Emergency crews called to investigate a possible explosion at a business Wednesday arrived only to discover they were dealing with a disaster created by a four-legged creature.

The evidence: a trail of bloody hoofprints.

In the end, a Montgomery County sheriff's deputy had to shoot a charging eight-point buck, authorities said.

A worker next door to Trans Ionic Corp. on Timberloch Place called authorities shortly after 8 a.m. to report what sounded like an explosion, officials said.

A deputy who responded to the call reported that a window was broken and the office area significantly damaged.

The county fire marshal and agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called as a precaution. The Woodlands Fire Department, its hazardous material team and Conroe's hazmat team also arrived.

Fire marshal investigator Darren Hess said the scene had the initial appearance of a break-in, and as he and ATF officials checked for secondary explosive devices, they saw spatters of blood on the floor.

Once investigators determined there was no explosive device, sheriff's Sgt. Dwayne Finley and the firefighters went inside to look around.

"It was crazy," said Woodlands Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Walker. "We didn't know what was going on."

Walker said he told another firefighter he bet a deer was to blame and that he had noticed hoofprints in the flower beds in front of the building. When they went inside, they saw bloody tracks on the carpet.

"The deer had gone in every one of the offices and was tearing everything up," he said. "Chairs were knocked over and papers were everywhere."

As fire officials searched the building, Finley continued to check the offices in the back. When he entered the last office, the deer jumped up from behind a desk and tried to attack the deputy with his antlers, sheriff's officials said.

"The deer went berserk and tried to go through the window and charged at the sheriff's deputy," Walker said.

Finley shot the deer before the animal could harm him.

Source: Houston Chronicle

Check out an interactive presentation by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) on the recent results of a lead bullet fragmentation study. One surprising finding was the distance of lead fragments from the entry point that certain types of rifle bullets leave. And how comparably safe shotgun slugs appear to be when compared with some rifle bullets.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/lead/index.htm

D&DH Contributor Tim Herald’s 8 year-old boy took this 9 pointer at about 50 yards last week in Kentucky. “We filmed his hunt and since the deer came in over an hour before dark, we got a great video hunt. He is on top of the world, and I was pretty excited for the little guy myself.”

Sportsmen Fight another Lawsuit by Antis’ Seeking to Ban Hunting and Trapping

(Columbus, Ohio) – The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation has filed to represent sportsmen in yet another lawsuit brought by animal activists seeking to eliminate hunting, fishing and trapping wherever endangered or threatened species exist. The Maine based case mirrors another case from the state that was settled last October, with the plaintiff groups sharing key personnel with the plaintiff from that case. In both, the plaintiffs attempted to stop trapping altogether in Maine due to the incidental taking of the federally protected Canada lynx.

On October 10, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF) asked a U.S. District Judge for permission to join a federal lawsuit brought by two anti hunting groups, the Wildlife Alliance of Maine and the Animal Welfare Institute against the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

This lawsuit comes on the heels of a similar case brought previously by a third anti hunting group, the Animal Protection Institute (API), which also sought to stop trapping.

USSAF’s Legal Defense Fund (U.S. SLDF), Fur Takers of America (FTA), the National Trappers’ Association (NTA), the Maine Trappers’ Association (MTA), Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, and several individual sportsmen joined together to fight the API suit. As a result of those efforts and that of the State, the case was settled under an agreement that restricts trap sizes in areas where Canada lynx exist rather than close down trapping altogether.

“Unfortunately, these groups are joined at the hip with API. They share key personnel and use the same expert witnesses,” said Rob Sexton, USSAF vice president for government affairs. “You can’t just keep re-filing the same case whenever you’re unhappy with an outcome, especially after you agreed with the decision at the time. Yet that’s what they’re doing. The new case is nothing more than a second bite at the apple for them.”

Both the API case and the new one deal with serious legal issues regarding the possible use of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to ban all hunting, trapping, and fishing whenever there is a possibility of incidentally taking an animal that falls under federal protection.

As Mr. Sexton indicates, “Once more the antis are striking at trapping, but like the API case, if they win here, the precedent will be set to attack all forms of hunting and fishing."

The USSAF has filed to join the case, along with the MTA, FTA, NTA, and individual sportsmen Dana Johnson, Sr., Donald Dudley, and Carl Guay.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund is the nation’s only litigation force that exclusively represents sportsmen’s interests in the courts. It defends wildlife management and sportsmen’s rights in local, state and federal courts. The U.S. SLDF represents the interests of sportsmen and assists government lawyers who have little or no background in wildlife law.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects and advances America’s heritage of hunting, fishing and trapping.

When a big buck is killed, it doesn't take long for news to travel around the Internet. While details aren't confirmed, information from the e-mail circulating said:

"This buck was killed somewhere in the MS delta near Rodney, MS on Sat p.m. He is 26" wide, and they are saying he should go around 180" - 190."

What an awesome buck. We will indeed be watching this story as more details unfold. In the meantime, check out these photos:

Frequent D&DH contributor Rev. Ezekiel Pipher bagged this mature 9-point buck while bow-hunting in Nebraska last week.