What ever happened to the rompola buck?
Whitetail Deer
Was it ever proved to be fake or what, just remembering way back when?
I was thinking about this the other day and also want to know.
I don't think it was ever submitted for official measuring.
oz
There has never been a World Record class animal that hasn't been accused of being poached, pen raised, or some other horrible thing. I remmber several people posting here that seemed way more concnered than would be considered healthy be a mental health professional. To me....I could care less about any of the records.
To me the issue with the rompola buck was he was marketing with it and trying to profit from it until he was pressured, then he never had it measured.
With Cabelas basspro and the likes paying to dollar for heads and equiptment companies paying for the I shot this deer using Doe Pee or what ever. A person could make big bucks off a new world record. If I remember correctly Rompola was at one time an official mearsurer? but never had it measured?
I don't know.
better work or I'll be looking for work.
oz
Yeah, I was looking through some old pictures the other day and came across this one....
If I remember correctly he claimed that he sold it. They had set at least 2 appointment to have the skull and horn examined by Xray and he never showed up then when they went to his house he claimed he had sold the mount. If it had been real someone would be showing it off and trying to make a buck on it. JMHO
I remember when everyone bashed it because of dropping ears. I ALWAYS look at ears in pics now, seems to me like 90% of hunters must have cut some skulls....... Guilty until proven innocent.
I assume he is legite until I see evidence to the contrary.
the droopy ear thing is just a mature buck characteristic, I have seen some 200+ south texas pen deer shot this year that look the same, check out the link http://www.texasbiggameawards.com/MarkBarrett07.jpg
Rock,
The same thing could be said it if it was proved to be fake. If proven, it would have been all over the place.
"And so are the days of our lives"
What always got me was the spread between his browtines..darn near as wide as his ears..he he...perty obvious too me
I personally have talked to several people "IN THE INDUSTRY" and they told me they actualy had the rack in their hands and that it was real!
Mitch is a great bow hunter. I think (at one time anyway) he had more bucks in The Record Books in Michigan than anyone else in Michigan! At that time back when I think he told me '18'! We only met for a brief second as I was in too big of a hurry. But I was impressed with the guy and his sensarity on a message/remark he made to me personaly!
I think Mitch is a 'loner' that likes to bow hunt and he lives that 365 days a year. Some can relate to that!! (But not everyone!) He is dedicated and hunts for "himself"....it's between him and The Bucks he hunts! Nothing More!
Where the deer 'rack' is? I have no idea. But he sure caught a lot of flack from that kill and that buck and I hope he is well and still bow hunting HIS WAY! It's all about """FUN"""! Take the FUN out and there is 'nothing'!
Will the WORLD RECORD ARCHERY BUCK ever be broken?? I hope NOT as long as Mel Johnson is still alive and well! He called me the other day 'worried' about a supposedly 212" from ILLINOIS being shot by a young man (with a BOW)....I told him don't worry....it MIGHT make 190+....but NOT a Threat to The World Record he holds!
Mel's buck has stood for 42 years now and still remains the #1 Bow Kill Whitetail!....even IF it is beat by a bow hunter someday....His will probably be the #1 with a Trad Bow (recurve).....as is Del Austins Nebraska Buck (recurve) still #1 with a Trad Bow!...(Beatty Buck took that record for COMPOUND high-letoff in Ohio (I think) for the Non-Tpical Whitetail from Del's "Old Mossy Horns"). But it was shot with a compound high letoff bow and not Trad!
The Rompola Buck (in the photo above) Is a HOG! Most of us couldn't "hold it together" if a buck of that quality came in front of us!...I wish Mitch well... where ever he is and what he's hunting!
Bucks of that quality are 1 in 10 million! (I bet)... jmho
"I think (at one time anyway) he had more bucks in The Record Books in Michigan than anyone else in Michigan! At that time back when I think he told me '18'!"
"He is dedicated and hunts for "himself"....it's between him and The Bucks he hunts! Nothing More!"
Those two statements kind of contradict each other, don't you think?
Man--this is like..."Elvis has been spotted again"...I want to rant and rave but then again I don`t...Kinda confused, guess I`ll just,,,well I don`t know...quit typing i guess
I see the bow season is winding down. Nothing to talk about but the poor old Rompola buck. What was so bad about all of it was the fact the guy may have been legit on the whole thing.
Some will mistake normal intelligent reasoning for "jealousy".
I really don't care that much, but the aspect that always puzzled me was the tiny fragment of a skull plate encased in bondo that shows up in some of his rack-only photos. Why would a guy, with his experience in taxidermy and measuring racks, cut down the skull plate to just a tiny sliver (esp on a potential WR), and then encase it in bondo within a few days after the kill?
Kodiak--I`m a taxidermist and trust me I have seen some of the best fake/reproduction antlers you can find...trust me you could not tell the difference except for the skull plate is bondo...wouldn`t take much to remove the antlers off another deer and replace them with another set--taxidermist do it all the time just not on a dead deer..we use replacement capes..so how do ya getthe other antlers off a deer then put the other ones on..simple---a "T" incision--and a chisle..sew it back up---perty simple deal
If he sold it you'd think the folks that bought it would have it verified. Who knows, maybe it's more valuable as a mystery? Hard to believe that if it truly was a WR.
But I sure can't understand why Rompola refused to have it verified. He wasn't shy about entering other animals. One of two things. It was altered somehow or he's a head case. Neither very good.
I heard that he made knife handles, the left over parts were made into buttons for his sunday shirt.
Kodiak--yes them droopy ears have always been an issue too...as with alot of buck the ears will droop when dead, but the ones in that photo drop a little more than average--I`m not saying they did chisle out the rack and put a fake one in but if they did you would definately damage the muscles which run from the top of the ear to the top of the skull plate..detaching these muscles would make the ears droop really bad..LIKE THE ONES IN THE PHOTO...he he he
If I get a late season buck I may just do a little trick on you guys and see if you can tell that i switched antlers on a buck...would be a interesting thing to do just to prove a point...I have some huge antlers at the house I can switch out..we`ll look and see if the ears droop more after i cut out the antlers ect..
One thing I will say is if they did do they ol switcharoo that they did it in the field perty quick after this animal died cause the wrinkles in his neck shows he wasn`t stiff yet. I think I could pull this off in probably 15 to 20 minutes but will calculate my time just for the heck of it...i may get bloody on this one...:)
cazador, I would agree with your statement, however neither of our statements has happened. It just seems fishy that there was so much hype about it being a new world record then it just disappeared and no one is hyping it either way. Would be interesting to know for sure one way or the other.
Wasn't he actually sued by someone, even the record holder at that time, to prevent him from saying it was the world record? Seems I remember something about this, and they agreed out of court, and then we never heard anything else. Does this kick start any memories out there?
I bought the deer from him for twenty dollars and a trade off for an elusive florida wild hog hunt. you think that deer looks big in those pictures you should see it mounted with the cape from a 125# florida deer. got to be a florida state record! anyways i will trade it for cash or a chance at one of you guys big midwestern whitetail hunts(p.s. the more beer the better the story gets when i have to explain it to my friends)
Mitch was claiming that his buck was the new World Record. Milo Hansen who was the World ,Record holder (and still is) sued hih to either prove that his buck was bigger or to shut up and go away. Mitch shut up & went away.
Several questions about the buck/Mitch & circumstances are troubling: - Why publicize the buck in the first place if he's "private"? - Why not allow the rack to be x-rayed? - People offered like $10,000 cash to Mitch to show up & have the buck x-rayed. Mitch refused. - Mitch had a promotion deal with some bow company with his super-short compound he used. Why screw the company? - Why not allow the buck to be scored, nobody ever forced anyone to enter something in the record books.
Lots more things, nothing adds up, so for now Mel Johnson & Milo Hansen hold the records.....
Mitch - where are you?!
>>>>>------------->
As far as droopy ears go the Rompla buck defies anatomy. If you run a line up the top of each ear to where it joins the skull you will see the right ear joins the skull below the eye where as the left above the eye, an anatomical impossibility. The only reasonable explanation is the cartilage holding the right ear to the skull has been severed.
This can not be explained as an artifact of the angle of the photo either. If you run a line through both eyes you can see the head is held level.
Like Travis I am a taxidermist and cape out/skin over 100 deer heads a year. I have never seen a deer with asymmetric ears.
ENOUGH it's hanging on my garage wall till I get around to making those bowie knives or till people stop asking about it and I resubmit it as a Cook county kill. Bigswivle sorry about the window.:>)
this is a legit harvest from texas this year, the ears look similiar to me
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Another thing you have to remember is when you enter a deer in the record books you have to sign an affidavit stating that the deer is legit. You can be held legally accountable if you lie on an affidavit. I think Mitch realized that the consequences were pretty steep if he kept up the charade much longer.
speeking of validity of w record whitetails, i was in alberta two yrs ago, my guide was from saskatoon sask. he told me the "real" story behind the hanson buck. it was an un real story he new names places events etc, that happened on that day. i am not saying that he was telling the truth but he was a great guy. if his story is true, hanson and his "companions" should be in jail. but it is just a story and a good one at that. its a shame you dont know what to beleive anymore even when it comes to a #$%% deer.
This will always be the most impressive whitetail of all time......
He was sued to "Put up or Shut Up" He made up his mind and that is why you have not heard from him about this buck. I just dont understand why so many are against record books? They are for the animal, not the hunter. You can have your name left out of the print if you wish.
Mitch looks just like Neil Young!!
bo-n-aro, i think it might be becuase of the people that run the record books, read chuck adams book super slam, he touches on that subject about the pompas a$$es that run the pope and young club. and Boone and Crockett, and pope and young, are not FOR the animal, if they were FOR the animal, they wouldnt be taking away from what hes got, thats why i like SCi's scoring system as far as giving the animal credit for what hes got, if this were the case, Sam Chollora would own the WR, and the Breen buck would be number 2
I am surprised there are some on here that actually think this guy is legit. If it were any of us, we would absolutely clear our names and reputations as ethical and morally strong individuals. I don't believe for one minute that this guys quirkiness stopped him from doing this, it against every man's fiber of being and I don't buy it. This guy is a cheat, pure and simple.
the deer that deserve praise are Mel Johnsons or Milo Hansons. lets gaze at legit monsters and dream about "real" deer.
Think what you want but he has killed some huge bucks before and after the one in question. A lot of people were upset because it was at the height of the expandable broadhead controversy and he used and expandable broadhead. hee hee
Smart pills in excess cause one to make bad decissions...Mitch ate too many smart pills.
Lex, ya' need any more? Got plenty. ;?)
Yeuup and I bet you and he are best friends and you can vouch for him....LOL Sorry I couldn't resist.
"Lex, ya' need any more? Got plenty. ;?)"
Thanks Roger but I have plenty, big soft ones too.
We are talking BOW KILL bucks as World Records!,,,SCI don't show me much!,,,,jmho,,,,since Pope & Young are Archery only Records! Hanson deer was a 'gunkill'! Almost blowed 1/2 the rack right off it first shot!
