From Gunpowder to Archery: Knocked Outdoors

Mike Nyitray : 0:21

Welcome back to the Garden State Outdoors Podcast presented by Boondocks Hunting. I'm your host, mike Nyitray, and today, first of all, happy St Patrick's Day everyone. I imagine by the time this episode drops, we'll probably be like a week or a few days out of St Patrick's Day, but for us, while we're recording, it is St Patrick's Day, but we are kicking off our busy season here on the podcast. We're going to be I don't even know how many episodes in the next couple of months, but a lot of new guests, and here is one of them Zac Cooley, aka Known As, knocked outdoors on Instagram. Welcome to the show.

Zac Cooley: 1:01

Thanks for having me, mike, I appreciate it.

Mike Nyitray : 1:04

No, no, thanks for coming on. You know, we've been going back and forth for a little bit. We know, following each other. It's definitely incredible how social media has that reach. You know, and I always say like it's always nice meeting up with people that don't even live anywhere close and everything like that, like upstate New York, yes, it could be close, but it's also not really close, though, you know, it's definitely a pleasure. You know, give everyone out there a quick introduction. You know, backstory on yourself.

Zac Cooley: 1:37

Yep. So, like I said, zac Cooley, with knocked outdoors, started the page probably about honestly a year ago, a couple of days ago. So really kind of just started the page off originally to kind of, like you said, meet other people in the outdoor industry, chat it up. You know I'm still relatively new to bow hunting. So kind of how I started was originally started gun hunting actually in upstate New York with some of my family on a family farm, probably my senior year high school now, so right around I would say 10 years ago. And with playing sports I played lacrosse pretty competitively, football as well. I'm kind of just stuck to whenever I could get out one or two weekends and was able to just kind of gun hunt with my family. Turned it into post college, you know a lot of time now so figured might as well try to get into something here.

Zac Cooley: 2:35

So I started bow hunting you know, pretty frequently I would say three or four years ago here in upstate New York. You know a lot of big woods, rolling hills, hardwood, so originally we first started off with kind of going to, you know, my family's land camp as well. I have a few buddies that have camped down in the southern tier, so started doing that and then I would say, probably within the last two years, I really started to kind of get into bow hunting, suburban and urban areas and that's kind of where I tend to stick with now, being that, you know, working full time, being able to kind of sneak out at three o'clock and maybe get in the stand 15 minutes from my house, can't really beat that. So that's kind of where I transition things into. Now.

Zac Cooley: 3:28

If I could pick anything or had to do one thing the rest of my life, it's definitely chasing deer. But being in upstate, right on Lake Ontario, you know we do have some pretty good duck hunting, trout fishing, you name it we can pretty much do it here. So, definitely, definitely excited for, you know, the next couple of years. And, like you said, you know it's huge just being able to have a little social media platform and be able to bounce ideas off of all your guys that are, you know, specialized in something that maybe I'm not so you know it's the growth you know, talking about that whole social media, it's the growth of ourselves of being outdoors.

Mike Nyitray : 4:07

Many, you know you're getting it to new aspects. You know you're trying new styles. You know you're picking up stuff from from other hunters who you know maybe that's not working or maybe you know they had success with with this way of doing something you know and you get to clarify kind of something that you've been running through your head, you know, and to grow as an outdoorsman. But yeah, you know something we're we're definitely going to get into. Like I just started falling in love with waterfowl hunting, so we're definitely going to get into that.

Mike Nyitray : 4:36

And you know, I find it really unique that you know you you Turkey hunt as as well Waterfowl hunt, deer hunt and you know you you pick deer hunting. And I always hear this thing it's like oh well, you know I'm a I'm a turkey hunter, just you know deer hunting and stuff like that. So but I love that you said that you know you're picking white till deer, because I feel like there's a lot of turkey guys out there that just they pick turkey hunting overall. And you know, I'm glad that you know I'm in the same boat of I like to. I think I'd pick deer hunting out of out of everything.

Zac Cooley: 5:09

Yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong there's nothing better than walking out and hearing your first gobble of the spring. But I even I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I mean, if I see a big buck on the hoof, I'm, you know, I'm getting excited, and that's kind of where my excitement is, especially with running trail cameras and all that good stuff. I'm looking for deer.

Mike Nyitray : 5:29

So Exactly, I 100% agree with you. But you know, let's take it back. You know growing up, hunting and everything like that, and you know you're you're gun hunting before, before everything. Take us through some of your fondest memories. You know who wasn't in the family that really brought you into the outdoors and some of your earliest memories.

Zac Cooley: 5:51

Yeah, so it's kind of funny. You know, my dad, I, he's been hunting, probably when he was my age, but he has really no interest. So, lucky enough, I have an uncle, or I had an uncle that was a die hard outdoors man. So he kind of originally piqued my interest in high school. You know, he big waterfowl hunter, finger Lakes there's, you know, pretty well known for geese and as well as ducks. So he kind of, you know, going into high school he's like hey, zach, you know, if you ever want to come out and go goose hunting with us, like let me know. So that first time, you know that he kind of got me to go with him. I was kind of hooked from there. I was like all right, I'm taking my hunter safety course and we're going to start doing this.

Zac Cooley: 6:36

So I, I was lucky enough to kind of learn from him my first couple of years and that was probably, you know, the reason I got into. It was because of him 100%. So he would always, you know, take me, even if we were sitting together. You know, some of my best memories were lucky enough. Like I said, my family has a farm, so sitting in red necks together, I mean, even if we weren't really seeing anything, at least we were spending some good quality time. So I wouldn't trade that for anything. He recently passed away, a couple of years ago, so kind of that's. Now it's kind of transitioned into like my quiet time and you know, every time I'm out there I couldn't think him enough for the opportunity that he gave me, because now I'm hooked. So that's kind of how I started off, like I said he kind of just said, hey, you want to come tag along, and from there it was game over. I was hooked and so, and then kind of things transitioned with from gun hunting actually started bow hunting and I want to say 2020.

Zac Cooley: 7:38

The first time I ever went bow hunting was down in the Southern tier and probably an hour in I had a black bear come 17 yards and shot a black bear. So that was probably the last thing I ever expected to see. You know, I was just excited let's shoot a doe 25, and then I'm happy, let's go. And a black bear came. So as soon as that happened I was just like Holy crap, this is freaking awesome. Like I don't think.

Zac Cooley: 8:09

I don't think I could have had a better transition into bow hunting, and now I kind of don't look back. I mean I went gun hunting with my cousin out at the family farm last year, opening day. That's kind of our tradition. We'll, we'll go up there and kind of you know, just sit, enjoy it, go out to breakfast, go back out and kind of go from there. But I, I wouldn't trade a bow for anything. I think it's a lot more personal and honestly, some of the experiences I've had with wildlife just bow hunting, I think you really can't beat it so man first of all a lot to dissect.

Mike Nyitray : 8:48

You know, first of all sorry for your loss, you know, and that brings the whole spiritual realm into hunting now and it's I imagine it's a whole, completely different emotion that also now has fueled your drive and everything now even more.

Mike Nyitray : 9:06

Like you said, you take it for a long time now.

Mike Nyitray : 9:09

So you get to really reflect and you know, really just look at it, look at it in a whole different way and it, you know, I 100% understand what you're saying by that and I think, unfortunately, all of us will go through that, if haven't already, we'll go through that.

Mike Nyitray : 9:24

But you know, you got to take the positives where they are and you know, think, think whatever family member, that it was that they, that they got you into this, and you know, really just sit there and reflect and you know, thank you, you know I, I, you're, we're so grateful because, like what would I? I couldn't even imagine what I would be doing if it wasn't for this, you know, and just being, you know, when it's the off season and you know there's nothing really to do with that small window of just nothingness and it's like this is terrible, like I can't imagine sitting every single day not being out in the outdoors or doing something that has to do with the outdoors. So you know, we really think our, our family members, our friends or whoever, whoever got us into into this great lifestyle that we have here. But so you're telling me your first bow kill was a black bear.

Zac Cooley: 10:20

Black bear honestly had. No, I mean, I knew they were around, but it was. It was my buddies camp, actually down south kind of PA border, and then the I mean me. So it's kind of funny story Me and my buddy were hunting probably 150 yards apart from each other. We both set up the stands maybe the day before. So I've heard you know there's, you know there are black bear here.

Zac Cooley: 10:47

So that kind of always piqued my interest to be like all right, that's pretty cool, it'd be cool to see one. And, like I said, we were sitting 150 yards apart from each other. I just so happened to look to my right and saw it kind of sticking its head out and I, my heart completely dropped, I just about fell out of the stand. I was like, oh my God, I'll never forget texting my buddy bear bear. And so sure enough, I was on like a little bit of a ridge and it kind of walked right up the ridge and I always told myself 25. And then I kind of tried to stick in that you know, especially relatively new to bow hunting. So sure enough, I mean, this thing literally walked, I ranged it, it was at 20 yards and it kept walking closer and closer and I was like I didn't know if I should try to stop it, if I should just, you know, take a poke. So I, I aimed for the middle of the middle and took a shot and sure enough I mean it was the craziest thing ever I texted my buddy.

