Eating roadkill

Jn78

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2018
Messages
318
This weekend I got a roadkill elk. I don't know exactly when it was killed, but there as no gas in her belly, rigor was just starting to set in, her eyes were still clear, and there were no bad smells inside or out. I imagine she had been dead about an hour. I processed her quickly and only kept meat that was not bloodshot. I don't know how bad her internal injuries were because I did not gut her, but she really wasn't beaten up that badly. Her lower legs were broken and she had a busted up head, but the majority of her shoulders, rump, and backstrap were fine. Does anyone have experience eating a roadkill animal? I am thinking she will taste no different than a shot elk. Am I wrong?
 
I've done it with a road kill whitetail. Tasted just fine. It had been dead for three hours or so. Make sure you check the regs for the area you are collecting roadkill in as far as removing parts or all of the animal. In MT the entire animal must be removed from the site, you can not just quarter it out on the side of the road.
 
A dude I hunt elk with was seriously considering driving up to MT from Kansas with some coolers and trying to pimp the game wardens for tips on fresh roadkill. I know he was serious because a he made me pull over twice to look at road kill elk to see if we could salvage them.

He salvages several whitetail every year here to no ill effect.
 
It’s fairly common to take at least an hour after the shot to find and get to work on a downed animal taken while hunting. Between head, leg and internal bleeding I imagine she bled out quickly and will taste just fine. Use good judgement of course
 
I’ve done it years ago with a blacktail doe. She was yummy, her fawn however was not salvageable.
Saw a Mexican guy toss a doe in the trunk of his car this summer when I was headed home from a hunt. Right in town, he was in and out in like 30 seconds or less. He actually passed me up later, probably wanted her out of trunk and in freezer ASAP.
 
I have eaten a fair bit. Moose, elk, and whitetail. Same rules apply find em fresh, take care of the meat and don't bother with the bumper shot blood nasty.
 
I've done a few deer, but I've always seen them get hit. I've passed on animals that looked fresh but I didn't watch it happen. At first I gave it an extra sniff or two but there is really no difference between the two.

Also, those roadkill deer have been the cleanest looking carcasses I've butchered....rifle and broadhead have done considerable more damaged.
 
I ate my first roadkill deer last year. It was a yearling doe that still had a pulse when we found her, but I'd do it again without hesitation.
 
One of the most tender deer I ever ate was a roadkill. (No pun intended)

Poor thing, still had spots.
Got the call from a volunteer fire department member less than 10 min after it happened.

Had a bunch of guys over for a chislic fry,
Everyone agreed
 
Totally doable. I snagged a fawn that was hit in front of my house last winter. Unfortunately it got smoked in the rear. Back straps and front quarters were perfect.


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I've done it with a road kill whitetail. Tasted just fine. It had been dead for three hours or so. Make sure you check the regs for the area you are collecting roadkill in as far as removing parts or all of the animal. In MT the entire animal must
be removed from the site, you can not just quarter it out on the side of the road.
Yeah, good point. I am in Colorado, so the regs allow me to take portions of the animal, but that is not the way in every state.

I would if our regulations in Nevada allowed it. Seems like suck a waste?
Total waste.
 
A few years ago I picked up a young Mule Deer buck. I had driven past the spot about 15 minutes prior and on my way back there he was, so knowing he was fresh I picked him up. One antler was broken off so I figured a head hit maybe? I was wrong. Opened him up and it was a broadside hit from probably a large truck.

I only got 20 or 30 pounds of edible meat, which was really good. The vast majority went to my black lab over the course of the next year. The Colorado DWM that came to the house to issue me the possession permit said "Bon Appetit" in a degrading tone of voice as he left. I still feel like that was a rude thing to say to somebody who is legitimately trying to recycle and salvage a road-killed animal. Of anyone that would be appreciative of the effort I would think it would be Game Wardens / DWM's.
 
Good on you for not letting her go to waste. My buddy lives at a crossing where a fair number are hit each year, usually the driver goes to his house for help so we know when they got hit. They eat great enjoy.
 
I had a nice buck on camera last year that got hit close to the house one morning. Happened about 15 minutes before I drove by. I loaded him up & took the boys on to school. They got a kick out of that.
In NC you just have to get a authorization to posses certificate from the game warden.
Be a good steward of what the Lord provides!
 
I've eaten plenty. All whitetail. As long as the temps are down and you know it wasn't older than last night, you should be fine. The thing is its never worth wasting a tag for, because you never know what you're gonna get until you've skinned it. A dee hit broadside can look just fine until you sin it and find the whole side bloodshot.
 
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