It was a happy time for Donna, Armando and 4-year-old Victoria Pioppi when this photo was taken the day after Armando shot his 15-point "buck of a lifetime." Note the entrance wound in the buck's right ham, and the recovered arrow leaning across the deer.

It was the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 1, 2005, opening day of archery season in New Jersey. Armando Pioppi Jr. of Newfield and his good friend Carlo DeFeo met up with some 12 other hunters at the Piney Hollow Sportsman's Club in rural Piney Hollow. After the usual deer talk, the two hunters headed to their tree stands for the afternoon hunt.

Although Armando hunted regularly with a shotgun and muzzleloader, he had not done much bowhunting in about 15 years. However, at Carlo's urging Armando had borrowed a bow from Carlo and hunted with it briefly the year before. Now they were at it again. Carlo had bought a new bow and loaned his old one to Armando. The two friends had permission to hunt 70 acres owned by Armando's neighbor. They had high hopes as they climbed into their stands.

The sun had not yet dropped below the trees on the horizon when Armando spotted a tall, tight-racked buck at 70 yards. He strained to count points, but the brush obstructed his view as the deer steadily moved in his direction. It reached 25 yards and turned broadside. Armando counted at least 10 points, several of which were abnormal. This is the biggest buck I've ever seen in the woods, he thought as the deer progressed toward an opening in the dense cover.

Armando came to full draw with the Browning Mirage just as the buck stopped behind a patch of brush. The hunter froze at full draw. His arms slowly weakened. The buck eventually stepped cautiously toward an opening. With his target now fully exposed, Armando led the animal's slow pace and released. The deer exploded when the Easton 2514 aluminum arrow hit with a solid "whomp."

ARMANDO'S DREAM BUCK
The archer was not sure where the arrow had hit the deer. Had he led the buck far enough? Could he have made a bad shot? If I've wounded this magnificent animal, Armando promised, I'm giving up bowhunting for good this time! He exited the tree stand to inspect for blood.

Finding only a scant blood trail, Armando elected to get help. Carlo, too, had hit a deer, and when the hunters met back at the sportsman's club it was decided to track that deer first. With the help of two other friends, Chris Seeley and Anthony Mattia, the four hunters set off to look for Carlo's deer. After following a blood trail for 200 yards, the group decided to stop the search and come back the next morning. They didn't want to risk jumping the deer in the dark and possibly losing it.

The four hunters then went to look for Armando's buck. After following a spotty blood trail for 50 yards, the group found Armando's arrow in the trail. Blood covered the ground over the next 30 to 40 yards, and then Carlo yelled that he had found the deer!

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