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The Rompola Buck

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If the stories I heard of where the deer was actually taken are true, Mitch was the true pioneer of hunting the "overlooked area next to the parking lot". That's not to say he shot it next to a parking area, but the area described to me would definitely be one of those spots most would just drive by on their way to the woods.
 
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boyne bowhunter said:
If the stories I heard of where the deer was actually taken are true, Mitch was the true pioneer of hunting the "overlooked area next to the parking lot". That's not to say he shot it next to a parking area, but the area described to me would definitately be one of those spots most would just drive by on their way to the woods.
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I recall it was rumored to have been taken "within city limits". But so many rumors.

Anyway, here's how I know unequivocally it is all farce......Mitch was using mechanical broadheads and the Ranch Fairy said they'd just bounce off. Lol. But I did just read the he was using Gold Tip Gladiator mechanical broadheads with a 58lb draw. Good thing he got this deer at 12yds...probably thanks to the Scentlok he was wearing, lol.

And who said "Seems like a great hunter, why is this controversial?" Forget the deer, its all about the gear!

This was on another site:

"FACTS ABOUT THE ROMPOLA BUCK
Hunter: Mitch Rompola, Traverse City, Michigan Date: November 13, 1998 7:47 AM Hunting Method: Bowhunting From a treestand. Bow: CSS (Custom Shooting System) Signature Series Compound, 34-inch axle to axle, set at 58 pounds with Adjustable Pro-stop set to 30 inches draw with letoff adjusted to 75 percent. Arrow: Gold Tip 5-layer Laminated Graphite shaft, 5575 spine, full length 32 inches, crown dipped. Broadhead: Gold Tip Gladiator, 125 grain expandable, four blades Scent Control: Buck Fever Vanishing Hunter spray, Scent Lok Suit Scent Used: Mock scrape made with Buck Fever Synthetic Scent Shot Distance: 12 yards Distance traveled after shot: 70 yards Deer – typical whitetail, mature adult, 7 ½ years old (biologist aged) Weight, Field Dressed: 263 pounds, certified scales (estimated live weight 300+ pounds) Antlers: 38-inch outside spread, measured 216 5/8 inches net typical, by a respected panel of official Michigan measurers."
 
I read the B&C scorer's all seen the the skull plate intact. As mitch was not done with the shoulder mount. Also the buck he killed a year or two after had the same wide rack and characteristics. I personally think it was real. No doubt he was a awesome hunter. Hardcore forsure.

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Topdog said:
For those of you with a little chrome in your beard like me I am sure no introduction is needed..... you are well versed on the Rompola buck, for others.. maybe not so much, that being said I suggest some google work is needed if your a whitetail nerd like myself and like a good big buck story, a little web searching and you will find countless articles to read with many wide varying opinions. A quick overview.... Mitch Rompola, a man with a reputation as a big buck killer with several accepted and credited record book bucks under his belt, although a murky legal past (non hunting related I believe), arrows what could potentially be the next world record typical whitetail scoring well over 200”, handled and viewed by several recognized and credible people, only then to not enter the said buck in the books, although most were calling it the next world record surpassing Milo Hansen, however when offered some serious money to prove the authenticity of his buck he refused casting doubt on whether it was real or fake and everything in between, and just when you think this is over Hansen and company files a lawsuit calling out Rompola to prove his buck or call it quits and Rompola ultimately signs off saying he will never speak of his buck as the world record again or enter said buck so long as Hansen’s remains number 1, nope it’s not over yet, rumor has it the Rompola buck may have been destroyed in a fire..... This may be the closest thing to a “Tiger King” drama geared towards white tail hunters we will ever see. I like a good documentary, I like a good mystery, and I am a hard core deer hunter. I also know this Rompola buck topic can cause a commotion, I have no strong personal feelings either way on the matter. The one thing I do know is somebody has some serious tight lips because after more than 20 years we still have no definitive proof either way, a lot of people have strong feelings and opinions..... but where is the cold hard truth. Did Mitch Rompola more than 20 years ago kill what would make all of us the most well paid deer hunter ever, or is it all a complete farce. When joining Saddlehunter one of the first things I noticed was all the Michigan members and I couldn’t help but wonder would any of them happen to know more about the Rompola buck, maybe someone was a local and could share a story or 2? I would have to imagine there is some local knowledge floating around, stories from hunting camps, something.... I mean can you imagine, we live in a world now where immediate gratification of information takes seconds with a smart phone, and somehow this man may have killed what could be a world record and somehow after 20 years nobody can still say with 100% certainty he didn’t, how is that possible. So here it goes... anybody out there remember the Rompola buck and care to share their thoughts, I honestly have no strong opinions either way, maybe this thread will give me some!
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Yep...FAKE!
 
I personally don't know anything about this story. I haven't reached that plateau to were antlers mean anything to me.... I still just wanna kill any deer. What is this guys past that would cause people to question him? The pictures look real enough to me and people involved in state conservation that seen it in person said it was ok.
 
Myself, I don't believe the buck is a fake. People don't remember that Mitch is no dummy and was a Chairman of Commemorative Bucks of Michigan the official record keeper of Michigan big game trophy records for deer, bear, elk and turkey. Why would someone with that background try to fake a record animal when he's got a wall full of record animals that he's killed that have never been disputed?
 
MN_Bowhunter4 said:
I’d like to personally thank @Topdog for reminding me of this rabbit hole. Sure made the workday pass pretty quick!
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Your welcome, I sat a table digging through a barrel of receipts today doing my income tax so I completely understand LOL, long live the Rompola buck mystery!!!
 
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I remember this vividly. It made me really dislike Milo Hansen due to his greed.

I think the deer was real. I'm just not certain of the score but it looks close bigger from photos than Hansen's.

I also think if that buck ever got before the B&C panel for world record confirmation it would be put through more testing and re-measuring than any deer EVER!!!

All of the bad publicity went to Rompala, which wasn't fair. They wanted him to do things to prove the authenticity of his buck that no one had ever had to do nor anyone since.

I also think he was the better hunter (between him and Hansen).

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Plebe said:
Cool...how do you know this?
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Because big foot killed it...lol! No one allowed to examine the buck outside of his friend who mounted it? Pictures of him holding the rack with the skull plate covered up? The video he released a long time after he shot the buck shows the deer with no arrow wound or blood? Common sense and I thought this horse was beat to death twice over. Let’s not do it a third time. Yikes!!!!
 
Noonespecial said:
Because big foot killed it...lol! No one allowed to examine the buck outside of his friend who mounted it? Pictures of him holding the rack with the skull plate covered up? The video he released a long time after he shot the buck shows the deer with no arrow wound or blood? Common sense and I thought this horse was beat to death twice over. Let’s not do it a third time. Yikes!!!!
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Oh, I thought you had insider info, but even your outsider info isn't quite accurate. If it was a dead horse, we'd only need to examine the feet to reveal the farce.
 
Plebe said:
Oh, I thought you had insider info, but even your outsider info isn't quite accurate. If it was a dead horse, we'd only need to examine the feet to reveal the farce.
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Let’s not go down this road. This controversy put a black mark in the books of hunters and the hunting industry for over a decade. Move on!
 
Noonespecial said:
Let’s not go down this road. This controversy put a black mark in the books of hunters and the hunting industry for over a decade. Move on!
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Ok. It was a bit of a joke. But really, your info isn't correct about the examination of the buck.
 
Noonespecial said:
Because big foot killed it...lol! No one allowed to examine the buck outside of his friend who mounted it? Pictures of him holding the rack with the skull plate covered up? The video he released a long time after he shot the buck shows the deer with no arrow wound or blood? Common sense and I thought this horse was beat to death twice over. Let’s not do it a third time. Yikes!!!!
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