SALERNO BROTHERS - About Us




	• Johnny Podres Tribute •

PAUL SALERNO SR.

Hunting for me has been a passion I have loved since the 1940's. At that time, I went to work for the State of New York, hunting gypsy moths (a disease that grows on trees). Soon, while working with the state, I realized I loved being in the woods.

My brother Pat and I started hunting in the late 40's and ever since. I killed my first buck nearly 52 years ago. Hunting, for me, is all I’ve ever done in the fall months and I have loved it.

I’ve owned a plumbing and heating business since the late 1960's and always scheduled my work so I could have these special months off. Pat and I have practically been each other’s right hand man since those early days…our lives were hunting and fishing.

In the 70's our sons started getting involved in deer hunting and we could tell immediately that their passion for the whitetail was just as strong as ours. We knew we would “have some fun” in the future!

My son Paul Jr. has hunted with me since then along with Pat's sons. After a long day in the woods, my wife Jean would have home cooked meals ready for us as soon as we pulled in the driveway.

Over the years, I have killed many big bucks. I’ve used my Remington 7400 auto-loader since the 70's and will keep using it forever. Now when I hunt, I love to hear our kids shooting at a big buck – there’s nothing better than that.

I am 79 years old now and still burn with the desire to hunt deer. I’m not sure how much longer I will be able to go hunting but I do know that as long as my son, my grandson, and Patsy’s sons continue what they’re doing, I’ll be happy!

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PAT SALERNO SR.

I'm 73 years old and worked for Grand Union as a Produce Manager for 32 years. I'm now employed seasonally at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vermont. I really enjoy my part-time job as a Greenskeeper and get done early enough to enjoy the Adirondack Mountains with my boys.

I was signed right out of high school by the Brooklyn Dodgers organization and played Class B ball for the first few seasons. I ended my career playing Class A ball all over the country. I also served two years with the Army during the Korean War.

I started hunting after World War II with my brother Paul Sr., making the drive to our hunting grounds in the Adirondacks. My first buck taken was 232 lbs. and had 10 points. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I have taken many good bucks from the Adirondacks and have passed the legacy to my sons who pursue whitetail hunting with a great passion.

I really enjoy seeing them instill all that they have learned from years of hunting experience into their hunting seasons each fall, for I have explained to them, “Do it while you’re young boys…the hills only get steeper with age!”

I feel our successes have to do with sheer determination and the will to shoot big bucks consistently each year. My sons and I really enjoy the great outdoors. I hope you enjoy our site.

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PAUL SALERNO JR.

Hunting for me has been a family tradition I have loved since the 1970's. Growing up, I would always hear my dad (Paul Sr.) and my Uncle Pat leave to go hunting. When I was old enough to go with those guys, I jumped at the opportunity.

I really took hunting seriously, when I was around 13. Dad let me go hunting with him and he taught me everything I needed to know about how to kill a big buck. After graduating, I went to California with my cousin Pat Jr. I gave golf lessons for approximately six months but it didn’t pan out and I wanted to come home to the Adirondacks.

Upon returning, I went to work for my father doing plumbing and heating and that continues to be my trade. The good thing about my work is I can take time off to hunt whenever I want.

The late 70's and early 80's were when things “started rocking!” In my hunting career (1975 to present), I have killed a lot of big mature whitetails with a couple going over 200 lbs. Whenever there’s a day I can’t make it hunting, I will call up my Aunt Jane (Pat Sr.'s wife) and ask her how the boys made out and if they killed any bucks.

At 47, my passion for whitetail deer hunting has never been higher. I have loved hunting with my cousins, Uncle Pat, and Dad. Now I can enjoy hunting with my son Dustin. Teaching him how to hunt has been a wonderful thing in my life and I hope this Salerno tradition goes on for a long, long time.

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PAT SALERNO JR.

I am 46 and currently a Union Bricklayer and Tile setter, Local 2, Albany. I began hunting whitetails at the age of 12, shooting my first buck. While maturing as a whitetail hunter, I started setting my goals higher. When I became a Trophy Hunter, I passed up several bucks over the years, videoing them with a Mini-DV Digital Handycam by Sony.

