road kill.

Anyone else thought of fresh road killed deer as a good source of meat? I have seentons of it lately. Threw the idea out to my wife and got shot down rather quickly as being to nasty. I don't see anything wrong with it as long as it is fresh.

I keep my eye out for them, I only started considering this winter.

I did eat a deer that I killed with my car, went back the next morning and got her.
No reason I can't eat one someone else hit.

My wife also thinks it is gross, but whatever, if I see one it is coming home in the back of the pickup.

I hit a deer last week. Not practical to do anything with it-away from home with company truck.

If the deer lived after being struck, the meat can quickly become tough and off-flavor from adrenaline. If quickly killed, much of the meat will be good. If the digestive tract is injured it can ruin some of the meat. If all else fails, roadkill makes good food for chickens, pigs, catfish, or a fine addition to the compost heap.

Better check the local conservation regs. In Missouri if you take home a roadkilled deer out of season or without a tag it can get you a hefty fine or jail time. I do know though that if you contact them and tell them you hit a deer, they will send someone out to check (in case someone really poached it with a gun and is lying) and then go ahead and let you take it. My husband hit one once and called. That is what happened. Only since we are long-time vegetarians, we gave it to a co-worker with lots of kids to feed.

I eat it only if I hit it or saw it hit. Otherwise it is hard to say what happened to it. Roadkill found frozen can be risky too. It may have been hit late in the fall rotted a day plus and then froze. Or it may have been frozen and thawed several times. I have gotten two Ruffed Grouse as roadkill. Heed the advise about local regs.

Last year I got a nice turkey around Halloween. Broken neck, broken wing and still warm when I got it home and plucked it. Musta been the car ahead of me that hit it. Cooked it up for my buddy's birthday, some folks were kinda grossed out, but most tried it. It was tasty!
I've also eaten roadkill deer at my brother's house. That was my first roadkill experience.
So if it's fresh enough, not squished in the middle, and no wardens around, I'm totally down with free meat.
A couple days ago driving to town I saw a roadkill deer where somebody took just the hindquarters, so I'm not the only one around here eating roadkill.

For our tenth anniversary, we butchered a road kill deer. I am such a romantic... : We called the police to let them know about it, and they asked us if we would dispose of it so they wouldn't have to come out. It was obvious from the way they said it they didn't care what we did with it.

It was very very good. We made sure to cut away the areas that were damaged. Your biggest issue would be if the guts spilled over the meat. Make sure to give that meat to the dogs.

Shot or killed by a car. Not much difference in taste from what I can see. And we are not squeamish.

At the very least, make chicken feed out of it or something. Protein is not to be despised or wasted.

I scooped up a roadkill raccoon and hung the carcass, in a 5-gallon bucket with 1" holes drilled in the bottom, inside my chicken tractor, which has standing head room. Raccoon predation ceased immediately, and as a result I haven't used electrified poultry netting since then.

Now I recognize that all that might be coincidence, and that there might be no causal relation whatever, and to be safe, the next group of chicks that go into any tractor WILL be protected by hot-wired netting. But that tractor also will get a fresh road-killed raccoon, the first chance I get to add one.

When flies lay eggs on the carcasses, the maggots hatch, fall through the holes in the bucket, and become free chicken feed, in negligible quantities but greater than zero. I expected the rotting carcasses to stink, but surprisingly, they didn't. My immediate neighbors, who are country people, gave this practice a thumbs-up, and told me, compliment intended, that I was becoming a regular redneck.

Old farmer trick with electric fence - put aluminum foil tabs on it, with peanut butter (have fence turned off while you do this). Then, the raccoons go for the peanut butter - and never go near your fence, ever, again.

They are going to check out the peanut butter with either their tongues, or their nose. Just imagine how a wet noise, or a tongue feels when it touches an electric fence. lol Works really well for deer too.

Oh good one Fred! I'll be sure to try this. Thanks.

A few years ago my neighbor brought home a just-hit deer and skinned and cleaned it in his back yard. The meat was great. Only warning is to remember that deer can have deer ticks. He got bit and had to have treatment done to prevent lyme disease, but obviously a risk anytime you're around deer, road-killed or not...

The key on an electric fence is to get the animals to touch it. It isn't a barrier, most animals can go right through it, or over it. You need to train them to it, which requires them learning the hard way to stay very far away from it, and no matter how tasty something smells near it, it isn't worth it.

