Was traveling back from Kingsport to Bristol on 11-W just after dusk this afternoon. Saw a blur and realized that the truck in front of me had just struck an owl. It looked too big for a screech owl, and displayed too much light coloring, so I circled back to check. The little guy was a red phase screech owl, no band, and I moved the carcas to the shoulder of the road and resumed my travels. To show you how the mind wanders, or at least mine anyway, he was my thought process for the next 15 minutes or so. I began to wonder and think about all of the wildlife killed on a daily basis across the nation, and what a waste that must be. Which reminded me of the deer that jumped into my path last summer, doing almost $6,000 in damage to my truck. Which reminded me that not too long ago, deer were almost non-existent in Sullivan County, but today they were so abundant to have become a nuisance. Which reminded me that although I don't hunt much anymore, I was appreciative of those who did and helped manage the deer population in our area. And although I am not opposed in any way to hunting, I thought about the fact that I didn't find as much enjoyment for the sport as I once did. But that I remained an avid shooter and that the ammunition tax was funneled back to the state agencies in charge of managing our state's wildlife, all of which was a good thing for wildlife as a whole. Which for some strange reason, reminded me of the fact that when I was about 14 years old, I met a fellow named Wallace Coffey. At that time, I still regularly hunted ruffed grouse with my father, uncle and grandfather from time to time. And I chuckled to myself when I recalled that during my first few times in the field with Wallace, many of my first questions relating to ornithology centered around whether becoming a birder would help my future quest of the elusive ruffed grouse. I realized as I thought through this process, that as I began to study birds and other subjects of natural history, I had expanded my knowledge and as a result had become more inquisitive about why things do what they do. All of which brought me back to the realization of why a person as distracted as we are, would stop in the middle of Highway 11-W to check an owl. Ken Hale Bristol, TN