Zac Cooley: 11:52

He actually heard, because it was a pastor, so he heard the arrow kind of skipping and he texted me did you? Did you just shoot it? Did you just shoot it Cause he thought he was going to shoot it? But yeah, the thing actually peeled up right behind me. So I kind of watched the whole thing. I remember I'm always calling my dad, whether he likes it or not. First call if I get something. So I'm calling my dad bear and he's what are you talking about? I shot a bear, I shot. Where is it? It's behind me. So yeah, ever since then I mean that was probably one of my most memorable hunts, obviously to this day. So I, I don't think I would ever trade that and kind of from there I was absolutely hooked.

Mike Nyitray : 12:36

So oh my God, that that's incredible. I mean, I love bear hunting, but to have it as your first archery kill is absolutely incredible. Like the, the experience of like how do you not get hooked after? And listen, shooting a doe would probably still, would have definitely got you hooked, because let's anything archery, anything archery related, especially your first time doing it, is a whole other experience.

Mike Nyitray : 13:05

But a black bear like that, that's absolutely incredible. I wish I honestly I love bear hunting so much I have my bear right sitting right behind me. Yep, I love. I was so happy for my doe, I was so, you know, with with the bow, but man to put a bear, oh man, that that's a huge, huge accomplishment and that's it that makes for such a great story, great memory that you're going to tell, you know, the kids when you get older. You know, and everything like that, and just you know, it's.

Mike Nyitray : 13:39

It's absolutely remarkable and that's that's one of the best stories I've ever heard of your your first bow kill. I don't think I've ever talked to somebody that their first bow kill was was a black bear, so that that's pretty incredible.

Zac Cooley: 13:52

Yeah, I got lucky too. I have some good friends. I was. I was coming off of the ACL surgery three months before that, so I had to make a couple phone calls and bribe a couple of kids that come help me drag this thing out, because I was still kind of hard to walk. So that's still. I'll be coming back here, hopefully soon. And I just got the text from the taxidermist three years later that hey, it's in the work. So I was like thank you, so definitely excited for that one that's going to be right behind me.

Mike Nyitray : 14:23

So that is, that's great. I mean, listen, and it's a good thing that it takes its time because it taxidermy so expensive, like I just did. You know, I was going to do a rug and I ended up he was like, hey, listen, just it being tanned and everything like that, this is what the price is. I was like, do you really want to move forward with the rug? I was like you know what, let's keep it where it is. When I shoot a even bigger one, then I'm going to I plan on doing a full mount If it's a big, big one and probably be broken maybe, you know, not even getting married because my fiance is going to leave me. But you know, it's all good, it'll be worth it Once it's, once it's here and it's, you know, I want it to be right in the front door. So when somebody walks in, that's like the first thing they see. Like, yeah, that's what I want.

Zac Cooley: 15:11

Yeah, no, a hundred percent. I was going to do a rug too, but being I was so early in the year, I still kind of their summer coat Okay. So I ended up just going with like a three quarter, like coming out of the wall. So I mean it was, it was a two and a half year old bear, but still, I mean, for my first bow kill, like you said, I I was just like you know what yeah?

Zac Cooley: 15:32

And if I get a bigger one I get a bigger one I'll turn it into a rug, like you said, or something like that. Yeah, definitely it was a pretty penny, that's for sure.

Mike Nyitray : 15:40

Yeah, listen, my, my, the one behind it's not a big bear, right, it's in the legal limits of New Jersey, but it wasn't. And you know it was my first one with the gun. It was a management hunt and I said the same thing. You like, you know what you can't. When it's your first one, it doesn't matter what it is Like. I tell everyone you're especially your first, your first deer, your first bear, as long as it's legal, if it's going to be a spike, it's going to be just shoot. You know we're.

Mike Nyitray : 16:07

We're in that phase of let, let's start shooting everything. And you know that's what grows the fun of it and the love of it is. You know you're learning from your mistakes. So if you have a bad shot, listen, it happens. But you know what? That's the way that we're going to learn. We're not going to learn by being perfect the whole entire time. You know that's unrealistic, especially in, you know, the woods. You know that we, what we do, like things happen on time. You have a split second decision to make, especially what you now know. With archery it's a completely different avenue than than it was with with the gun. So, like, every little detail matters now.

Zac Cooley: 16:42

Oh yeah, 100% yeah. And I after that I mean I, I got pretty lucky too with that. That year was kind of a good year for me to get back into things. I got a nine point buck and then I actually, with my bow, broke my cardinal rule of 30 inside 30. I had a five yard shot, shot low on a nice 10 point. So ever since then I've broken the rule twice of a shooting past 30 yards and less, or this past season same thing, I had a deer duck my arrow. So I'm just kind of sticking to that from now on.

Mike Nyitray : 17:20

So you're, so you followed it up with the nine pointer. Was that with the bow or with the gun?

Zac Cooley: 17:25

So that was with the gun. Then a New York has, like the late bow season, which kind of by then I mean things are kind of post ruts, of things are kind of starting to wind down. But at the same camp my buddy's camp, you know he had a mind camera a couple of days in a row and for some reason he didn't want to sit in that stand and he said you know, if you want to sit there, you can ensure enough. It was like clockwork. I just turned and looked and this thing, nice time point came out 35 yards started walking away. I couldn't believe it. So I took the shot and I ended up shooting low. I got his belly, we found a little bit of blood, but we had him on camera three days later. So he was fine. Kicking that yeah.

Mike Nyitray : 18:12

But Western for sure, that's a. It's still amazing and you know incredible season. And then you know, I see that you you followed it up 2022 with a velvet archery buck.

Zac Cooley: 18:28

Yeah, and that was again. So that was kind of 2022 is really my first year starting to knock and get permission with one of my buddies, so that, honestly, we had that deer on camera. I really never noticed that it held its velvet so long. And then, I think it was October 7th or 8th I was sitting in the stand and we had I had him come through in the morning and so I didn't really pay any attention to the pictures came through early in the morning, rolled out of bed, looked at the camera and saw, oh that's a nice deer, and then decided to go sit that stand that evening and, sure enough, I got him on his way back.

Zac Cooley: 19:08

So and that was really, I was just sitting there, heard a branch break behind me, turned and looked and I mean the deer was pretty much right under me, so I think that was maybe a seven yard shot, shooting straight down, and I actually he went 15 yards, fell right down in front of me and I started looking at him, cause I was like, okay, he looks a little funky, especially with his antlers there brown, light brown. And I'm next to my buddy hey, I shot one. He's at dinner with his girlfriend. He's like I can't help you track it. So we're going to figure it out. And I told him I was like no, it died in front of me and he's no way.

Zac Cooley: 19:45

And I walked up to it. And as soon as I walked up to it I was just like, oh man, this is velvet buck. I'm over here looking at like Kentucky hunts to go on, and you know, try early September, and I got lucky enough with a New York State velvet but which is not pretty common. Yeah, I think what happened was there's a fence and I think what happened was he might have jumped the fence either that year or the year before and something happened. And so he just never he never lost his velvet. I took him to the taxidermist and he said the same thing. He was probably just going to keep growing his velvet. So that was definitely a pretty cool one. So I had to get him done shoulder mount as well.

Mike Nyitray : 20:29

That is, and that's the crazy thing. It's like you're looking for it to go out and to do a velvet hunt somewhere else. And I was talking about it in a podcast, up a code. So to go like a couple of episodes ago and I was like if New Jersey just opened up just even for a week, just like a velvet season, I wouldn't go to spend my money somewhere else. Listen, you can hike up the price. I would drop that price and much rather do it here in New Jersey than have to travel to another state, you know, especially one Kentucky's not. That's not an easy drive, that's not an easy travel. So, like, open it up here, Like getting the opportunity at a velvet buck in your home state, especially, I feel like where we are, especially where you guys are, you guys open up so much later than we do.

Mike Nyitray : 21:22

It is a once. It's like a once in a lifetime. Like opportunity really is, especially, you know, being so late in the, you know in the year already I mean, every buck had their velvet shed it already and the fact that whatever happened to that deer, you know it was going to continue to keep growing. Like that's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You should went and played the lottery after that. That's for Dan.

Zac Cooley: 21:48

Yeah, well, trust me, I was thinking about it. But yeah, no, I'm the same way. I mean especially with, like, all the work we're putting in running trail cameras and things like that. I mean, if they opened up the year first week of September, I would have no problem paying whatever it would cost in New York state and go in my backyard or drive 15 minutes down the road, rather than hop in a car for 13 hours and then sit in the 95 degree weather. Yep, yep.

Zac Cooley: 22:15

I'm going to do that. I want to hop in the car and get home and hop in the showers. But yeah, I kind of. They just opened up in New York state kind of an early dose season for us.

Mike Nyitray : 22:28

So that around I heard about that.