Jealousy I guess will always fuel fires!
I heard that buck was shot in Kansas.
They have all the big deer!
Big does too!
Boss---look at the rotation difference in the ears..Mitch`s are rotated..i don`t think this is physically podssible unless the muscles are cut..it`s like they are in the position but laying clear down on his cheeks..the anatomy of that muscle would not let that happen unless severed..the deer`s right ear is hanging alot lower than a normal deer`s ear would too...Just my observations and opinion...ther`s sum`n wrong with dem ears i tell ya
RUPE--bought time we agreed on sum`n...:)
Siberianshark--> photo shop---I believe nothing I see on the internet anymore---nut`n..especially if Rupe post a picture of a big buck..:)
BB(Bill)---could you please take those antlers and put them on another buck for us just to show folks..
This whole thing is kinda like finding out Santa doesn`t exist...I mean as a kid ya really want him to be real, but in the end it`s just a big fat lie...guys the Rompola buck isn`t real...sorry to burst your bubbles...
What's this about Santa? His ears don't droop. Leave Santa out of this. Well, ok, he's got some belly droop but that common in 'more mature' humans.
"Siberianshark--> photo shop"
if you guys only knew the truth...lol
let's just say.....pennington seed co. owns the rights to mitch's buck.
and by the way.....the pic is not photoshop. it's actually a scan of a regualr picture.
serb
Oh no---we got a believer...he he he...Just poking at ya...well the world has been waiting for the truth for a long time..just his actions alone speak for themself..soooooo many people want this to be real -- kinda like lost souls searching for their way back home..show me some video of this buck and I MIGHT be convinced--a picture just don`t cut it these days..the old statement a "picture is worth a 1,000 words" should be slashed from the English language
Ok ok--I`m sorry I dragged Santa into this mess. he he he...
serb,
I can show you a picture of the world record typical and non-typical standing side by side as well as the Jordan buck, the Breen buck, etc. In fact, I think you can get a calander with pics of all the top bucks "on the hoof".
I'm pretty sure none of them are real...
The rack picture used in the photoshopped "live photo" posted by Serb, was cropped from the original Rompola grip-n-frown pic.
Once a lier or cheat always a lier or cheat. How many other bucks did he doctor before his last that fooled people? Doesn't it seem a little strange that this guy has shot a ton of huge deer and no one else has? Every once in a while a squirel finds a nut :) Seems odd that there is only one nut in them MI woods and this guy seems to always find it.....LOL
Now, BossBowman, that is a friggin HOSSSSS, Congrats! what did it end up scoring.
Xman, are you going to say the same about Myles Keller? hes killed more huge bucks than anyone i can think of? is he doctoring his? probably not, the guy just has a knack for killing big whitetails, a trait most of us on here wish we could have
I'm sorry Turkey Huntin Fool, but "This will always be the most impressive whitetail of all time......!"
Wasn't there a rumor that he had relatives that owned a deer farm in Missouri? Is there any truth to that rumor?
Sticksender--wow--you are right no doubt about it...the end of the main beams cross over the back of the rack in the same exact spot...no doubt it`s photo shop
The deer from texas ended up scoring 230 his son shot one that scored 275 below but the damn thing was shot in velvet for fear poachers would get it, this was on MLD (managed deer lands) in south texas... in a high fence of course.
Bossbowman your pictures help prove how improbable the Rompola Buck is. If you draw a line at the top of the deer's ears on your photos you can see they join the deer's head at the same level. Not two inches lower on one side as in the Rompola Buck's case.
Bossbowman your other picture.
Now the Rompola Buck. See how much lower the right ear is in comparison to the left.
This is just not anatomically possible if the right ear is still attatched to the head.
Think about this. If this deer is fake how the hell did he do it in such little time. How do you doctor a bucks rack is such little time and still have it so it looks acceptable. He is posing with the deer within hours or a day of shooting it. How do you transform it into the final product and have it looking so good that it passes a visual inspection?
Turkey,
Why not pick Bill Jordan or Myles Keller while you are at it.
Did they ever get caught trying to pawn off the next world record buck? Did they ever get caught and convicted with a voyuer cam on their shoe looking up a woman's dress.
This guy has extremely questionable character and morals so heck yes, I would question anything Mitch has ever done. He is a LIER and CHEAT, why is it so hard for you to cross that bridge?
A loser is as a loser does. You cant change the stripes on a tiger. Actions speak louder than words...hmmm someone help me here with more analogies. LOL
XMan
chip, All you have to do is hack the skull plate out and slip in the premade fake skull plate with antlers. I could do it in less than 30 minutes, skinning, sawing, and stiched back up.
Maybe that buck's Daddy twisted his ear just like my Dad used to do to me...my ears ain't even either! I like the looks of your deer, Skinny Indidan! Mmmm...
Fulldraw-I see what you are saying but a stiching job on a deer head would be quite obvious to the naked eye. If someone questioned the legality of the rack the first thing they would look for is stiching on top. From what I have read and heard, people who have seen it and touched it said it looked real. I am just wondering how he could have done such a masterful job in such a shot time and make it pass to the naked eye.
Chip--i posted on this above--you make a small T or Y incision...chisle the rack off the real buck then add the repro antlers and sew it back up..I`m a taxidermist and trust me it`s easier to sew and stretch untanned skin than it is a tanned skin..I think in 20 to 30 minutes a taxidermist could pull this off easily...if you haven`t ever seen a exceptional set of repro antlers then go to a taxidermy convention in your home state and check some out..if done right you cannot tell the difference between real and fake..you can also drill a couple pilot holes in the fake antlers and use a 4 inch wood screw to sturdy the fake antlers so you can lift their head and take picts....if I get a late season buck I`ll just do a little step by step photo album of how it can be done...You will not be able to tell which rack belongs to the buck..very simple stuff for a taxidermist...blood is easy to clean off the fur even tho there really shouldn`t be much blood involved by doing this procedure..mostly muscle up there..
Chip--"from what I`ve read and heard"...therein lies the problem with this whole deal...who here has actually touched this deer or seen it...or seen it before he skinned it...i`m not point`n ya out..I think your question was legit...just making a point
Gotta love the off season.
It seems some folks just have a soft spot in their heart for nutballs. This guy could be Ted Kaczynski's brother.
couple of points to mke that some may be unaware of.
a warden was called to the site of the kill, and watched it dragged to the truck....do you think they drug it by the tail???? no, it WAS drug by the horns.
also, the warden, along with other official scorers for the state of michigan did score the deer. and everyone involved KNOWS, it's the real deal.
so for any of you guys who could rebuild the antlers in 30 mins after the kill, and have the antlers as solid as God intended in that time frame...not to mention, ca sew better than a plastic surgeon.....i have to lol.
as for mitch himself....weird guy to say the least.
serb
I think it might not be a photo shop. The dead buck in the pictures left eye is open alot more than the right. Like hae had something wrong with it. Just a feature of that paticular buck. The buck in the live pohoto has the same feature so just something to think about.
"In the Commemorative Bucks of Michigan’s records for Grand Traverse County, there are only two bucks listed that have made the Boone & Crockett minimum typical score of 170. One of those lists Mitch Rompola as the hunter. The other was harvested by Jim Thompson back in 1976.
There are no listings in any of the neighboring counties. In the northern half of the lower peninsula of Michigan, there have only been eight Boone & Crockett bucks listed. Four of these are typicals and four are non-typicals. The largest typical buck ever harvested in this area of Michigan scored 182 7/8. The facts don’t lie. The genetics simply do not exist in Grand Traverse County to produce a trophy whitetail of the size Rompola claims to have harvested."
Serb, I have read countless articles on this, in none of them does it say he had a game warden verify the kill site and deer.
quote:
"a warden was called to the site of the kill, and watched it dragged to the truck....do you think they drug it by the tail???? no, it WAS drug by the horns. "
First time in the history of this crazy saga, that I've ever head that claim made.
Serb, are you yanking chains or shooting from the hip? I thought Genesis warned you to lay off that bad cheese ;-)
.
I don't believe it is legit either; however, the claim that the genetics are just not present-I lived in MI. It has nothing to do with genetics but herd structure. How many deer make it over 4.5 in that state? Too much hunter pressure, and I think slug/rifle season is still in November is it not? Herd size also puts pressure on the habitat. I don't think it is impossible or even highly improbable for a deer to have the potential up there. Also, lots of swamps and great hideaways that deer could grow to a ripe age and never be observed.
Remember, everyone thought PA did not have trophy potential either, look what has happened the last few years after the new regs went in.
LW, I was quoting an article. The key point I was trying to quote was the number of deer killed that are B&C deer in the area. Only 2 deer...and neither were above 190"...that says alot about the odds we are talking here that a deer of this size even exists or has the potential to exist. My squirrel finding a nut applies to this thought. Wouldn't one just one deer get killed by some lucky hunter over the years that is a B&C buck?
Watch out for Serb, he can twist an oak tree and make maple syrup :) LOL
The Rompola buck is currently on display at an unnamed diner located in Roswell, New Mexico. Elvis is frequently seen eating there. I also believe in the Easter Bunny!
The folks that get me are the ones that think Mitch didn't want it x-rayed because he's a "private" guy.. if you believe that, you're as nutty as a fruitcake.
If he's legit it gets/or would've been x-rayed!
Couple of questions... Will we be talking about this 10 years from now? Could this be a Dateline/20-20 special and would you watch it?
Rick
if anyone says that deer was drug by the horns they'd be a lier.
headhunter- why would mel be "worried" about a 212 shot by a bowhunter in illinois? he is not gonna make any more money off his buck no matter how many bigger bucks get killed!
I don't have an answer for all of the specifics but, if any of us killed a deer like that. We would not shut up and go away. Mitch Rompola wouldn't have either. He hadn't in the past. Correct me if I am wrong but he had entered deer into the books before?
If he were a private man or a recluse he wouldn't have been squaking world record and had posters made with him and the buck for CSS. All this crap disappeared when Hanson threatened a suit. I think it is really simple. HE IS A FAKE AND SO IS THE DEER! Maybe it was pen raised, maybe it was taxidermically(I just made that up) created but either way it is not legit.
Nobody on this planet would take all the crap he took if the deer was legit. He could have shut them all up and held the new WR.
IF the deer was real.
Fake rack. I have read official scorers on this site saying they can't tell real racks from fake racks. They don't x-ray most racks when scoring, so for all we know his other bucks could be fake too.
Missouri Monarch 333 7/8 anything is possible and anywhere
I shoot one that big and I am calling the local warden, state patrol, news 9, local congressman, my pastor, and probably a host of other people before I touch it. It's a shame that every truelly world class deer taken has to fight the pen raised, poached, fake.........you get the picture. That being said, something was wrong with that one. Someone accused me of poaching and or creating one and all I had to do to clear my name was let someone look and or x-ray my deer. Well you can bet your butt someone would be looking and or x-raying the thing. Of course if you didn't own the property it was shot on you'd be looking for a place to hunt shortly because the landowner could name his price for that piece of ground.
