Thanksgiving dinner in Montana just got a lot more interesting now that it's LEGAL to salvage roadkill

  • On Tuesday it became legal in Montana to salvage certain kinds of animals killed by vehicles
  • Deer, elk, and moose can now be repossessed and consumed all by filling out a simple form
  • Some 17 other states have similar laws regulating roadkill consumption

By Ashley Collman

PUBLISHED: 17:28 EST, 28 November 2013 | UPDATED: 17:56 EST, 28 November 2013

Montanans looking to save on their Thanksgiving meal this year need look no further than the side of the freeway.

That's because the state passed a law on Tuesday making it legal for residents to eat roadkill.

Predators, birds and sheep are the only animals not allowed to be salvaged, so turkey's not an option. But certainly you could make due with one of the 4,754 whitetail deer killed a year in the state?

All you have to do is fill out a permit within 24 hours of salvaging the roadkill.

What's for dinner? On Tuesday, it became legal in Montana to salvage and consume certain kinds of roadkill

What's for dinner? On Tuesday, it became legal in Montana to salvage and consume certain kinds of roadkill

ANIMALS KILLED BY VEHICLES IN MONTANA: 2012

Now OK to eat:

4,754 Whitetail deer
1,977 Mule deer
220 Elk
72 Antelope
28 Moose

Still off-limits:

39 Black bears
5 Grizzly bears
6 Mountain lions
15 Bighorn sheep

'Any peace officer in the state of Montana can issue a vehicle-killed wildlife salvaged permit. The Montana Highway Patrol is capable of actually printing the permits in their vehicles, we can issue the permits on the side of the road,' MHP Patrol Sergeant Jay Nelson told MTN News.

If a police officer isn't present, Montanans can alternately fill out a form online.

There are some rules that govern how the animals can be used, however.

Road kill can only be used for one's own consumption and must not be donated, used as bait or pet food.

You also must clear the road fully of all parts of the animal.

Any animal still alive when found on the side of the road can only be killed if it's in season and the person has a valid hunting license.

Anyone found taking roadkill without filling out the proper paperwork can be ticketed for illegal possession.

Authorities warn citizens to be careful what they choose to eat off the side of the road.

No turkey: Some kinds of roadkill are still illegal to eat including predators, birds of prey and sheep

No turkey: Some kinds of roadkill are still illegal to eat including predators, birds of prey and sheep

'We assume no liability whatsoever for the quality of the meat,' Mike Korn, assistant chief of law enforcement for the state Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, told WTKR. 'The conditions of the permit say you take full responsibility for the quality of the meat you salvage.'

But many believe this new regulation will help feed many hungry Montanans. 

 

More...

'We have people that are hungry here in this country. This is a good way to supplement your food. Some of that meat's good. Yeah, some of it will be bad if it's been hit hard; but overall I think it's a wonderful program,' Jefferson City resident Don Balser said.

Some 17 other states have codes regulating roadkill possession and consumption. 

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If a truck destined for the meat department at Walmart crashed, spilling it's contents on the road way, there wouldn't be anything wrong with it if it were individually wrapped and still frozen. If you hit a deer, and pick it up you can't get fresher meat than that. Sometimes you do what you have to to feed your family. I have friends that don't know how to debone a chicken much less field dress a deer.

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that is just gross ...People come on ... !!

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It is no different than shooting a deer and taking it home.

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It's been legal in my state for a long time. As long as it's a fresh kill, anyone can claim it. They aren't talking about the animals that are flattened into the road, but the ones that get hit and are still intact. The bruised meat is discarded but what isn't damaged is edible.

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It'd be interesting to live somewhere where you have to have a specialized bumper so that deer don't come crashing through your windshield.

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I certainly do not want to hit any aminal with myy truck as they can do severe damage especially a moose or elk but if did happen I would dress down the animal right away and perserve the meat while waiting for a tow truck.

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Who the Hell needs the Governments permission to eat road kill ? I didn't know it was illegal. Not for me though.

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Well I guess that's better than having it sit on the road for weeks...still gross.

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This is just now legal in Montana? That's one of the few perks of hitting a deer in Illinois... You call the Department of Natural Resources and then claim the meat.

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Takes two to eat road kill. One to eat it and one to watch out for cars.

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Legal in Georgia... You don't want it, usually some cop, sheriff or fireman will be right out to pick it up... Remember one time a deer got hit, and this young girl working in dispatch, at end of her shift asked for it., Her father hunts, and would dress it. Well, she didn't have anything to tie it down on her car so they used crime scene tape..... To funny.

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Yes indeed. Here in my Georgia county the sheriff's dept would pick up the deer and bring it to the jail for the prisoners and jailers to eat.

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They should make it legal in Texas, too, where I drive by deer dead on the side of the highway every single day. . However, I find it hard to believe that if a person is hungry enough to eat roadkill, that a "law" against it would stop them from doing so.

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Well, yah.... When its "fresh road kill" , right then and there no problem...

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