Zac Cooley: 22:29

Yeah, september 15th, I think through like the 24th, but I kind of I try to stay away from that, honestly, just because a lot of my spots I'm not trying to stink up that early in the year. But this year I might try to take one or two does out of the property that I have right around the corner. Yeah, Listen.

Mike Nyitray : 22:52

I think it's so much better when you have the opportunity to hunt that early Like we do. We hunt the second week of September.

Mike Nyitray : 23:00

We have to get a doe before we can get a buck can be a pain in the butt, but you do have those spots where it's like do I really want to go in the spot, mess things up, because I got a couple of shooters on camera? It is a like it was a good and negative. I don't want to get our listeners into it because they've heard it so many damn times and I imagine they'll hear it again where we'll complain about it once we get closer to the start of season and everything like that. But for you guys in New York it is a good thing. But it's like, if you can find a doe place, that's just going to be like a doe management area. It's like all right, perfect, now we don't have to wait all the way until October 1st, right? It's usually when they open up the season for you guys.

Zac Cooley: 23:44

Yeah, so October 1st honestly I kind of switched over, because I'm always itching at that point to kind of get in the woods. So we have September goose season. That runs the first through the 30th. So that's kind of where we'll switch things over and just all right, let's go shoot some geese and that's. You know, that's way more of a social event.

Zac Cooley: 24:06

We'll go and get a lot of these and we don't have to be quiet and worry about scent control and all that good stuff. So, and I can kind of bring whoever for that. So that's kind of where I'll usually switch things off and let's go do something different, see some new things.

Mike Nyitray : 24:22

So always the love of waterfowl hunting, of just how social it is and how you know. That's why I love it so much. It's a good time Like you're going with friends, you're BSing. You don't have to be so anal about things like we do have to with deer hunting. So, like it is, it's a whole different world it's. I would like to do it earlier in the season. Try it. I haven't. I think I've only gone on one goose hunt early, early, but I'm usually so like wrapped around deer season.

Mike Nyitray : 24:56

And then we have now again we have a bear season like the first week of October. So like the mindset and waterfowl is like all right. Once we start getting colder and into that November, now it's like all right, ducks and geese this is what. This is what I want to do at this time of the year. But it would be a cool experience to get out early, go shoot some, go shoot some geese and everything like that early in the year because you know what. It's a whole different experience. It's something you know different and you know you're changing it up and you don't have to, especially when you're sweating in the in that early part of the year, like it was brutal this start of the season. I was dying and I was not having a good time to start the season because it was so just like what is this? This is, this is horrible.

Zac Cooley: 25:45

Yeah, yeah, you think October, and especially in New York I mean New Jersey, probably same thing like, oh, it's starting to get cool outside and I think, if I remember correctly, it was like 75 to 80 the first couple of weeks this season. I'm in here, I mean I don't really have any light, light, light camo gear, so I'm dying, but yeah, it's definitely an interesting year for sure. And then we got kind of that heat wave in October. I was actually down in Maryland for that, I think I was hunting in 92 degree weather and I was just like that's terrible.

Mike Nyitray : 26:19

So that is yeah, no, that is it's. It's no fun, but I think it's the thing that we just have to now prepare for, with just how things are going and everything like that. And it makes things wackier, like we still have bucks holding on with the antlers, which is just pulling my mind. I'm like what the hell is this Like?

Zac Cooley: 26:39

yep, yeah, same here. I was out shed hunting last weekend and came around the corner. There's one of my properties that I have permission that has a pond. So I turned and looked and there's wood ducks which that kind of. I turned and looked and was like is that actually a wood duck? They're not usually here this early and turned my left and bumped a pretty decent six point that I had on camera and I was just like what is going on? It's what? March 10th?

Mike Nyitray : 27:07

Yeah.

Zac Cooley: 27:08

The antlers like what am I doing out here looking?

Mike Nyitray : 27:11

It's just weird, like I don't know if you guys noticed but I think we talked about it a little bit that we, because we can shoot deer up until the second week of February.

Mike Nyitray : 27:22

Yeah, that's so nice and it is up until this year, where we were, you know, I had friends and everything like that, literally gutting deer and they had, you know, a little fawn inside and that was like and like a it wasn't this fetus was developed enough where it's like is this what I want to do now? Like you know, I've always loved shooting, you know hunting this late with deer, because I love the opportunity we have such opportunity in New Jersey to hunt. But it's like, do I really want to do this now? Like what? What is the cost? And I know the state wants it because you know what, we're getting drawn down, the herd and we're going.

Mike Nyitray : 28:09

But as a hunter, as a management thing, it's like if you're here, you're struggling. If you're here, you're struggling. No, you don't want to do this. If you have so much deer where you yes, you can afford it, then it's like all right, you know what. It is something that I understand as a management purpose, do I? Still? I have my beliefs on it.

Mike Nyitray : 28:30

I still don't feel the best about it, but you know what I can understand because you know I'd much rather shoot this deer than it you know disease or starvation or get hit by a car or something like that. So I'd much rather take that deer out than than one of the others, or run down by coyotes or something like that. So it's a given to take. But it was very like a bunch of us were like, hmm, now we got to really keep an eye on it. That dough she looks a little bigger than the rest Like maybe we hold off and not shoot that, because the chances of her being pregnant are pretty high. And that also moves to the fact of is the rut just a little off now? Like are we? Are some of these deer getting bred in October?

Zac Cooley: 29:16

Yeah, I mean that's, that's kind of that one that will definitely turn off a new hunter really quickly, I feel like, especially if they're not prepared for it. But yeah, I mean especially here. I I mean last year specifically October 20th was when I started to kind of see things pick up here and I was like, okay, that's way earlier. That's three weeks earlier than what I'm used to, and typically gun season for us is, I want to say, second, second week in November, and that's kind of when things are like really like, oh, okay, like you're going to see some, some rut activity, and now it's just seemed to get earlier and earlier and earlier and earlier. So definitely threw me off this year.

Mike Nyitray : 30:01

Nope, it's. It's just something that we we had a very weird rut and I mean I don't, I don't, I don't know how to explain it. I was, I was on Doze and you're looking around and you're like, all right, well, there are the Doze. Where the hell is the bucks? Like there's not even a. I very rarely even had a little guy trailing or like. Usually I have little little forkeys or spikes or you know button bucks, like going all crazy and and running all over, and I didn't even have that this year and I'm like I'm doing everything right, right, I found the Doze, like this should this should be happening? I'm right outside bedding, I'm, you know, do bedding Like everything is going perfect, but these bucks aren't following the script. They're not following the script. What, why? Why it's like what is going on and it feels like it's been like the last couple of years, but this year is really really tough, a very tough rut, I think.

Zac Cooley: 31:01

I think this year yeah, yeah, by the time I feel like I kind of realized what was actually happening, it was almost too late, so at that point it was kind of like getting ready for post-rout, which ruts definitely my favorite and I. There's nothing better than seeing it. Like you said, even even if it's a fork trail and a dough, I mean it's just, it's just cool to watch. But yeah, I think I definitely might have missed it this year.

Mike Nyitray : 31:28

Yeah, and it's, it's unfortunate, the thing. We all have to work, we, we all have lives, so we, we. It's a lot easier when you can be out there every single day. And don't get me wrong, like I spent a lot of time, I think Combined. I think I did 71 sits, but that's with coyote, that's with waterfile, that's with, you know, a squirrel hunt in there, you know, but it's. If I could be out there every single day, then you know what Morning evening you're you're going to find them, I mean you're you're going to get to the right spot. But you got to pick your days correctly and you know it just happens sometimes like, oh, like, damn, I'm a little late on on this and you got to do what you got to do. And you know, sometimes you, you get it, sometimes, sometimes you don't.

Zac Cooley: 32:15

Yep, no, a hundred percent. Yeah, I definitely. I ended up heading down to Maryland. Like I said, the bohan and I mean I think I just picked probably the week when everything started, because by the time I was back, I mean I was I was sitting in Maryland getting photos of just daylight bucks and shooters I had. I'm just certain we're like, oh my God, I'm in 92 degree weather right now. I got a buck that's sitting right in front of my trail camera, that's right in front of my stand. Like just try not to let that get to me and kind of enjoy where I was at, cause it was definitely cool to get out and hunt a new state.

Mike Nyitray : 32:51

But yeah, and how was that Like what? Where in Maryland we got one of our guys, peyton. He's from, originally from Maryland. He killed himself a nice, a nice buck this year down there. But you know what's it like hunting, going from upstate New York to Maryland. You're going down south. It's not a big hunting state. I would imagine it's definitely different. So what, what did you see? What were your experiences in that field?

Zac Cooley: 33:18

It was definitely cool. I mean, like I said, that was my. I mean I've been to PA once two years ago for literally two days, but this time it's kind of cool. I took off from work kind of headed down there. Actually my cousin's buddy is a guy down there so he let me hunt one of his farms. Um, but definitely, like you said, I mean upstate New York to Maryland. I think it was a seven hour drive, so I didn't really expect it to be that much different. Um, but it is definitely a completely different ball game there. I mean I'm not used to like walking through spider webs and watching out for snakes and all that good stuff. So he kind of gave me the rundown when I was going there, like hey, you know, we do have these things, be be careful of them.