I said this once before above: "I know people...in The Industry...that have held that rack in their hands....and they told me It Is Real"!... Reliable Respected People!!
I myself would NEVER doubt "their word"!
Hansen didn't threaten suit....The Seed Company did! And WHY would they do that?? Because they use The Hansen Buck for Advertisement....Do You Think The "Hansen Buck" was eating that produced plant from that seed company??????? (I doubt it)
It was a GUN KILL anyway....so I don't even acknowledge it....this is The BowSite! Bow Hunting (not firearm) and Rompolla's buck was a Bow Kill!
'baldy'....Mel Johnson don't really make any money off his buck now....the only money he really got was when he sold it....and not for much back then! But....People/Catalog/Sporting Goods Store....Publicize it without Mel getting NO COMPENSATION for THEM using his name and 'his kill'! That is a shame they 'use him' like that! They sell Coffee Cups, Shirts, Hats, Jackets,...you name it....and use Mel's name for "FREE"! Without so much as a Thank You or merchandise given to Mel! But that is Mel's business and not mine. But I can tell you he don't like it either....but he has let them get by with it too long now!
Rompola's Buck Is/Was Real!!
I must also say this about "droopy ears"! I was getting my hair cut one day back around 1972. The barber when cutting my hair told me this: "Peoples ears are not the same alighnment on their head"! The right and left are 'off' from eachother.....so why wouldn't a deer (or any animal) be the same way???????
Just maybe....just maybe....he looked at everything going on and said...."I don't want anything to do with this BS". Every consider that?
I'll tell you....the largest rack I have ever seen in person was a chocolate colored 10point that hung in a friends home. It was shot in Columbia County PA by a family menber around 1940. It was destroyed by a house fire and lost in the 80's. It had only ever been unoffically scored out of curiousity, and the family respected the grandfathers wishes to not enter it. It was an unbelievable rack.
Stranger things happen.
In my opinion not everybody is motivated by fame or money. Rompola has let it go, why cant everyone else.
Just curious if anyone else remembers the pictures published in D&DH which showed the buck lying in the back of a pickup? I still have the two issues which covered this and showed those pictures. These were ones I've never really ever seen anyone critique. It would be interesting to see what some of you would have to say. I have no opinion on the authenticity of it but I too have personally spoken to people in the industry who said it was faked. If anyone has ever seen the reproductions of Tom Sexton I don't think anyone can argue the potential for a rack to be faked and unrecognizable but the intracies surrounding the follow up to the kill would be much harder to pull off, thats where I'm interested in re-reviewing the D&DH story and seeing those pictures again. If I had a scanner I'd try to post them but I'm sorry thats not possible for me. Anyone else know what I'm referring too?
"In my opinion not everybody is motivated by fame or money."
If that were the case with Rompola, he would have never made that buck public and he never would have been convicted of stealing food stamps while working for the postal service.
Herm makes some great points but I have one question I have been wanting to ask for years............
Did someone switch the period and exclamation point keys on your keyboard?
Herm
Evidently you have some intimate knowledge in this ordeal and I will be the first to admit that I don't. I will accept the deer was real. But, if everything was on the up and up why would Rompola not clear his name? I can understand him going quiet to prohibit a possible lawsuit, I would do the same. That being said, I would silently go through with the scoring process. Once it was panel scored and certified as the new world record I would tell that seed company or any one else to pound sand! I find it hard to believe that ol' Mitch wouldn't do the same. That is the part most people can't accept.
If the rack was faked where did the antlers come from? If the deer was shot anywhere near humans it would be recognized by the public? If I remember the story he had found drops from this deer years ealier?
I guess my point is if it is faked the antlers had to come from somewhere, They couldn't be a reproduction and pass headhunters buddy test.
oz
Good Lord..................no wonder there are people like Jim Jones that get people to believe his crap and then commit suicide...I wish gates would invent a way for us to reach through the monitor and slap eachother
I have no opinion one way or the other.
BUT, I have seen bucks, especially older bucks, that have had the cartilage in their ears broken, most likely fro fighting, where one ear hangs lifelessly at the side of the deers head. The ones (I've seen 2 that I remember) that I've seen have no control over the "broken" ear. Even when the ears should have been in the alert position, the broken ear did not even wiggle.
The plot thickens........
-Steve
PS- If Serb says it, I believe it. I like that one guy referred to Serb as "Siberian shark"
Anyone have a good sized picture of the buck?
"and he never would have been convicted of stealing food stamps while working for the postal service."
Perhaps he shut up and disappeared because he has other skeletons in his closet that hadn't been exposed yet. Perhaps he was worried that the intense scrutiny into the deer and himself would cause past disgressions to come to light.
Just a thought......
when it comes to bowhunter, or just hunter unity. the rompola buck is the microcosm of what bad behavior by hunters means.
as herm has said, and many don't want to believe...mitch was not alone in the removal of this deer. there were many people present with going ons when the thing happened. there are a lot of witnesses to this event. but as many here would have you believe, it's the world's most well thought out plan known to mankind. lol
why didn't mitch capitalize in this deer's taking.....not everyone cares to do things like i would have. if it were me....i'd have more media, attorney's, wardens, family, friends, and industry insiders at the scene than one could imagine. i would have made a good chunk of change off the kill to get back for all the darn gear cabela's has made me pay for over the years. lol
but mitch DIDN'T. but unlike mitch.....i don't have 18 monster bucks to my credit...and i even manage large tracts, and raise deer.....so who's the better hunter...me....or that monster deer killer mitch?
jealousy is what happens more and more as our sport evolves to the point of competition, and as i see it going further...it will only become more competitive.
serb
let's also not forget who was most responsible for the bad things that started to be said of mitch....LARRY HUFFMAN.
larry as we all know, was the worlds largest whitetails antler collector. he had a very bad taste in his mouth prior to the this rompola buck with mitch , over ANOTHER DEER that mitch shot in michigan, that mitch WOULDN'T sell to larry. larry hated mitch, and when this deer came out, and mitch was the killer of the animal....all larry did, was to go out of his way and print article after article on how it's a fake in the face of all that really did happen. he was the crusader of the smear campaign that got this going in a very negative light.
serb
"Perhaps he shut up and disappeared because he has other skeletons in his closet that hadn't been exposed yet. Perhaps he was worried that the intense scrutiny into the deer and himself would cause past disgressions to come to light."
What's this have to do with the deer. He could have honored the deer and only allowed a writer who agreed not to mention him have the story.
It's about the deer guys, not the hunter!
SteveOz, brings up a very good point.
I will make one comment. There is probably only a handful of people that know the real story. The rest is pure speculation. None of us know how Mitch thinks. Remember one of the great things of our country is-Innocent until proven Guilty. Why do most feel the right to slander or throw out your bs comments, without having the knowledge of what truley happened? I guarentee almost everyone of us has a skeleton or two of some sort in their closet. I myself would rather not bash another hunter, not knowing the facts 100%. More than that, I would rather spend my time productively, like trying to kill a big buck, or preparing for next season!
Addict,
Read above. Yes we all have skeletons, again though it's about the deer. He should have given that animal its due respect and left himself out of it.
"He could have honored the deer and only allowed a writer who agreed not to mention him have the story."
With the way the media is in this day and age that would be practically impossible. Trash and dirt sells. Just watch the nightly news.
LW, it has every thing to do with the deer. If it was a 125 buck, very few would have interest. Being a contender for the new world record, has everyones interest. Doesn't matter who he picked to write the article, someone, would have been digging in his past, trying to find things that were unrelated to the harvest of the deer. Really THINK about it.
whitetailaddict, very well said. AS far as honering the animal I dont understand what you mean. That buck is dead and if rompela chose not to enter it that is his business and not anyone elses.
What better way to keep everyone from bothering you or trying to steal the rack in the middle of the night than to let everyone believe it is fake.
I have no opinion either way if it is real or not and I doubt if anyone of us will ever have enough information to know otherwise.
All the people that were supposedly there with him, including the CO, could have brought the deer forward and allowed him to remain anonomous. His actions stink, even though I agree we should not attack him. I kept up with the story for awhile and here was my take on it. He did not mind the spotlight until questions about the legitimacy of the deer were asked. Again, not questions about him, but the deer. His character came into question as it should have. If this was a fraud, would a guy of his character be capable of doing something like this. It is a fair question to ask. If no fraud, those questions would not have been asked.
And, all these other allegations about his character, a good way to make a statement that his postal/food stamp episode was a one time act of poor judgment would have been to prove the deer was not a fake. Everyone would agree we have all made mistakes, why should his one or two mistakes color his taking off this animal.
It doesn't pass the smell test no matter how much perfume a couple of you put on it.
I wish I still had the copy of a leatherwall post at the time (which I did copy but can't find).. it was Dan Bertalen saying once and for all that it was the last time he was going to talk about it but the buck was real and he saw and handled it. Certainly, there is a bunch of crap on here about his buck and the topic irritates guys but I put a lot of faith in Dan's words. The whole ear thing is so rediculous to me....how can anyone even spend 1 second on that aspect of this. I am bothered by the the fact that virtually nothing has come (leaked) of this story. Dan I (Siberianshark)...you seem to know something about this all including the "owner" of the rights to the buck...where the hell is the thing? Are you prevented legally in some way from speaking about this more directly? It is gossip and hearsay such as w/ Mitch but why wasn't there much said about the Hanson Buck being shot from a pick-up?
Steve J NY
"Remember, everyone thought PA did not have trophy potential either, look what has happened the last few years after the new regs went in."
LW you talking about the antler restrictions there? I kinda heard the "# of points on one side" wasn't working that well, I may have been misinformed. In texas they started implementing a 13 inch inside spread in some high pressured areas and they are working wonders, I mean it is amazing how big some bucks can get if the just make it to 3.5 years old, and then you have some that slip through to 4.5 and 5.5 and guys are shocked how big they get.
My understanding which may have been stated earlier is that this guy is someone who for whatever reason doesn't like the spot light. Sure he has bucks in the books but what's involved in that? Alot of guys have bucks in books but there is only one W R. Nobody wants to check on your 150 class buck. And lets all be real if any of us was lucky or unlucky enough to kill a potential new world record the scrutiny would be overwhelming. There are "lone wolf" types of guys that just might disappear in that kind of circumstance. I don't really care one way or the other, I'm not a "score this one" guy as a matter of fact I rarely open those kinds of threads. But all of us have seen some pretty freakish bucks in our time so I have no problem thinking that his buck is the real thing. MO
We all need to 'get a life' huh?
It doesn't matter that Mitch is a 'hermit/recluse'. He just isn't out there promoting himself. Some things just don't matter to others....as to what 'others' should or would of done! Some people don't like The Limelight! Some people don't do things the way others do or would!.....and YES.....everyone has some skeletons in their closet! Those are better left "in the past"! (mine are)
You can take it or leave it. But there is no sense arguing over it or taring it down more and more. It's DONE! It's OVER! It's behind us! Mitch moved on with his 'hermit lifestyle' and I in a way can understand why some people are like that! He lives to bow hunt.....so let him hunt in peace!
