If you live and drive in Washington, DC, especially if you use the roads that thread through Rock Creek Park, you might have noticed that our deer are acting strange.  They are coming into residential neighborhoods, and it's not unusual to see a group of them far from the Park on a neighbor's front yard.  And they are running around, flirting, cavorting and acting downright silly.  Loopy even!

Well, the Park Service reminds us that it's mating season, usually the first two weeks in November.  The little guys are loopy, not on Grey Goose, but  horny loopy - on hormones.  They are all looking for action and not looking where they are going! 

Last night I was driving along Broad Branch Road, and there was a buck lookin' for love in very wrong places.  He was standing in the middle of the road, assuming I'd stop my car without hitting him.  As I got closer, I saw he was in the lane with oncoming traffic, and I saw a line of headlights heading right toward him - and he wasn't moving!  I started to flash my brights on and off to alert the cars that were coming around the corner.  I didn't hear any screeching of brakes or other mayhem, so I'm assuming that deer and drivers worked it out and that Bambi's boyfriend didn't wind up as venison stew!  Maybe he even got lucky.

Every year, there are many accidents involving driver vs. deer, causing lots of damage to both cars and their drivers.  It doesn't do a lot for the deer either!