Now averaging dressed weights over 200 lbs. consistently every year has become common to me. I go after only large bucks in the Adirondacks, enjoying the challenge. In 2005, I put down my tenth 200 lb. buck. I also take pleasure in hunting new mountain ranges, scouting, and shed-antler hunting.

In the early morning, while drinking a cup of coffee, my brothers ask me, “Where can we go see a monster today?” I smile, get out a topographic map and show them. I only have to show and tell them once because I have a good track record for large bucks. I love the woods…some days, I would rather be “lost in the woods than found at home!”

The most important things I stress to young hunters are to practice shooting, look and pay attention to detail in the woods such as big rubs, scrapes, tracks and beds. Those signs can reveal if you have a “monster” in your hunting area. Get out and enjoy the outdoors. Happy hunting to all my fellow hunters!

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RANDY SALERNO – Nickname: “Slayer”

I have resided in So. California for 23 years and work for the Orange County Probation Dept. as a Deputy Juvenile Correctional Officer. I'm married to Julie and have four children: Ty, Torin, Trevor, and Sara.

I' ve been hunting the Adirondack Whitetail since 1974 and killed several 200 lb-plus deer and some impressive wall hangers. My approach to hunting has been very straight forth, tracking this elusive whitetail in a manner that traditional tracking evolved.

My rifle of choice is the same since the start – the Remington 7400 semi-auto 30.06. The unloading of this semi has been legendary on most of my kills, and there hasn't been one buck that's escaped from the volley of shots out of the barrel. I take great pride in tracking and stalking the whitetail in a pace that warrants the buck's behavior. Being able to get within range of the whitetail has been a challenge that burns in me.

Hunting with “The Salerno Family” – Pat Sr., Paul Sr., Tony, Paul Jr., Pat Jr., Tim, and Dustin is, by far, the most satisfying part of the “hunting experience.” Adventures that have evolved and been told, can never be erased from my mind. That is part of the family tradition.

There's a saying I read which sums up my life-long experience, “My mind is at work, my heart is with my family, but my soul is with deer hunting.”

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TONY SALERNO

I graduated from The State University of New York at Delhi with an Associates Degree in Occupational Studies. I went on to Devry Institute of Technology, Phoenix, Arizona and graduated with an Engineering Degree in Electronics. I was employed by Teledyne MEC of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, CA – a sub contractor to the United States Govt. I worked on electronic counter measure devices for Air Force and Navy fighter jets but eventually moved back to the Adirondacks for the slower lifestyle. Now a self-employed contractor, I reside in NY State with my wife Jody and daughter Whitney (who will hunt someday)!

I hunt the Adirondacks of NY for predominately large mature whitetail deer. I have learned to mix the old style of hunting with the new. My father and uncle started hunting right after WW2 – before I was old enough to carry a rifle.

I was in the woods tagging along, trying to understand where the enjoyment was. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I understood what it was all about. Standing behind a tree with a 308 Remington and having a buck running directly at me, I remember stepping out from behind the large pine and eyeball-to-eyeball with a buck as scared as I was. The buck was so surprised to see me it actually started to slip in the snow putting its breaks on. I thought it was going to hit the tree!

I remembered my father always telling me to pick an opening in front of the deer and wait till it entered my sights, and at that moment squeeze the trigger. I shot that deer and 31 years later it’s still a rush.

The new style of hunting for me is using technology such as trail cameras, GPS (global positioning satellite navigation) and internet topo mapping. I’m also very fond of doe bleat cans which can make for interesting encounters with whitetail deer. All of these can help in your pursuit of big game, but the real secret of success comes down to putting one foot in front of the other and walking large tracts of land. This gives you the experience and the room to find the big bucks we all hope to see. It can be a very demanding way to hunt but necessary.

“Still-hunting” (a style of hunting slowly) with family helps to move bedded bucks that would ordinarily just wait for darkness to become active. To me, hunting with family just makes the outdoors that much more enjoyable and successful!

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TIM SALERNO

My thrill for deer hunting came at a young age. I remember waiting for my dad to come home from hunting, just waiting for the truck headlights to turn into the driveway. I was so excited to see him return with a buck.

