From Iowa’s The Gazette:

In 2004, before the city of Cedar Rapids began the bowhunt, there were 453 deer-vehicle crashes.

In 2008, [there were] 250 . . . .

"In my opinion, bowhunters have made an impact in the last three years," [an official] said.

"The number (of deer-vehicle crashes in the city) has reduced every year since the hunt started."

Okay, I’ve been showing you some big sheds of late, so now its time to throw in a weird one. My cousin Scott, a central Wisconsin native and whitetail nut, found the shed pictured below. It is a three-point side of an obviously 1-1/2 year old buck, still covered in velvet. Scott found the shed in December near his home.

I’m assuming this buck suffered an injury while in velvet and the testosterone that would have halted velvet growth and allowed him to reach hard antler just, well, stopped flowing. I do find it interesting that he held the fuzz throughout the fall and then shed the antler like a healthy (normal?) buck would.

Anyone had a similar experience? Seen a buck packing velvet long past the norm? Have you found a velvet-covered shed? Scott said when he brought this shed inside, the antler started to bleed, so he stuck it in his deep freeze to preserve the velvet. Interesting stuff!

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

The world’s teetering on depression . . . yet state lawmakers will soon hold three hearings so those who endured a “very disappointing and unproductive season” can condemn the 2008 deer hunts that registered 453,000 whitetails. . . .

As lawmakers enable this low-grade form of mass hysteria, they should quietly chant: “We shot enough deer to fill Lambeau Field 6.5 times last fall. The 2008 seasons rank No. 10 in state history. . . .”

Even so, folks are fuming . . . .

Check out the full story and tell us your reaction.

The folks at Hunter Safety Systems are known for their vest-style safety harness, which I’ve always considered one of the better deer hunting safety inventions of recent years. In fact, I thought so highly of the HSS vest that I nominated it for one of our “Best of the Best” awards a few years ago…and it won.

But one of HSS’s new offerings—called “The Pop Up Sign”—has me scratching my head a little. These little orange triangles are designed to be hung by a hunter when he is in a particular area; I would assume a turkey hunter could stick one out prior to setting up on a tom, or a deer hunter could flag the area near his stand site. Any approaching hunter would then (hopefully) avoid the area. Primarily for safety reasons, of course, but also out of an ethical sense that intruding further could make the posting hunter’s experience less enjoyable or successful.

So I’m curious about your take on this product. For $10 you get two orange signs you can use to stake out your spot. Would you take the time to do this? Where would you place them so that others would indeed spot them? Could hunters abuse this system, homesteading areas they want others to stay out of? What would your response be if you were hunting public ground and spotted one of these signs? I’m anxious to hear your thoughts!