CULPEPER, Va. — It was a wild start to the day for employees of a Culpeper restaurant after a deer smashed its way in earlier this week.
General manager Rachel Olenslanger of Grill 309 on Main Street said staff was preparing to open the doors when a deer crashed through one of the windows on Monday.
"I hear this huge boom go off through the restaurant and glass goes flying over the cocktail area," Olenslanger recalled. "I try to jump up and clear over the bar and this guy starts going crazy, jumping all over the cocktail area, hopping all over the place and going down our hallway."
Employees were forced to hide in a closet, kitchen or behind the bar while Olenslanger called 911. The deer knocked down tables and chairs, but the damage remained mostly in the windows.
No customers were inside.
The deer tried to barge through one of the windows but initially failed. After another try, it made it in. Officers did respond to the scene, although it is unclear what happened to the deer.
"It is mating season so I'm not quite sure if maybe he thought it was a doe or saw his own reflection and saw it was a buck and tried to attack it," she said.
October through December is mating season for deer, also known as "rut" by deer hunters. Deer are the most active during this time of the year, which tends to lead to more deer-vehicle collisions, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.