Today marks the first day of regular deer season. As usual since Opening Day was moved from Mondays to Sundays in recent years, rural folk throughout the WGXC listening area awoke to gunshots, glimpses of blaze orange, and frightened, darting deer racing down roadways. From now until the end of the season on December 12, local residents should take extra care in the woods, and expect to see a fair number of deer strapped to the hoods of cars around the region... as well as regular tales of mishaps and occasional mayhem in local police blotters.

For those out hunting over the coming weeks: Be careful, especially when it comes to fellow hunters and people's livestock. Not everything that moves is a target. Be sure and double check ALL of your state Department of Environmental Conservation rules and regulations because they change regularly. Respect people's property lines. Wear orange.

If you're a non-hunter, and wondering how best to stay safe in the woods during rifle season, our first reccomendation would be to stay in town and city parks for the next three weeks, wear bright clothes and make lots of noise, or go to noted non-hunting places like Woodstock, the Fields at Art Omi, the Old Shaker villages, and other places where one knows there won't be any stray bullets. Stick to trails if you must enter a forest. Stay in the middle and not on the edge of fields.

I guess this is that time of year, post-elections, when we're all reminded about our nation's love for its second amendment.

And be careful driving, as well. Many deer will take to local roadways these days out of panic.

Safety first!