Legal Roadkill

Here are some of the rules:

You're not allowed to hit an animal on purpose to collect the meat.
The entire carcass of the animal must be removed from the road.
You will not be allowed to sell any part of the salvaged animal.
Only deer and elk accidentally struck by a vehicle may be salvaged.
Antlers and the head of all salvaged animals must be surrendered to an ODFW office within five business days of possessing the carcass.

You can find more of the rules on the state's website.

Starting Jan. 1, it will be legal to harvest roadkill in Oregon

Look what you have to go through if you want to legally eat your road kill in Oregon next year. Only deer and elk, why is that? You can not even keep the rack!

Most states will not let you eat roadkill. Now if it has been laying in the road for days I understand. But If I just ran over a possums head, I should be able to take it home and eat it if I want to (I don't)!

Our state leaves deer and other big animals on the side of the road for days or weeks and never picks up the smaller ones. Seems it would help keep the road clear of dead animals if you could eat them when you hit them.

Anyone having roadkill for New Years?

Me and the Misses ran into the same problem last week.
We always eat whatever we find in the road and never had any problems (legally).
Well, I was scraping a possum up last week near my house and a cop pulled over to ask why I was doing that.
He said I wasn't even allowed to touch it. I told him all about our diet and even shared a few recipes. Oh well, no dice.
Ever have garden snake? If it's summer time in the south and if its been dead and in the highway for a long time, usually they are cooked enough by the sun so you can just pull over and open your door and grab it while you're still rolling. Just start munchin. I always keep a jar of mayo in my glove box.

a reply to: EmmanuelGoldstein

Yep, road baked snake is all the rage. You just have to be sure it is dead on the quick pick-ups.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

When that law passed in Oregon I kinda thought it was at least a step forward. Until then I think it was totally illegal.
Now at least people can do it and the restrictions are there to prevent wholesale slaughter by vehicle.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I can't see hitting an elk in my Honda just for the rack or meat. I guess if you have a truck with crash bars it would not do much damage.

Why are crash bars legal anyway? Any good reason to have crash bars, other than winning if you are in a crash? Seems like an unfair advantage.

The hunters around here said roadmeat is no good- the intestines blow on impact and ruin the meat.

Never looked into it myself.

Also never hit a deer... those darn coyote have taken over the state

originally posted by: LookingAtMars
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I can't see hitting an elk in my Honda just for the rack or meat. I guess if you have a truck with crash bars it would not do much damage.

Why are crash bars legal anyway? Any good reason to have crash bars, other than winning if you are in a crash? Seems like an unfair advantage.

Some are legal and some are not. Depends on what state you live in.

When I was younger and still living in Oklahoma I had crash bars that mounted to the frame. Those would be illegal here in Nevada.
One time I hit a deer around midnight. If I had crappy bars my truck probably would have just kicked the deer up and through my windshield. I was going about 50mph on a back road. I should not have been going that fast but I was in a hurry. Noticed the deer before I hit it but determined that swerving out of the way was going to be dangerous for my health. I also learned that deer whistlers don't do crap.

a reply to: lordcomac

Never thought about that, a blown bladder would ruin the meat for sure

originally posted by: lordcomac
The hunters around here said roadmeat is no good- the intestines blow on impact and ruin the meat.

Never looked into it myself.

Also never hit a deer... those darn coyote have taken over the state

Here outside Vegas those damn Coyote have been moving more into town as of late. Those little bastards are sneaky.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

I am glad you had good crash bars then. I used to sell auto parts and tried to tell people the whistlers were a gimmick. Most bought them anyway.

originally posted by: LookingAtMars
a reply to: Allaroundyou

I am glad you had good crash bars then. I used to sell auto parts and tried to tell people the whistlers were a gimmick. Most bought them anyway.

Now I know and will always be telling people to not waste the money. They have never helped. Not saying I actively hit deer but on back roads they show up at the most random times.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

We have problems with them in Georgia too. They are killing peoples pets and in some cases attacking people. Law enforcement let people know it is legal to shoot them if they come on your property.

a reply to: lordcomac

It depends on where or how bad the deer is hit. Frequently legs are broken. We saw a deer get hit twice, once by a vehicle going north and then by another going south. She was still alive with 3 broken legs and my husband put her out of her misery, then got the cops and road kill tag while I waited by the side of the road. Not a big deer but nice tender meat. I had a deer run into the side of my car then bounce back over 15 feet across a lane of traffic almost into the ditch. That one died of a broken neck.

a reply to: LeoLeoMidWest

Not a big deer but nice tender meat

Tenderized nicely by north and south bound traffic