One For The Record Books? Illinois Hunter Shoots Possibly Largest Buck Ever In United States

(CBS) -- A hunter in Williamson County may have shot the largest buck ever in the United States.

Keith Szableswki from Johnston City shot the buck during the first days of shotgun season in mid-November, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources reports.

If it becomes certified, the 51 point buck would break the current record,  set in 2016 by a 27-year-old farmer from Gallatin, Tennessee. According to USA TODAY, Stephen Tucker shot a 47-point buck with a muzzleloader.

The points will officially be scored by a panel of judges in July in Peoria, Farm Week Now reports.

Szablewski, a 29-year law enforcement veteran, has been deer hunting for four years, Farm Week Now reported.

He told WSIL-TV that he planned to donate some of the meat to those in need. "I felt like I needed to," he told the station. "I felt like the Lord was telling me to do that."