When the wait was over, the trio tracked the buck for about 150 yards and soon found the monster that Thomas had hunted so hard for the past two years.

After dragging the buck out, they took it to a check station and weighed him at just over 200 pounds dressed.

They headed back to the house and Thomas began calling his hunting buddies, who knew how obsessed he was with this deer. They all got together at Thomas' house to celebrate.

T.J. Mello, a friend and scorer for the Northeast Big Buck Club, was in attendance. He green-scored the buck and informed Thomas that there was a chance that his deer could possibly be the state-record buck.

Later, Mello organized an official panel-scoring session with other NBBC scorers. And their results supported T.J.'s hunch!

ONE BIG BUCK!
When the Thomas buck was officially panel-scored, it would need to beat 178 gross with a net score of 166 7/8 non-typical. Mello had been conservative in his treatment of several abnormal points and felt that during the panel, the buck had a good chance of scoring better.

Again he was correct -- the buck scored a whopping 179 gross Boone and Crockett points, besting the current record by an inch!

The Thomas buck is impressive in many ways. It is a massive 9-point typical with five additional abnormal points, including a large group of points at the base of the left beam.

There was no sign of the big drop tine the buck had sported in 2006, although it was plenty impressive without it!

The beams are relatively short at 23 7/8 and 21 3/8 inches, but they form an awe-inspiring inside spread of 26 6/8 inches. The buck has great mass, with bases of 5 2/8 and 7 7/8 inches on the left side, where the large mass of abnormal points comes together. The final gross score of this amazing rack is 179 0/8, but it nets 165 5/8 as a non-typical because of the significant deductions.

With this deer, Thomas now owns the No. 1 archery non-typical spot as well as the No. 2 archery typical slot.

His accomplishment is mind-boggling, but not unprecedented in Massachusetts.

THE BAY STATE'S BEST BOW BUCKS
The Thomas Buck is just one of several outstanding archery bucks taken in this state in 2007.

In a previous issue of New England Game & Fish, we brought you the story of Fred Cristina's outstanding 172 6/8 Plymouth County 10-pointer -- the best Bay State archery typical buck taken in 2007.

Many other great bucks were arrowed throughout the state this past season. Bucks scoring 150 inches or better were taken in many counties including Hampden, Norfolk, Plymouth, Worcester, Middlesex and Berkshire. That covers nearly the entire state!

In Middlesex County, Jim Kelly shot a monster typical 10-pointer that gross-scored 164 5/8 P&Y points.

Kelly's buck had a 20 1/8-inch inside spread and bases of 5 inches each.

In Berkshire County in the western part of the state, Justin Davis shot an enormous 8-pointer with a gross score of 157 7/8 inches.

Davis's 8-pointer had main beams of over 25 inches each and an inside spread of just under 19 inches.

All told, Bay State bowhunters took three bucks that rank in the all-time top 20 -- and two hunters (Cristina and Thomas) rank in the all-time top seven.

Shooting one buck that makes the all-time top 10 in any state is quite an accomplishment! Just imagine shooting two bucks that rank at the top of the list in the archery typical and non-typical categories.

This astronomically improbable accomplishment isn't the first time this has happened. In 2006, in the same season, Massachusetts hunter Bill Tatro took the No. 1 muzzleloader non-typical and the No. 5 muzzleloader typical! He also held the state record for shotgun typical deer, with a buck that now ranks No. 2 in that category.

For more information, visit the Club at www.bigbuckclub.com.

Check out the photo gallery for many of the largest bucks taken throughout the Northeast in 2007. Last year, the NBBC published its fifth record book in 2007, detailing more than 5,000 of the Northeast's best bucks of all time!

For more information, interested hunters may write to Brown at NBBC, 390 Marshall Street, Paxton, MA 01612. Or call him at (508) 752-8762, or you can e-mail him at jbhunts@aol.com.