The Rompola Buck

[Topdog]

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!

 

[Tjraley2]

I remember it well. He was before his time.

Not sure if the buck was legit. The antlers look funky, but I’ve seen other deer he’s killed in the same area he claimed to kill that big one and they have a similar, strangely wide look. So it could be genetic for the area I suppose.
In the end, I REALLY want it to be legit.

 

[tmattson]

No answers for you but oh yes I remember. Spent much time up in TC area with my cousin when I was young. Have not thought about the "Rompla" thing in a long while. Following.

 

[tmattson]

Ill add, and not suggestion there is any correlations, but there are some deer "ranches" up in that area where one could drop $10k (or more) on a prize hunt and deer.

 

[Topdog]

Ill add, and not suggestion there is any correlations, but there are some deer "ranches" up in that area where one could drop 10$ (or more) on a prize hunt and deer.

I could see that being a possibility, the problem I have with that theory is imagine everybody keeping that quiet, it’s just hard to believe nobody would rat somebody out.

 

[BuffaloBill]

I vaguely remember perusing this issue of Deer and Deer Hunting right about the time I started deer hunting. Don't have much input but it's definitely an interesting story. Didn't they do x-rays or something to prove that it was legit?

 

[Jay_Disarray]

Following

 

[Topdog]

I vaguely remember perusing this issue of Deer and Deer Hunting right about the time I started deer hunting. Don't have much input but it's definitely an interesting story. Didn't they do x-rays or something to prove that it was legit?

He wouldn’t allow them to xray it

 

[Jay_Disarray]

I could see myself trying to not make a huge deal out of a monstrous buck if I ever had the opportunity to harvest one. I'm just a guy who enjoys sending time in the woods, I'm not looking to get famous by it, and draw in massive hoards of tag along hunters from all over the country flooding my woods to try to get one like it.

 

[Jay_Disarray]

From the reading and stuff I've done on Mitch, I have no immediate reason to doubt his ability to find deer, and deer behavior.

 

[Topdog]

From the reading and stuff I've done on Mitch, I have no immediate reason to doubt his ability to find deer, and deer behavior.

It’s quite a story isn’t it? How come we still have no answer after all this time, imagine the ability to stay quiet for that long, somebody must know something.

 

[Topdog]

 

[Jay_Disarray]

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Definitely following. I grew up in MI and remember when he shot that deer. I was a kid then. I personally thought it was fake at the time based on the nearly perpendicular beam as well as that droopy ear and the insane symmetry. Haven’t thought about it in years. I can say I never saw bucks like that when I was living up in TC!

 

[Plebe]

I'll tell you this. It's tangential at best, but it will only add to the fun I think.

I was in Grand Traverse County less than 10years after this buck was taken. I lived in Kingsley, and I hunted and fished in Grand Traverse and surrounding areas, and found places to hunt where I never saw another sole.

Once, I scouted into a swamp following a buck track and it took a couple of hours to get the hell out with all the downed conifers and a muck that seemed to want me to stay indefinitely. I couldn't have been a few hundred yards total from where I entered the swamp at any point that I was on that track. And to this day, I'm grateful I decided to turn back when I did.

I road scouted another area that really looked promising. Driving through it looked like abandoned farmsteads that had been swallowed by forest. Here and there I'd see smoke rising in the woods. At one point there were barefoot children playing by the dirt road, but no houses anywhere nearby. I skipped that area, with thoughts about what might explain the phenomena. Maybe a buck could grow old in such a place.

Anyway, the story I want to share isn't about big bucks:

While walking to a spot I had scouted one day, I came upon what looked like a mountain lion. I froze and watched it intently, from not very far away. And it sat, looking at me, from not very far away. Knowing there were no such critters in MI, I was drawn to it, creeping bow in hand, ever closer. When the cat finally turned and bounded off, I had observed it closely and nothing could explain it. That is until the following year, when the presence of Cougars was confirmed in the area. Warning signs were even erected in another spot I hunted, as if to say, "you're not crazy."

So, you believe in the Rompola buck?

I've learned a lesson or two about the mysteries of Michigan's NLP and it goes like this: 1. Anything is possible and 2. Don't let your kids play in the street without their shoes...creepy.