I Like Santa Claus!....but as a OLD adult....I've come to hate Christmas for what it is....Money and Buying......we have all forgot about what it Truly Is! Well, not all of us.....but the comercialization is BAD and all about sales and profit!
Maybe Mitch is Santa Claus?.....who knows?
Or one of his little elves whom is good with a saw, sewing, and molding. he he he
I dont know how many have seen this, just thought I would add the Rompola recovery video
this guy is far from not knowing how to kill the big bucks.
This is like the famous picture of the Loch Ness monster. On his deathbed the guy finally admitted it was a fake. I guess we'll have to wait a while.
Mitch could have killed all the accusations/speculations in ONE DAY with an x-ray. Enter it, not enter it, whatever, but he could have proved the deer was real immediately. If he didn't want attention he could have thrown the rack in the trash compactor and destroyed it. No more attention.
Again, IF the deer was real.
SteveOz, you don't need an rack to make a fake rack. You can make them from scratch.
Yes, there's another picture of Mitch not promoting himself.
BMI, I've seen that video. Where's all the witnesses, the CO, and people who helped him get it out?
Serbianshark- You post a known Photoshopped "Live Photo" of the buck, then call guys "jealous"????
Yep, it's definitely the cheese.
.
"BMI, I've seen that video. Where's all the witnesses, the CO, and people who helped him get it out?"
Couldnt tell ya buddy, maybe they were back at the truck or making a coffee run
If ya read the article below the video you`ll see that NOBODY helped him get it out(300lbs) ..
"For the better part of the day, Mitch muscled the huge deer, a body length at a time, over the remote ridges. Finally, with exhaustion tapping the last reserves of his adrenaline, Mitch slid the deer up a special loading ramp into the back of his truck."
Man this guy must be a loaner if he didn`t get any help to drag 300lbs of dead weight across all these ridges...hard telling how many miles..I also heard it was uphill both directions...and snowing
I can`t get the video to work...but i will say the article is interesting and is worth the read
Even in that last photo, the ears look a little crooked. Did anyone check this one out, or is this guy so good he is the only one that kills big bucks in MI? I have been hunting too long to believe that Serb, and glad most others on here have as well.
I like the way someone challenged our manhood for talking trash about their hero. What about his manhood that he can't take a little heat to give an animal the glory it deserves? Hehehe.
Obviously I have no idea if the buck is fake or real. I just watched the "walk up video", and I have a couple questions. Where is the blood, either on the body or the nose and mouth? The video says "center shot on the right side and the arrow stayed in", I guess with the deer laying on his right side, that would cover that blood and the entrance wound. But a lung shot deer should have blood from the mouth and nose on the walk up video, before the deer was cleaned up for pictures. And the arrow stayed in on an 11 yard shot? Not likely with a compound, was this kill with a recurve? I assume Mitch trailed the deer to find it, why is it facing him on the walk up? There could be simple answers to these questions, as we all know, anything can happen. But for everything to happen on one deer, well, it does make the story hard to believe.
http://groups.msn.com/TheMichiganHuntingandFishingClub/thebuckscored.msnw
read this one--even has some phone numbers of the guys who measured it...WHAT if we all are wrong and the buck is real..OMG
Maybe someone can answer this. In my early days of bowhunting, as I collect books, I had a book and I believe the authors name was Dan Bertalan, something like that. The book was stolen. Anyway, it featured a chapter, on some of the best bowhunters in the US, in that book. It had Gene Wenzel in it, and Mike Steliga on bears etc.
One chapter was called SwampMaster, and it was about a guy named Mitch Rompola. I was fascinated by this chapter, how the guy ended up in N Michigan etc and his hunting skills. He stressed hunting deep in cedar swamps, and shooting deer within feet, not yards, which was the rush for him.
I learned alot, and have used his methods, and I did pretty well. Does anyone know what that book was called, the correct spelling of the author, and how I could get another copy? thanks in advance if you do.
Did they X-ray it? Are these known acquaintances? Think about it, why would he allow this but not make it open to the public?
Mitch, if I am wrong, I apologize, and you are just weirder than I am!
travis...."read this one--even has some phone numbers of the guys who measured it...WHAT if we all are wrong and the buck is real..OMG "
this is only scratching the surface. trust me. it's real.
and as for mitch....he's a yo-yo if only for the fact, that he let's a truck chased totally exhausted deer, shot by a bullet's a-blazing canadian hold a title that so in earnest belongs to a man who's whole life is dedicated to the pursuit of whitetails and to the sport of bowhunting.
we gentlemen have become our own worst enemy. and if you guys were to have been fly's on the wall. you today would and should be ashamed of yourselves.
just for your information...milo's deer was never asked to be x-rayed. neither was beatty's, and neither will many of the future monsters that will come. but because of frickin pissed off larry huffman, and his writtings, and the net....word spread like wildfire in a very negative way about mitch. it's a travesty to bowhunting, and especially to the way the hunting community has treated this true bowhunting brother.
serb
here's another thing some of you may not be aware of. did you know mitch was from kansas? did you know that at a young age he was also holding records or close to them, for nt, AND typ deer in the state of kansas?
BY THE WAY...HE WAS 17 THEN.
ah...i bet most here didn't know this.
I thought he was from Mizzou
OK Mitch is a fruitcake, but what about the guys that bought it? Surely they would have it verified? If real, what's the problem? Sorry guys, not one damn thing adds up here. Not one. And "wittinesses" mean crap. Facts are facts. It's put up or shut up. In this case it was shut the hell up.
Geez, there are folks that have "proof" the military shot down an alien spacecraft. That Bush planned 9-11, and so on. Honest, they have "proof". Oh. You want "real" proof? OK, if you're going to be that way about it I won't show you. So there. Neener neener neener.
Serb,
It is sad to say but perception is reality! The perception is, since he won't quell all the rumors, is that this is somehow not legit. I am the first to admit, that I know only what I have read which basically means nothing.
If I were him I wouldn't care if they had ever x-rayed anyone elses racks but, I would beg them to do mine. The saying put up or shut up says it all.
Mitch chose to shut up.
whitetailer...check here......
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/096239551X/ref=nosim/kayetechsystems
"Bowhunting's Whitetail Masters" by Dan Bertalan
And to think I sold my copy for $25. :-(
I don`t know that he is a fruit cake...Look if he would come out and prove this buck is real i would be the first in line to say i`m sorry..If it was real I would actually appreciate him not glamorizing it and trying to get rich off of it as the majority of the hunter`s in the world would..i mean really holding the world record buck would be the ultimate bragging rights uh? As far as Milo hanson goes I could care less about that frizzy haired rack shooting canadian bla, bla ,bla...Serb--I haven`t ever put down his knowledge of whitetails as any hunter could and should only appreciate his harvest and knowledge of hunting big bucks...but these days you have to hav the whole package as Simon Cowell would say..can`t be drag`n a iffy past around behind ya and expect people to repect you as a person at the drop of a "buck"...oops--I mean at the drop of a hat...so maybe he dug his own grave here with a troubled past--possibly pi$$ing some people off along the way..who knows the politics involved...BUT until it`s proven real the hunting world is going to mock him till proven otherwise...
TD--wether it was verified or not..real or fake it would still be worth a ton of money...the most controversial buck on the face of the earth..it would sell for tons on ebay even as a fake...
Joey, thanks so much. Serb why didn't you know that buddy?
Whatever happened to Dan Bertalan??????????
this one has similar antler structure with strangely wide brows?
whitetailer.....interesting tie in to Rompola and Bertalan....
http://www.whitetail.com/rompolagate2.html
Might want to read the "first part" of that particular story, too. Just click the link at the top.
I don't know the real story, but have heard that Dan married a lady that has a disdain for hunting. So he's not doing it anymore.
Fleewood Mac had a great album named for such. ;-)
Maybe he could be "Waterboarded" into telling the story........sorry j/k ;)
I don't have any dog in this fight and I don't care either way but some of you might also want to know that the person that offered the 10,000.00 to have the rack X-rayed was a man by the name of Craig Calderone (sp) It is my understanding that Mr. Calderone also had an INTENSE dislike for Mr. Rompola due to the fact that Mr. Rompola was instrumental in getting a buck that Mr. Calderone shot removed from the record books for game violations. There is and was a lot of bad blood between the two and don't think for a minute that this fact did not also weigh heavily on some of the things that transpired.
I don't know any of the particulars but maybe Serb can weigh in on this also.
KPC
LOL! travis, I'd bet it is for sale on ebay! With the certified WR paperwork included!
Shucks guys, spring is coming soon enough. Bears and turkeys, oh my...
"here's another thing some of you may not be aware of. did you know mitch was from kansas? did you know that at a young age he was also holding records or close to them, for nt, AND typ deer in the state of kansas?
BY THE WAY...HE WAS 17 THEN.
ah...i bet most here didn't know this"
I did.
Serb how do you explain him claiming to have killed the record NT deer with a broadhead that had not yet been invented?
He invented it, but did not want to subject himself to any scrutiny, so he gave the design away and allowed a firm to claim it as theirs.
You have to come up with tougher questions than that!
Some very intersting twists here and it only adds to the many questions.
For the guys who are defending him, Headhunter and Serb, please outline how you know factually these things are true. Do you know Mitch personally and can vouch for his character or are you just taking his side cause you want to believe that this person could possibly be legit? Have you seen the buck yourself and looked it over?
Actions speak louder than words, and up to know, his are all suspect. Recluse or not, if you knew Mitch, why didn't you help him in his time of need?
GEREP-where did you get that info about Calderone?
I remember the INCREDIBLE deer (Perfect 7 x 7 or 6 x 6; scored 193 + typical) he harvested back in MI. in the 80's. If I remember correctly, some time later (maybe even the next year) he and a friend were stopped for shinning deer with a spotlight- which was not illegal-except his friend had a .22 rifle in the vehicle! oops!! They swear it was a mistake and they forgot the gun was in the car. He was cited and later they removed his deer from some of the recognized record books(I think the state DNR and PY may still have it on record). . .there may be much more to this and I am just calling back memory. . . so I could be wrong. Interesting. . . Feel free to correct me if necessary.
Dan, to add to the Calderone thing, I believe he took that giant with a recurve too.The whole thing is such a mess!! Being from Michigan and seeing two absolute world class deer get blitzed by greed or whatever was really sad.I mean for awhile the whole state was buzzing over these two giants and now it's like no one has heard of them.You know everyone always talks about Iowa, or Illinois, or Ohio but never Michigan as a really wopper state!! We were really on top of the world for a little while.ED
grmtnman
I almost forgot you, sorry I didn't respond to your enlightening post. Please feel free to add more of your intellect to this site, I am sure you have something worthy to say when your not puking all over yourself.
XMan
rut,
Most of the people posting here have shot some big old boys and I would put most of them up against Mitch. This thread isn't about jeolousy or greed, spin it that way if you must, but IMO its about the mystery of the deer and was it real.
