I guess deer hunting season here in Maine started September 7. I have been seeing people (men, primarily) wearing the ubiquitous orange hats and orange vests, a sign that hunting season has begun.

I am a meat eater and particular in terms of the types of cuts and the quality of the meat. While I don’t like to think how that delicious steak came to come onto my dinner plate, I am also not averse to the idea of eating an animal because of the slaughter involved. Harsh, I know. But I grew up in the land of the best “asados”.

I don’t really care for venison, except for the “filet mignon-style cut”. My Mother-in-Law liked to prepare a venison chili, but, as much as I tried, I did not like it, even though I enjoy chili (I drew the line, though, in South Africa, where I was offered crocodile meat chili and elephant meat chili.).

However, a wonderful gentleman hunter (he turned a dilapidated garden shed into my little office) once brought me moose. I was trepidatious. But I felt obliged to at least give it a try. He told me how it ought to be prepared. And, to my delight, I found that it tastes like the most tender fat-free mignon. I can eat it any time.

Today, as I was leaving a friend’s home to go back home, I noticed the same mamma I have seen with 2 Bambis these last few weeks. (I am assuming it is the mamma, because the fawns stick to her like glue). She is not afraid of humans, because there is no hunter on the property and no hunting is allowed. She lifted her head to stare at me in a quite lackadaisical manner, while her Bambis frolicked nearby (too far for me to take a photo).

And I thought: I hope she keeps on grazing in this hunt-free zone. She is too pretty. Maybe she is protected (there are rules after all). I don’t know. But I like the way she carries herself and I don’t want her gone.

Now, based on my personal experience, where I subscribe to the philosophy that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, she may very well prance across the busy street nearby and be hit by a car. Kind of like a Seinfeld episode.

But, but…I sincerely hope she has many more seasons to produce more Bambis.