Zac Cooley: 34:03

Um, but I was down like Eastern shore, kind of little east of Salisbury, um, so I mean there's definitely some big bucks there. But mother nature, you can't really predict that. So I I just kind of love it was not really my uh, my best week of weather. I think the lowest it dropped to was 76. Um, so I mean I was seeing dough, but nothing that was one like really inside 40 yards and two.

Zac Cooley: 34:32

That was anything that I wanted to take, being that obviously it was so hot as well. So it was definitely. But it was cool seeing kind of like a different terrain. I mean it was kind of like you know a little, a little more like Southern um, which was different for me, cause I mean I'm used to Oaks and all that a lot of pines down, which was kind of cool just seeing the different sunrise and all that good stuff. But yeah, I, I was going to try to get back there at the end of the year and things kind of just didn't work out. And then I ended up pen down to, uh, long Island, cause they got a little bit of a later water fall season.

Zac Cooley: 35:06

So yeah, yeah, yeah, I was kind of I was kind of over deer hunting. At that point I think I was probably right around where you were at like 60, 70 sits and I was just like, all right, let's go shoot some ducks with some of my buddies, it's a grind, it really is.

Mike Nyitray : 35:22

And you know I definitely plan on I think I'll be in Maryland next year with Peyton, and you know, I think, because Long Island goes further. I think the plan is that I think we're going to head to Long Island as well and try to shoot some birds. But you know it's tough because you know when you're planning a hunt, especially in out of state hunt, you're going around your work schedule. You can only guess, kind of like all right, this is my date, said I'm going to have it available, this is what I'm picking, you go, and it could have stormed the whole entire time it could have. You don't know what the weather is going to be like. It's a completely different ballgame, as you will, but it's a really cool experience, you know, and it makes you definitely will make you a better hunter.

Mike Nyitray : 36:06

But it's like if you get the lucky end of the draw and you get 90 degree weather back at home, it's like all right, damn, like I could have killed that buck, like it's, it's great weather. You know that's just how it goes and there's nothing that we can do about that because that's completely in mother nature's. You know hands. You know you could only pray for, for good weather and you know what, most of the time, like I don't know, it's just something. But the deer also, I swear it's like they know that you're leaving the state. It's like, all right, like I'm going to show up on camera, I'm going to be where he wanted me to be, but he's all the way seven hours away and there's nothing he could do about it.

Zac Cooley: 36:48

Yeah, yeah. And now is I mean I hunt with another kid so I'm getting these camera photos Like dude, get out there. Right now I can't get like I'm seven hours away, like you said, but get out there, he's there. It was just funny. I mean you'd think end of October, at least kind of how I thought I was like you know it should be starting to cool down, good temps, and it just kind of wasn't. But it happens, it's hunting.

Mike Nyitray : 37:12

So and it's. It just shows you, like, how different the South is, because, like Maryland's, not even that. Like we go to the Carolinas, we go to Florida, texas, like all these, like Southern, like Alabama, and it's like what the hell is like? This is a. This is a whole different world. It's like we want that, like 30 degree weather, like we want that, but they are just 60 or 70 degree weather is like, oh yeah, that's cold.

Zac Cooley: 37:49

I'm really like, yeah, yeah, it's going to be a good morning. It's 64. Yeah, I heard that once and I'm like dude. 64 for us is like I'm sleeping in.

Zac Cooley: 37:59

Like yeah right, I don't even know if I'm going to go out in that, but yeah, 64 for them is like a freaking cold front, which was a little different from me. Some of these guys like down in Texas like especially you see them sitting in like the box blinds and all that I think I'd probably be passed out on the ground 15 minutes in if I'm sitting in there.

Mike Nyitray : 38:20

Yeah, I mean, listen, I want to get a box blind eventually when I have my own property for that late season grind, you know you could bring a heater in there, listen, you could just chill. But when it's like that during like a good time to like no, like 60 degrees, like yeah, you're right, I would have a sandwich, I'd bring some food and then I'd be knocked out, I'd throw out a movie, like that's too comfortable, like that You're so relaxed, like you know they, what do they call it? Glamping of of, for for camping, and it's like the same thing for hunting, where I don't even know what.

Mike Nyitray : 38:59

Glunting, glunting whatever you want to call it Like man, how laid back and relaxed, like I honestly wouldn't even want to. I'd miss so many animals that it would be ridiculous. But the one thing quilting it. And I would imagine if we're going down south especially that far.

Zac Cooley: 39:19

Yeah.

Mike Nyitray : 39:19

To kind of plan like, all right, we're going to Texas, we're going to Alabama, like, and this is just I heard, if you hit that in like December, I think that's their rut, so their rut is behind. So it's like, well, it's up here. It's like, all right, december time. It's like, yeah, it's waterfowl season, but like maybe I go to another state real quick for for a couple of days and try to see if I get my buck down south, where it's also you start driving down and it's like, all right, we got on t-shirts on, Like you can break out your if you have the early season gear. You break out the early season gear, you know, and it's like a mini vacation from the, the cold hunting style that that we're we're doing up north, yeah.

Zac Cooley: 40:01

I've kind of. I've kind of been looking in that possibly, like you said, I think Texas this season goes on even like late January. So I was thinking out of state this year I definitely next couple of weeks I'll probably head out to Ohio. I mean I'm three hours 30 minutes from a couple of decent public spots on the east side. So I'll probably head out there in the next couple of weeks before like turkey season starts, and kind of throw up a couple of mulchries just to kind of see who's walking it and kind of what's going on. And then I'm thinking probably early October, if we can get a decent week, I'll probably take off like a Tuesday, wednesday, thursday, middle of the week and just kind of get out there for a couple of days and then possibly, if I'm not in the duck hunting, I'll see if I can get down to Texas or one of those cool states and go on something.

Mike Nyitray : 40:52

So you know I'll, I'll be right there with you because Ohio is a big, big. We wanted to go last year but it didn't work out. But Ohio is a big like. I want to go to Ohio badly and it's one of those states where it's like we're getting into those those big, big deer, but not out in, like Iowa and stuff like that, where it's still like Ohio produces some great deer and it's within reason of it's closer for you.

Mike Nyitray : 41:24

But it's really like Ohio's really not that far away from like I think I imagine, like maybe like six hours, which is doable, doable, like I do that when I drive to Maine, like six, eight, 10, 12 hours, like I'll do it. But like Ohio big buck, you know you're getting into that big buck realm of the whitetail, like the goodies, and you get to Illinois and you keep going and it's just like we're in whitetail Mecca areas. Yeah, ohio's definitely that like the start of it for us on the east. We're being where we're from, like oh, I would say from Ohio, and then through. It's like all right, now we're, now we're getting to those those big boys.

Zac Cooley: 42:06

Yeah, and it's even funny. I mean I was talking, uh, one of my old the brewmates from college, uh, he's, he's out in Ohio. And I was talking, I told him, yeah, you know, I'm probably gonna be heading out east in a couple of weeks, and he just it was just like mentioning oh yeah, you know, my, my uncle owns 90 acres out there and does it hunt. And I, I like I called them immediately and was like dude, are you kidding me? Like your uncle owns 90 acres and you're just mentioning it, just mentioning this to me, and he does it hunt?

Zac Cooley: 42:37

So I, I, uh, I got hit. I got his address and phone number, so I I'm probably going to be giving him a call and seeing if he needs any help around the yard or anything, and maybe in that too, cause I was just like dude, how do you not, how do you not mention that to me? Just he just throws it out there like nonchalantly. I'm like I stopped them immediately and called them. It was like you've got to be kidding me, that's yeah.

Mike Nyitray : 43:03

That's like hey, yeah, I'll come out and do almost anything that you really need. Like what you want me, you need, you know, your property management. Like, what do you need? Like, let's get it done, I'll give you a room for you Like I'll do, I'll do anything at that point.

Zac Cooley: 43:18

Yeah, just to kind of experience that private land of Ohio, cause I mean I was looking at possibly doing like a guide or even like there's those eye hunt leases that are like the day leases. But yeah, I mean they can charge you like $900 a day and I'm like you know I'm going out there.

Zac Cooley: 43:37

It'd be an experience on its own to kind of get out in public and maybe, if I can get a couple of spots permission wise, I'll try to do that. I have some pins already marked, but I think probably you know a lot of those, especially Eastern Ohio. They probably get people from New York and kind of all those outside areas all the time. So not really yeah. Yeah, I'm not really hanging my hat on one of those. I think I'll probably, just like I said, throw a couple of cameras up and you know I'm not going for a Booner, but you know, any kind of out of state buck would be cool for that, especially public.

