Jerry's 31-point drop-tine giant eluded him for the better part of three seasons. Jerry finally got an arrow into the phantom buck on Nov. 2, 2007. Little did he know that he had just taken a new Pennsylvania state record.

A three-year hunt for a giant Pennsylvania buck got its start at the unlikeliest time -- during a morning coffee break. In the fall of 2005, Jerry Simkonis and several of his co-workers were talking about mundane home winterizing chores when a co-worker named John piped in with a comment about a strange encounter that had taken place the night before.

While taking out the garbage, John was startled by the biggest buck he had ever seen. It was nibbling an Indian corn decoration that hung from a sidewalk lamppost. An almost unbelievable story became ridiculous when he said he ran back inside "to check my pants." Everyone laughed, and someone made a wise-guy comment about the deer being an alien.

But it was John's next sentence that made Jerry spill coffee down the front of his shirt. "The antlers were so big that they made the deer's body look small -- almost like they were too big for his head."

Few paid much attention to John's story, fewer believed it, and idle chatter resumed. But for Jerry, "It was like a song I couldn't get out of my head. It set me on a three-year quest of hunting a ghost that I would never see until he made his first and final mistake."

Jerry wanted to establish credibility for John's story before investing time in chasing this incredible phantom buck. "I followed up with him very discreetly because a few hardcore hunters in the office would be all over the area if they knew that I was onto something," Jerry said.

John gave Jerry permission to hunt his property, but neither man saw the deer again that year. Jerry not only failed to get a glimpse of the big buck, but he also never saw any sign indicating that an extraordinary buck was in the area. He was tempted to doubt John's story, but he chalked up his frustrating archery season to limited scouting opportunities.

LOOKING FOR A GHOST
As the spring of 2006 approached, Jerry's plan of attack included an offer to help with chores on John's farm in Greene County. That's not where John had seen the big buck, but it's where he needed help. The hard work paid off with permission to hunt all of John's properties. Jerry focused on a parcel near where John had first seen the monster buck, along the Allegheny/Washington County line south of Pittsburgh.

Jerry's scouting never turned up any sign of a large deer -- no sheds in the spring, no big tracks later that summer. As fall approached, no rubs and no quality bucks were in the spotlight. The only real sign that the buck was still there was the increasing hunting pressure -- evidence that word about an elusive giant buck was spreading. "I hunted the property more days this season but only saw an 8-pointer, which I took on the last day," Jerry said

YEAR THREE -- THE 2007 SEASON
After two years of hunting the big buck, Jerry was ready to quit until John told him at a Christmas party about two more sightings of the buck. Both were at night. "I didn't know if John was telling me a tale just to keep me interested enough to continue helping on his farm, or if he was really seeing the deer that he said now had at least 18 points," Jerry said. He decided to gamble against his doubts.

page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4