I am devastated……with about 2 million miles of driving diesel truck, In every state of my country, (Except Alaska, and Hawaii) Many more miles in Canada,And a few in Mexico, I had a deer, a doe deer to be exact, commit suicide in front of my truck.
All of this happened on a lonely stretch of highway B, near Rockville, Missouri.
Things happen fast at 60 miles an hour, on a narrow farm road. I am careful on this road at this time of year because farmers are harvesting corn and soybeans, and driving the rewards of their hard work to local elevators in slow or even slower trucks.
It is not unusual for me to have to slow down for a couple of farmtrucks or evern combines, and wait for them to drive off of the road so I can pass them with my 18 wheeler. When they start pulling the crops out of the field, the farmers work 24 hours a day until it is done.
I love to watch the hardest working segments of our population(in my humble opinion)of course..
Farmers and Soldiers…America’s Weapons of Mass Security.
Anyone who has a bad word to say about the American farmer or our nations wonderful soldiers, (from the lowest private, to the commander in chief) gets no respect from this truck driver. Just once I would hope they would have to go to bed hungry with terrorists terrorising their church or neighborhood. If it was left up to the liberals of this country to feed or protect our nation, we would be a third world nation. It is not the people or land that make Cuba a third world nation...it is the liberal form of government the citizens tolerate.
Back to Bambi meets tractor trailer. As careful as I was, I was not able to avoid the doe deer last night….and it is dead.
The road upon which all of this happened is a Missouri county road, just wide enough for two trucks to pass each other, so there was nowhere to park and see about the deer, but I am positive it could not have survived 40 tons at 60 miles an hour.
I drive 17 miles from a Federal Highway (US 71) to my destination two times a day, and 17 miles back to the big road. That is almost 70 miles of bad road each day, five days a week. In each of those 17 miles, there are three one lane bridges, 4 bridges that should be posted as one lane, 5 sharp turns, and many other truck driving challenges. In that 17 miles there are only 2 places that I can pull my truck and trailer over and stop. JUST TWO,Two in 17 miles…the rest of the road has no shoulder, just ditches, rails, or fences.
There is always the danger of coming upon farm equipment on the road. And there is the possibility of animals on the road or near the road.
Some evenings the hawks, owls and other birds fly close to my truck, and all I am able to wish for is. I just hope they stay out of the way (I am a birdwatcher and lover) of all this movement of elements I am in charge of, like in driving..
In about thirty years of driving, I have been fortunate enough to have only had 2 pheasants,a wild turkey and few other small birds fly into the windshield of my truck. These have always been sad days. I love birds, but my truck can’t fly.
Even today, upon returning to the yard, I had to clean clumps of Monarch Butterflies off of the radiator of my truck.
Why even snakes use the road to sun on at times, and turtles love to use the highways in rainy weather. I see raccoons galore, an occasional bobcat, wild turkeys, cows that have wandered out onto the road, kittens, cats and the dogs of the farmers, skunks, rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, possums,and DEER. Of all these critters, I love turtles and deer the most.
The only one of these many animals I would risk trying to avoid, is the turtle. At 60 mph, 40 tons of truck is not able to make quick, defensive maneuvers. You can steer slowly away from a situation, but you cannot swerve to avoid. I wrote an article about this, many months ago here at Sanity’s Bluff. I am not going to run off of the road and kill myself to save a deer, or any other animals.
Maybe this is why PETA people don’t drive truck (personally I wish they would).
Back to the deer though.
At sixty miles per hour, all of this happened in about 2 second’s time: All of the sudden in the range of my eyesight and the trucks headlights,There, Not more than 50 yards ahead of my truck, a doe leaped from the brush, and headed to the other side of the road. In this area last night, it was cloudless, and the moon was almost full; so the sight was beautiful…BUT. My mind immediately knew that there would probably be more deer crossing the road. This doe was almost certainly running from a horny deer buck. Not full speed, mind you, Just kinda putting up a show of running.
I started braking, But: Another deer jumped from the ditch and I heard a dull thud. That’s all,
Just a dull thud. It was a head on collision, deer to my truck’s bumper. There was very little damage to my truck, one fog light busted, and a little fur and blood on the bumper. The deer impacted my bumper right at the strongest part of the bumper. My truck was the lucky one in this unavoidable happening. I had to drive 12 miles to a place to stop and check out the damage. I was almost in tears. If there had been a way to avoid this, I would have done it.
My reflexes are fine tuned to react to such events with my family’s future in mind.
My family needs me, and we can all go to the Zoo to see deer in their safe environment. Near tears, and upset, Actually there were a more than a few tears, I drove away from the scence of this carnage of the road. This was the first deer I have ever struck with a truck.
Many years ago, I ran into a cow with the truck I was driving at a slow speed, just kinda knocked it out of the way. Rabbits are always committing suicide in front of me. They will sit at the edge of the road waiting for a truck, and then dash out into the road. I swear they commit suicide.
I am sick, I was hoping that I could drive a few more years without ever killing a deer, and then retire. I don’t hunt, but don’t mind other people hunting deer. Personally, I can’t stand the smell of deer flesh, or the taste. I am a beef and potato man. (DID I SPELL THAT RIGHT DAN QUALE?????????)
I shared this with you; just to get it off of my chest so to speak….I am really devastated. Most of you think of conservatives as people who don’t give a squat about animals. You are wrong. Most conservatives are better stewards of God’s Gift of life, than any snail worshipping drugged out scum bucket from the wacko side of liberalism. Care about animals??? I do.
I learn a lot about my creator looking at all of HIS creation. He provides all of us, enjoyment in the watching of animals, but, He also created animals for men and women to eat if they are hungry. My creator gave me dominion over all animals, for they don’t have a soul, I DO.
That beautiful doe had no soul, so after a little grieving, I’ll get back behind the wheel and drive on, thanking my Creator for giving me discernment of the worth of man and animals. There is a beautiful scripture from the Bible, that comes to mind……loving the created more than the creator.
I share it now……paint me however you must in your mind, I love the creator’s creation too, but I worship the Creator. You should too.
LISTEN NOW TO THE SAME SMALL VOICE OF THE FATHER….
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,
Think my friends…….about that deer and John. Which one had an eternal soul? Which had a soul? I know, and you should know too. Touched a little? Do you love God’s creation? God has more creations awaiting those that obey HIM.
But, most of you won’t, even GOD is resigned to this fact…… If you read these following verses, and don’t feel a tug at your heart, telling you, man has let God down, well it may be hopeless for you. Romans 1:18-32 (King James Version)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 ecause that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.