Also, its snowing like a mutha, and this is more interesting than Survivor. :)
XMan
"Also, its snowing like a mutha, and this is more interesting than Survivor. :)"
You should be watching Last ONE Standing on Discovery channel. Good stuff X!
Rick
Ok xman, I'll bite. With bow season over a few days ago, there is nothing that I would rather do than banter back and forth with you...except maybe poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick. Do I want to engage myself in a debate that is purely speculative? Probably not as I had never heard of this gentleman before today. Would I like to discuss assasinating one's character behind thier back? Sure, but not online lol. In my opinion, that type of talk does not make for a very big person. Judge not lest thyself be judged. Oh shoot, wait a minute, Iv'e already judged you. Tell you what...since I don't know you I'll wipe the slate clean and reserve judgement.
Some men are hunters and some men think they are hunters. Rompola appears to be in a very small and very elite group of hunters. he has got to come up with a better way of meeting babes though.
If they are true, all these "conflicts" Mitch has with these people who supposedly "smeared" him, it would make it all that much sweeter for Mitch to read his name as the #1 B&C typical whitetail, knowing those others "smearers" were dying with envy.
Yet he chose not to enter it.
I also think there should be some blood in that video. I haven't walked up to many bow-killed deer where there is no blood at all. It's usually everywhere. There is NONE in that video.
And that deer is 150-160 pounds.
And Michigan as a trophy state? Seriously? I know people in Michigan and a 3-point with a 6" spread is a trophy because if you pass it the guy 100 yards from you will blast it.
p.s. I didn't mean to offend you xman...in this neck of the woods pussy is an acronym for mighty hunter ;)
Carpe Diem my friend. Don't waste it bad mouthing others.
MITCH HAD HIS TWO STATE-RECORDS FROM MISSOURI!!!!!!!
So he said in an interview we did before the questionable buck.
His criminal record also hurt is credibility with his big deer.
If Mitch is a true hunter, then I am happy with being classified as not one. I bet most agree!
C'mon, mitch is sitting back enjoying the fact that every time his name comes up it consumes 1/2 of the bowsites bandwidth.
People kill for that kind of fame. What a way TO make people talk about you.
Think about it, when was the last time the Hansen buck comendeered (sic) a thread, or entire hunting cultures attention? ;^)
Bill in MI
Mitch was once the president or chairman of CBM (Commemorative Bucks of Michigan). He pushed to take Calderones buck out of the CBM book because of the spot light violation. Guess who's buck was number one prior to Calderones buck - You guessed it -Mitch.
Mitch used to be at the Deer spectacular in Lansing MI back in its very beginning. Saw him there a couple times and he was a pretty good speeker. He had a pretty detailed method of tracking big bucks and hunting them in big swamps mainly on the ground. He had more pics of him and very nice bucks shot in Michigan. Buck after buck - many 120 to 130 class bucks along with his 3 or 4 monsters.
Also, I remember one of the slides in his show he had a pic of him and about 10 pronghorn bucks in the back of a pick up. Not sure what state, but he said that it was legal and he shot them all spot and stalk on land owner tags. He said he shot them all in a couple of days and that they were all over pope and young. His point for including the slide, I remember well, was that killing them with a bow was easy compared to killing mature whitetails.
I am surprized no one has brought up the synthetic scent company.
There are more twists and turns to this story. Who knows what the truth is.
grmtnman,
"The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out." Macualay
I am not offended, but keep in mind this site is always public. If you are easily unbridled by character evaluations, I recommend you find entertainment where thus does not exist or you will go mad and lurk. This man went public, he deserves scrutiny as part of this evaluation. For I did not claim to kill the beast and raise my mighty sword looking for glory.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:34
Carpe Diem
XMan
i apologize gentlemen on saying Kansas. it was a typo on my part, and i did mean Missouri.
now the question has been asked of me, and did i personally handle the deer. the answer is no. do i know mitch personally and call him a friend...no.
so how do i know so much. without going into to many details, as i am bound by an oath to a person very close to me (family), who was there. trust me....it's real.
i also know someone very well who in fact....did score the deer, and does know mitch. it's real.
as for mitch being a felon for looking up a skirt...lol. that's a good reason to doubt the deer.
i do know a lot more than i can say here, but as it is. i can't. time will definitely change the way this thing plays out in the end.
calderone was just trying to be a prick. and mitch simply can't be swayed by money, or fame for that matter.
if you guys knew this guy....trust me on this....he'd be the ultimate bowhunting hero. no horn for money, no guns, all bows, no fenced opps. heck, i'd think you guys would elect him king of bowhunting......if you only knew.
but instead....you guys do this. i'm done on the subject.
good day.
the fake pic leads one to believe that the whole thing is fake, in my opinion . and anyone should be able to tell that the "live" photo is a fake/photo shop of the "kill" photo because the rack is in the same exact postion. odds on that are millions to one i am sure. also the brow tines look like they are forward of the main beam. i have never seen a rack that had this. ever.like the brows are added on to the side of the rack. i bet you think OJ's innocent to!
jealousy--??---I think Xman nailed it--there are many people here on the site who have taken big bucks...hunting big bucks is quite simple...LOCATE one and hunt like hell till ya get him...it`s a pretty simple equasion..let the little ones walk and throw your tag away at the end of the season if you don`t shoot that buck..This will probably be the 2nd year in a row I throw my tag in the trash...here in KS it doesn`t take a rocket scientist to harvest a big buck--at any given time a 150/160 class buck could walk out..see most of of Midwest guys don`t buy books on how to hunt big bucks..we don`t have to cause we know they are out there and we know how to hunt them... I`ve had two oppurtunities on one 160 class buck and one big non-typ this year but blew it..I just think we empower these so called "professional" hunters in our sport wayyyyy to much...to me there are no experts, professionals, ect...just hunters..this glamorized BS has gotten way out of control..the buck is a fake until it`s proven otherwise--it`s just that simple--YES he has to prove it.....this friend of a friend crap don`t cut it...MITCH is the only one who can come clean on this deal...he created this mess the very instant he let that photo go public...He ain`t stupid enough to think the whole hunting community would just say "nice buck" and acknowledge it as a world record...he knew there would be scrutiny and doubts and he knew it would have to be scored and verified by B&C...perty simple deal
HunterJoe's accounts are pretty ironic, he was public long before that day, trying to make a name for himself. This guy wasn't an introvert, he was giving public presentations...LOL
Serb, I want to believe you, heck I enjoy reading your opinions and respect you, no one here is more thought provoking or creative. Travis outlined the issue well, only Mitch can clear his name by taking a few minutes out of his day to get it XRAY'd. He certainly has the time now that he's not giving those presentations :)
I just read your post LW and agree. Its very simple for me in that way, I love this sport just like I love watching and playing baseball. Pretty sad day today that the people my son idolize and have on his wall are on a list of supposed cheaters using performance enhancing drugs.
Ditto to what Serbianshark says on every account. It is real and in time everyone will know.
On another note, I know of several other bowhunters who like Mitch prefer not to be in the spotlight and bowhunt big bucks just for themselves. One of them has over 25 bucks scoring over 140 with 3 over 170 and not a single one is or ever will be "officially scored" and entered into a book. Most of the really good "big buck" hunters are very private and secretive/reclusive.
speedbow-
Read Serb's post in it'e entirety. He maked it very clear that they are NOT the best of pals.
This is where I continue to scratch my head. A few of you say he is a recluse, private and secretive guy yet he entered many deer in the book, he had his buck scored, and he did presentations for other hunters prior to this. "Mitch was once the president or chairman of CBM" Is this a reclusive personality or someone that is secretive? Actions speak louder than words, still not buying it.
I don't know this man, but everyone here keeps commenting on what a loner, introvert he is. And how he disappeared because of all the media. My question is simple: Who brought this deer and it's photo public?? Did someone sneak in and take his photo with it when he wasn't looking?? Did he think B & C and everyone else would just say, great job, heres the record and your million bucks? Another observation, in the picture with just the skullplate the skullplate is very small. This was apparantly taken 13 days after the kill. Ask any taxidermist or scorer and they will tell you if a whitetail it going to shrink during the drying period it will be in the spread. Therefore you leave a large skullplate or the whole skull for that matter until the drying period is over. The consistent monster buck killer would surely know that, especially with a deer of this spread and potential world record. Not to mention the risk of the skullplate fracturing. And for those who keep talking of how this will be shown to be real, not unless someone breaks Hansens record. Mitch signed a gag order until that happens.
Very interesting reading but after looking at the rack for a while is amazes me that both sides are almost identical. Brow times are the same length, G-2 same length, G3 same length and a bit palmed, G4 same length and both flare out in the same direction and both tips have crab claws. It just seems that it is to much to believe one side is going to be almost a perfect twin to the other.
Wow that's alot of reading,
I've learned alot about Human nature, but not much about Rompola, everything on the net is to be questioned.
I think I will start my quest to kill a bigger one than Hanson, so tht Rompola can leagaly have his measured, If I lose to him He has my respect and apology for doubting. If I beat him he has my respect because for the last 7 years he was able to be ignored by the public despite our 200 post thread.
I'm moving on to new threads of when do deer drop their antlers and tactics of winter scouting. I may even invest in a rubber suit and crawl around in a swamp or two.
thanks. for the reading.
oz
I believed it was real since day one and I'm way over in NY. I believed Dan Bertalen's Bowsite post at the time and now I'm seeing Kelly post...
Kelly, what's the waiting for? Why are they waiting?
steve J, NY
I hope Christmas--cause it`s just a few days away..
hey--I`ll probably reach that 25 P&Y bucks in my lifetime and I even hunt in a state where you can only take one buck a year...I personally wouldn`t consider that a big deal..none of mine to date have or ever will be entered into "the books"..well if I shoot the world record buck then I would..I`d have repros made and sell that sucker and retire..Go hang out with Mitch and drink some good old swamp moonshine and laugh at the world...I have seen racks hanging in barns in western ks that would blow your minds..them old boys out there don`t even know what B&C is nor do they care...BUT Kelly you can`t tell me Mitch doesn`t care--he`s been involved with the system for too many years...perty clear his past was comming out from all the attention so he tucked his tail and disappeared...saying he doesn`t care, from his point of view would be a very lame excuse...
PS--is kelly somebody we all should know?? Who is Dan bertalen?? Must be some of them expert hunters i talked about above...them professional hunters that travel the US hunting with guides ect. Nut`n wrong hunting with guides till ya start telling the world how good of a hunter you are..oh--sorry that`s another can of worms...nobody really needs to take the time typing to tell me who they are cause i don`t care...never subscribed to one hunting magazine in my life...
