| Ageless Friendship | | Print | |
| Written by Mark Crescenzo, NJ-Hunter Pro-Staff Writer |
| Saturday, 06 September 2008 00:00 |
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Every once in a while a guy gets lucky. No I`m not talking about catching that forty plus pound Striper or killing that monster buck. I`m talking about finding something far more valuable than a prized trophy from a hard day in the field or on the water. This is something money can`t buy, this is something outdoorsman pursue relentlessly and are never guaranteed to find; I`m talking about new friends who enjoy the outdoors as much as you. After all isn`t that what the whole experience is about. Granted, we all love to catch big fish and harvest fine animals. But I`ve experienced them both alone and I`ve enjoyed those times so much more when with good friends. How disappointing it would be to harvest the buck of a lifetime and not have anyone to share the story with. Better yet, you are in the middle of the greatest bass blitz of all time and you are on your boat, alone, catching countless thirty pound bass. What`s the first thing on your mind? Like me, you would be wishing your friends were there to enjoy it with you. Let me tell you how lucky I got a few years ago when I met the Siano brothers. I was invited as a guest to hunt a private farm in Hunterdon County. This piece of land is owned by a good friend of mine and it`s been in his family for years. His Dad bought the farm when Armand was a youngster and his Dad and he enjoyed the property for many years deer hunting, riding horses and hunting quail over Setters. This place was, and still is, hunting Nirvana. Though Armand`s Dad is no longer with him to enjoy the property, Armand maintains his Dad`s property heritage by maintaining semi wild hunting preserve status and keeps a small group of guys on board to deer hunt every year. There are hardwoods, fields, hedgerows and swamps. This place is the epitome of the perfect hunting spot and Rick and Jack Siano have been hunting here for close to thirty years. Jack serves as bird club vice president and organizes the deer hunting activities. As an outsider, the Siano brothers treated me like a brother and immediately made me feel welcome. On my first deer hunt invitation, I was asked to hunt during the extended antlerless deer season. Since I hadn`t yet shot a buck, the door was open to harvest a buck or a doe. I jumped on the back of Jack`s four wheeler for the first time, not realizing of course that this would be the beginning of one of those friendships that hunters only dream of. We traversed several fields that border a neighbor`s horse farm and head to the back of the property, a twenty acre stand of oaks with a dense cedar stand behind it. This setting was something out of a video. He unloads me at his brother`s stand and tells me where to expect the deer. Jack then headed to his stand two hundred yards east. After climbing this�"no expense spared" ladder stand complete with raised side rails and padded seat, I realize I`ve got a perfect hundred yard plus view in all directions. I further realize that I`m quite a lucky guy right now, in the perfect stand, in awesome terrain all on the dime of a couple of "new" friends. All the scouting in the world wouldn`t get me a spot like this. To make a great hunting story a bit shorter, I sat in the stand no longer than a half hour and twenty or so turkeys showed up. The toms were huge and they scurried under my stand for a half hour before heading off. Shortly after, I make out a nice six point buck exactly from the lane Jack had identified earlier. I put the crosshairs on him at fifty yards and squeeze. This is how my first encounter with the Sianos went. Since that first hunt five years ago, I`ve grown to love Jack and Rick Siano and behold my bond and friendship with them and Armand. They have taken me in as a family member and I simply adore their company. Raised in a family where hunting and fishing were taboo, I was forced to look outside my family for people to share my outdoor experiences with. My Dad and brother who would never even think about hunting or fishing often wondered where I came from. Jokingly my Mom and Dad thought maybe I was switched at the hospital. Like many true outdoorsman, I could retire tomorrow and easily fill the rest of my life with seasons of hunting and fishing, and mimic the life of Jackie and Rick. They now are in their mid seventies and have been hunting and fishing for most of their lives. Each day I spend with them, I enjoy as if it were our last. At deer camp and on the boat they get into some stories that seem borderline believable but when you see the life in their eyes during these recollections, you know every story is true. Amazingly, they still exhibit the strength and agility to set up tree stands, drag deer, cut trees, ride quads and when it comes to their shooting, forget about it. These are real men, etched from the fabric of "old school" values and integrity. They treat each day as a gift and waste none of it. Here`s a quick story, believe it because I was there. It`s opening day 2005, I`m set up on the backside of the cedar stand. Jack is in his usual stand and Rick is in the stand where I shot the six pointer five years before. There`s a foot of snow on the ground. I see at least forty deer by 8am all out of range. On the radios I hear Jackie and Ricky talking. Jack`s got an 8 pointer down and Rick`s got deer coming. A few minutes later I hear a single shot from Rick`s direction. Over the radio Ricky tells us he got a decent buck. Par for the course; Jack and Rick each have a buck down by 9:30am opening day. About an hour later I kill a mediocre seven point. We get together at 11:30 or so and naturally we all share our stories. The shots these guys put on these animals with their slug guns were unbelievable. Rick`s deer was shot at over 90 yards, between trees, through brush and his buck was walking. The shot was behind the shoulder and dropped the buck ten yards from where it was hit. This eight point, though not officially scored, was one of Ricky`s best and in my estimation would score 125 at least. To Rick, it was just another fun day with friends in the woods. Whenever I can, I tell my friends how much I appreciate their friendship. We see each other year round and Jackie and I talk at least four times a week. Like time with my family, I cherish the time spent with them. We took Jackie on one of those super hot June striper trips to the Shrewsbury Rocks two years ago. In two hours we had landed 11 bass most over 25 pounds and a few over 35 pounds on live bunker. He told me it was the best day of fishing he ever had. I was elated, not because he had a great day of fishing but because I was part of one of his most memorable days in the outdoors. No matter how hard I try, I`ll never be able to give back to Jack what he has given to me. He probably doesn`t realize what an impact his friendship has had on my life. Unlike that memorable hunt that inevitably ends when the sun goes down, friendships like this last forever. When our natural lives are over here, I certainly hope I find Jack and Rick Siano waiting for me in the treestands of eternal life with their faces full of life, their smiles telling the stories of their youth and the anticipation of continuing a timeless friendship. Thanks guys. Mark Crescenzo NJ-Hunter Pro-Staff Writer |
| Last Updated on Sunday, 08 March 2009 19:28 |
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