Coniglio Buck

by Jay Coniglio
(Livingston County)

It was opening day of firearms season 2012 in Livingston County. I was hunting my grandfathers 100 acres surrounded by farmland. As I was making my way to my stand I jumped a deer (it was still too dark to see what I jumped). I decided that I would stop where I was at the edge of the woods bordering a corn field that still had standing corn, fearing I would jump more deer on my way to my stand.

I sat at the base of a large tree and waited for daylight. Around 7:20 am I heard something coming up behind me and had a 6-point at about 40 yards. I let him go. About 20 minutes later I heard more noise coming from the same direction the 6-point had come. There stood my buck.

I drew my gun up slow and waited for him to cross my sights. He got to about 25 yards and stopped. I let him have it with my Winchester 1300. I knew I had hit him good because his front leg went stiff. He ran directly away from me and out of sight. I gave him about 40 minutes to do what he had to do.

When I got up to track him I followed the blood about 80 yards. There he lay! He dressed out at around 180 lbs and scored between 110 and 120. He has a 1" sticker on the base of his right antler and his left brow is beginning to split. But, the thing I like the most is that he has scars all over including a torn ear.