The fact that your asking who is Dan and who is Kelly is amusing Travis. I don't know you and am not bashing but maybe it is a good time to relax, read a little and think about what you post before you post it....... if you had ever been in search of some good reading about whitetails or bowyers you'd know of Dan and if you'd ever thought about looking for good quality arrows and good service you'd know about Kelly. Funny place this site has become. No wonder why many of the old horses don't post much any more
Steve J NY
It didn`t take much for me to realize they must be "leaders" of our sport in one way or the other...I don`t idolize anybody in the hunting world..never have--never will...I never had a reason to put anybody above me or below me on the hunting scale or even in my personal life as far as that goes so quite frankly I don`t need to search the internet on two guys I don`t know..I`m sure they are good guys but I don`t put anybody on a pedestal..Glamorizing this thing we call hunting has caused about half our problems..I`m assuming that kelly Peterson may be from "peterson`s hunting mag". If so I have elk hunted with one of his affiliates(Jay Stranges)..jay was a nice guy--he actually gave me his elk cape off his bull that year so i could use it on a set of antlers I had at the house..I helped him pack his bull off the mountain..what i didn`t like about that year was how the outfitter sucked up to him cause he was writing an article on his hunt..They put him in the hot spots just so he could be successful..Not jay`s fault,,not kelly`s fault..just more glamorization`s fault..as i said earlier--only one person can make this right--Mitch himself...not people`s opinions...
.Like I said in my post earlier--anybody can take a 140 to 150 class buck if they are hunting in the right state...personally i never needed a magazine or TV show to teach me anything. I`d rather learn it by myself in my own neck of the woods.
if everyone that wants so much proof to prove it exists legitimately, had to have the same proof to say no its a hoax,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, these would all be short threads
saying its fake based upon opinion, is no different than its real "based on opinion"
I guess until all the naysayers are perched, in the tree with the cameraman, above the shooter of the next huge deer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they are all fake. At least on the deer hunting bull boards.
if he wanted to stay out of the "spotlight"--then why did he sing w/ CSS bows and Hawgs scent company? he did it for $$--pure and simple. BTW-the Hawgs owner is in JAIL now for a SEX CRIME. seems like everybody involved w/ this buck is a felon. dont preach to me about Rompola's character. he is a fraud and a cheat.
Good quality arrows---C`mon man he has to be more famous than that before i should know about him...lol..ok, ok--i`ll do a google for good quality arrows--his name better come up...lol..he`s just another hunter to me...nut`n more--nut`n less
I can`t tell ya I do much reading on hunting whitetails---we all hunt different areas of the US with different terrain and even different species of whitetails--an example--I hunted Tenn with Tennbow one year--I just stood there in a thick forest wondering what made one spot better than the other, but put my feet on my terrain and I can read whitetails like a book...
Guys--sorry i don`t know ya...There SJJ---Hopefully my apology will be accepted...
If you shoot the next world record buck and want it recognized, realize that proof will be required, ie. x-ray. Not too much of a burden, if you ask me.
I doubt the Rompola buck because that's all the man left us with - speculation and doubt.
I will say I'm amazed at how many people seem to act presonally vested in this issue. Really, fellas, other than a good laugh, what's here to give a rip about?
remember one thing here....and this is fact.
nobody who actually ever saw the beast, or the antlers says it's a fake. this includes wardens, and official scorers mind you.
the only ones that say it's a fake, are people who never saw the animal or the antlers.
serb
Kelly---explain this please.."Most of the really good "big buck" hunters are very private and secretive/reclusive."
can a guy not be a public , informative, outgoing guy and get big bucks on a regular basis..he he he..course he has to use good quality arrows...
Hey i`m outta here till Monday--You all get this hashed out over the weekend..I`m going to go pratice being reclusive this weekend and see if i can tag a 150 or better...ta ta for now
Serb--are they real or fake---a question that has been asked more than once about a good set of horns....
Serb,
With all respect, you lost credibility with the picture. Please quit saying "and this is fact".
We need a poll of which the guys here would want to know-the true story of who killed JFK, or the Rampola buck?
I don't get it. This is incredibly easy. If it's real, submit it for testing. Maybe it's real and they just got drunk and sawed the plate off wrong and broke it. Who knows. Cop to it then. But please drop the "private recluse" and "doesn't care for fame and money" angle. That was blown away over and over in several posts above. Including the pic of him with a trophy and what is probably the "winning" deer in some contest he entered it into.
"Wait and see" ?????? For what? What could possibly be done now to prove it's real that couldn't have been done then? What?
Would any of you guys sign a contract somebody shoved under your nose after they declined to let your lawyer check it out first? "No need for any lawyers, just sign it. Trust me." Nope, I want my lawyer to look at it first. "No lawyer is going to look at this contract! Sign it now or I'm out of here!" If you don't think something is up, you sign that contract, I will seriously doubt your sanity.
Serb it is my understanding that the official B&C measurers who scored it would not sign the official score sheet attesting to the skull being intact because they could not tell (because of the bondo?). Is this true or not?
Also you ducked my question about the broadhead used by Mr. Rompola to kill his trophy NT. Any comment?
I personally would like to believe the Rompola Buck is real but....... Mr. Rompola, he and he alone makes that impossible right now.
Hate to keep this thread going, but I did want to clarify my post about Craig Calderone. I checked up on it. I was pretty close with a few ammended details here: (this is still just a public discussion so please check it out for yourself) The Calderone deer (a 6 x 7 netted 193+) was taken legally. He was stopped much later in a completely different time period for shining deer in a field (it appears he may have been using his headlights). When checked, he had a .22 in the trunk of his car. He made public claims that he forgot/didn't realize it was there. Close friends who hunted with him believed him as they knew of his good character, the great land he hunted, and the many other good deer he had taken before. His deer was removed from the Commerative Bucks of MI. list.
In regards Rompola- if some are still curious, it may do some of you good to do a MI criminal records check yourself. Also, check the details of when he was involved with CBM and his deer on the list. hmmmm. . .the saga continues. . .
it's pretty easy to say a bunch of people saw the deer but until i talk to these people i still say it's a fraud! all these companies pump all that money into this buck and then the guy who shoots it decides not to have it authenticated! he doesn't have to have it officially scored or entered. he did that with all his previous bucks though. why when he shoots the big one does he decide to be a recluse? he even had an article written after this buck was fabricated. if somebody that i didn't like challenged me to have my deer x-rayed for $10,000 i do it and take his money! unless it was fake that is!
Here's a droopy ear buck for you guys I got with my rifle. For whatever it's worth, I don't think that the ears alone prove anything.
Erick
"remember one thing here....and this is fact.
"here's another thing some of you may not be aware of. did you know mitch was from kansas? did you know that at a young age he was also holding records or close to them, for nt, AND typ deer in the state of kansas"
"i apologize gentlemen on saying Kansas. it was a typo on my part, and i did mean Missouri
"just for your information...milo's deer was never asked to be x-rayed. neither was beatty's, and neither will many of the future monsters that will come. but because of frickin pissed off larry huffman, and his writtings, and the net....word spread like wildfire in a very negative way about mitch. it's a travesty to bowhunting, and especially to the way the hunting community has treated this true bowhunting brother".
Did Milo have 2 friggin inches of bondo on the skull plate?Did Beatty an 1 1/2?
Serb,please set the record straight.
All I know for sure is from the picture of his rack the skull plate was the smallest I have ever seen cut from a skull.The width of the burr and striaght across.I would have been absolutely been paranoid to have that large a rack and only the bare mininum of skull left to hold it together.
Scroll down link and look at the skull plate....yikes!
Genesis Serb is good with false indignation and hearsay but like Mr. Rompola does not care to back anything with documentable evidence, and like a politician will not answer a question directly.
Oh my gosh! It IS real! ;-)
i'm done here, and can't say any more.
serb
There running outa steam Shark - No worries, Mitch will be back here next year for another 200 hits or so
There is more than one way to win -
Bob Urban
SERB- Crank up the Bobcat, find the Rompol buck and bury it real deep along with this thread. HO! HO! HO! Tis the season......
It's good to see that my dad is still worthy of 200+ threads! Thanks Guys!
and....200+ Inches!.... ((<;
http://www.outdoors411.com/images/rompola.mpeg
Has anyone seen this before? I just came across this the other day.
Sorry, here's the link again...
Did anyone watch that video and audio, he says "I center shot him and hit his right shoulder." Anyone else notice that he hit that deer on the left shoulder? "11 yards I think it is" An experienced guy like that doesn't think it is, he knows it is.
"For the better part of the day, Mitch muscled the huge deer, a body length at a time, over the remote ridges. Finally, with exhaustion tapping the last reserves of his adrenaline, Mitch slid the deer up a special loading ramp into the back of his truck."
Man this guy must be a loaner/end quote
Tell ya one thing,if I were ever so lucky as to kill a world record or even a provincial record contender,I'd think long and hard about who,if anybody,I'd ask to help me drag it out of my honeyhole and I'd certainly be as vague as possible in giving the location for the records.I might even be inclined to outright lie about that particulair detail?i certainly wouldn't want my favorite piece of real eatate over-run with trophy hunters from all over the continent or bird-dogging me to see where I hunt.Hiding my truck,sneaking around,likely would have to hunt in a totally different locale for a couple years 'til the heat cooled down?Take a look at non-resident licence sales in Sask in the year(s)following Hanson.....absolutely skyrocketed.I can't recall the exact figures,but the info is available online if you care to look up stats in SK.
as for Mitch...who knows?Maybe he is a recluse?Maybe money and material posessions aren't important to him?How about eccentrics that buy a Piccasso and lock it away never to be seen again,same difference?Who knows what makes him tick?I'd say he likely received more attention,speculation and noteriety as the alleged hoax of the hunting world than if he had it verified?
Grinr--when was the last time you pulled a 300lb buck as far as they make it sound Mitch pulled this deer..300lbs of dead weight is heavy stuff,,,there is more about the story that I picked up on..which was forshadowing the future events...you`ll just have to read it for yourself
maybe some day the truth will be told. hopefully its real, Milo gets what he deserves, to have his truck chased rifle kill removed from the top of the list ! and Larry Huffman has to shut his pie hole once and for all ! i hope someday while i am alive a 14 year old girl kills the new world record out of her tree house with a bow ON PRIVATE PROPERTY that isnt posted and doesnt have a 10' fence around it !! then we would really have something to discuss, of course that tool Huffman would say she cheated somehow i am sure, after she refused to sell him the rack too !
Grinr posted "For the better part of the day, Mitch muscled the huge deer, a body length at a time, over the remote ridges. Finally, with exhaustion tapping the last reserves of his adrenaline, Mitch slid the deer up a special loading ramp into the back of his truck." A version attributed to Mr. Rompola.
Serbianshark posted that a game warden helped drag the deer out and pleads we believe his version.
Sorry Serb but .........?
larry huffman won't be a problem any more. he's dead. died last year.
he's from wisconsin.
Actually,I was merely quoting a previous post with the solo dragging thing.Just saying,I might do the same if I shot a potential world record,rather than show ANYBODY exactly where I got it?I think I'd have sense enough to hack it in half though at least?"I'm not as good as I once was,....."lol.
Lonny, I helped my brother drag a 220 pound wet deer a few hundred yards two weeks ago, it took us two hours and I was sore as hell for a week.
