Bambi needs to be on alert

Hey, Bambi. Watch out!

Tell your whole family to be careful. Hunting season has begun. Youngest grandson, Nicky, was the first to draw blood with a nice doe. Middle child, Jacob, followed with a buck. Then granddaughter, Emma, also got a doe, while daughter, Beth, killed a buck.

That should provide them with enough meat for almost a year. They use venison for almost everything that I use regular hamburger for. Even picky eater, Emma, prefers venison to beef. Personally, I don’t care for it. I can handle the occasional deer jerky or deer sausage but I prefer the more familiar taste of beef.

When I read the local newspaper I am surprised by how many deer try to commit suicide or homicide this time of year. Perhaps they realize that their days are numbered and would rather die by motor vehicle than by a bullet. Or it could be that they are trying to get revenge for having a relative end up on somebody’s dinner table. We will never know.

A long time ago we were on our way to the hospital to check on my father-in-law. We didn’t know his condition, just that we needed to get to the hospital as soon as we could. We saw something in the road and swerved to miss it. That didn’t work.

It turned out that the two cars in front of us had hit a deer. The car directly in front of us knocked it down. We ran over it. It hit something under the car and we spun a few times before coming to a stop in the grassy median.

The police came by as we were assessing the damage. It was chilly and I couldn’t stop shaking. Hubby and the police got the car drivable again. We finally were back on the way to the hospital, this time with a story to tell. As far as I know that was the one and only time that either of us had a hand in the death of a deer. I have no idea what happened to the mangled body.

It turned out that my father-in-law had a heart attack. He was in the hospital for a few days. They fixed him up and sent him home. He lived for quite a few years after that.

My daughter and her family lease a place to hunt. They like going out there even when it isn’t hunting season. There is a peacefulness to the place that makes it a mini-vacation destination for them. Much of the time it is more than just Beth and her immediate family. There are usually an uncle or two, assorted cousins roaming around and of course Pappy, who is Beth’s father-in-law, all in search of a main course for dinner.

With all those people around, the emphasis is on safety. Everyone out there knows how dangerous guns are. They know that no matter what, weapons are not playthings. They know that guns should never be aimed at people for any reason. They also realize that they should never assume a gun is unloaded.

I grew up with guns in the house. After my grandfather died, my mom had one of her brothers take the guns away. She was afraid that one day my grandmother would shoot her. With all the turmoil in that house, it was a reasonable fear.

There will be more pictures of dead deer before the season is over. There will also be pictures of my daughter looking more relaxed than usual. I am glad they have a place to get away from it all.

Bambi and friends disagree. They see my daughter and her family as enemies. Watch out for Bambi. Stay away from Texas. My family has guns and they know how to use them.