Parts of the county recently received some beneficial rains. On our family ranch near Kempner, however, we have missed out with only a few drops over the last few weeks. The grass and other vegetation have gone dormant and turned brown, and the fire danger is high.

I also have noticed an increased number of deer killed on the highway between Kempner and Copperas Cove. The dry conditions, no doubt, have them moving around more to seek water.

Last year, more deer were hit by vehicles and killed on our highway frontage than were killed by hunters on our ranch.

Any vehicle operator who has driven in Texas for any length of time is aware of the possibility of hitting a deer.

Although an average-size deer in this area is only around 100 pounds, it can cause considerable damage to an automobile. Drivers should be alert to the danger of a collision with a deer, especially during dry periods and at night.

I have traveled across most of the state, but there are parts that I do not travel at night due to the large number of deer on the highway right of way.

A number of years ago I drove to Sanderson to visit my brother who was a construction inspector for the flood prevention dams that were being built above the city. After leaving home late in the day, I had to drive from Sheffield to Sanderson at night. I do not think I have ever seen so many deer on any stretch of highway in my life. I counted up to 200 and then quit counting. I drove so slowly it took about double the time to drive those 40 miles of road.

How many deer have I hit? None, but one deer hit me. I was driving from Snyder to home and was in the sparsely populated area between Colorado City and Robert Lee when suddenly, bam! A big doe came out of nowhere and hit the side of my car, causing damage to the right rear fender. Of course, the deer came out second best.

What was ironic was this happened in the middle of the day and in an area where there are not a lot of deer. So it also pays to be careful.

If you plan to travel to far West Texas this summer, there is the possibility of another road danger. I recently read in a West Texas newspaper that a 400-pound black bear was hit by an automobile about five miles north of Alpine. Although the car was heavily damaged, the driver was uninjured. The bear was not so lucky; it was killed as a result of the mishap.

The odds of hitting a bear are probably remote, but a Brewster County Sheriff's Department deputy said the department has received nine bear calls this year.

In my many travels to West Texas, I have seen deer, turkeys, javelinas and wild hogs that were hit by vehicles, but never a bear or an antelope, for that matter.

How do you avoid a collision with an animal? That is a good question. I think the best way is to avoid driving, if possible, when there is a greater chance of hitting a deer. If you are driving in areas where deer are numerous, drive at a reasonable speed and keep your eyes open.

If you see deer near the highway, it is probably best not to honk the horn or swerve from lane to lane.

If I see deer in the right of way, I slow down and maintain a constant speed. Most of the time, the deer will keep eating and will not run in front of a vehicle.

Some products on the market are supposed to alert deer of a vehicle, but I don't know if they work or not.

In about two months the fall hunting seasons begin. The first open season is for doves. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regulation Committee has approved the 2009-10 Texas dove season, including a 70-day dove season and a 15-bird daily bag statewide and a 16-day early teal season.

Texas dove season in the North and Central Zone (Lampasas County is located in the Central Zone) will run from Sept. 1 through Oct. 25 and reopen Dec. 26 through Jan. 9, with not more than two white-tipped doves in the daily bag.

The South Zone will run from Sept. 18 to Nov. 3, reopening Dec. 26 through Jan. 17, with the same bag limit as the North and Central zones.

So now is the time to get your shotgun out and make sure it is clean and in good working order. Also, it may be a good idea to stock up on shotgun shells and not wait until the season opens. They could be in short supply by then.

I don't know anyone who hunts teal, but if you do, the season this year runs Sept. 12-27.

Former Soil Conservation Service employee and longtime writer Mat Taylor offers his outdoors column for Dispatch Record readers. He can be contacted at (254) 518-2262 or via e-mail at mntaylor@agristar.net.