Can you imagine trying to drag a 300 pounder the entire day out of a swamp by yourself...LOLOL
Look, up in the sky, its a bird, its a plane..... No its Rompolaman!
We don't have to wait for the truth.
We all know the truth........
How did the picture of the deer taken THE YEAR BEFORE have the identical rack?
Xman--dude by the time I drag a 200 lb buck a 100 yards it feels like a 1,000...i`d rather pack a bull off a mountain than drag dead weight..Mitch doesn`t look like he`s a very big feller either...Rompolaman--OMG--that is funny...if you really read into his story you can punch alot of holes in it where he`s trying to cast doubt away on things...Like saying the buck was shy, or shooting the big 9 pointer so he wouldn`t bust up his big world record shy deer...just way too much BS to even take serious.....what hoot...been fun tho
i dont believe we will ever know if it was real or fake. That being said, there was always something itching at me that said everything wasnt up to snuff. Does that mean it was shot out of the state were he had no tag? I dont know, but it seams that the best case for us all is to move on because it is not going to be the world record.
He agreed to NEVER enter the deer in B&C, so this story is at:
The End
I am always amazed at how this subject can still get so much of a response.
I always thought it was odd to see how gently he holds the antlers in the photo. Its like he's gently holding them in place.
But, I don't know enough about deer, photoshop, or skull management to make an official decision.
I've been watching this over the years. I was up there in Traverse City hunting myself at the same time.
I was going to mention that his son used to post on here frequently but many of you folks are either too new or don't remember. I don't need to mention it anymore because I noticed he did at the 200 mark above.
If that is indeed the actual Kevin Rompola, he had some pretty interesting posts. I hope he is willing to share his insight again????
John
SerbianShark, the pic you showed IS a fake/digital creation because it is EXACTLY the same antler orientation as with the dead deer and the chance of that is zero or one in a trillion.
I'd like to speculate on why Dan Bertalan left hunting. Perhaps it was because his g.f. got him out of it. Or maybe he left because of selfdisgust and guilt with his own actions in the Rampola affair. He may have just said, I blew it with that and I'm out.
Regarding the diminutive size of the skull plate - yes that is a giveaway. Anyone with a true WR or just plain big buck would not trim the skull plate down to that extent (if at all).
"I was going to mention that his son used to post on here frequently but many of you folks are either too new or don't remember. I don't need to mention it anymore because I noticed he did at the 200 mark above."
is this really his son?
"I was going to mention that his son used to post on here frequently but many of you folks are either too new or don't remember. I don't need to mention it anymore because I noticed he did at the 200 mark above."
is this really his son?
The Kevin Rompola that was discussing the event a few years back said he was. From what he was saying at the time, I have no reason to doubt him. He seemed like he was trying stick up for his dad. I don't see anything wrong that.
The one that posted here on the 17th as "Krompola" has a slightly different screen name but refers to his dad. This Kevin's profile says he is in Wyoming now. A little internet research shows there is/was a Kevin Rompola in WY.
Anyway.....if he wants to shoot me a PM I'd be curious to talk with him. I still have my house in TC (East Bay).
John
I don't know whether this buck is real or not, but this argument about the ears being uneven is ridiculous. The reason that they appear to be uneven is because the deers right ear is hanging unsupported, and the left ear is laying on the neck. If the deer was laying on its left side then the opposite would be the case. I watched Mike Avery's interview with Mitch Rompala before the buck in question was killed, and the guy seems to really know his stuff. Also when he is talking, he comes off as a honest and modest guy. He doesn't seem like a braggart either. Until I see some more evidence to the contrary, Im gonna believe its the real deal!
Ive always thought the buck was real. Dan Bertalen was on here saying the same and I even copied and saved his post - which was straight forward and right to the point....not sure if it is in the archives
It's in the Archives...
"Guys, thanks for the kind words on Bowhunting's Whitetail Masters". The book only had one printing mostly because the price of hardcover publishing went up so darned high the book would have to sell for about $40 which is a bit much for most hunters to spend on "reading" material.
However, I have toyed with the idea of reprinting an affordable softcover revised copy of "Traditional Bowhunting Whitetail Masters". It would include some of the best ones already noted with some more I've since discovered. Any ideas for who you would like to see included in this new title?
As for the Rompola story, I can only recommend that you read both the lines and between them in the exclusive Deer & Deer Hunting story I did last year. I've talked way too much to way too many people on this issue to realize that my job isn't trying to convince anybody anything about what they have already made up their minds about.
The fact that I was the only outdoor writer in the nation who the Rompola camp was willing to trust to tell the truth and I in turn was willing to put my reputation on the line for doing the whole story speaks volumes about my beliefs in all I knew and know of the man and his deer. And that is I'm sorry, the end of discussion on that subject.
And yes, i should go back a review my own video on shooting better than ever at gagger bucks... man, it's great to be only human..."
dan
I don't think the argument about the ears is the real sticking point - its Rompola's absolute refusal to let anyone x-ray the skull.
Thanks for providing your opinion 5.5 years later.
Maybe we will see another pic this fall with Rowdy's hands holding it. How awesome would that be ?
Would that be a side order of awesome or the main entree....
HC69, I'm assuming you found the thread via Google and hoping you're not reading bowsite from the beginning forward.
It's good to have threads like this. It will help me keep my mouth shut if I ever am fortunate enough to arrow a buck of world class caliber. Right or wrong, Milo Hanson went on a witch hunt for this man to keep his name on top if I remember things correctly. The Internet is a good tool; however, many good names are ruined by it overnight. Those who are throwing stones better be careful because stones can be thrown back just as easily. Sadly, we will never know the truth, but Hanson and Johnson kept their perch...
Must be really hot this summer.
In some places.
Quote
I don't think the argument about the ears is the real sticking point - its Rompola's absolute refusal to let anyone x-ray the skull. ------------------------------
that's right. The more all those jealous city hunters would have probed, the more I would have shut them out too. When I get the next record, I'm closing the barn doors too and cutting him up for smoked sausage. I too have No interest in all that " look at me " stuff. Good for Mitch.
You can't have it both ways? You can't sell pictures/T-shirts, etc. claiming you killed the new world record buck and not provide any proof other than a picture in todays world. If he had put it in the barn and made hamburger out of it, there would have been no problem
"I too have No interest in all that " look at me " stuff. Good for Mitch."
Yes, obviously Mitch shuns the limelight. lol!
Just looked at a clip from the Traverse City Eagle back in 98' same buck,totally different picture;given to me by Hager Distrbution Driver I think the guys name is Frank,real avid bowhunter Out of Grand Rapids Mi.Sports Section.At the time he gave it to me he said"Frame it and Hang It Up" because it's real and they'll never top it;but if I know the guy he'll never have it measured by Pope&Young cause it was killed with a 70% let off bow and they would never allow it.Regardless its a HUGE BUCK!one I'm proud to say came from the northern lower in Michigan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkhoZhQS_Z0 Interview with Mitch.
Good vid Thornton. The guy could hunt. Killing big deer as a kid when there was very few
Yep I can believe that and I respect that. Good for Mitch.
I am amazed that no one has stated any of the facts that are a matter of public record. At least not in any of the posts I read. I did not read them all.
What I have seen are tons of half-truths and plain mistakes. Yes, he was sued. He was also payed $25,000 to agree to never exhibit the buck or claim it to be a WR. Yes, it was measured by three official scorers.
Did it burn up in a fire? Mitch knows. Where is it now? Mitch knows.
I know what he told me. I don't know if it was true. I have not spoken with him since before the law suit deal came up. As far as I am concerned, he legitimately shot a probable w.r. From there on, I have no idea nor do I care. However, what I stated above is all a matter of public record. The droopy ears are due to the weight of big ticks on the insides. Happens all the time to people around here. They continuously lose their sunglasses.
Far as I'm concerned, Mitch holds the world record.
He did outscore Milo Hanson, right ?
.308 rifle/Hanson
70% Letoff Rompola
so what. If Mitch's deer outscores Hanson's, and to top it off arrow vs bullet, Mitch is the world record holder.
People back down too easy. They lucky I'm not Mitch.
I think some of you must just be trolling to get a rise out of people by defending Rompola. The guy is one of the worst liars God ever strung a gut through.
I believe Mitch shot the world record whitetail. I also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and that Elvis was seen last week at a Burger King in Traverse City.
All equally plausible notions Ollie. LOL!
Jealous. Always the same thing. You'll always have your good ol boy clique, monkey see monkey do. They'll have caps with the bill bent in a sharp curve, & probably height/weight out of proportion. When it's cool within the group to bash, that's what they do because it reinforces that show of " fitting in with the group." The individual might not know why he is discounting a good hunter's trophy, he just knows it is what the group wants, and he wants to belong. That is what is going on with the Mitch bash.
To accomplish what Mitch has you have to break that clique group, become a precisionist and a loner during hunting season. These individuals tend to be higher up on Maslow's Heirarchy of life. I can relate. These individuals are Leaders in all of life. They make individual command decisions in life without having to " be cool and take the side of the clique to fit in."
LOL! Nice try, but you're trolling to hard.
I wonder if everyone was required to post their true identity ,where they lived and a current picture before they could input on these forums would you see so much character assassination. It's sorta like the bully running his mouth as long as he has friends around but one on one he is nothing. This guy at his worst appears to be one of the best deer hunters that ever was. What he sacrificed along the way may be something else. If you notice most of the time it is the same people on here that can't stand it when someone may have achieved something that they never could. It's called jealousy.
I heard it got sent out to a plastic surgeon for ear surgery?
My 5 1/2 year old popcorn is stale. I better pop a new batch.
Actually I killed a new world record buck this past year. And I have the picture to prove it!
Lamplighter and mature8pointer if Mitch's problems stem from jealousy then why aren't all people who hold or claim to hold world records hated and reviled? I've never seen any significant number of people bash Milo Hanson or Mel Johnson. This is a pathetic claim mostly made by trolls looking to get a rise out of people.
I'm reluctant to even discuss this with you two because you seem for all the world like people who are just trolls that dig stuff up like this and pretend to take Rompolas side just to resurrect a 5 year old thread. If you want to know the truth about Rompola it's out there and has been discussed ad nauseum. Every defense of the man ever made falls flat when the truth is exposed.
He is not a man of good character. He was arrested for a major felony while working for the postal service and would have gone to prison if not for the intervention of a family friend with powerful connections in the legal community. He was arrested a second time with a camera mounted on his boot trying to film up women's dresses at a mall. He has been caught in numerous lies. Just to site one. A guy scored a set of antlers for him one time. While there Mitch asked him about a deer mounted on the scorers wall and the guy told Mitch the story of how he killed it. Later on the scorer is reading a local outdoor magazine and in it is a picture of the deer he scored for Mitch but the story of how Mitch supposedly killed it was the story the scorer told him about the deer on his wall. I could name many other examples like this of his lies.