In truth, you can turn off your electric fence most of the time - after the animals are trained.

Check out a comment left by Nathan on the post Ethical Deer Harvest He shared some interesting thoughts on road killed deer.

I have done this for years, whenever the opportunity presents itself, but only with whitetail deer. I don't fool with smaller game. I make sure the temps are low enough, I wouldn't take something hit on a hot August night, of course. I also won't fool with anything that has been laying longer than a day. Most deer are hit at night, especially during the mating season, so if there's something laying there first thing in the morning that wasn't there yesterday, it is fine. It doesn't take long for the buzzards to find the carcass.

I believe salvaging roadkill is more common than some realize but, with the associated social stigmas, probably doesn't get talked about much. I used to salvage different roadkill body parts often for my primitive replicas...until a Fish & Game worker I had just designed a house for told me it was illegal. I later found that it was far easier and more productive to acquire needed parts from a wild game processor during hunting season anyway. Still, I think it's a shame the practice of salvaging roadkill can be illegal ....though there are "roadkill bills" being looked at around the country to change this. Here's one recent story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-07/furbearer-retrieving-roadkill/52434074/1

That said, I assume it's not a very high priority for most Fish & Game agencies to pursue roadkill law breakers. Salvaging in a discreet and cautious manner would still be wise though.

Up here if you hit a moose, you can't just take it home (and you won't just be throwing that in the back of your truck unless you have a crane or something); there is a list. The ones who have registered themselves on it get called. The first to agree gets to salvage.

I knew some folks in Missouri once who found a roadkilled deer, still warm. They hauled it off and dressed it. Shortly afterward, they were in a local establishment and overheard some people relating how they hit a deer, and when they got back with the truck, it was gone. So I guess if you're gonna do it, you best be quick.

Consider making friends at the patrol level on the local police department. They are frequently called after animal-vehicle accidents and they can be a great source of meat. In Michigan, the driver that hit the deer gets first dibs but if they don't want it, the police can issue you a road kill tag (free) that will allow you to legally process the animal. I just got my first deer from this method two weeks ago. Yummy.

Roadkill in the Idaho news again this morning. http://www.nwcn.com/home/Roadkill-could-become-fair-game-in-Idaho--137449923.html

We can now salvage roadkill in Idaho. Great for my replicating. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47437560/ns/local_news-boise_id/#.T7UJisX4Io5

Victor Johanson wrote:I knew some folks in Missouri once who found a roadkilled deer, still warm. They hauled it off and dressed it. Shortly afterward, they were in a local establishment and overheard some people relating how they hit a deer, and when they got back with the truck, it was gone. So I guess if you're gonna do it, you best be quick.

Here in MO you have to be careful to notify the MDC before taking a deer. The Game Warden can inspect your freezer and if he finds parts for more deer than you had a filled and checked tag for the previous season you can be fined or worse. I don't know about other states but you are suppose to call the MDC here and check with them before taking a road kill deer even if it was your car it totaled.
They take game laws pretty seriously here.
Ray

Ray Cover wrote:Here in MO you have to be careful to notify the MDC before taking a deer. The Game Warden can inspect your freezer and if he finds parts for more deer than you had a filled and checked tag for the previous season you can be fined or worse. I don't know about other states but you are suppose to call the MDC here and check with them before taking a road kill deer even if it was your car it totaled.
They take game laws pretty seriously here.
Ray

I hope a search warrant is necessary for that, although in these incipient days of the police state, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that's not the case.

NO! Thanks to daddy Bush's war on drugs and the raping the 4th amendment got with the search and seizure laws that came along with it, if the game warden "suspects" you have illegal game in your freezer he can barge in and check. Its illegal and Unconstitutional as all get out but the pinheads in black robes said it was OK.

Anyway, I better stop here before I go into a full rant and get myself in trouble.

Ray Cover wrote: The Game Warden can inspect your freezer and if he finds parts for more deer than you had a filled and checked tag for the previous season you can be fined or worse.