 

[Topdog]

I'll tell you this. It's a tangential at best, but it will only add to the fun I think.

I was in Grand Traverse County less than 10years after this buck was taken. I lived in Kingsley, and I hunted and fished in Grand Traverse and surrounding areas, and found places to hunt where I never saw another sole.

Once, I scouted into a swamp following a buck track and it took a couple of hours to get the hell out with all the downed conifers and a muck that seemed to want me to stay indefinitely. I couldn't have been a few hundred yards total from where I entered the swamp at any point that I was on that track. And to this day, I'm grateful I decided to turn back when I did.

I road scouted another area that really looked promising. Driving through it looked like abandoned farmsteads that had been swallowed by forest. Here and there I'd see smoke rising in the woods. At one point there were barefoot children playing by the dirt road, but no houses anywhere nearby. I skipped that area, with thoughts about what might explain the phenomena. Maybe a buck could grow old in such a place.

Anyway, the story I want to share isn't about big bucks:

While walking to a spot I had scouted one day, I came upon what looked like a mountain lion. I froze and watched it intently, from not very far away. And it sat, looking at me, from not very far away. Knowing there were no such critters in MI, I was drawn to it, creeping bow in hand, ever closer. When the cat finally turned and bounded off, I had observed it closely and nothing could explain it. That is until the following year, when the presence of Cougars was confirmed in the area. Warning signs were even erected in another spot I hunted, as if to say, "you're not crazy."

So, you believe in the Rompola buck?

I've learned a lesson or two about the mysteries of Michigan's NLP: 1. Anything is possible and 2. Don't let your kids play in the street without their shoes...creepy.

Good story Plebe thanks for sharing, I hunted lions in Montana with my brother, he shot a 162 lb tom, he has the whole thing mounted!

 

[Weldabeast]

I'll tell you this. It's a tangential at best, but it will only add to the fun I think.


While walking to a spot I had scouted one day, I came upon what looked like a mountain lion. I froze and watched it intently, from not very far away. And it sat, looking at me, from not very far away. Knowing there were no such critters in MI, I was drawn to it, creeping bow in hand, ever closer. When the cat finally turned and bounded off, I had observed it closely and nothing could explain it. Don't let your kids play in the street without their shoes...creepy.

They say panthers don't venture this far north but I've seen a mom and 2 kittens where they weren't supposed to be. I read a local story that the sheriff in a town a little further south kept claiming her had a panther an no 1 believed him till he got trail cam pics.....oh...and the guy in georgia who killed 1.and got in trouble...but hey, there are no panthers this far north

Don't come.to Fla....all the kids got no shoes more.than half the year

 

[Dewey]

I followed this closely back when it happened and believe the buck to be legit. There’s no doubting ole’ Mitch new how to kill big bucks. I’ve been told he killed a couple more whoppers after this one but never talked about them. Can’t say I don’t blame him.

 

[Bwhana]

Brings back memories of that time and the disappointment in the way it played out. This is big reason I am not a fan of keeping records for animal harvests and don't care much for those that tout them too much. Milo's world record was killed on a man drive and cracked the antler in the process. Mad skills displayed there to take that one! Another more recent story with similar motives was Marc Anthony. At least I got one of his ghillie suits before they quit making them, best ever! Big antlers are like getting more $ - killing giants does not turn you into someone else, they just let you show more of who you already are.

Fact or Fake: Record Whitetails - North American Whitetail

Record whitetail trophy racks can be awe inspiring, when they're the real deal. Here are more tales of separating rumor from reality & methods to prove them.

www.northamericanwhitetail.com

 

[Plebe]

I followed this closely back when it happened and believe the buck to be legit. There’s no doubting ole’ Mitch new how to kill big bucks. I’ve been told he killed a couple more whoppers after this one but never talked about them. Can’t say I don’t blame him.

I'm open minded on it. Certainly I'm interested and curious.

Despite all the mystery, one thing's for certain. When someone says "Rompola buck", whether or not they are referencing a potential world record, there are some damn fine deer that wish they hadn't come by that name.