MIKE BRAUN New truck and bad luck

Fate can be very unkind when she sets her sights on a target.
Dave Brown, the state game officer for Mahoning County, found this out the hard way one recent Saturday morning.
Brown, who has ably handled the day-to-day situations involving state game laws in Mahoning County for more than 20 years, was recently selected to receive a new official state truck.
The 2003-model Ford F-150 replaced the tired model he had been driving. "I had my previous truck for eight years," he told me.
Delighted with new truck
Brown was delighted to have a new vehicle finally, especially with the state budget in a negative situation.
A little more than two weeks ago, May 17 to be exact, Brown was on his way to check fishing licenses around 8 a.m. when fate decided to make an appearance.
Brown was driving the dark-green state pickup on U.S. Route 224 west out of Canfield when one of the creatures he is charged with protecting decided to pay him a visit.
Unfortunately for Brown, and the creature -- a white-tailed deer -- the "visit" involved a collision with the new truck.
It was over in a blink of an eye. Even Brown's lengthy experience with deer-vehicle accidents and his excellent driving record couldn't help him.
Never had an accident
"I've been with the division of wildlife for 23 years and I've never had an accident," he said, adding "I wasn't hurt, it's just the principle. I didn't even have that truck for three weeks."
Damage to the truck wasn't severe enough to keep it from being driven, so Brown headed to the Canfield post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol -- where his brother is a sergeant -- and filled out an accident report. The deer was killed on impact.
The truck, with only 1,200 miles on it, sustained about $1,500 in damage to the front protective guard and bumper area.
Needless to say, Brown had to endure some good-natured ribbing from the officers at the patrol post as well as from DOW personnel when they heard about his "bagging" a deer.
Brown's accident can have a positive outcome for some others, though. If you are driving in rural areas, you should be aware that yearling dispersal -- deer 6 to 18 months old -- is a factor at this time of the year.
If the game officer whose very job depends upon excellent observation skills can hit a deer, then the average citizen needs to be even more diligent while driving.
What sportsmen should know
The June Field & amp; Stream contains an excellent section on the top 50 skills all hunters, anglers, campers, hikers, or basically anybody who enjoys the outdoors should know.
"The Complete Outdoorsman," a 12-page, color-illustrated section, covers a wide range of basic skills including catching and releasing a fish so it survives, bagging a grouse -- or two, paddling a canoe in all conditions, telling a good camp story, purifying water, brewing camp coffee, building the perfect fire, avoiding a bear attack, aging an animal's track, surviving an unexpected night in the wilderness, making a fire without matches, forecasting the weather or fixing your small outboard motor if it fails on you.
Preparing for any eventuality is a good idea, since you can't plan for a disaster. If you are armed with the knowledge of how to handle trouble, then handling the fun parts are that much more enjoyable.
braun@vindy.com