Deer meat

[euge]

Roadkill that is. Every time I go back to see my family the number of deer freshly dead on the side of the road is amazing. this year the deer were extremely large despite the drought. I've recently seen some shows on TV where they harvest such meat. If the deer is fairly fresh is there any harm in cutting out the back-strap or any other good cuts?

Seems to be such a waste.

[punatic]

There might be legal problems for taking them out of season.  Depends on local laws.

[bo]

It's illegal to take road kill in many states.

[morticaixavier]

In Vermont at any rate, as long as you call the game warden office first and don't make a habit of running them over you would generally be allowed to take the deer home. It depends alot on where it was hit because the whole area that was actually struck, either my the car/truck of the ground will likely be ruined due to bruising. but hey why waste what is still food.

[punatic]

When I worked at the power plant in Central Florida, the power plant was at the waaaay end of a very long road through the boonies.  Many of our vehicles were damaged by deers on the way to/from work on the second and third shifts.  Many awesome barbecues were had by the shift workers at the plant (and financed by collision insurance).  Power plant shift workers are a unique breed.

In 15 years of driving to work and back I managed to miss Bambi.  Although he tried mightily to sacrifice himself on my hood numerous times, I was smarter than he;  I had a deer whistle mounted on my truck!

Urban sprawl has since devoured the boonies and chased Bambi (and me) away.

[maxieboy]

In MI, you call the sheriff to get a permit. In my county, you can get on a list to be called when there is a roadkill to be had.
So, no harm. Just be legal. Mmmm, venison.

[jeffy]

A friend of mine and great brewer by the way, was not so lucky.  The deer that streaked across the road into his car crashed through the windshield with a hoof shattering my friend's eyeball.  He did not have time to even realize what hit him.

[tubercle]

At one point in this state you had to call the Game Warden first but there got to be so many incidents they said to Heck with it. Plus it meant they had to drag out of bed in the middle of the night to stare at another dead deer on the side of the road.

 In the many years I worked 3rd shift as an LEO, I took several home in the trunk . I (we) would also take them to the "victim's" home if they wanted them. A small payment for their trouble.

 We finally started taking them to the local Boy's Home (a home for incorrigible kids). We got a lot of good feedback from the councilors as the kids really appreciated the fact someone was thinking of them and it gave them something to do as far as dressing and preparing their own meals. This is pretty much the practice today.

[corkybstewart]

In NM taking roadkill home is considered poaching, even if you try to donate it to an orphanage, soup kitchen or other worthy cause.  Having said that, I've eaten many a plate of road kill antelope and venison at drilling rigs.

[SiameseMoose]

In Ohio the person who hit it owns it, and if they want it they can take it immediately. Fresh kills are often donated to local soup kitchens, but they will only accept meat that is already butchered, so most goes to waste.

[gmac]

In Ontario if you hit it, its your. If the person who hit doesn't want it its up for grabs. Just be sure it hasn't been dead long. Checking under the "armpit" at the front shoulder is a good way to see if there's any residual body heat and if so, it pretty fresh. I've made great summer sausage and pepperettes from unlucky deer.

[ckpash88]

Where I live is right by I90 and the dear aren't so lucky bc when they get hit its by a semi that's going 80 mph so all that's left is a trail of blood and fur that's a quarter mile long.  It's pretty gross bc you. Any tell where the deer exploded and te cars ran over te pool of blood

[cheba420]

If you hit it, you know how fresh it is. If you didnt, you dont. I wouldnt go around collecting anyone else's roadkill. That s*it could kill you! Growing up in Michigan, we would clip one every few years or so. As long as it wasnt a broadside hit, that thing was coming home with us!

[capozzoli]

Sad story but a bud of mine hit a baby deer. He brought it home and roasted it whole. OMG was it frickin good. 

Not sure if it was legal or not.

[tschmidlin]

When my brother was a cop he'd put them in the trunk and take them to a local butcher.  The butcher would salvage what he could and return most of it to whoever brought it in.

Lesson learned though - make sure it's dead before you try to put it in the trunk.  One of his friends was trying to put one in when it "woke up".  Oops!