c903 - Gary Donald told me the story was written as Zaft told it. The NAW article was in first person.

Here is what I believe. Zaft allowed NAW to do an article. He told it like it was. Then he got bashed bigtime for taking a poor shot, not trailing it harder, losing it etc etc. The BBM article was written to sugar coat the story, to change it around enough to make it sound more ethical and believable that the deer was recovered not by a fluke of farmers luck but by searching for it. P&Y hadn't accepted the score at that time, I thnk he was worried that it'd find enough what ifs to decide against making it the new #1, the icon of archery. Guess it worked too, but P&Y took big hits for it.
Stealthycat's Photo's

It is amazing and sad how we hunters love to eat our young. If you have strong convictions that lead you to believe that Zaft shouldn't enter his buck, fine. It just upsets me that <u>every single</u> time a world class buck is killed, the bashing by other hunters begins. Some stories are suspisious like Rompala, some stories wouldn't be looked at twice unless the deer was a record(Zaft's buck), when nothing in the story can be torn apart, lies are made up (Beatty buck). It really gets old to me.

I guess that I just try to treat people the way I like to be treated and I try to believe that all people are good and honest, until they prove themselves otherwise. I also like to put myself in other people's situation before I bash them about their &quot;ethics&quot; and why they took a shot etc. Just my 2 cents.

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Hunting the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas.

[Deleted by Admins]

NO, it should only count as a &quot;Pick Up&quot;. When found there was no recognizable proof it had even been shot. Just that it was dead. I don't care how truthful everyone thinks the guy is. It's a matter of a broken chain of events. Searched for and abandoned, someone else found &quot;A&quot; dead deer. He says it's the one he shot but the carcass is destroyed past the point of proving that. Sorry for him if it's the same one... but that's the way I see it.

Game, Set, Match thank you davidmil. This isn't about if Zaft is truthful. Many of you are interpreting this as bashing another hunter but it isn't. Lay off the judgments. This is about the authenticity and legitimacy of a potential world record and davidmil hits the nail on the head. Sorry for Zaft but it's undocumented as even being scratched with the broadhead and if P&Y admit it they're suckers for every shady story from now on.

Well sort of Nick Bales...we're not saying he doesn't have the right to claim the deer. After he claims it then let him go ahead and enter it to P&Y. I'm only saying P&Y should have more scruples about their admission policies that's all. They should hold to the highest standards on any record book animal but especially the potential new world record buck. There is not even the tiniest threshold of just the basic amount of evidence that this animal was harvested with a bow. P&Y should be beyond reproach concerning rules for entry no matter how truthful, reputable or likeable the archer may be.

He shot, he found it, end of story! Give him the record!!!

TxCowboy - Del Austin, Milo Hansen, James Jordan, the Johnson buck Ed Koberstein, the Adams buck ... the list goes on and on of huge bucks no one questions. Zafts is different and the reasons are obvious.

Michigan-Bow-Hunter - He did not find the deer, haven't you been listening ? He found it no more than I found it, a local farmer did. Becuase of that FACT your statment then would have to change and say not give it to him ??
Stealthycat's Photo's

I agree with TxCowboy. Almost without fail, when a potential record is downed, the doubts and negativity starts.

For the record....I am only mildly disgruntled over the Zaft buck, if he gets the status, which I think he will, good for him.

Milo Hanson, and Mike Beatty were also doubted in the beginning(not by me)but were as pure as the driven snow.

Mitch Rompola was doubted in the beginning. Once again, not by me. I figured it was jealousy by the mainstream hunting fraternity.
I have obviously changed my mind since then. If P&Y, or anyone else ever accepted the Rompola buck, it would discredit every entry they ever made.

Back to the Zaft buck. Wayne admitted taking a shot he was not thrilled about. OK, too late to take it back now.

He did try to find it, albeit unsuccessfully. I have no problem with him going to work, then coming back to search further. Everyone does not have the luxury of telling work to kiss off until further notice.

He did not find it himself, but it was found and given to him.
I gave my opinion on this one, but it is not that far out to warrant me getting excited one way or the other.<img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

One big difference between the Hanson, Beatty, Rompola, bucks and the Zaft buck. Those others had the entire carcass including the all important hide and meat to prove their bucks died as a result of their direct shots. No one is bashing Zaft as he certainly seems like a decent young man. This is just poor luck for him for not recovering enough evidence to prove a legal bow shot. What about the poor fella who currently holds the world record? What does P&Y tell him when they dump his buck to #2 in favor of a set of antlers with an unproven recovery? At least the current record holder showed up with an entire carcass. In due respect to the current world record and the integrity of P&Y it should be clear that there should never be a cloud of mystery looming over to cast a shadow on the Zaft buck.