# Book delves into Rompola buck



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Book delves into Rompola buck

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/statewide/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1126649400158920.xml&coll=1

Sunday, September 18, 2005 By Bob Gwizdz

When's the last time you thought about the Rompola buck, the giant 12-point that might have rewritten the record books had Mitch Rompola had it scored and entered into the books? 

In 1998, the noted trophy deer hunter from Traverse City killed what seemed like the biggest whitetail ever taken a couple of days before firearms season opened. 

Almost from the beginning, Rompola's tale became a soap opera as the secretive former postal worker allowed few people to see it, leading some to charge it was fraud. Despite testimonials to its authenticity from several people who said they saw the buck, Rompola never rose to the challenges to have it publicly measured or certified.

And not too much later, at the behest of the world record holder, Rompola signed a document saying he would not claim his buck was a world record. That seemed to satisfy the naysayers that something was not right. 

But not everyone thinks the Rompola buck was a fraud. Richard P. Smith, a Marquette outdoor writer -- he probably writes as much about deer and deer hunting as anyone -- has always professed his belief in the Rompola buck. 

Now, in his latest book -- "Great Michigan Deer Tales, Vol. 4" -- Smith makes the argument in his opening chapter, titled "Rompola Buck Real." 

Referring in depth to a videotape Rompola said he made as he recovered the buck, Smith argues that the story rings true. 

Smith illustrates the story with three photos -- the one everyone has seen, of a stern-looking Rompola posing from behind the animal's three-foot-plus long antlers, a photo Rompola says he took of the live deer almost a year earlier, and a photo of Rompola standing with a couple of friends with the buck in the back of his truck. 

Neither of the additional photos is close enough or clear enough to add much weigh to the discussion. 

But Smith, who also uses photos of some of the other big bucks the hunter has taken -- as if to further establish Rompola's credentials -- also takes testimonials from those who said they saw the behemoth. Smith writes that he is firmly convinced. 

The Rompola buck is the only controversial tale in the 12 chapters of Smith's latest tome. Others, including a story of a buck that weighed 400 pounds on the hoof and one about a huge trophy taken by a partially disabled Viet Nam veteran, are much more straightforward and less argumentative. And more inspirational. 

Smith has hit on a successful formula, documenting the stories about some of Michigan's best trophy whitetails in his books. Fact is, when he writes about a monster from a specific county, he regularly refers to other big bucks from that same county, pointing out (somewhat annoyingly) that you can read about that buck in one of his previous volumes. I guess a fair percentage of the popularity of any product is due to marketing. 

But, if you're one of those Michigan deer hunters who is intrigued with huge bucks (and who isn't?) and dreams of one day taking his own record-book quality animal, Smith's book offers the stories of those who did and what they went through to accomplish the task. 

"Great Michigan Deer Tails, Vol. 4" is in book stores now. To order an autographed copy, send $16.50 to Smith Publications, 814 Clark St., Marquette, MI 49855. Or, if you're a bargain hunter, you can order a set of all four for $50.


----------



## Randy Kidd (Apr 21, 2001)

You'll find it in the "fiction/mystery" section in your local bookstore.


----------



## PrtyMolusk (Aug 13, 2000)

Howdy-

Here we go again......


----------



## Wellston (Dec 28, 2000)

I looked through it last night while at Schulers book store. Interesting reading!
Jim


----------



## bogwalker (Aug 5, 2002)

Hey...In my opinion nothing Mr. Smith says or writes or reccomends should be taken seriously.For a supposed"respected"outdoor writer I think hes pushed certain baiting legalities to the limit with the authorities and then writes a very irresponsible article on snaring and now he latches onto a discredited buck to try and gain some interest in a book wich is stated that the info is already in other books.Trying to hard to make a buck!I think he would do better to stick to the ordinary than try for sensationalism.


----------



## WILDCATWICK (Mar 11, 2002)

How is what he wrote sensationalism. Did he embelish any facts? Seems to me he was straight forwad in the facts and then gave his opion.

As far as the baiting issues. What he did was O.K. in my book. The ******* city council and DNR screwed up royaly. They use to feed those deer on that tiny isle. Those deer are tame. Many of them had originally been raised in a pen on the isle until they decide to remove thhe pen and let them roam freely. Their whole life they were hand fed. The Isle did not have enough food to sustain the deer population. The DNR for years still allowed people to feed them. Then one day they said "no more feeding". There were albino deer that were starving and they had no food and were not going to leave the Isle because that had been their home. If that's pushing the boundires then I'm no his side of the boundary. It's not like Smith is a bad guy who does things to "sensationalize" or draw attention. He just does what many others wanted to but didn't have the guts. That's a good guy in my book. He had the majority of the community supporting him.


----------



## Big50blaster (Feb 4, 2005)

bout weather this buck was real or not. dont think there is anyway to prove it unless the antlers are checked out by b & c sometime. what makes me think they might be real is that there was one story in the paper where 3 guys measured it for the MI bucks book. they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it and they thought it was real. maybe someday we will all know for sure.


----------

