Here a deer, there a deer, everywhere a deer — so be careful out there

FROM MY FRONT PORCH

Here a deer, there a deer, everywhere a deer — so be careful out there

SAM HOUSTON

Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.

In the past couple of weeks, there was a window of time where five people I know had the misfortune of having their vehicle collide with a deer. It must have been the very peak of the “rut” to make so many animals be on the move in one short period of time. Fortunately, no person was injured, but the damage to the vehicles was significant.

I was lucky. I had taken our new Managing Editor Claudia Rivas on a trip to Lipan to see a basketball game. I wanted her to experience her first look at the community and to see the skill and power of the Lipan basketball teams.

We rode to Lipan, took a seat in the gym, and Claudia proceeded to take some photos to be used in the sports section of the newspaper, while I watched Lipan maul yet another opponent. By the time we had reached the halfway mark of the game, it was clear the contest would be a runaway victory for Lipan, so we decided to head home. When we got in the car, I mentioned to Claudia I was going to drive a little slower because it was the time of night when deer travel, and I explained to her the number of friends who had recently had a “deer event.”

 We drove the turns and curves of the rural highway, and no more than five minutes passed when a doe came into my sightline, bounding from the right. Fortunately for us, it stopped at the roadside and turned back into the pasture from which it came. We were not close to having an accident, but the event made me glad I had been on my guard.

My friend Tammy Dooley has not been so lucky. Recently a huge buck jumped in front of her vehicle as she was heading home. Fortunately, Tammy was not hurt but the damage to her beloved BMW was more than significant. The entire front was crushed, and the repair bill shall be significant.

When Tammy’s car was taken into the shop, her insurance company was obligated to provide her with a rental car to use for the two weeks or more her car would be in for repairs. The rental was an SUV, and in the ensuing days, Tammy drove the vehicle in the normal course of her business. A few nights after taking possession of the rental, on the way home from work, a deer ran into the side of the car! Yes, a deer ran into the back panel of the car, causing significant damage to the deer and to the rear quarter panel of the SUV. Poor Tammy had to call the insurance company and explain she was somehow a “deer magnet” and now needed an additional rental car. What are the odds of that happening? Who has two deer “incidents” in two weeks?

I do not know how many of you readers are deer hunters, nor do I know how many filled your tag this year, but I am beginning to think the deer are in control of the roadways instead of us humans! You hunters should be having a field day, especially if you hunt near a roadway.

Be careful out there when you are on the road. The rut has most likely passed, but I am beginning to think there may be a group of deer who are part of a cult or extreme political group that advocate suicide by car.

Tammy, you are my sweet friend, but if you ask to borrow my car, I may have to turn you down. Bad luck seems to run in threes.

Thought for the day:  You never know what “worse” luck your “bad” luck has saved you from.

Until next time.

sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260