Joby Gossett, a seasoned hunter with over 40 years of experience, had been tracking a giant whitetail buck for two seasons in the rugged hills of Pulaski County, Kentucky. The remote, timbered terrain was ideal for mature bucks, offering steep hills, dense thickets, and minimal hunting pressure. Joby first encountered the massive buck in October 2021 through his trail camera. Despite multiple close encounters during rifle and muzzleloader seasons, the buck managed to evade him. He even wounded it superficially but never got a fatal shot. After the season ended, he discovered the buck’s shed antlers, scoring in the 180s.
By 2022, the elusive buck had vanished for months. Then, in mid-October, it reappeared. Joby and his hunting partner, Kevin Roberts, set up trail cameras and scouted extensively. The buck proved difficult to pattern, only appearing at dawn on rare occasions. After weeks of persistence, Joby pinpointed its bedding area—a rugged hillside with cutover timber.
On opening weekend of rifle season, Joby hunted from a stand but didn’t see the buck. Then, on November 14, 2022, the wind shifted, allowing him to still-hunt the lower side of the bedding area. With years of experience, Joby moved slowly, scanning for subtle signs of the buck. His footwear choice—rubber-soled, leather-topped boots—allowed him to feel the forest floor, minimizing noise.
At 9:00 a.m., Joby spotted the buck slipping back into its bedding area. The thick saplings left few shooting lanes, but when the buck paused in an opening 70 yards away, Joby took the shot. The bullet struck slightly farther back than intended, but the buck staggered before running a few steps and stopping. Joby knew the shot had hit, but the hunt wasn’t over yet.