I’d call my Uncle Paul's house, repeatedly asking if they were all home from hunting and if they got a buck. Then my mother would drop me off to join in on all the excitement. That was at the age of 8 or 9 years old – not quite old enough to go in the woods. Now, 26 years later, the passion still burns! There are so many childhood memories of hunting – from the early days of carrying a stick in the woods to finally learning the country well enough to venture on my own. I finally took my first buck at 13 years old…I remember it like it was yesterday.

I graduated from Moriah High School in 1989, went to SUNY, Delhi for 2 years for plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and like many college students never followed through with it.

Then off to work I went. My favorite pastime during the summer is golfing, so I got into the golf business and decided to give it a go professionally. I worked at local clubs, played often, and got better. I participated in local tournaments and made some extra cash. It was great having each hunting season off since the golf circuit usually winds down in October. It became apparent that the golf business was a tough one, and only a seasonal job when living in the North Country. I realized it was time to “grow up” and get a full time job. I enjoyed

I always had an interest in law enforcement, so I decided to take the civil service exam. In April of 1999, I was in the NYS Dept. of Correction Training Academy, being screamed at in the process of becoming a correction officer.

Saving vacation days for hunting season has worked well and that is key to getting a good Adirondack buck. Having an abundance of time to spend in the woods, patience and letting some smaller bucks pass are among the keys to my success. Paying close attention to detail regarding big buck activity also has its rewards. My brothers and cousins have their own techniques…my strong points are still-hunting, listening and picking the woods apart one step at a time. That’s proven to work well for me.

Big buck hunting in the Adirondacks is a challenge and my hat goes off to all the local deer hunters who harvest a good buck every year. The countryside is vastly thick, without much feed, and deer numbers (per squire mile) are low. As we Adirondack deer hunters know, if you can consistently take big bucks in the Adirondacks, you can take good bucks anywhere!

I'd like to dedicate this web site to my family, friends and fellow hunters…

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DUSTIN SALERNO

My Name is Dustin Salerno. I’m 19 years old and have a passion for whitetail deer hunting in the Adirondacks of New York. I was introduced to deer hunting at a very early age in the mid-1990's. Growing up, I was always around hunters. I hunt with a family party of eight: Pat Salerno Sr., Paul Salerno, Sr., Paul Salerno, Jr. (my father), and my four cousins, Tim, Pat Jr., Tony and Randy.

Growing up, I would always hear Dad talking to my cousins about hunting and I’d say to myself, “I can't wait until I’m old enough to go. They would always gather at Uncle Pat’s house or my grandfather’s and talk about the hunt they went on or were about to go on.

I started going into the woods in 1995, traveling with my grandfather most of the time. The first buck kill I was ever on was when Uncle Pat killed a 10-point, 195 lb. buck way back next to an Adirondack pond. Since then, I’m always in the woods during hunting season. Since 1995, I gained a lot of expert advice from Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Pat and my cousins. Every year they spend time with me, sharing their expertise on hunting manners of the woods and how to kill an Adirondack buck. I can’t receive enough advice from them – they were my idols growing up!

When I started to hunt on my own, a few years back, I put all their suggestions to work and boy, did it help! I had seen many bucks in the woods and, this year, on October 22, 2005, that knowledge came together and I shot a 201 lb., 11-point buck. I was on 53 buck kills previously before shooting mine.

My most memorable kill occurred when hunting with my cousin Tim…he was showing me how fresh tracks looked in the snow. Then “BANG!” Cousin Pat Jr. dropped a 10-point, 180 lb. buck only 60 yards away.

I can’t thank Dad enough for letting me go hunting with him. I remember mornings when I would chase him down the road just to be able to be a part of them.

I care a lot about the Adirondack area. The region is in dire need of logging. In 1998, a major ice storm hit, making hunting difficult for us. There are some spots where you have to crawl in the woods. I want to encourage people my age to just go for a walk into the backcountry and see what it’s like. There are less and less hunters every year…at this rate, in time, there won’t be any hunting in the future unless people get involved.

The way I hunt now is very similar to my Dad and cousins. I do a lot of still-hunting and it isn’t bad to use a call occasionally. I shot my buck this past year using a primos grunt call. That buck literally came right in to the call. I plan to spend every hunting season I am physically able, to hunt in the Adirondacks. This is the place I grew up hunting and the place where I will stop hunting.

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