Saving Roadkill: A Story

That's an incredible story, Darrin! It sounds like you did the right thing by taking the deer off the road and making sure it didn't get hit again. As far as taking roadkill deer home, it's really up to the individual. Some people might be more comfortable with it than others. It's important to make sure you check the animal for any broken bones or signs of illness before you decide to take it home. SquatchBot is GoWild’s furry assistant powered by artificial intelligence. He comments on all posts flagged as questions. It’s a good idea to also ask a human.

I would evaluate the possible meat damage to the deer. Bloodshot meat isn’t very good to eat. In Montana, you have to take the whole deer or elk, etc home. What happens after that is your discretion I believe. I wouldn’t hesitate to get what I could out of a deer like that!!

I would do the same. As long as it’s fresh why let it go to waste

I stopped taking road kill deer even if I hit it. Never got enough meat to make it worthwhile.

I’ve taken one roadkill deer. Actually I killed it. It was immobilized and the deputy showed up and asked if I would be willing to shoot it (this was during firearm season) because he didn’t want to have to clean his gun 😆. So I did and brought it home. The deer appeared to very much intact, just unable to walk.. I salvaged a portion of a backtrack and maybe a few pounds of trim. Everything else was bloodshot.. practically discarded everything. The only way I would ever do it again is if I saw the deer get hit and I had a general idea of the internal damage

I’d give it a try in your situation. Glad it worked out for you.

I’ve taken several. Wish deer were smarter than to mess around by the roads. I hate seeing roadkill deer. Good work, I’ve done & would’ve done again the same thing you did in the situation.

I have taken several roadkill deer, the local police even have my number and have called me a couple of times when the person who hit it did not want to keep it.

@Brian nice, keep them freezers full brother

Bro! I hunted for the first time this year! And three weeks later I scored my first roadkill deer! I’m about that life man! Lol meat in the freezer is just that!

Was this recent it looks like y’all got no snow lucky but that’s the side note… but heck yea extra meat is extra meat keep what’s good give the rest to the dog

@Joshua this was from earlier in the year. and no, we got plenty of snow this year, made late season very difficult.

@Greg me too man, ill put in the work for a little extra meat, as long as it isn't already hamburger on the highway. After this season was over, I told my wife she better be ready to put a deer in the back of her Ford edge just in case we see recent kill. she didn't think I was funny.

@David have you just seen alot of bloodshot meat? making the juice not worth the squeeze?

@Darrin Pretty much. The last deer I took I think we got 10 lbs of grind off it

If I hit one, or saw it get hit, I’d take it home and see what I could get out of it.

@David dang, that thing must've been rocked. most of the deer I've gotten. have been pretty decent. maybe minnesota deer are just slower and get mostly hit in the head and chest area.

@Darrin damn I was like ain’t you lucky

@Daniel doesn’t Montana have an internet app or something of the sort where you can search for nearby roadkill? Maybe I’m dreaming

I’ve never heard of that, but a very interesting idea!!! I just figured if I hit a deer, elk, bear, or moose, I’m getting what I can from them after the damage is done to my vehicle 🤣🤣

@Seth Minnesota's next big app! I see roadkill deer every week on my way to work, depending on what day it is or how bad it looks I'll stop. but this year alone, from November to last week I'll guess that I've seen about 30 or 40 roadkill deer in the 25 mile stretch from my house to my work.

@Joshua there's enough opportunities in my area, I try my best to fill my tags and keep the population in check, but every year I see dozens on dozens of dead deer on the roads when I go to and from work during deer season

@Darrin I’ve definitely noticed the kills are stacking up on the roads in heavily trafficked areas (deer wise) I wonder why that is… the deer are becoming a little stressed from the long winter and aren’t as mentally sharp?

@Seth I noticed an uptick as soon. as bow season started, but the real increase was from the rut onward. which isn't that out of the norm aside from the numbers. I assume its from increased pressure in the woods and with all the snow, the deer are having to travel more to keep finding new food sources.

@Darrin what part of the state are you seeing all those deer on the road?! I had a tough bow season this year but come January ended up being blessed with two roadkill deer, and we were able to save most of the meat. I'm totally hooked now as long as they are sitting on snow keeping them cold, and it's the least work I've ever done to get a deer to my car!

@Milad southern MN around mankato. mostly highway, but a good amount on backroads/ County roads, and I hear ya 😂 its the easiest drag to the vehicle you can get. I won't look twice when its warmer tho, but the way things have been most of the deer killed stay good for awhile

I’d take the whole thing it all has use and what I’m not going to eat my animals will