The deer was about 40 yards away when he finally came out of the thicket. This was the buck that had eluded Mastroianni for the past three seasons!

Mastroianni came to full draw, but had to hold for nearly a minute and a half through the most intense, heart-pounding buck fever he had ever experienced!

Finally, he released the arrow. Its flight was perfect, a complete pass-through of both lungs.

The monster buck didn't even realize what had happened. Mastroianni could hear him staggering.

Soon after, the buck collapsed about 35 yards away. But Mastroianni waited an agonizing 20 minutes to make sure the buck had expired, then went to find him.

As he knelt beside the monster buck, Mastroianni felt blessed as he counted 17 points. For him, Oct. 26, 2006, was an unforgettable day.

James Mastroianni's heart started pounding as he saw the buck's antlers moving back and forth through the tangled undergrowth. This was the buck that had eluded him for the past three seasons!

THE SCORE
Mastroianni brought the buck to Paul Burke of Schenectady, a scorer for the Northeast Big Buck Club.

As a 16-point non-typical, the buck had a final gross P&Y score of 179 2/8 and a net score of 166 6/8.

The rack was incredibly wide, with an inside spread of 24 3/8, but with relatively short main beams at 18 5/8 and 21 3/8.

The great buck had field-dressed at 205 pounds.

WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
Does the story end here?

Not exactly. Mastroianni went one step farther and headed south to get ready for opening day of gun season.

He hunts in a very desolate and secluded area in Schoharie Range. And guess what? He shot another great buck -- a 10-pointer scoring 163 6/8 gross typical, his largest typical buck ever. And this one dressed out at 240 pounds!

How's that for a successful New York season?

What a challenge it will be for Mastroianni to find a typical and non-typical buck as big or bigger than these two!

For sure, it will be difficult to keep true to his personal pact, but he's certainly ready and willing to take that challenge.

OTHER GREAT ARCHERY BUCKS FROM 2006
Lots of other great bucks fell across the state in 2006, such as the big 16-point non-typical taken Oct. 14 by archer Joseph G. Ebel.

This buck, taken in Tompkins County, had a gross P&Y score of 174 1/8 and a net score of 169 3/8.

Some very nice typical bucks were taken as well. Wyoming County produced a 164 7/8 (gross), 154 2/8 (net) 10-pointer for Daniel Nugent. This buck had a 20-inch inside spread.

R. Scott Peck scored in Steuben County with a 163 (gross), 160 5/8 (net) 10-point. This buck had bases well over 5 inches each.

In addition, Brian Doyle arrowed a 161 7/8-inch gross, 152 6/8-inch net 9-pointer in Oneida County.

Doyle's buck dressed out at a whopping 215 pounds.

Looking back, we also see that New York has produced plenty of other great archery trophies in recent years. In 2005, for example, Rex Taft took an absolute monster scoring 203 7/8 gross, netting 198 4/8 B&C points. Taft's buck had 21 scorable points and was taken in Steuben County.

In 2003, a great typical bow buck, scoring 181 3/8 gross as an 11-pointer, fell to Mike Weinerth in Onondaga County.

Based on recent history, we can assume that New York remains one of the most productive archery trophy states in the Northeast. Who knows what great stories we will have for you after the 2007 season?

For more information about the Northeast Big Buck Club -- or to purchase the club's latest record book, Northeast Trophy Whitetails V -- visit the club's Web site at www.bigbuckclub.com, or send an e-mail to jbhunts@aol.com.