Top 10 deer in tn

[DoubleRidge]

When I killed my buck last year that was all the other lease members could talk about was what it would score, I hadn't even thought about the score because it was my buck of a life time with out the score. When the mount is finished I may have it scored, not sure. I have not found anyone in the Chattanooga area to score it if I decide to.

Most TWRA wardens are listed as official measurers for B&C and they can also measure for the TN State Registry.... And on the B&C website there is a list of official measurers by state.... Congrats on your buck!

 

[Lost Lake]

I remember the Rompola buck story when it first broke.... amazing deer no doubt ...just something has never set well with me about the story? And honestly I can't put my finger on it? I don't know why? And I hope the deer is real and I hope the full truth does come out.... truly a fascinating story.

But as for Rompola being paid off to keep his mouth shut....who paid that money and what was their motivation?....to make money off of the Hanson buck?
Wouldn't they have had the same opportunity to promote the Rompola buck, being it was bigger and killed with a bow in the states.....vs a buck from Canada that was killed on a deer drive with a rifle?....I don't know? But nothing fully adds up or makes sense?...one thing that does make sense....both are truly amazing animals....rare giants.

The story I remember, and it's been awhile, is that Milo Hansen basically told Rompola to put up or shut up. In other words, you're touting your buck as biggest, and it's detracting from mine.

Faced with that, Rompola backed off.

I don't know, but the whole thing was just super weird. Like, "Hey, look at me! I've killed the biggest!! But, naah, I don't wanna score him."

From what I've read years ago, Rompola is a helluva hunter, but had some bad blood with a Michigan buck club that caused some issues over the years.

 

[102]

It all makes good campfire (aka Tndeer) talk.

There is a guy on YouTube who I think may be the best mature buck bowhunter I've ever heard about.
His channel is Eberhart Outdoors and his very first video says it all.

Apparently he knew Rompola and his history. Has a very interesting interview about it.

He also has more mature deer in "the books" than anyone I ever heard about and all of them are from highly pressured or hunt by permission.

Might be a complete fake but I don't think so.

Interesting stuff!

BSK...I have several that are in the books, and several I never got Ben Layton to score before he retired. I think he scored all mine.

Like you said...been there, done that.

I read a long time ago about the phases of a deer hunter.

I now enjoy the hunt and fellowship first, the kill LAST!

We all LOVE the meat. rarely buy beef, and have several friends who pay the butcher bill (for the meat) after I take the deer to the processor.
So I rarely let a doe get a pass if I am close to the truck!

I do still chase a big buck if either:
1-I know where one is...
2-I am in an area that produces big antlered bucks (like Illinois).

But mostly I enjoy the hunt!

 

[BSK]

Don't get me wrong. I would be lying if I said I'm not hunting for older bucks with big antlers. And any "book" deer I kill is going to picture here for sure! But that's the only place it will be pictured. No record book or magazine articles anymore. But that's just me. Power to anyone that wants to put bucks in a record book or magazine.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I need to make "learning to cook wild game" one of my new goals. I'm a TERRIBLE cook. I bet I could burn water. I can't even fry an egg. But I really do want to learn how to use venison in ways beyond just browning ground meat for tacos or chili.

I must admit....other than back straps and tenderloin I hadn't been very creative with the quarter's....other that grinding them for sausage....but honestly I'm probably consuming more venison more often in the last year or two because our local processor started doing snack sticks and summer sausage.....so I'll skin, quarter and de-bone the deer and sometimes I'll even chunk it up...all to lower the cost some (expensive)....but having those jalapeno/cheddar snack sticks has really been a treat....couple snack sticks, sharp cheddar cheese, hard boiled egg and some almonds makes a fantastic lunch......so for now.....I keep back straps and tenderloin to cook and grind the rest into sausage.....so I guess one of my goals needs to be buying the equipment and learning how to make my own sausage!

 

[timberghost35]

Hanson's buck isn't even in the top 2 typical. What B&C has done to the King buck is just crap.

I also heard there is some controversy with the Huff buck. Something about the score went up like 4 inches once Bass Pro bought the rack from him and had it panel scored. (Numbers may be wrong) but Huff had it scored and it was like 206 and then bass pro bought it and had panel scored and it was 211.

Seems like the scoring stuff is a lot of political crap and about who owns what deer and if they want that deer to actually be a record or not. The more I actually read about it and stuff the worse it gets.

On the Rompala buck, I think it's real. The story I had heard was that Hanson paid him a good bit of money, with the help of the B&C club, to just go away. B&C likes the Hansons buck as the record cause it looks dang near perfect.

 

[recurve60#]

The story I remember, and it's been awhile, is that Milo Hansen basically told Rompola to put up or shut up. In other words, you're touting your buck as biggest, and it's detracting from mine.

Faced with that, Rompola backed off.

I don't know, but the whole thing was just super weird. Like, "Hey, look at me! I've killed the biggest!! But, naah, I don't wanna score him."

From what I've read years ago, Rompola is a helluva hunter, but had some bad blood with a Michigan buck club that caused some issues over the years.

Mitch Rompala was involved and on the P&Y board for years before he killed his controversial buck. He had many P&Y deer before this one, but at some point he disagreed with some rules and ways things were going there and left P&Y, and refused at that time to ever grace the books with his deer from there on.
He refused to enter the potential world record on those grounds, but the score and word was out and spreading. Hansen was being hurt with the word and score of Romola's even though Mitch refused to enter it officially.
One of our deceased members from the whitetail world of that time said the buck was 100% legit.