Mike Nyitray : 44:11

And yeah, that's, that's exactly like we're not. I'm not going for the biggest one. I go out there like Is it going to be? You know, a decent like you know maybe you know small little six or something like that, but you know it is to get it out of state buck, just on the board and the bucket list and just accomplish that. That's a whole different. That's that's what you want. After the first one, then if you want to go after like that, that Booner or whatever, then it's like all right, yeah, he got his, he got his his one out the way. So, hell, yeah, of course, you know you're going to hold out and stuff like that, but like the first one, like we said earlier in the episode, your first one, just send it. You know the first one that gets you going, just just let it rip. So I'm definitely, definitely in the same ballgame as you. Like that that is. You know. I feel like that's a lot of people.

Mike Nyitray : 45:04

Like Ohio, like we said, it's just that that one place and they're they're so used to out of state hunters like coming and everything like that. Yeah, it's like everyone I hear is like yeah, ohio, ohio, ohio, let's go to Ohio. Like Ohio is like that one. It's like let's go to Ohio, so that's, that's pretty cool. And you know, texas is. I haven't gone down to hunt Texas, but I got family down there and they hunt down there and it's Texas is cool because they, they have everything. And then they have the imports and the exotics and everything like that.

Mike Nyitray : 45:40

So it's like Texas literally is its own, like you can go down there and you can hunt almost anything that you want. You know, obviously, certain places you got to pay more money, but still like, instead of going to New Zealand or Africa or wherever, yeah, you just head down to Texas and it's like all right, let's, let's just get it done in Texas.

Zac Cooley: 46:00

Yeah, for real. I mean I think Chris from only Bose is talking like he's possibly trying to get down there for access deer and it's like you see some of those guys with some of those access deer that they get down there and you're like, yeah, like you said, like what's what's the point of me happening on a 12 hour flight or whatever to go cross the pond to see if they got something out there, when you can just go down to Texas?

Mike Nyitray : 46:23

Well, chris, we can't exclude Chris into that because he's literally going to Africa within you know, pretty soon, and then he's going to Alaska and he's, you know.

Zac Cooley: 46:34

But he's got the year.

Mike Nyitray : 46:36

Oh my God, alaska is a dream. That's somewhere where I'll go to Alaska. But you know, with that going on too, you know we're in the we're in that time frame where you're getting into food plots and everything like that. You know, when did you start doing the whole food plot situation and how has that been going for you?

Zac Cooley: 47:02

So it's the first time I ever did a food plot, and by means of nothing perfect was probably two, three years ago. I got a buddy that has permission or he actually has property and one of the Finger Lakes. So a lot of a lot of oaks, maple trees, not a whole lot of ag where we were. So I mean we started off with maybe a quarter acre plot and it was kind of cool just going through chopping down trees. So ever since that experience I kind of got hooked. As soon as I had like my own property or permission property that the owner would allow me to, I told myself I definitely want to start to get into it. So last season I was actually fortunate enough there was a place right around the corner from where I used to hunt vacant land and it was sitting for a couple of years. So I just was like, all right, you know, now or never, let's try to make an extremely low offer and see what happens. And I'll never forget my realtor called me and was like, hey, they accepted it. It was like a little bit of like, oh shit, they accepted it as well as, let's go. So I closed down that last summer and kind of got ready to work, I had one of my buddies come in with a mulcher and kind of cut down little area for us, so started that last year.

Zac Cooley: 48:26

It's I mean, it's nothing crazy, it's probably like 0.6 acres but the total properties I want to say 11 acres. And then it's like a nice transition. I got ag on both sides and I'm kind of like the deep bowl in the middle. So I started frost seeding that a couple of weeks ago. I was out there today and it's kind of funny. I'm hoping it kind of stays a little warmer than what it's saying, because I already got clover. It's starting to come up, which is cool. So I'll probably switch that into like a full clover domain seed. If anyone's looking for, you know, try to start. I've used them the last year and I mean I've I mean I've tried all sorts of different things card seven, all that good stuff, but nothing germinates like domain and it's definitely cause it's that new seed. So and that's kind of.

Zac Cooley: 49:18

You know, the one nice thing about having the social media platform is there's guys all over that have been doing this for years, like Woods. I mean I reach out to him hey, what do you think about this? So just bouncing ideas off of those guys, like I said, that was. That was huge for me. So this year I'm kind of starting already I was out there today marking trees that I'm going to start expanding things and starting to drop things take them out. But majority of my plots going to be definitely domain hot chicken comeback kit, just cause I mean last year, last year they started to hammer at late season and now I'm kind of switching things over. I want to get like a early season blend that will kind of draw them in, just cause, like I said, they got corn and they got soybeans and all that good stuff to eat. So just something that will kind of draw them in and keep them there for a little bit longer, cause it's really only 10 acres.

Mike Nyitray : 50:15

So that's, that's all that you need, though that, that 10 right there, and then you can do it even less. And you know the fact that you're able to get that and like you're surprised about it and I was like, oh my God, I actually got it. Like, then the work. So is it now doing all this? Is it extra satisfying to when, when the plan comes together and you know, when you're seeing your real hard work because that's really now you're really managing this whole area and everything like that. So, like, what does that feel like when, when everything comes together and you you get to take a look and be like, wow, you know, I had this plan in my head. I didn't think, and then I was able to put it all down together. You know you need rain, you need, you know, the weather to go correct, you need every, every aspect has to go correct, yep, and when it does, like, what does that feel like?

Zac Cooley: 51:16

I mean the first. So the first time I sat over the plot I was kind of it was a morning sit and I'll never forget the sun starting to kind of peek and you know it's cool walking up to the plot and seeing it. But when you're actually up on a tree, kind of right off of it, I was just taking pictures of it, sending it to my dad, everyone. So I was definitely proud of it. And then I mean getting like the first, the first video I ever had was, I think like October 16th and I had two bucks that were just chowing down on it and I mean that saved on my phone that's not going anywhere. That was definitely pretty cool actually seeing them like oh, wow they're.

Zac Cooley: 51:56

You know they're really scarfing down on some of this and I planted it for them rather than like I mean New York state, you're not supposed to feed deer, but I do have neighbors that you know will post on Facebook of deer eating, you know, seed on the ground, which we're not able to do it here but people do do it. So being able to have like a natural food source for some of these deers to actually come in and, you know, eat and use, it's definitely pretty satisfying. But yeah, once last, I want to say when I first did the first plot, I mean I don't think I pulled the camera off of that plot the whole year, I kept it on the whole year. I kept it on the whole year. And I mean seeing turkeys come through that previously were not there, and just other little critters come in to check it out, or fawns starting to eat off the food plot, that's definitely pretty cool.

Mike Nyitray : 52:49

Yeah, no, and that's like that's the goal. It's like, yes, it's there for the deer too, but it's all the creatures and animals that are going to benefit from doing what you're doing. You know having the turkeys come in. You know that's like all right, now we're adding another game. You know species to the list and everything like that that this food plot is going to be able to produce us for. You know, now, with that startup, what else are you trying to implement into this property, like any water sources, and what adjustments now do you plan on making going into the season?

Zac Cooley: 53:28

Yeah, so I mean, probably one of the first things that I did. I have a white tail bloodline another Instagram so I saw him putting in food plots probably, or not food plots the little water holes early summer, and that was definitely like one thing to me that I was, like, you know, holy like that, never thought of that instead of because I can't really get heavy equipment in my spot, so kind of being able to, you know, put something in just to another, draw to the animals. So that was one of the first things I did. I put in a little kiddie pool, unlike, unlike a white tail bloodline, I couldn't get the UTV back there, so I went on. Amazon bought 10 gallon water fillups for camping and I was fricking, huffing and puffing, bringing that workout.

Zac Cooley: 54:24

Yeah, definitely a workout. That took. That took a couple of trips, for sure. But by the end of it I was just like, am I really doing this? And then, first time I got a photo of a deer at it I was like, okay, totally worth it, exactly yeah.

Zac Cooley: 54:38

So I threw in a water hole and then this in the next couple of weeks now that I kind of I didn't really want to do anything true dramatic like the first year just because I didn't know what they're actually using the property for. So kind of having a season under my belt there. Now I know where they're using bedding and where they're not. So I found I'm probably going to throw another plot in here in the next couple probably beginning of May, when things start to warm up of, like a bedding slash food so it's one of domain's new seeds that they came out with. It's for, like, birds and things like that. So it's got sunflowers, millets, all that good stuff.

Zac Cooley: 55:21

So I'll expand their bedding a little bit here, throw some more food in, and then I'm going to start doing some hinge cutting for sure. So that's going to be big, definitely waiting for one of my buddies to come help me out with that, because I'm not the most experienced cutter, so being able to go out there with someone's just always a good thing to do. So yeah, we'll do that. And then I kind of just sit and wait and see. And I'm sure next year I'll have five more things I'm going to do to it. But that's kind of always the one nice thing. Eventually, five years from now, I won't have to do anything. I'll have it exactly how I want it. But for the time being there's always some things that I can do.

