tradition of this tournament it MUST be fished out of Oak Orchard. We will follow the standard format of bringing ONLY your best three fish in to be weighed. Weigh in will be at Lake Breeze Marina and you must be in line no later than 3 PM. Entries are $100 per boat--CASH ONLY-- and are being accepted all week by Capt. Bob Stevens--Sunrise, at Lake Breeze Marina. You MUST be entered by 6:00 AM on Sunday! No exceptions. 10% of the proceeds from this tournament will go to Orleans County Hospice in honor of Capt. John Visich. After that 5 places will be paid cash. On Tuesday September 6th the Oak will host the 5th Annual One Man Fish Bowl Tournament. This tournament is just about the most fun you can have by yourself! Entries are $100 CASH ONLY and will be accepted at Lake Breeze marina by Capt. Bob Stevens (Sunrise) and Capt. Paul Czarnecki (Free Spirit) until 6:00AM Tuesday. Rules for this incredibly fun and innovative tournament are simple..... --You MUST fish alone. No one else may be on the boat with you and you must fish out of Oak Orchard. --Communication is MANDATORY--we will designate a radio channel and expect everyone to participate in the banter. --You can run the allowable number of rods--this year its now THREE. --You MUST keep the first three fish you land that are over 25 inches. All others may be returned to the water in accordance with NYDEC regulations. --Fishing ends at 11:30 with weigh in at Lake Breeze marina. --50/30/20 split between the top three Anglers with the winner hosting lunch for all participants at the Black North immediately following the awards ceremony. --The winner also gets to keep the Coveted Fish Bowl Trophy for one year after which his name will be permanently enshrined on the trophy.

I run regular sized divers and slide divers off my big boards all the time in the spring. Great tactic for cohos. I use the old style kumler releases but with two no.19 rubber bands. Don't use them in the summer as I'm addicted to coppers off inlines. [ Post made via iPhone ]

Despite the large size of the available bait my best king bite has come on standard size spoons in the past month. Mags just aren't doing it for me.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

There can be but a lot of it depends on the weather and rainfall and the wind and shoreline lake temps. A hard northeaster with a rollover and good rainfall can cause an early run of fish. However normal winds, temps and rain will cause a lot of fish to be staged in 40-100 fow in sept. Regardless of what happens with the inshore fishing the offshore bite for steelhead and immature kings is still very strong in sept. I will confidently book trips till at least the third week of sept if that helps at all. [ Post made via iPhone ]