Oregon joins Washington in putting roadkill deer and elk on the menu
Dec 31, 2018, 4:32 PM
(MyNorthwest photo)
(MyNorthwest photo)
If you’re an Oregonian whose New Year’s resolution is to eat roadkill, you may actually be able to keep it this year.
As soon as the clock strikes midnight, residents will be able to harvest and eat any deer or elk that happen to be dead on the road, reports AP. The measure was approved by lawmakers in 2017.
How does it work? People simply need to submit an application for a permit within 24 hours of salvaging the elk or deer with information on where and when it was found. Then they can dig right in, as long as they also return the antlers to the state’s wildlife agency.
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What you can’t do is go out of your way to hit the deer or elk and pretend it was an accident. You’ll have to wait for another car to actually accidentally hit it. But if you want to start making your marinade in the meantime, that’s totally fine.
Oregon joins 20 other states that allow people to eat dead things on the road, including right here in Washington, where a law that took effect in 2016 allows residents to snack on deer and elk only.
And snack they did: According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, more than 3,099 animals were scooped up.
One of of the stipulations for roadkill foodies is that they’re required to take the entire carcass off the road. They can’t just take the good parts, whatever that means.
