It has recently come to my attention -- and in an all too personal manner -- that the deer population in Putnam County is on the move.

I was driving into work earlier this week when "boom!" Out of nowhere, a large doe leapt from the woods and assaulted by beautiful new car of only a month. Keep in mind, it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon and I was driving the speed limit.

By the time I saw her, she was poised the kiss the windshield of my car, and try as I might to slow down, it only served to give me a better look as she whooshed past the passenger-side window of my car and, well you know the rest.

I don't know how she fared after the accident because when the clean-up crews went to look for her, she was gone. I can only hope that she got up stunned and trotted back into the woods.

But I'm going to be honest with you, I was more concerned about my car, so I stopped a few yards up the road and pulled into a driveway to assess the damage.

When I got out, I was devastated to see the entire passenger side of my car completely thrashed. I got an estimate on the damage the following day and I'm pleased to report that everything's going to work out fine.

Needless to say, I'm still upset that it happened, but I'm afraid the odds were that it was going to happen sooner or later.

Am I the only one who has noticed the increased activity in the deer lately? I am not kidding when I say that since the day of my accident, on Monday, five more deer -- not to mention the coyote and the cat --- have crossed the road within yards of my car! The other night, I flat-out just stopped the car in the road and held the horn down, hoping to clear the way through any approaching herds.

I'm beginning to think those animals have it out for me. I am an animal lover as much as the next guy, but come on. Give me a break. Don't you animals hibernate or something?

My purpose for writing this blog is basically to remind everyone to slow down, especially when driving late at night. I know we've run stories about how you should watch out for deer, and like most of you, I have sort of brushed them aside.

But I'm not taking it lightly anymore. It can happen to anyone and the damage can go far beyond the car or the deer. I'm glad I walked away from my accident.

The take-away message is this: Please, please be careful and slow down.