 

[Quailman]

I must admit....other than back straps and tenderloin I hadn't been very creative with the quarter's....other that grinding them for sausage....but honestly I'm probably consuming more venison more often in the last year or two because our local processor started doing snack sticks and summer sausage.....so I'll skin, quarter and de-bone the deer and sometimes I'll even chunk it up...all to lower the cost some (expensive)....but having those jalapeno/cheddar snack sticks has really been a treat....couple snack sticks, sharp cheddar cheese, hard boiled egg and some almonds makes a fantastic lunch......so for now.....I keep back straps and tenderloin to cook and grind the rest into sausage.....so I guess one of my goals needs to be buying the equipment and learning how to make my own sausage!

There are several really good wild game cookbooks out there that will get you started. My family bought me two of the Meateater cookbooks ("The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game", Vol. 1&2) just to give me a few more ideas on wild game cooking. Other than the inner loins and backstrip, whole muscle cuts from the hind quarters are some of my favorite pieces of venison to cook (mainly grilling). A couple of years ago, I made my first attempt at venison pastrami and it was fantastic! I plan on doing another batch very soon. An often discarded venison cut is the shank, and rather than just grinding it up for burger, one of my favorite dishes is using the shank for "osso bucco", which is basically a slow cook method in a dutch oven. And just FYI, snack sticks are much easier than you may think, and there's plenty of information out there on how to make them yourself!

 

[DoubleRidge]

There are several really good wild game cookbooks out there that will get you started. My family bought me two of the Meateater cookbooks ("The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game", Vol. 1&2) just to give me a few more ideas on wild game cooking. Other than the inner loins and backstrip, whole muscle cuts from the hind quarters are some of my favorite pieces of venison to cook (mainly grilling). A couple of years ago, I made my first attempt at venison pastrami and it was fantastic! I plan on doing another batch very soon. An often discarded venison cut is the shank, and rather than just grinding it up for burger, one of my favorite dishes is using the shank for "osso bucco", which is basically a slow cook method in a dutch oven. And just FYI, snack sticks are much easier than you may think, and there's plenty of information out there on how to make them yourself!

I've seen the Meateater Cookbooks for sale but hadn't purchased any yet....I will certainly add that to my to-do list....Thanks! And I'd love to try the pastrami someday...bet it is wonderful!

 

[BSK]

Strange, I can bake, because it's just chemistry. This exact amount of ingredients, baked at this many degrees for this many minutes. Easy-peasy.

However, cooking is more art form. Cook on medium until done. How many degrees is "medium" and what is "done?"

 

[DoubleRidge]

Strange, I can bake, because it's just chemistry. This exact amount of ingredients, baked at this many degrees for this many minutes. Easy-peasy.

However, cooking is more art form. Cook on medium until done. How many degrees is "medium" and what is "done?"

Not to sound like "master of the obvious" but a quick read meat thermometer was a game changer for me.....no more over cooking meat of any kind....beef I can guess on pretty good....but pork and chicken on the grill the thermometer is a huge help to not over cook them....and for me medium on red meat is around 140-145 and some may say that's too far.

 

[102]

BSK...and anyone else.

BEST tenderloins EVER!

SIMPLE

Meat thermometer
grill
stick butter
course salt
black pepper

start grill to warm up to 350+
rinse meat
liberally pepper and salt both sides

put on grill about 3-4 minutes
flip over to grill other side 3-4 mins.

use meat thermometer to reach internal temp of 132-142 F

remove

put on plate and apply a pat of butter to one side to melton each piece.

I've been cooking backstraps for YEARS all wrong until I watched a Catman video.

He taught me this.

BEST MEAT EVER!!!

 

[BSK]

Thanks 102. That sounds like an easy recipe.

 

[102]

Medic said:

I have not found anyone in the Chattanooga area to score it if I decide to.

I am a scorer for B/C P/Y. I live in the area!

 

[Tn Joe]

Google Mitch Rompala bucks and look at the pics of the bucks dead. Everyone of them look off to me. Look like does with antlers on there heads, and on his big buck why are the ears hanging so low? Looks to me like that bucks head had been skinned back and its original antler cap removed and the big antlers put in place. Mitch did all of his own taxidermy work from what I understand. I think he's a fraud and got caught.

 

[Dennis]

Mitch's actions scream fraud. He also has a felony history. if any one thinks this buck is on the level, I hope I get you as a juror if I ever commit a major crime.

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

Damn straight! I've killed two in my life and they are BIG deer for the South.

But these days I never even calculate net scores, just gross scores. How much antler does it have? That's all I care about when it comes to score.

This. Plenty of big deer in south

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

Me too Bryan. The old saying "nets re for fishes" holds true for me.
Net really only matters for the book.

And EVERYONE forgets about symmetry. NET KILLER!

But...it DOES generally mean a book typical is generally a BIG, BIG, set of antlers! (B/C, P/Y, OR Registry!)

No one forgets, just no one cares

 

[Ski]

A net score 160 is a rare find...ANYWHERE!!!

But thanks to you tube...many (I'm guessing not very experienced "Southern hunters") believe different.

A 140" NET score (Registry) Tennessee buck is a "Booner" to me. That is a GIANT for the South!

A legit 140" deer is way bigger than a lot of folks seem to think. And 160 inches is enormous. I think social media and hunting show personalities skew perception by inflating numbers, giving false representation of what a deer with certain score looks like. Start putting actual tape to horn and you find out real fast that 140" buck is really 115".

 

[Speedwell-Hunter]

A legit 140" deer is way bigger than a lot of folks seem to think. And 160 inches is enormous. I think social media and hunting show personalities skew perception by inflating numbers, giving false representation of what a deer with certain score looks like. Start putting actual tape to horn and you find out real fast that 140" buck is really 115".

Yes an no, tons of legit big deer out there too, mostly up north