I have heard something similar, but I think they would need just cause for that. Like if they caught you poaching, as in in the act of doing it or with an untagged animal, or someone reported it, even then they would need a warrant. I would think this would be hard to prove as well, for example, I have 3 deer in my freezer one I got, one my roommate got, and one his dad got. They are packaged and not labeled, except what cut it is, so how would one tell what animal they came from? Also how do they know if you filled your tag or not? I have bought far more tags than I have filled, and never had to report a filled tag. I'm not saying what you said is wrong because I have heard the exact same thing, it just seems improbable unless you are doing something illegal, and caught. Even then I think it would be a hard stretch to prove someone poached a deer that's already in the freezer. This of course is just my experience in my state. You are absolutely right about being required to tag any deer that is being transported, road kill or otherwise.

I have a friend who hit a deer with his van. Got out to check the damage and there were 2 dead deer, both had broken necks, but otherwise ok. One was standing directly behind the one he hit and the force of the impact drove one into the other killing both. He called the DNR to get a tag and the officer showed up, looked at the van and gave him 1 tag. He said wait there are 2 of them. The officer didn't believe him that he hit them both and refused to give him a second tag. My friend made a compelling case, they are both still warm and the same temp, if I didn't hit it where did it come from? This was off a very rural road with no other traffic to be seen. Officer shrugged his shoulders and said I'm only giving you one tag, got in his truck and left. My friend is very firm in his belief of using any animal you take the life of, and also an ex-marine and not very comfortable with breaking the law. He deliberated for a few then threw them both in the van, tore the tag in half and tagged them both. Not exactly legal but IMO the right thing to do.

For MI only
**Edit
Copy and paste 324.1602 Department or officer; prosecution; search without warrant; private property; definition; common carrier not liable; issuance of warrant; seizures; probable cause.

Sec. 1602.

"Whenever an officer appointed by the department has probable cause to believe that any of the statutes or laws mentioned in section 1601 have been or are being violated by any particular person, the officer has the power to search, without warrant, any boat, conveyance, vehicle, automobile, fish box, fish basket, game bag, game coat, or any other receptacle or place, except dwellings or dwelling houses, or within the curtilage of any dwelling house"

So it would appear they can search everywhere except in the dwelling and the immediate area around the dwelling, curtilage.

Here in Alaska moose get killed on the road quite often. My son totaled his car on one a few years back. But the roadkill is disposed via a list. It used to be just nonprofits, but now anyone can get on it, and law enforcement just calls them in order and the first to agree gets it. That's a LOT of meat.

Brad Davies wrote:

Ray Cover wrote: The Game Warden can inspect your freezer and if he finds parts for more deer than you had a filled and checked tag for the previous season you can be fined or worse.

I would think this would be hard to prove as well

I don't know what other agencies are doing but the fish & game here has been getting more and more media attention for their abilities. They recently caught some seemingly untouchable poachers by using DNA and other methods one would think came right out of the CSI TV series. If they haven't already, it would seem logical that other states with large fish & game agencies would also adapt and use these technologies.

I must err on the side of caution, if I did not hit the animal...

I hit a rabbit in my golfcart and made a stew...

I actually compost roadkills if they're new-ish...Great
way to fire up a compost heap, and they often finish in record time...

Peace -

We had roadkill deer for Thanksgiving dinner this year . Brother-in-Law saw it hit and threw it in back of truck . My nephew - graduate from fine culinary institute - spent a day with it . Marinated in beer and seasonings . Slow smoked it with applewood . Finished it by braising in stock and wine. Finest roast leg of venison I ever had.

wayne stephen wrote:We had roadkill deer for Thanksgiving dinner this year . Brother-in-Law saw it hit and threw it in back of truck . My nephew - graduate from fine culinary institute - spent a day with it . Marinated in beer and seasonings . Slow smoked it with applewood . Finished it by braising in stock and wine. Finest roast leg of venison I ever had.

Nice chain of events...

There are so many deer here, more folks need to try venison, I think they'd be impressed by it's flavor, tenderness...

we get 3 or 4 a year this way make sure thay are still warm we have to call the police and thay give you a tag one year i did not do this and was acused of pouching by a young game and wildlife officer after he called his boss and he arrived he made the officer finsh cleaning the deer and helped me put it in the frezzer it was a good experince because i thought i was toast for trying to not let the meat go bad

I hope a search warrant is necessary for that, although in these incipient days of the police state, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that's not the case.



not the case here in oklahoma