Mike Nyitray : 56:05

Yeah, now I listen. I fully agree with that and I feel like it's every hunter's dream is this to get their own piece and be able to create it the way you want it. It's so relieving. Like I put a water hole in before. The plan is always to get one, to get one in moving forward. I think every year I'm going to put one in.

Mike Nyitray : 56:25

But there's a lot of work when you can't bring the ATV and you know when it is a lot of work to do. But the minute that first year like uses it just like with the food plots, like once you see those, that first year you know coming in there, use of the turkeys, whatever it is, it's like all that hard work paid off and it's like instant satisfaction. And it's like, yes, like this is just like if you go out and scouting a new spot and you set up a camera and boom, you know you get deer on it. It's like it's like Christmas all over again, like you get really excited. It's like, all right, like my speculations work, like all the scouting, all this information paid off. Like I put a camera there, boom, it worked. And it's just like you're doing it with the property.

Zac Cooley: 57:08

You're just adding to that, you know, and that's not the biggest, I mean, that's predominantly what I hunt five to 10 to 12 acres, especially permission. So it's kind of like right up my alley. And for first property I always I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, just being a it's 10 minutes from my house and then, you know, maybe one day if I want something a little bigger I'll look something farther away from where I'm at now.

Zac Cooley: 57:36

But for the time being, I mean, it's perfect and it's just another spot to have. I definitely I need to pull a couple of dough off of it. This year that was the property that needs some dough management, so I'll be doing that, but I'll probably, honestly, after that dough season I'll leave it until rough, because I had from the 22nd to like November 14th was just, and now it's stupid. I was like, oh, we'll just let it sit and see what happens. And I had one of the biggest year I had on camera this year there and I'm just like, oh God, Like all right now I know Now you know, and you know that's that's you always got to look at the information.

Mike Nyitray : 58:15

Now it's like all right, I know the days that need to take off and where I need to be yeah, because it's going to heat up and that's perfect. You know, you take some doughs out, you let it cool down and everything like that and you don't touch it until that prime time and then you're, you're back up in there and you know you'll hopefully you'll get yourself a nice big boy down. Do you plan on doing any turkey hunting on it this year?

Zac Cooley: 58:40

Um, so this year I probably won't turkey on. I got another spot that's kind of right off of Lake Ontario. That's traditionally pretty good for me, so I'll probably stick out there. And then, uh, I got a couple other spots pin. That it's a lot. It's a lot easier to knock and ask for turkey hunting. Um, a lot less people around here do it. So I got a couple of spots that I've seen dozens of turkeys and there's not a whole lot of stands, it's farmed. So I'll probably in the next week or so, uh, on my way back from practice, starting knocking on doors and seeing if I can get some new turkey spots, just so I can kind of let my dear spots sit.

Zac Cooley: 59:19

Um, but I, the one nice thing about turkey is, I mean, you can get I think last year I had one by like six, 15 hours at work by eight. So you can kind of get that early morning, first hour or two, and that's pretty much all I'm doing. I just I like, like I said, the first gobble and as soon as they kind of shut up at nine or 10 o'clock I'm out. So in New York state it's kind of weird you can only hunt to I don't know what it is from New Jersey. But New York you can only hunt till noon, so same same here.

Mike Nyitray : 59:51

You can only hunt till noon, until the last two weeks, and then they open it up for like the whole entire day, but by then it's like I've seen, like I've I've seen so beautiful Tom. You know, unfortunately he's hung up on private in the afternoon, but that's the only time I've ever had like afternoon, you know, success. Usually it's like early in the morning, um, but yeah, it's till 12 o'clock and it's, and by then, yeah, you're right, by like nine, 10 o'clock it's like all right, like this hunt's kind of over. But you know, it's beautiful weather Usually, um, the only thing is the ticks. Oh, my God, yep.

Zac Cooley: 1:00:33

And that's horrible. That's what I was going to just say too. It's just like by that time I usually want to get home and check myself and make sure I don't have any stragglers on me, because I mean, the ticks here are so bad, and probably where you are too, but a lot of these spots that have just way too many deer, it's like I'll walk through and I'll have six on me and it's like, oh, this is awful, I can spray whatever I bought, pretty much everything, tried it all. I mean, they're still crawling on me, so that's that's going on downfall.

Zac Cooley: 1:01:07

The turkey season for sure, it's just the ticks.

Mike Nyitray : 1:01:11

I agree with your turkey season that you got to really be careful, make sure and you're usually tucked into some undergrowth and everything like that so ticks. I remember I pulled one year like 60 something ticks off of me on my suit and it was like yet again, like, like. Like we said with the, you know you shoot a, a fawn and it's a new hunter. They're not expecting that. What you know that could turn hunters off too as well.

Mike Nyitray : 1:01:35

A new hunter ticks and Lyme disease and you know, if you're in an area that has what Rocky Mountain fever, like, those are some things that turn people off of hunting real quick. So you know it is something that we really got to be careful about, something that you have to check, like you have to check your whole entire body. You got to make sure I always bring extra pair of clothes. I'll keep the extra pair of clothes and completely basically strip naked in in a parking lot and just put on brand new clothes, be paranoid the whole entire time I'm driving home, get in the shower, scrub and then, like, once the fiance gets home, like hey, double check me yet again.

Zac Cooley: 1:02:16

Yeah, make sure I got nothing. Yep, nothing. It's like especially dry. There's nothing worse than just driving and then all of a sudden you look down at your hand and there's one crawling on your hand. You're like pull over, freaking, throw it off.

Mike Nyitray : 1:02:30

Yeah and then you think you're, then you're screwed for the rest of the time because you think one's crawling on you the rest of the time. It is the worst thing ever.

Zac Cooley: 1:02:40

Yep, yeah, you're like constantly just paranoid, like, oh I swear, I felt one pull over again and getting like a mile down the road pulled over three times, checking it's just not ideal.

Mike Nyitray : 1:02:52

Two, two years ago I had, I did a hunt the day before and I threw some of my stuff into the backseat and then the rest of it usually goes in a bucket or into a, you know classic bin and I'll throw it in the back, but for some reason I didn't at this time.

Mike Nyitray : 1:03:09

And the next day I'm driving early, early morning, you know, sun's not even, you know, of course. I'm going out to Turkey hunt and I feel something crawling on me and it was a freaking kick and I, free, like it's pitch black, I'm freaking out. I, you know, I do what I had to do and then I'm paranoid. And then I'm looking all over and I literally I had to turn on the light and I see it crawling up above me on the roof and I was, I was going crazy for that next couple of days, Like every time I was driving I would see ticks like all over the place and I was like never again. Well, when I'm Turkey hunting, it goes straight in the back Like it's not going into you know anywhere where it's going to be crawling on me. Oh yeah, Throw right in the tailgate, leave it in there and that's about it.

Zac Cooley: 1:03:58

Yeah, I mean even now. I've been. I've been out a couple of times shed hunting and it's like same thing, I'll strip down, throw it in the back of my truck and then, as soon as I get home, I'm not even bringing that in my house, I'm usually throwing it out my front yard like all right, let them crawl out there. I did not want them in my garage. I want no part of that. Especially, I got dogs too, so it's like, yeah, one of my dogs has Lyme's disease, so I'm very, very conscious on trying to make sure that they do not end up back in the house, cause I have had that happen before. There's nothing worse than checking your dog. Like I'd bring my dog with me shed hunting a couple of times and I learned the hard way. I want to say a couple of weeks ago, I think, I pulled. Luckily none of them burrowed, but there's 16 ticks on them and I'm just like that's disgusting. You're not coming anymore and I figured out it's. That spot that I was at is just terrible.

Mike Nyitray : 1:04:54

Oh my God, that's. That's rough, that's real rough. And I, you know that's another thing. When you're a dog owner, especially if you're using it for hunting or anything like that, it's like now you're adding, you have to worry about yourself, but now you have to worry about your dog, and then you know if also that too it's if you have kids in the house, your other family, other, like now it adds to a whole bunch of man. It's I think I'm going to need a dog for waterfowl. I don't think I'm going to use it for anything else but waterfowl because, like the odds of you know getting a tick there, but like, does it hunting or something Like I know those guys have to be going through their dogs and it's like I don't want to. I really don't want to have to do that. Like it's bad, it's annoying enough having to check my whole damn body. I don't really have to sit there and go through a dog.

Zac Cooley: 1:05:42

Yeah, there's nothing worse than you know, thinking you have one on your hand. Then looking over at the dog and oh, what's that black thing crawling on them and it's like if there's one, there's definitely more. So it's like, all right, now I'm pulling over for myself and then on top of that, I'm pulling over for the dog. It's just like, all right, I'm not getting very far here and this is terrible. So I mean my one dog is. I sent him off to retrieve. I mean he was gone for eight weeks, came back and a lot of like the early season hunting that we do up here is swamps and I've honestly stopped bringing him unless I go to Lake Ontario, just because I've had pull ticks off of him from there. It's like dude, you can't catch a break now.

