Kentucky Hunter Shoots 26-Point Buck

Kentucky hunter Jeff Fogle was scrambling for a spot to hunt. His family farm, where he usually goes, had been hit hard by EHD twice in recent years, leaving it nearly void of mature bucks this season. But in the days ahead of deer season, Fogle and his wife were in the process of purchasing a home out in the country. During that process, Fogle acquired permission to hunt the 120 acres behind the new home. He didn’t have high hopes, but it was at least a place to go.

After EHD hit the family farm hard, Fogle had to find a new spot to hunt. Images courtesy of Jeff Fogle

But one evening, Fogle’s hopes soared. He was working in his yard when he noticed an absolute giant buck standing in his food plot with a harem of 10 does about 85 yards from his driveway.

“I immediately thought, 'Should I grab my bow from the truck?’” Fogle recalled.

While working in his driveway one evening, Fogle spotted the buck in a nearby food plot.

The buck soon moved off, but not before Fogle vowed to scout the farm seriously. He set about placing trail cameras around the farm. While he didn’t get a photo of the buck on the farm, his security camera caught the buck standing in his new driveway just two nights later. The lone photo verified that the buck was indeed a monster.

Security camera footage from Fogle’s driveway confirmed the buck was still around.

Even without trail camera photos, Fogle began hunting the buck hard, taking off work several days in late October and early November. On Nov. 7, he decided to hunt in the morning and then return to work. He climbed down at 8 a.m. and headed to the office. At 9 o'clock, his phone pinged. It was the giant buck standing in front of his camera.

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A few days later, Fogle was in a different stand.

“I told myself there was no way this buck was hanging around right behind my house; he had to be moving, so I went to another area,” he explained.

After not seeing anything, he climbed down to check out the area where the big buck had been photographed a few days before. He didn’t see anything, but photos revealed the buck had been there just minutes earlier. Fogle vowed to hunt that stand every day until he got a chance at the buck.

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Days went by without a sighting, even though a few nighttime photos verified the buck was still in the area. On Monday, Nov. 17, Fogle was in his stand watching two young bucks spar.

Fogle was in the stand when he heard two young bucks sparring nearby.

“I guess he heard them fighting, because he suddenly stepped out 50 yards away,” Fogle said. “I knew right away that it was him.”

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Leveling his rifle and aiming carefully, Fogle squeezed the trigger. The giant buck kicked and bolted 30 yards before piling up.

“I saw him go down and walked right to him,” Fogle said. “I knew he was big, but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. This buck had points going everywhere, big mass, he had it all. The rack just kept getting more impressive the longer I looked at it.”

The giant buck had 26 scorable points and grossed nearly 190 inches.

The giant buck had an 18-inch spread with 26 scorable points and at least three additional points that had broken off. After taping it out, the massive rack grossed 189 ⅛ inches. The buck’s estimated age is 7.5 years old.

Fogle finished, “It’s crazy. I wouldn’t have ever dreamed of hunting here if our main farm hadn’t been hit so hard by EHD. I still probably wouldn’t have hunted there had I not seen the buck standing in my food plot from my yard."

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