Santo Fallo's huge buck scores 191 2/8 as a typical 10-pointer and would have beaten the world-record blackpowder buck except for a broken brow tine. Photo courtesy of Santo Fallo.

I started hunting deer in my late teens, primarily during Ohio's one-week gun season. Although I had shot a bow, I did not archery-hunt seriously until my mid-20s. I hunted as much as possible during college, and once I completed school, I had much more time to pursue my passion.

BUDDING TROPHY HUNTERS
My good friend and hunting partner Mark Chieffo had access to 200-plus acres of private property in Trumbull County. Prior to the 2004 season, we had hunted that land together for seven years. We agreed not to shoot any bucks with fewer than 8 points, and the antler spread had to be at least ear-width.

A GHOST BUCK?
During the 2003 season, my brother Joe, Mark and I noticed a set of unusually large hoofprints on the east side of the property. I decided to hunt this area during the early archery season, but all I saw were does and a few young bucks.

On November 9, 2003, I hunted the edge of an old clearcut near the spot where we'd seen the large hoofprints. About 4 p.m., I started calling a little more aggressively. Within 10 minutes a very nice buck moved into view, and I got into position for a shot.

The buck seemed nervous and tense. Suddenly he bounded away and stopped about 40 yards out, looking back, but not presenting a clean shot. He simply trotted off with his nose to the ground.

The next day, I returned to the same stand with less confidence. At around 3:30 that afternoon, a doe passed within 60 yards of the stand with her tail pointing straight out. From this, I knew the rut was beginning to heat up.

At about 4:15 p.m., I glanced over to the spot where the doe had passed, and a giant 10-point buck was standing in her tracks! When I spotted him, he was actually looking up and curling his upper lip. I had an open shot, but my proficiency level is about 30 yards, and he was maybe 10 yards beyond that distance.

I didn't take the shot. The buck continued on, following the doe's trail. I bleated on my call as he went by, and although he did glance over in my direction, he never slowed down.

THE BIG 10 OR BUST
Naturally I set my sights on hunting that giant 10-pointer. He was a perfect 5x5 typical with high, light-colored tines and a very wide spread. The tips of his beams seemed to go straight out instead of sweeping inward.

Despite my best efforts, I never saw him again during the remainder of the 2003 season.

BACK IN BUSINESS
Once again, we started seeing the same large hoofprints during the summer of 2004. Based on my previous sightings, I had to believe that those tracks were his. Archery season started out on a slow note, with a lot of doe sightings. A few weeks into the season, my brother Joe started seeing a nice 8-pointer on a regular basis, but I was still seeing mostly does and a few younger bucks.