An Illinois hunter may have brought down the largest buck in American history.
Keith Szableswki from Johnson City shot the male deer during a hunting party at the beginning of Illinois' shotgun season last month.
But was surprised to bag himself a 51-point buck on the scale, according to the scale used to measure antler score by hunters. The current record stands at 47 points, WSIL news reported.
Keith Szablewski of Johnson City, Illinois, shot what could be a record-setting buck during the first week of shotgun hunting season
'I was just sitting there and I heard the deer behind me,' he told WSIL. 'When I walked up to him, I looked at it and thought, 'What a blessing'.'
'The only window I had was a 12-by-12-square-foot opening that I could see clearly on his neck,' Szablewski told Farm Week Now radio about the 'beauty' of a deer he found. 'I could have shot through the leaves to hit his body, but I'm not going to do that.'
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ShareAt first, the Johnson City man, who has been hunting deer for four years, called a good friend about the exciting trophy before alerting the conservation police with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The buck is believed to be 7 to 9 years old, approximately 265 pounds alive and possessing up to 51 points according to the conservation officers that spoke to Szablewski.
Stephen Tucker of Gallatin, Tennessee, currently holds the record for the 47-point buck he shot back in 2016, the Tennessean reported.
Randy Stewart (left) a friend poses with his friend Keith Szablewski (right) and the trophy buck
Conservation 0fficers with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources believe the buck bagged by Szablewski could register 51 points, a record breaking antler score
The newly famous Szablewski says he plans on mounting his trophy buck, but he donated most of the meat to the needy after taking it to a processing plant
Basics of Scoring a Buck
Deer antlers are measured attached to the skull plate for an official score. A flexible tape measure is needed to find measurements to the nearest 1/8 inch. A formula, such as that provided by the Boone and Crockett Club, a hunting and conservation organization, takes the raw numbers and produces a score.
1. Measure the length of the main beams of the antlers
2. Measure the inside spread between the main beams of the antlers
3. Measure the length of tines, or points, of the antler
4. Measure the circumference of the points
5. Measure abnormal points if present on the antler
6. Tabulate the measurements in a Boone and Crockett worksheet
<!- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/us/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 - ->AdvertisementA panel of judges at the Deer and Turkey Classic trade show in Peoria, Illinois, this summer will officially judge the points to see if it sets the new record.
Meanwhile, Szablewski, a former law enforcement officer who had only scored a four-pointer, a six-pointer and an 11-pointer in previous hunts, is enjoying his newfound fame in hunting circles, according to Farm Week Now.
'When I go somewhere, people notice me,' he told the station. 'It's amazing.'
While Szablewski plans on pedestal mounting the buck as a trophy, he tells WSIL that first he donated most of the meat from his kill to people in need.
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