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Last updated on Wednesday, November 28, 2018
(ILLINOIS) - A southern Illinois deer hunter is waiting on word about his possible record-breaking buck.
Keith Szableswki says he shot the 51-point buck last weekend during the first weekend of shotgun season.
Szablewski and his friend, Steve Mallroy, started their annual deer hunting trip on opening day the same way they have for the past four years, with a prayer.
"We thanked God for the outdoors and a nice place to hunt," Szablewski says. "Then I said, Lord, let us both get a nice deer, a nice buck."
Szablewski, who lives in Johnston City, was hunting from a ladder stand on private property in Marion. About 4:40 p.m., he looked down and saw the deer walking under his stand.
"It was the buck of a lifetime," he added.
He shot is once in the neck. The deer ran about 10 yards and dropped.
Illinois State Police Conservation CPO Justin Summer authenticated the legal harvest. He estimated the buck at between 7 to 8 years old and around 275 pounds.
John Hinde of Whitetails and Water Fowl Taxidermy in Murphysboro believes the deer appeared to have 33 points and would score really high on the Boone and Crockett scale.
Szablewski plans to take the deer to the state expo in Peoria, Illinois in July to have it officially scored.
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