Eating roadkill?

deerless · #1 12-01-2018, 01:24 PM

Ended this season empty-handed, and just passed a dead deer on the side of the road on the way home from my last hunt. Looks like it was hit by a semi-truck. I'm half-tempted to slap my tag on that and take it with me. Would the meat be ruined? Not sure how long it's been there, but it can't be long. Anyone ever tried it? Should I turn my truck around and go back and get it?

35 whelen · #2 12-01-2018, 01:28 PM

sure it should be great especially if it was hit with a semi you'll have hamburger already made

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blgoodbrand1 · #3 12-01-2018, 01:57 PM

The meat certainly could be edible but you need to get a permit to take it, can’t just tag it.

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MK2750 · #4 12-01-2018, 02:34 PM

Early one morning the neighbour knocked on the door and told me they had hit a big doe about 100 yards from the house. They said it was coming up out of the ditch and just hit it's snout. I thought it would make awesome dog food so called the authorities to get the proper clearances. It was by far the best deer I have ever eaten and the poor dogs got none.

Weedy1 · #5 12-01-2018, 03:02 PM

Would that deer be considered semi-tenderized?

deerless · #6 12-01-2018, 03:17 PM

Decided to leave it, figured most of it would be ruined based on a quick google search. Right by the big truckstop in claresholm on the northbound highway, if anyone wants to chance it lol

Okotok · #7 12-01-2018, 03:30 PM

Great way to get a good nickname if you don't already have one. I have a buddy who made jerky and sausage out of a roadkill deer. This was many years ago and his nickname to this day is Roadkill.

grouse_hunter · #8 12-01-2018, 03:47 PM

I personally don't eat animals killed by vehicles, however if the time allows I always salvage the meat for my dogs.

fingershooter · #9 12-01-2018, 08:21 PM

I have gotten permits for and taken a cow elk and cow moose and enjoyed every bit of them. One had snapped both back legs low down and the other must have been struck in the head by a vehicle because no meat was ruined.
The elk was put down by a CO once we called him and the moose was still warm and hadn't started bloating, so was freshly killed. I know of others who fill their freezers with this otherwise wasted meat.

SuperCub · #10 12-02-2018, 08:54 AM

I've happily picked up grouse off the side of the road.

fordtruckin · #11 12-02-2018, 09:37 AM

I’ve picked up a couple road killdeer and elk for people. Granted we have a salvage law in Montana. If it’s been center punched I wouldn’t mess with it but every once in a while you come across one that got tagged in the head by a bumper or mirror and instant lights out. No damage to the body except maybe a little road rash from getting knocked over and perfectly fine for eating. Add in that it doesn’t cost you a thing and why not. Bout 4 weeks ago I came across a 5x5 bull that got hit and people wanted to salvage it so I wrote them up the permit, helped them load it into their truck and thanked them for helping keep scavengers/predators off the road.

mindoutside · #12 12-02-2018, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weedy1

would that deer be considered semi-tenderized?

haha!

58thecat · #13 12-02-2018, 10:29 AM

Watched a cooking show once were these fellas do just that, drive the highways for thier supper, possum, deer etc....

Big Grey Wolf · #14 12-02-2018, 10:43 AM

A few years back trapper mentioned got clearance to pick up a couple cow elk for bait. Then commented "I think one of them might have ended up in my deep freeze"

silver · #15 12-02-2018, 10:46 AM

I'm going to say yes and no. I have hauled my own roadkill home, the good side went to the house, the other side to the dog and cats. Some one elses road kill... maybe to the critters.

Smokinyotes · #16 12-02-2018, 05:00 PM

I’m not sure why anyone would want to eat meat that they don’t know how long it has been dead and hasn’t been bled out properly.

I had a fellow working for me that saw a yearling moose laying dead in the ditch on his way to work. After our 12 hour shifts he picked it up on his way home from work and butchered it up for the family. Can’t imagine it was very good being that it had layed in the ditch for at least 14 hrs with the guts in, not bled out in early August.

35 whelen · #17 12-02-2018, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

I’m not sure why anyone would want to eat meat that they don’t know how long it has been dead and hasn’t been bled out properly.

I had a fellow working for me that saw a yearling moose laying dead in the ditch on his way to work. After our 12 hour shifts he picked it up on his way home from work and butchered it up for the family. Can’t imagine it was very good being that it had layed in the ditch for at least 14 hrs with the guts in, not bled out in early August.

Yeah no kidding I don't need it that bad

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Talking moose · #18 12-02-2018, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

I’m not sure why anyone would want to eat meat that they don’t know how long it has been dead and hasn’t been bled out properly.

I had a fellow working for me that saw a yearling moose laying dead in the ditch on his way to work. After our 12 hour shifts he picked it up on his way home from work and butchered it up for the family. Can’t imagine it was very good being that it had layed in the ditch for at least 14 hrs with the guts in, not bled out in early August.

Happens all the time. Lots of game shot at last light and not found until the next morning.

Smokinyotes · #19 12-02-2018, 06:23 PM

We shot a cow elk with 10 minutes of legal light left about 15 years ago. We looked for her for about 2 hours with flashlights. The next morning as soon as it was light we started looking for her again. When we found her she had gone over 2 miles and was still warm. We skinned, gutted and took home. We cut and wrapped it thinking the meat would be fine as it was -15 overnight. The first steak I had you could tell that the elk had not bled properly and tasted like liver. We ended up taking it all and ground it into garlic sausage.