Mike Nyitray : 1:06:27

Yeah, now it's. It's the tough thing, especially with the later and warmer, milder winters that we have. You know, the rougher, the rougher it's going to be. And you know, I was talking to my doctor and he does a yearly Lyme disease test on my just just to make sure, because he knows I'm in the woods constantly. But he said ticks and pollen, so everyone's allergies. If we keep having these warm, mild winters it has a huge effect on those two things. Ticks are going to be worse, your allergies are going to be worse.

Mike Nyitray : 1:07:04

He goes no matter what you do, it's just going to be brutal. So we really do need that cold winter, like we do need an actual winter, so things can be lessened. And it's true Like ever since we've had warm winters, it's like you can never get away from either of them. Like the pollen disease are really bad, ticks are really bad. It's like we love being in the outdoors but, holy hell, yeah, it doesn't mean yeah no, it does not.

Mike Nyitray : 1:07:34

You know a few more, and then we'll start wrapping up, and you know. The good thing is well, now that that you've been on, you can also now join our round table segment whenever you're free.

Zac Cooley: 1:07:45

You know, I try.

Mike Nyitray : 1:07:47

I try to get everyone to do a episode like this, where we kind of do like an interview and everything go back before they come on the round table segment. So we're going to be doing one every like, one every month, every two or three months, somewhere like that. So you'll definitely be on the list from here on out with knocked out doors. What else? What is a plan? Cause I know how you originally started. You're already out of a thousand followers, you know you're growing and everything like that. Are there any plans that you plan on doing YouTube, anything like that? Or just for now, keep doing what you're doing and then, if it continues to grow like the pace it is, then you're gonna come up with a little bit different of idea.

Zac Cooley: 1:08:31

Yeah. So I mean, that was kind of the plan this fall was, you know, I was filming every single hunt that I had and then I made the rookie mistake of not taking out the SD card cause I had room and while I was in Maryland I was crossing a creek and the camera went right in the creek and everything was toast. So this coming turkey season new camera have a warranty, so I won't have to worry about that and I think I'm gonna probably try to stick to, for the most part, probably shorts, Instagram and then as well as starting to put things up on YouTube. So I have the channel on YouTube. Haven't really used it a whole lot yet, so that's definitely gonna be on the horizon here, and then predominantly, like I said, I mean knocked outdoors, bow hunting and knocking permission. That's kind of where that name came from.

Zac Cooley: 1:09:31

So this coming fall, like I mentioned, I'm gonna try to venture outside of my comfort zone and try to get out to some state land out East in Ohio. I think that would kind of be really cool, Just challenge myself with a completely different train and kind of get out big open woods and kind of have to deal with other people and other sorts of pressure. So that's gonna definitely be 2024 as well. I'm thinking now that spring's coming around I'm gonna try to start getting back into fly fishing. So that's kind of I mean, how I started in outdoors was kind of fishing prior to even hunting. So once I got into high school across and college across, it kind of started to fade away from that, just cause spring. I'm pretty jam packed, but I've been starting to walk around and kind of drive around old spots that I had and people are already starting to be out there. So I'll definitely try to get back into swinging that here in the next couple of weeks.

Mike Nyitray : 1:10:37

Oh, that's pretty cool, real quick what college you go to. For La Crosse. We're a big La Crosse town, so we were. So Summit was ranked top of the country. So yeah, we're going to Summit, okay, yeah. So yeah, my town is crazy about La Crosse and like our whole area of the state of Jersey is like huge, of course, upstate Connecticut, like those are all like ridiculous La Crosse, like programs and everything like that. So La Crosse is die hard here.

Zac Cooley: 1:11:12

Yeah, no, it's the same here. I mean I started to get back into it. I'm coaching a local high school for me now.

Zac Cooley: 1:11:19

So that's kind of taken up a lot of my time during the week and then the weekends are kind of practice and then get out and do as much stuff as I can between the sunlight and all that good stuff, having the extra hours used for me now that I'm able to kind of get out there a little later and just move cameras around and all that good stuff. So I've definitely enjoyed retirement. But kind of started to get back into here coaching.

Mike Nyitray : 1:11:49

So I feel that that's how it is with me and hockey and everything like that, and it's tough, but also being the outdoors at this point, that's my main goal and my main drive. But who knows, hopefully, maybe eventually I come out of retirement and do some coaching as well. So we got a couple of quick hitting questions for you. We always do it Last year for 2023, the most question answers for your dream hunt was actually moose. It finally outranked elk. We do it every year Now I am actually documenting it. So your dream hunt it's like a week or two weeks. Money is not a thing. What's the location? What is the animal?

Zac Cooley: 1:12:42

Honestly, I've been putting in for the main moose lottery for the last seven years. Seven years, I think. Yeah, it's going on. Seven years Same here. Yeah, I mean so two years ago they're you know how like they do the live crying. There was a Cooley from same area and they, cooley James and I just about threw my hat.

Mike Nyitray : 1:13:08

Oh my. Yeah, I thought I was like no way, I'm going.

Zac Cooley: 1:13:13

So I mean that's gotta be a dream hunt. Being at Maine's, I mean probably five, six hours for me too, so it's kind of the same distance for you, but that's definitely my top bucket list hunt.

Mike Nyitray : 1:13:27

I put in every year a moose hunt in general. Like you know, mine's Alaska, but like Maine is where I grew up. There in the summers we have a lake house that I spent a lot of time up in Maine. So like it's a dream of mine, like killing a moose in Maine that I've seen every summer I see like 50, like wait, it's ridiculous, of how many moose I've seen every night. It would be a dream come true. But I actually had a family member. I've had two family members because they live up there. One killed a bull a couple of years ago and then one killed a cow before that. But like it is such a hard, hard draw, like I had a uncle and never, never once got it and it's like we always put in.

Zac Cooley: 1:14:17

But it's like yeah, it's more so one day, yeah, yeah, and I'm always like, whatever it's, putting money towards conservation, so I don't have a problem doing that. And if, like you said, I mean if I hit it, I'm gonna probably go play the lottery that same day, because that is that I forgot how many people put in for it last year, but I saw the number and was just like, oh my God.

Mike Nyitray : 1:14:41

And the amount of people that actually win. It's just like it's ridiculous.

Zac Cooley: 1:14:46

That's like I mean PA has their elk lottery and I had a buddy that was telling me to put in for that and I'm like, honestly, if I'm gonna put in for anything, it's gonna be made moose. And because I mean PA elk has, I think they had 120,000 people apply with like 2000 tags, something crazy like that.

Mike Nyitray : 1:15:07

Well, that's the thing that we were talking about earlier. It's why go somewhere far? If it's like PA, it's right there. So first of all, you have all the people in PA, that's applying. Then you have the people in New York, you have the people in Jersey, like.

Mike Nyitray : 1:15:19

You have the people on the East Coast, like all right, pa is, it's right over there, we're none of us are far from PA, so like the amount of people are gonna put in for a PAL tag is ridiculous, especially with the size of some of the bowls they're pulling out.

Zac Cooley: 1:15:35

I follow one page. There's like a 400 or 300 inch bowl that was pulled out and like geez, like for going down to New Mexico or even like some of these other states out West, when I didn't even until a couple of years ago I didn't even know that we had like a herd that was huntable in PA. So that would be a cool one too. But, like I said, I'm probably just gonna stick with main moose and see what happens.

Mike Nyitray : 1:16:04

Yeah, I agree with you on that.

Zac Cooley: 1:16:06

Yeah.

Mike Nyitray : 1:16:07

You're. What's your go-to hunting snack?

Zac Cooley: 1:16:11

Go-to hunting snack is definitely something sweet, as long as it's not like 80 degrees and I can throw like Reese's peanut butter cups or something in my bag and it won't melt. I would say probably like Reese's peanut butter cups or some kind of candy.

Mike Nyitray : 1:16:29

I like it. I'm gonna put that down too, because I'll just start tracking that this year. Yeah, you know that's always a good one. Like I'm with you, anything sweet, like I'm a huge sweet person, I'm a. Listen, if I could eat a whole cake in the tree, like I would that's like bear season man donuts like I am eating donuts like crazy during bear season. I love it. Yep, if you could hunt any state, get a. Well, if you could get a property in any state, where would it be?

Zac Cooley: 1:17:05

Oh, definitely, I would say Kansas for sure, minus the fact that I've forgot whose video. I think it was Seek One or one of those guys with the tarantulas that they got crawling around. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, minus that, I think, for sure Kansas. I mean some of the deer that get pulled out of there every year are just massive, and it would definitely be a cool spot with kind of. You know it's a lot more flat than what I'm used to, so that would kind of be cool, just a completely different style of hunting.

Mike Nyitray : 1:17:40

Yeah, yeah, no, I agree, Kansas is a great one. Like I said, it's one of those mechas of hunting. Peyton was just in Iowa and he was like man, I'm about 15 miles away from the work building I'm in right now. He's doing like some scouting. He's like, and I could see the building, like where he was, like you can't do this out on the east, like there's.

