# Salvaging Wild Game After a Motor Vehicle Collision



## GPS1504 (Dec 13, 2013)

Fresh meat from a wild game animal is for many of us something that is tough to pass up. It is because of its appetizing nature that wild game is sought year after year by hunters who spend time pursuing such a feast. When hunting season rolls around, we outfit ourselves in camo and set out with our weapon of choice in order to secure some meat for the freezer. Although actually hunting wild game is a deliberate process, sometimes mere happenstance brings it into our lives in a much hastier and unexpected manner, that being as roadkill.

When you hear the word 'roadkill' you may think immediately of a dead and bloated raccoon on the side of the road. It is pretty unlikely that anyone would view that as appealing to eat, but roadkill is a term with a much broader spectrum. You see, despite that bloated raccoon being roadkill, so is every other animal that happens to die in connection with a motor vehicle, some of which can quite easily be salvaged and are actually perfectly fine to eat as long as the idea is one you personally can wrap your mind around.

We've all driven down a road somewhere that had deer crossing signs. These bear the image of a deer in movement, its position one of taking an apparent leap, quite possibly into the grill of your vehicle. It is safe to say no one wants to hit a deer due to the catastrophic damage it may cause to your vehicle as well as possibly yourself, but why add insult to injury and let the meat of that animal go to waste? Truth be told, there really is no good reason not to eat fresh roadkill from the result of a collision. Granted some meat may be damaged by the impact, but more often there will be plenty remaining that can go to good use in terms of survival and sustenance for you and your family.

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_Photo: YouTube_

If the possibility of retaining a deceased wild game animal that you hit will your vehicle sounds too good to be true, there is a catch that could make it so. Depending on where you live, it may actually be illegal to take this action. Although many states are hip to the idea of consuming game animals that met an untimely death via collision, some are not. In fact, the states of Alaska, California, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, and Washington do not permit the salvaging of animals that died where the rubber meets the road. Other states require things such as a salvage permit or carcass receipt and some even insist a wildlife agent inspects the animal to confirm a vehicle was the source of its demise. It is important to know your local laws in order to avoid any unwanted fines, so be sure to brush up on those that apply to you should a time come that you might actually need to know them.

When it comes to a collision involving vehicles and wildlife, the first place your mind may go is to a deer. However, there are many other animals that are involved in accidents. It could be that you hit a wild turkey, black bear, bighorn sheep, wild boar, or any other species of cervid such as elk or moose. Whatever the case, the animal does not necessarily need to go to waste when it can instead go on your plate.

*Do you live in a state where the salvaging of roadkill is permitted? Have you made the best of a bad situation and consumed some yourself? Tell us about it in the comments!*


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