of Wildlife district office in Xenia. "That would be tops in Ohio,'' Haines said. "It's a monster of a deer, and it's going to be way, way up there.'' The latter exclamation referred to national rankings by Boone and Crockett, which keeps score of the largest North American game animals no matter what the method of kill.  Some technical questions exist over whether the deer will qualify as a record by Pope and Young, which tracks bow-killed animals. Should it do so, the Ohio buck would emerge as a North American record, surpassing a Nebraska whitetail downed by Del Austin in 1962. That nontypical scored 279.  Beatty's buck won't be measured officially until 60 days pass.

The large-as-life antlers have been moved out of state for security reasons, Haines said because record racks are valuable to collectors and for display at outdoor shows.  One longtime bowhunter and scorer said Beatty's buck could fetch $250,000.  While Beatty waits, he has hired legal counsel to deal with corporate sponsors and others who surely will come his way wanting to share the credit. Whatever happens, he apparently nabbed more than one buck on his most lucky day.

Meanwhile, a female hunter in Licking County, who is remaining on the sly, used a compound bow to cut down a 12-pointer that weighed 301 pounds, according to one of her hunting partners.   "It's the biggest deer I've seen in five decades of hunting,'' said the partner by phone last Sunday. "It was as big as some cow elks.''

No official word has surfaced, so the 300-pound whitetail remains apocryphal.

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