Roadkill PSA

[Netherman]

On my drive home this past weekend I saw 4 headless deer on the shoulder of I75. Why are people cutting the heads off roadkill deer and then leaving the headless corpse on the side of the road. This blows my mind. Did they hit the deer and only want the antlers? Did they see a nice buck and want the antlers? I think this makes hunters and hunting look bad. Non-Hunter quote "look those hunters just took the head and left all the meat on the side of the road".

In Michigan and likely everywhere I think this is something we need to get people thinking about. I have so many questions for those people doing this. Why didn't you save any meat? Why did you leave the carcass in plain sight vs. rolling it further into the ditch / getting it out of sight? Why not saw off the antlers? Are you going to euro mount it? I'm going to look into what law(s) Michigan has regarding this but, I think we need to have some self enforced guidelines. Such as, If there is still usable meat you must recover that prior to keeping the antlers and either way move the carcass to prevent others from seeing the dismembered carcass.

Nearly every voting citizen has driven down a road and if the only thing they associate with hunting is a headless deer on the side of that road, the likelihood of them voting for additional hunts or hunting in general is potentially lowered.


Nick

 

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

The only thing hunting and harvesting the head off a road killed deer have in common is a dead deer. It would be ignorant, although not unlikely, for someone in the public to make the connection.

I don't think there is a state in the country that allows you to keep the antlers off of a road killed deer. In most states you have to call the game commission to get a special permit to claim a dead deer. Have you ever butchered even a fresh road killed deer? Unless it gets clipped by a mirror and breaks its neck, its going to have its guts blow up everywhere. I am not above claiming that meat, but I'm going to be selective.


I wouldn't care one way or another if the deer had its head or not.

 

[George]

The Sheriff issues savage tags most likely in every State in the country and no one considers roadkill wanton waste.

G

 

[baz77]

The DNR cuts off the heads of road kills here to test them for CWD

 

[LIWolverine]

Game wardens cut the heads off deer here in Texas to keep people from doing it then TXDot picks them up at some point. Texas does not allow roadkill pickup.


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[cuerro viejo]

Game wardens cut the heads off deer here in Texas to keep people from doing it then TXDot picks them up at some point. Texas does not allow roadkill pickup.


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We are also the home to the original replacement bumper.... ranchhand and also tough country bumpers.

It does struck me as odd Texas has never even considered it

 

[Netherman]

After looking into salvage laws in MI. All you have to do is report the details to the DNR or local law enforcement. I also stumbled across a few articles where they are saying that the DNR is removing the heads to test for CWD and other diseases. I still think the carcasses could be rolled further into the ditch or picked up but that made me feel a little better.

Fortunately I have never hit a deer so, I haven't put much thought into how you would process one. It makes sense that there would be a pretty big mess. I can see how being selective would be necessary.

Nick

 

[530Chukar]

Illegal to even try to salvage the meat in California. I'm not going to pickup anything here when you have no idea how long its been baking on the side of the roadway. I have taken a few sets of antlers in the past. if you don't do it, the next guy will.

 

[Hectocotylus]

In Washington I've got 3 roadkill deer in the past year. One required a strong stomach the other two were totally legit. Just ate some for dinner tonight


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[kestump]

Roadkill salvage is legal in Idaho. Take what parts you want on the spot and then report it to Fish and Game online afterward. I've taken several sets of antlers and ivories. Checked out a cow moose just down the road this weekend, but dcided she had been there just a bit to long to take any meat. I see alot more deer on the side of the road with the back straps stripped out than I do headless ones.

 

[deerhunt1988]

The DNR cuts off the heads of road kills here to test them for CWD

They do the same in my state (Mississippi)