The claim that Mitch just shuns the spotlight as an excuse for why he won't submit the deer for testing and official scoring is such a steaming pile of BS it virtually exposes anyone that uses it as either a lying troll or as someone completely oblivious to reality. The guy had submitted deer for official scoring before. Told stories to magazines about deer he supposedly killed. Was going around speaking at hunting expos. Had signed with sponsors to let them use this deer in their advertising. Was passing out and or selling photos of the deer calling it the new world record. Yep, for a guy that shuns the spotlight it's a miracle Mitch hasn't had his retinas burned out from standing in the full glow of it.
Then there are the inconsistencies about the deer itself. No one saw the skull plate until it was encased in bondo. First he claimed he dragged the deer out alone, then later the story changes to there were other people there. He was showing people pictures he supposedly took of the deer when it was alive a year before he killed it. Oddly not one picture showed the whole deer. In every case it looked like nothing more than a shoulder mount strategically placed so bushes would hide the missing body. Furthermore the deer had "THE IDENTICAL SAME RACK" as it had when he supposedly killed it one year later. Not similar. IDENTICAL. You know what a miracle it would be for a buck to grow two racks that size a year apart and there not be so much as 1/2 inch difference in the size or shape. Astronomical.
I could go on and on. But if you want some links to all the BS exposed about this story I'll post some links if you like.
I am not pro or con at this point although I would "like" to believe the WR was shot here in Michigan. That said the evidence is rather daunting and the truth will likely never be known unless the mount shows up at an estate sale 30yrs or so from now. That is if the mount even actually exists at this point.
More important to me, on some level and as a sociologist, is the complete obsession and overwhelmingly strong opinion we as hunters have when it comes to big deer and especially antlers. To focus the point it is mostly in relation to BIG whitetails and most pointed towards giant typicals that push the WR mark. Nothing evokes more passion than these animals with any posts/photos/stories of potential WR typicals causing huge, long term pro/con arguments. There is rarely an un-opinionated post as the for and against camps continue to bash each other with twisted, un-verified facts and some just plain "made up" junk.
I think there is definitely a doctoral thesis in here somewhere as it relates to the human obsession to verify or vilify the hunter and my biggest fascination is how this story continues so many years later with zero new information.
Is Mitch different than the masses in his approach to life and socializing - it seems YES
Has he done some "would be strange" things that others can use to question his character(some even illegal) YES
**for the record - and this is verifiable - check the camera on the foot story - evidence is that it had nothing to do with looking up skirts and was actually smuggled into an event to gather evidence against anti-hunters as I understand(again - I could be wrong but there is public record - look it up for yourself prior to accepting any posted story) The story has been twisted into him being some perv with a mirror on his toe at the mall. That is definitely NOT true.
Has the man shot some big, big bucks with archery tackle and from all who know him and have hunted with him he is one darn good deer hunter - YES Do I know him or could I verify this - No more that 99.9% of those posting here. I do know some rather reputable individuals within the hunting community that do know him have put their own reputations on the line to verify his legitimacy as a hunter as well as the buck in question being real. That, for me, adds a lot of weight to the pro side of the scale to offset the mass of defamation from the "con" side fueled by the masses that have no clue about the man other than info and folk stories found online.
I just cannot get over the level of fascination with this and similar stories and I am guilty of it as well. Again, do I have any new evidence to prove or discount Mitch - NO But I, like you, am drawn to this story like a moth to flame and that in itself is just really, really interesting.
If I had to give an opinion it would be that one hell of a bowhunter got himself into a bit of a pickle that he did not anticipate would grow to the level it had and the whole thing blew up. What the truth is? Other than Mitch it may not be known to anyone and that in itself leads to a man with strong conviction. Humans talk - this is how many criminal cases are solved and NO one has spoken of this from the inside in many, many years. That alone is somewhat intriguing. NO one knows - no one has leaked info?
I also know that had the buck measured 205" this story would have been dead before the season ended - oh the obsession with antlers!! We hunters are certainly a passionate lot!
Bob Urban
("and from all who know him and have hunted with him he is one darn good deer hunter")
Mmmm, no. Mostly the people who say that are people who stood to make money off of this fabricated rack. The very guy who kept him from going to prison over the post office crimes says he hunted in the same club with him in the years after that episode and Mitch never killed anything of any size. And a guy who helped him stay out of prison can hardly be considered an enemy that would lie about him. He claims that Mitch only started (supposedly) killing these big bucks when he started hunting alone without anyone to witness the kills.
(**for the record - and this is verifiable - check the camera on the foot story - evidence is that it had nothing to do with looking up skirts and was actually smuggled into an event to gather evidence against anti-hunters as I understand")
Uh, once again no. That is merely the hastily conjured up story Mitch tried to use to get out of the charge. Why would a anti-hunting organization meeting in a public place have to be secretly filmed. LOL! Hell, they would give you a tape of their BS if you wanted it. He was trying to film up women's skirts. So you can add pervert to the list of things he is.
Todd, For your information I knew no history about this thread and have probably only commented on several threads in the years I've been on here. I don't know the reason this guy has done or not done things concerning this deer. I do know that as soon as someone has a weak spot in his character everything He's done is discarded or so it seems. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is why would anybody pay a single dime to this guy if this deer is not legitimate. We all make decisions that we wish we could change for one reason or another and only this guy Mitch knows why somethings happened the way they did. Maybe the recognition could have caused other problems for him that he did not think about at the time. I don't know but I think we can all agree that this guy is one helluva big buck killing machine if the facts about him are correct and I see nothing to the contrary. .
Todd1700- I had a deer on my farm that kept a near identical rack for 2 years.
Todd I believe looks up links regarding others talking about the Rompola episode, and assumes it to be truth.
The ONLY proof you Todd can provide is a Certified True Copy of the case disposition, stamped by the County clerk of court regarding the disposition of the case. If it was Federal, you can get a Certified True Copy of the case disposition from the United States Court Northern District, Eastern District, which ever it is, for the State of Michigan. Stamped !.
ANY OTHER internet stories is just that- someone else's BS. Oh Uncle Joe went to school with Billy Bob who is now an FBi Agt and he said .........
Post the Certified True Copy or back off- Simple as that. You have NO standing so far. Everything so far you have published here is opinion biased toward fitting in with the popular group. Post the certified true copy of the case disposition. I bet you cannot.
Lets see your copy Lamplighter. Troll much do you?
("but I think we can all agree that this guy is one helluva big buck killing machine if the facts about him are correct and I see nothing to the contrary.")
Once again you expose yourself as just trolling. There is no way given the prior conversation that you would conclude we are all in agreement that Mitch is a big buck killing machine.
Given his past track record I'd only be in agreement that he's probably the kind of guy that would steal your social security check out of your mail box then drill a hole through your bathroom wall so he could watch your wife pee.
Take a good slow look at your last post. Man you are 180 degrees off on just about every sentence. Think man think. Look at what U posted.
I'm not a troll and have no idea who lamplighter is. However, I agree with just about all of his post. I would venture to guess 98% of the people who have posted on this thread, never met him, have only read half of the story and simply cannot believe anyone would kill a WR and not give a dang about it or the noteriety.
Trust me, there are such people and I truly believe Mitch is one of them and then some.
you cant look up a dress?
"...and simply cannot believe anyone would kill a WR and not give a dang about it or the noteriety."
C'mon, bowriter, he was selling that buck 2 years before he supposedly killed it. He was entering bucks and measuring bucks long before he supposedly killed this one. So he supposedly kills a new WR and suddenly decides he doesn't give a dang about this one?
Midwest all the ways that Mitch used to court the spotlight are so well known and documented that the people who claim he's just some odd guy that shuns fame and fortune are either blissfully uniformed or just pulling your chain. Heck he used to have his own website called Rompolawhitetails.com or something like that. Cause it's well known that all eccentric recluses that hate the spotlight have their own hunting websites where they brag of their accomplishments. Just goes without saying. LOL!
I still think I'm just being trolled by guys for sport here. Nobody at this point could seriously be as uniformed as these guys pretend to be.
We are not uninformed. As a retired State Law Enforcement Game Warden, I only work in facts with documented proof. Other people on a social internet site are not proof. You have to really try hard to not be sucked into that social want -to-belong, do as the majority group does, a sheep following the herd for no real reason draw that the popular group demands.
Work with solid facts independently of any " need to belong to the popular group " like back in high school. Just saying man. You have it bad.
Lamp go troll a political forum for a change. Maybe you can dredge up a 50 year old thread on the Kennedy assassination.
"Given his past track record I'd only be in agreement that he's probably the kind of guy that would steal your social security check out of your mail box then drill a hole through your bathroom wall so he could watch your wife pee."
Todd1700, I believe you really believe this post of yours I quoted, which puts into perspective just how far "out there" you are with your Rompola theories.
All you do is regurgitate what others have said about Rompola...actually, only the bad things others have said about Rompola There are plenty of people, including a game warden at the scene and the people who scored it, who say it's real. Since all you do is repeat what others say, try repeating that for a while, it may stick with you like the negative stuff has and turn you into a positive person.
Try repeating something besides character assassinations and nastiness, may make you a happier person. Just sayin'.
So we are in conclusion then, Mitch Rompola is a good hunter and did indeed kill a WR deer, probably beating Milo's if he chose to score it. Glad we now acknowledge Mitch's accomplishments.
Okay how about this photo of Mitch holding a set of antlers up to a dead doe for one of his fake photos.
And Lamp. Once again, if you are going to troll you have to be more subtle. You are being waaaay too obvious.
Well, it's easy to see why Mike put you on the road. Remember the pic of the buzz cuts in the kitchen garbage can ? Think way back.
Todd, you seem to be psychologically hung up on the word troll. That usually indicates a self reflection with a 180 degree spin in psychology diagnosing. It burns yall up that yall cannot even come close to being a good woodsman & hunter as Mitch. It really burns yall up.
Still waiting for those court case dispositions. I'm not going to let up and let you off the hook. We'll go into December here waiting. Everyone is watching. You already posted about the criminal insinuations. Everyone is waiting to see if you can back your mouth up. Hurry.
You are just playing around and therefore not worthy of serious debate. Nobody could seriously think the things you have posted here. They are just deliberate attempts to get a rise out of someone because I guess you think it's funny. That's pretty sad and pathetic but at least it's better than assuming that you are truly dumb enough to actually believe the drivel you have posted in this thread. I guess you think this makes me mad but I'm just laughing at you. You are not fooling anyone with this act nor are you actually upsetting anybody.
If however you truly want official reports (which I doubt) you can call the Traverse City, MI warden at the MI DNR and ask him about on Mitch Rompola. I can probably get you the guys name if you like. You being an ex warden yourself I'm sure he can hook you up with what you need.
If you don't mind can you tell me what is a troll. If that sounds stupid so be it. I just keep hearing it but don't quite understand.
An internet troll 8pointer is someone that is not being serious or genuine with their posts. They are just purposely posting things they think with generate a provoked response or anger from someone because they think it's funny. The internet is ripe with them and Lamp is a prime example. He doesn't really care about Rompola or debating this story. He just thinks he's pissing me off and it appeals to his immature sense of humor. Sad actually.
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