It’s open season for road kill in Illinois. A new law taking effect allows anyone with an Illinois furbearer’s license to scoop up road kill on the side of the road for pelts or even food. The law had to be passed by the State General Assembly twice – overriding a veto by Governor Pat Quinn the second time who feared that motorists stopping on the side of the road to salvage road kill might becomes road kill themselves. Illinois joins 13 other states in the nation who have legalized collecting road kill – and Idaho is expected to be the next state to take up this issue. As one Idaho state rep who’s pushing for road kill retention rights said, "To be able not to grab [road kill] was kind of stupid. Why let it go to waste?" Rumor has it that the Tea Party Congress is pushing for a federal law to decriminalize collecting road kill. They’re calling it an alternative to food stamps.
Comments
I have eaten road kill twice in my life Both times have been followed by lengthy periods of vegetarianism. (I am now a vegetarian.) I feel the best way to deal with road kill is to remove the carcus to a location where it can be safely consumed by wild birds and other carrion eaters without becoming road kill themselves.
Although I have no evidence, I am pretty sure that my wife cooks up road kill quite often.
I know many hunted deer that are killed end up donated to food kitchens/ the homeless etc...
So fresh roadkill ending up in food kitchens/butcher places that help feed the homeless etc... I would not be surprised by.
I know of hunters tagging or claiming a hit deer in IL as well, so this isn't exactly new. ie if a hunter were to hit a deer in a car, often times they would probably keep the deer and butcher it up.