Iowa Gov. Branstad shoots buck, will hang in office

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Capitol will have a new decoration courtesy of Gov. Terry Branstad, who announced Monday that he shot a buck over the weekend during his annual deer hunt.

A picture of Branstad posing with the slain eight-point buck is displayed on his Facebook page. The governor shot the animal Saturday in Decatur County. He said this is the third time he has shot a buck.

The governor plans to mount the deer head and hang it in a conference room in his office. His spokesman said staff members believe this is the first time any game has been hung in the governor’s office.

“This is the biggest one I’ve ever gotten, so I wanted to get it mounted,” Branstad said during a news conference. He joked that his wife would like it to hang in the Capitol and not the governor’s mansion.

“My wife prefers it here rather than there, so we’re trying to keep peace in the family, too,” he said.

Terrace Hill, the official governor’s residence, has an elk, moose and caribou on display. All were shot by the Hubbell family, who owned the house and donated it to the state in 1971.

It’s the second time in less than a year that Branstad has been involved in a deer death.

In May 2012, Branstad’s state SUV struck and killed a deer in central Iowa on Interstate 35. The vehicle was damaged, but Branstad wasn’t injured.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.