Deer Me!

Hello friends! This week is a big week if you live in my neck of the woods. November 15th marked the opening of firearm deer season or as my hoomans like to say “rifle season”. It’s the day when hunters get to go out into the woods to harvest deer for venison. Some hoomans don’t like the taste of venison. I do not understand this, but in any case, rifle season is here and can be very dangerous for canine explorers like me. 

Once the leaves have turned and fallen from the trees – I know hunting season has begun. My hooman ties a silly red scarf around my red collar (so hunters can see me more easily), and out to the woods we go. I do not think the scarf does anything special but it makes her feel better so I deal with it. (If I ever get an unsupervised minute alone with that scarf bad things will happen to it). But I digress.  

Hunters are some of the safest hoomans I know. They know a lot about the woods and use guns for hunting animals to eat. However, they can also be very territorial when it comes to their hunting land. I am not quite sure where the property lines are in my woods, but evidently I’ve got to be careful not to cross them. I was out the other day exploring like I do – sniffing and running and searching for my next adventure – when I was surprised by a stranger! 

Typically I am a very welcoming kind of canine. When I see a hooman, I usually wag my tail and bark with delight. Sometimes I bark with so much joy that my whole body bounces backward! As I trotted down my tree lined trail, I caught the scent of someone new. I increased my pace and woofed welcomes, as I started toward my new friend. But then something didn’t smell right. About halfway down the hill I stopped and reassessed the situation. This hooman made me bristle a bit. 

I quickly stopped my happy hellos and put my hackles up. He didn’t greet me like hoomans usually do. The stranger was not on my side of the creek but slowly started making his way toward me. My hoomom was at the top of the hill and she began to call me back. The tone in her voice sounded urgent and all of a sudden it felt very dangerous. I charged away from the stranger racing back up the hill, my silly scarf flapping in my ears. As I ran away, the stranger began to shout mean and angry words. I am not sure what he said but I could tell they were not friendly. 

That got me to thinking…although I like to think that all animals in the world are nice – some are just not. It can be hard to understand, but it is important to know that not all situations are safe. We need to know when put our hackles up and move away from dangerous situations. While I still do not like my silly scarf, I now understand the importance of being prepared to enter into territories unknown. 

So as we go into a new week… let’s remember to be kind but careful. Always be polite to strangers, but realize they are not friends (yet). Proceed with caution when venturing out (no silly scarf required), and sniff out the situation to make sure it is safe. If you happen to have a surprise guest that you know – greet them with bouncing backwards kind of joy. Remember that sometimes an unexpected visitor can be the beginning of another great adventure!

Bark at you next week – your friend,

P.S. You can find me throughout the week on all the socials – TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. See ya there!