Deer: (n) a hoofed grazing animal with branched antlers that are shed annually

There is much to learn from the deer.

Much more than was acquired through the movie, “Bambi.”

When I was a young boy, seeing a deer was a surprise, a treasure and caused everyone to fall still and freeze—so as not to lose the pristine sight before them.

Deer just didn’t come around that much.

One of my teachers said this was because they were an endangered species and we needed to be careful not to kill them all off.

That made sense to me.

I think it made sense to a lot of people.

Because the deer population was encouraged, and deer season for hunting was shortened.

In no time at all, there were deer everywhere.

And I think the deer population was so grateful to be plentiful that it started showing up more often—even running into traffic, ruining cars.

The consensus that the deer was a beautiful treasure dissipated.

Matter of fact, some people considered them to be a nuisance and lobbied for a longer deer-hunting season, to thin the herd.

Of course, this was followed by people offering venison to eat, with all sorts of recipes proving that the meat was delicious.

The deer suffered a public relations problem.

Not only were they too plentiful, but they also were too delicious.

This is where the deer lives today.

Still quite available, but gradually learning that a personal appearance in front of human beings is an invitation to have your buck shot.