I live here in north central PEE-AY… unfortunately vehicular deer-slaying is kind of rite of passage around here. I have three (wonderful) children, all grown now. They are about a year and a half apart so when the learner’s permit time came, we had about a 5 year period of new drivers in the family. I don’t know why, but it seemed like ALWAYS and inevitably that a couple days into their “real” licenses, they “got their deer”. My daughter, a softie animal lover, was totally heart-stricken-broken when this happened to her. I ended up making a “Now You’re A REAL Pennsylvania Driver” diploma certificate… a custom I continued thereafter with the boys… which they earned in about the same time-frames. All of them, of course, were mortified in turn that they smashed up the family car. And all comforted by us that cars are replaceable and great kids are not. Finally, not long after they purt near all left home, my octogenarian mom wanted to go “leaf-peeping” during the autumnal Flaming Foliage Festival in and around the redoubtable Renovo, PA. Up from a roadside below-grade cut-out railroad bed bounded a huge gorgeous 8-point buck… right into mom’s car, which I was driving. In about a second, the grill of the car was smashed, then the hood, then the flying deer came down on the windshield, which exploded, buckled the roof right above and behind it, and was dashed to the ground deader n a doornail. They’re used to that up there. We had graciously solicitous volunteer fire company men on scene almost immediately. PA State Trooper in about 5 minutes more… along with a game commissioner, and finally several good ol’ boys with pick-ups. Once we were deemed (miraculously) unhurt, and things were squared away with LE, the game commissioner told me the deer was mine to do with what I wanted. So I sauntered over to the good ol’ boys and offered it to whoever wanted it. They, very gentlemanly, cast lots (ok, maybe rock/paper/scissors) to see who would get it, they all having arrived at about the same time. The happy winner was exultant!! I’d love to hear whatever stories he tells about that gorgeous 8-point buck mounted above his fireplace!! For me, that would bring my lifetime total of automotively acquired deer to about 6… maybe 8. I know conventional hunters with lower numbers than that. Must be a gift. Incidently, in this area, everything used to close for deer season… first day of buck season was always a sacrosanct holiday, and also doe season… including schools and many businesses. (The local high school was named “Bucktail HS”… no kidding, fer real.) Many concerns would completely shut down for the entire couple-week duration of combined deer seasons… so many people saved and took vacation days for this, that it didn’t make sense to stay open. I have since retired, moved, and no longer have kids in school to know if this all still goes the same ways. But now our extremely annoying and destructive neighborhood deer herd was at 18 or so the last time I counted them… as I was chasing them off and away from my wife’s beloved rose bushes, etc. Hawke, when you get your Camaro fixed(and “cow-catcher” installed), I’d be deeply grateful if you’d come tear around our block several times with the pedal to the metal. I can tie up local LE with some sort of distraction… maybe the promise of beer and fresh venison steaks on the grill!!!
