Death under the trees....

Gentle rain fell as I left the house this morning. Slightly heavier than mist, it pattered softly against my skin and dripped slowly from my helmet. My glasses were covered.

I stopped for a newspaper, then pushed off toward work. Just after turning south into the pecan grove, a Chrysler 300 passed. Seconds later, I heard a thump and looked up in time to see something large splash into the roadside ditch. It was a deer, unmoving and apparently dead. The Chrysler stopped.

The driver got out before I reached the car. He walked quickly around to the right front corner to inspect the damage. In the pre-dawn darkness, it looked like the only real damage was to a running light which dangled from its wiring. The front clip, fender, and hood seemed OK, but it was hard to tell in the dark and rain.

He was OK, though clearly shaken about hitting the deer. I said I was sorry it happened, but I didn't really see the impact. And the deer was likely killed immediately or if it was unconscious when it hit the water, it drowned. I was not about to wade in after it.

I've had close encounters with deer in those wood too, both in the car and on the bike. So far (knock on wood) I haven't hit one. I should be thankful that since the roadside ditches are completely full due to all the rain we've had, they're effective barriers to smaller critters like skunks. I'm more afraid of skunks than deer.