Syracuse.com - Big buck ambles through Camillus shooting range as hunters are sighting in their guns

[HuntingNY-News]

"You gotta be kidding me," said one Camillus resident as he looked through the scope on his gun.

I was among the scores of hunters sighting in their guns last weekend at the Camillus Sportsmen’s Club in preparation for this Saturday’s opening day of deer hunting in the Southern Zone.

I took two firearms last Sunday — my 20-gauge Remington shotgun and my father’s old Ithaca Deerslayer, which I inherited last fall after he died. I intend to use dad’s gun exclusively until I get a deer with it.

Meanwhile, the sight-in session Saturday morning was moving along quickly until Gene Komuda, who was sighting in his Savage Model 220 20-gauge shotgun let out a shout and got everybody’s attention.

“You gotta be kidding me,” the Camillus resident said as he looked through the scope on his gun. “There’s a buck in my sights.”

Out at the edge of the range, a little more than 200 yards away, was a big buck slowly walking. It was unflustered by all the gunshots. It paused and looked our way.

I held up my father’s 12-gauge with its scope and sized up the deer. It was a nice 8-pointer. John Rudy, of Baldwinsville, looked at it and declared it was “130-class buck with 8- to 10-inch tines.”

Nobody fired at the deer, of course, because opening day of the firearms season was still a week away. However, it sure produced a lot of smiles.

Dick Masterpole, the range officer, said it’s not uncommon to have a doe or buck make its way across the club’s shooting range.

Pointing to the wooded ridge above the range, he explained that the deer born there have gotten used to the gunfire from the range.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog