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Rompola Buck Update

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On fakebook there is a page called Mitch Rompola Fan Club.. Gary Berger was one of the three officials that scored the buck, he is in all the famous pictures you find online of the guys pulling a tape on the rack, don’t quote me on this but I believe he was the Boone and Crockett representative that night they scored it.. anyways just a few days ago he broke his silence on that fakebook page and said the buck is real and everyone that thinks different didn’t actually see it, he did, for several hours and video taped the whole scoring session, his hands were on that rack all night and has no hesitation in saying the buck was real, he is very adamant about the buck being real, another forum called Michigan Sportsman or something has many new lengthy threads of the same crap going back and forth about the Rompola buck, but anyways Mitch’s son has come forward and said the horns are safe and never burnt up in a fire, that story was BS, and supposedly Mitch’s step daughter has come forward recently and publicly said a few things as well… but my internet snooping skills have not located that… hey it’s -20 outside what else can a bored deer hunter do besides spend money and scour the web about a deer that mite have been killed in 1998 lmao… regardless it seems like things are heating up and one can only imagine a resolution mite happen sometime soon, these guys aren't getting any younger… I have only one thing to say that is my opinion and mine only, not one person that has actually handled the rack has come out and publicly said it was fake, they all believe it was real, everyone that believes the deer is fake have all been people looking at pictures, bad pictures I mite add online like us. I believe the deer and horns are real and nothing else about the whole story, I just can’t imagine how anyone could fake horns that good to fool certified scorers, and multiple scorers at once, sure maybe a pro taxidermist could, but if he pulled off such a task, create a fake set of deer hunters, it is my belief that he, Mitch, would have needed help, and by now one would think somebody would have spilled the beans on all of it… the fact that in all these years nobody can say with 100% certainty the buck is real or not is what drives this story to still exist, people have opinions, and some really strong ones, but show me the evidence one way or another like this is a court of law and the truth is know one can say with complete conviction it is fake or real.
 
I always hesitate to sound off on this topic. I always wanted this buck to be real but must admit I have always had my doubts. I grew up less than three miles from where it was claimed to have been shot and have hunted northwest lower Michigan through Benzie to Emmett county all of my life.
I can say I agree completely with Mr. Rhoades assessment of deer size in that corner of Michigan. A 130 class buck is considered exceptional in this area (I haven't personally seen one locally) and I don't know how a buck (or bucks if you consider his subsequent claims) of this size could go unnoticed in a fairly highly populated residential area like this.

On the other hand I must admit the area he claims to have shot this buck in would certainly qualify as one of those "overlooked" areas where a buck could get older and larger than on more traditional public lands. The area is private property landlocked, very wet and most likely sees very little actual hunting pressure. I have always wondered if a reason he may have backed off the scoring of it was possibly pressure from the Hanson buck camp regarding his access to the property he may have killed it on. You have to remember at the time (and probably still is) that the Hanson buck was a big money deal and Mitch had a reputation of some questionable decision making in his past. If he was given the option of being exposed for unauthorized access to the area (which would have tainted his claim on the buck) or offered an under the table settlement to go just away he may have opted to just go away. Obviously this is all just conjecture on my part but I can see a path to how it may have played out even if it is a well faded path by now. Unfortunately the real truth may never be known. I for one though would like to hope that giants like this could be roaming among us just waiting to walk out in front of me, Heck, who am I kidding, I'd choke on a buck that big anyway! :tearsofjoy:
 
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I've hunting northern Michigan for years and what these guys like Boyne Bowhunter are saying is correct, there's not a lot of large bucks up there. However, I always found it hard to believe that Mitch, being the Scoring Chairman of CBM would ever attempt to fake a set of antlers to present to his peers. If it was just some average joe trying to scam a scoring panel, that would be easier to believe.

That being said, who would take a potential world record buck, with the money that would bring and the doors it would open, and not get the deer verified?? I think if it was real, he'd want to shut up all of the naysayers who were calling him a liar. Because of that, I believe it was most likely a fake.
 
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I always believed or wanted to believe this deer was real. I've personally experienced nay sayers on a buck a mentor of mine killed. 140" bucks weren't supposed to live there. This one did and my friend killed him. The deer was 100% legit but he received a bunch of grief, lies, and rumors from cry babies who just couldn't handle the truth. Unfortunately that's human nature. Anyway, I always gave MR the benefit of the doubt just because of that experience. However I'm also a numbers guy and if you can show me numbers suggesting other wise then I can be persuaded. The numbers say that extremely big bucks don't live there and yet this guy consistently finds them and put them on the ground in an area where NO one else is or has done. Then you add the fact that not only is it an extremely big buck but it's supposedly the world record? Yes lightning can strike once but definitely not there. and definitely not so many times. Now, I highly doubt the buck is real.

Does anyone have a link to a Nathan Killan video where he talks about the brow tine width and the width between burrs. I saw another video where they mentioned something about that him talking w/ other world class taxidermists and that it can statistically proven that deer just DON'T have wide brow tines or wide burrs.. I would love to see that video.
 
I remember when this broke and the immediate doubts accompanying it. Like the article mentioned, the lack of bucks this size in the area, the stain on the base of the antlers, the bump in the middle of it's skull that looked like a fused skull-plate, the droopy ears. I loved it then and I love it now, but it's 100% a fake deer rack. There's no way it's real.
 
Abishai said:
I remember when this broke and the immediate doubts accompanying it. Like the article mentioned, the lack of bucks this size in the area, the stain on the base of the antlers, the bump in the middle of it's skull that looked like a fused skull-plate, the droopy ears. I loved it then and I love it now, but it's 100% a fake deer rack. There's no way it's real.
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I agree with everything but the droopy ears. I have seen literally hundreds of big buck grip and grins with the deer's ears drooping.
 
Ok, I'm a little confused. While it would be intriguing to find out if it was real or not. Why has this story live in infamy? Its not like its the Shroud of Turin.

Some accounts has Mr.Rompola having a bad history with some of the organization that keep records. If I was him, I would of loved to shove the rack down their throats. If he never planned to submitted it, why ask 3 different scorers look at it at same time.

But again, it is suspicious when there are more details does not validate his buck but create more question. A tangle web etc.
 
So this guy who was the regional director for CBM and lived right next to Mitch, held a board meeting about scoring this deer but never went and saw it?
 
HuumanCreed said:
Ok, I'm a little confused. While it would be intriguing to find out if it was real or not. Why has this story live in infamy? Its not like its the Shroud of Turin.

Some accounts has Mr.Rompola having a bad history with some of the organization that keep records. If I was him, I would of loved to shove the rack down their throats. If he never planned to submitted it, why ask 3 different scorers look at it at same time.

But again, it is suspicious when there are more details does not validate his buck but create more question. A tangle web etc.
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Read @Topdog's research with this he has followed it for decades.
 
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