Mike Nyitray : 1:18:05

He's like it's so flat, like it's absolutely insane of how flat and it would be really cool to hunt somewhere that flat. Like you know, cause we're so used to these ridges, these mountains, you know terrain is just insane, but just to hunt flat land and he even said he goes it's a lot of farmland and then you have these, you know small areas of trees. So he's like you know where the deer are. Like you know you just have as long as your scent is good and everything like scent control is just a huge. And you know, being in upstate New York, yeah, your scent control is a huge factor, but being, I think, out there, it's even bigger of a factor and you know those swirling winds and everything like that that you got over there. So, like I heard Midwest, your wind, your scent controls is on a whole different level.

Zac Cooley: 1:18:56

Oh yeah, yeah, and that's I mean Iowa too. That's another state, that's definitely. Is that a tag system too, For?

Mike Nyitray : 1:19:04

how does that-? Yeah, yeah. So I believe Kansas is a two year tag draw and then Iowa, from what I heard, is a five year tag draw.

Zac Cooley: 1:19:14

Yeah, I even heard Kansas. I mean you'd think like landowner you could get a tag and all that good stuff, but I think it's gotta be over 90 or 100 acres to even be considered for that, so that rules out getting like a 40 acre parcel? Yeah, and you're not. You're not 90 acres in Kansas for cheap.

Mike Nyitray : 1:19:32

No, no, man, God, that sucks Cause I would love to you know. So that's a good thing about doing this little thing. It's like if it could be anywhere, listen your dream, your dream place to listen. I guess we would have to do over a certain size.

Zac Cooley: 1:19:46

Yeah, yeah, that's crazy, that's crazy.

Mike Nyitray : 1:19:49

In Kansas, yeah, so if you could be sponsored by one company any company what would it be like? Anything.

Zac Cooley: 1:20:00

Anything. Honestly, I'm going to go with all day Moultrie For some reason. I mean even if it's not hunting season. I love trail cameras, just kind of I mean coyotes, bobcats, bears, everything just kind of having eyes out in the woods, and I mean even for, like my own property now, just to make sure no one's walking in or anything like that. I think that's probably a big one for me, I think this year. Currently I have nine Moultrie's out in 15 at my house, so I wouldn't mind that that would be a nice little pay cut for me for my monthly and all that good stuff.

Mike Nyitray : 1:20:44

Trail cameras are expensive, cell cameras are expensive, but that is. And a cell cam maybe like something like I always tell, like my favorite ones, that people said one was a was great, I think Ram and I was like oh, that's actually a good one. That's like that's a good one. We've had a. We've had someone say cell phone service for the cameras and everything like that.

Mike Nyitray : 1:21:16

Mine would be like maybe like SICK or something like that, if I wasn't going to use, or a bow company, because I would get a new bow every single year, maybe two bows a year, like, yeah, so like people have used their imagination on the show by a cell Listen, that's going to save you, I think. If we're talking about the most money saved and you could just keep getting cameras and cameras and cameras would be, I think, a MULTRI camera or a reveal or anything that somebody goes with. But I agree, I love MULTRI's app and everything like that, so I'm a huge fan of their system.

Zac Cooley: 1:21:51

Yeah, customer service too. I haven't, I think, that many cameras one if I have one that has. I mean I had. I've returned three this year for water damage, which you just called the lady. Yeah, I spoke to Ashley and Ashley said all right, here we go it's. You got a new one on the way, send the other one back. I'm like, can't beat this. I've had other brands too, where you call and well, it's not under warranty, I'm sorry, like, and that kind of turns me right off. So MULTRI supports, definitely one of the best I've ran into so far.

Mike Nyitray : 1:22:26

That's great Few more typical or non-typical.

Zac Cooley: 1:22:32

Typical I mean non-typical definitely does peak my interest, but I feel like there's nothing that gets me more excited than like a big mainframe eight with just you know no kickers, no nothing. But I mean I don't really. If I had to pick, I would say typical all day. Yeah, yeah, how about you.

Mike Nyitray : 1:22:56

I'll agree with you. I do like non-typical deer, but a typical wood. There's just nothing sexier than just like a typical mainframe, like eight or 10, like, or even I would take a six too. Like you got some six pointers that are absolutely insane. Or, listen, I've seen some giant four pointers that are just like those real old. Like I just like typical Typical is really. The only way I would probably get off is if you're adding like some drop tines in there or something like. But I'm not a big person. I'm not a big fan of like all those stickers and everything like those really, really wacky ones. I'm not a big fan of those. I honestly might pass it. I'm saying that now, but if I had to shoot between one, I'm going typical all day. Yeah, I'm saying yeah, no, there's no comparison. If you could, what's your favorite hunting weather? So if you could only get out during certain time of the year with a, you know, a certain hunting condition, what are you looking at?

Zac Cooley: 1:24:04

Honestly, anything between like 40 and 45 doesn't really matter. The rain any of that, I'm more so as long as I can be like comfortable and not have to either like dress like the Michelin man and can barely walk Because I mean, like I said, I don't really, I'm predominantly hunting hangout stands, so I can't bury myself in a hut Like some people. I wish I could some days in the winter. But anywhere between that like 40 to 45, I can kind of get wearing a sweatshirt and you know my outer wear and kind of go from there.

Mike Nyitray : 1:24:46

Yeah, no, I like that temperature right there, like when you do get to that, too cold I'm like, but I do love hunting in the snow. So like that's the only like I'm a huge snow snow guy. So like some of my favorite times are, but usually when it snows I feel like honestly more insulated. You know which makes sense at snowing. But I would agree with you on that. If you could only hunt one week out of the year, if you had to pick one, just one single week. What is that week? What are the dates to that week?

Zac Cooley: 1:25:19

I would say probably like the last two days of October into that for whatever five days of November. I think, historically, now that I've had, you know, cameras running for quite some time, that's kind of the time that I'll have a couple of big boys that I've never seen before walk through as well. As you know, the most daylight activity from the shooters I've been watching all year.

Mike Nyitray : 1:25:46

I think anytime around Halloween you're like, if you're not in the woods on Halloween, like you're crazy. I think it is the best day to hunt, the most magical day. I've seen so many different bucks on Halloween and just doing things. That's like you know. The woods are starting to heat up at Halloween, like I always. Halloween is that time where it's like all right, we're now getting into that rut phase, like I'm like Halloween. Do not ask me to do anything from Halloween to the next couple of weeks. You will not. Nope, nope, nope. Do not bother me, do not schedule anything. You do not exist to me.

Zac Cooley: 1:26:26

The fiance knows that I'm nope no weddings.

Mike Nyitray : 1:26:28

The fiance knows like I am. I come back home and I'm literally passing out from like. After I take a shower and eat, I'm in bed. We'll try to be watching a movie and the next thing she knows she'll turn it and she'll be like you're always like knocked out. I'm like yeah, because all I'm doing is hunting.

Zac Cooley: 1:26:45

Like do not call me. Yeah, that's my favorite week of the year. I mean, I'll usually try to save up some of my vacation days for right around then too, just to kind of take a day off here, take a day off there. So it's funny. Like my boss is like are you gonna take off for the summer? I'm like nope, I'm saving all my days for this fall, and if you need me in October, call my other guy because I will not be involved. Exactly exactly.

Mike Nyitray : 1:27:15

You know, zach, great, great episode. I mean huge, huge fan of this. This was a lot of fun. You will be coming on again. We'll get you on from a round team. So we didn't get into the waterfowl hunting just because there's so much to get into, but we are going to. Next time you come on we are going to dive into the waterfowl. We got tons of questions. I guess we'll save the waterfowl towards once we get close to waterfowl season. I'll let you know when we're gonna do the, the round table segment, everything like that. I'll just put you in if you can do it. Great, there's gonna be tons of opportunity. That's something that we're gonna be doing quite often. Now Any last words from you, anything you want to say?

Zac Cooley: 1:27:57

No, I appreciate you kind of reaching out and getting me on. I've definitely been a big fan for the last year, so whenever we started following each other, yeah, so definitely looking forward to, you know, the next couple of episodes too that you guys got on. You got a great lineup, thank you thank you, I definitely appreciate it.

Mike Nyitray : 1:28:15

Hey, if you ever want to come down to Jersey and do some hunting any type of hunting just let us know when you go to Merlin. Listen, if we meet up at Maryland, wherever it is, because we're gonna be down there too at some point whenever you guys want to do any collabs, anything like that.

Mike Nyitray : 1:28:29

Listen, and this is for anyone out there Like we're all very open. I think everyone that we got here on our team and all the people that we kind of network with, like from only bows to urban pursuit, to all those guys like everyone's very open. So like if you ever have any questions, ever want to meet up, ever want to go hunting any type of help, just feel free to DMS Texas. Whatever you guys need and listen, we'll, if we can answer the question or meet up with I imagine somebody in our circle definitely will. But I appreciate you coming on Everyone. I hope you guys enjoy this episode. Go check out their page knocked outdoors. We'll have the link in the description below. Any questions that you need from either of us, just feel free, just DM and we'll see you guys next week.