Weekend open thread: Deer hunting edition

Grassley (4.00 / 1)

LOL, I love reading Grassley's tweets and some of the causes that he takes on.  I don't think I'd ever vote  for him, but his candor is entertaining as heck and he does look out for a lot of people.  

Remember when he called people who place secret holds on different items sissies?  He did so on the Senate floor, I laughed uncontrollably for quite some time.  I've probably mentioned it before, but it is one of my favorite C-Span watching moments.  

---

by: ModerateIADem @ Sun Dec 02, 2012 at 21:47:40 PM UTC

I like the volleyball updates (4.00 / 1)

and how he expresses what's on his mind. Most elected officials don't do their own twitter posts, or if they do it comes across as very scripted and boring.

Invite other Iowa political junkies to join us at Bleeding Heartland.

---

by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 01:55:53 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

grassley and deer (0.00 / 0)

Ah Charles.  The plural of anecdote is not data.

And you aren't Goldilocks.  You don't get to have just the right amount of deer:  just enough for hunting but not too many for cars or for deer depredation.  

It's also a valuable lesson for driving at night in Iowa in October though - slow down.  Yes, you can drive a few miles under the speed limit and that little bit of extra time might just be enough to let you or the deer avoid a collision  

---

by: blooding h @ Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 01:23:06 AM UTC

I was surprised (0.00 / 0)

by this:

Iowa's annual deer harvests have declined steadily from a peak of 211,451 in 2004-05 to 121,407 last year.

Randy Taylor, chairman of the legislative committee of the Iowa Bowhunters Association, said he's not surprised at the DNR forecast for another reduced harvest.

"Almost to a person, everyone I've talked to this fall said they've seen fewer deer than last year," he said.

"We've taken the herd down too far," said Taylor, who on at least 10 recent bow-hunting outings in Boone and Jasper counties said he has failed to see a single deer.

Just today I saw five or six deer near a street corner in Windsor Heights that is several blocks from any wooded area. Don't know what it's like in rural areas of Polk County.

Invite other Iowa political junkies to join us at Bleeding Heartland.

---

by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 02:04:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Des Moines Deer (0.00 / 0)

Des Moines gets a surprising number of deer who come in/live in the green spaces around the rivers/rail tracks.  On an October or November night, down by the Capitol, it's very common to see multiple deer after 10.  I've also seen small herds (10+) in the parks that are connected to the river, and some of those deer will wander a block or two away to feed on lawns.  I'm not sure where or when you saw your deer in Windsor Heights, but I'm sure if you investigated you could figure out where those deer came from.  Hunting pressure must play some part in the deer coming into Des Moines.

---

by: blooding h @ Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 04:02:56 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

culver in 2014? (0.00 / 0)

saw this on WHO website about Culver maybe in 2014.  http://whotv.com/2012/12/02/cu...  

first i've seen anything public about potential Dems running.  don't know who else is going to put feelers out there for it.  

---

by: natewithglasses @ Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 05:29:25 AM UTC

Culver (4.00 / 1)

If Chet ran for Governor in 2014 it would show he doesn't have the kind of good political sense that I believe he has.  I spoke to him at an event just days before the 2010 election and you could see the look on his face told us all he knew the writing was on the wall.

He will run again, but 2014 would be an awful choice.  

---

by: ModerateIADem @ Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 06:51:35 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I have heard the rumors (4.00 / 1)

but don't believe he would win a Democratic primary. Although I think he was a good governor, I don't see him as a strong candidate against Branstad.

Invite other Iowa political junkies to join us at Bleeding Heartland.

---

by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 13:20:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]