Bringing home the roadkill should not be a crime

Save wildlife! Legalize roadkill!

'This is silly...crazy' -- and stealing dinner from hungry game wardens!

by Lynn Harrington

How many deer are killed by cars each year?

How much of that good meat is left to rot by the side of the road on a hot sunny day?

Why do we criminalize people who put their meat to good use?

Some people feel that procuring roadkill should not be legalized because it would encourage people to speed up and run over some dinner.

This is silly. There are few people crazy enough to chance ruining their vehicles for 60 pounds of meat. Granted, some of the more beefed up four wheel drives could handle it with little damage, but most of those drivers are not that crazy either. It would be easier and safer for someone who lives on a dirt road to illegally poach their deer with salt licks and corn. (This is not a recomendation!)

This brings up another concern. Many people speculate that one of the reasons procuring roadkill is not legal is because game wardens would not be able to tell if deer were run over or shot by poachers. My personal opinion is that if a person cannot give a good guess, maybe that person should not be a game warden.

One of the real reasons, I feel, is that all kinds of officers like to bring home the venison themselves. I once saw a poor doe dying by the side of Highway 101.

It was tragic.

I felt it would be the right thing if someone took her home, put her out of her misery and, respectfully, on the kitchen table. But no, no one could do that. It was broad daylight, the doe was 1/4 mile away from the CDF* station, and right across from where the Highway Patrol likes to hang out.

I didn't want her to lie there suffering, so I pulled into the CDF and reported a fat, young, not-quite-dead-yet doe 1/4 mile away.

"Can you handle that?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, we will have someone on her right away," said the guy, licking his lips. I know what they had for supper! I don't blame them in theleast!

Another objection people voice is that vultures and other wildlife would miss out if procuring roadkill was legal.

Actually, the animals might get more to eat!

What happens now, according to several good sources who chose to remain anonymous, is that people rush the deer into their vehicles, take them home, hopefully get to clean it in time before the meat goes bad, then dispose of what they don't eat in various places, including dumpsters!

If procuring roadkill was legal, folks would have plenty of time to clean the deer right then and there, taking what they need and leaving the rest for wildlife. They could take the time to place the remainders away from the road, lessening the chances of feeding animals who would become roadkill themselves.

Legalizing roadkill would save our wildlife!

Legalizing roadkill would help needy families as well. You don't see many corporate executives butchering dead animals by the side of the road now, do you?

Bringing home dead deer is something people do anyway. Making it legal would reduce stress.

I met a man who told me he was once on the verge of being caught with a roadkill fawn. He hurriedly disguised it with his long sleeve hooded sweatshirt and pretended it was his son.

Believe it or not, the trick worked.

However, the man ruined his sweatshirt and the event caused him undue stress. It is a good thing that man had a sense of humor. That fresh little chicken-fried fawn wouldn't have hurt anyone.

We should accept these circumstances with a legal grace.

Some people feel that roadkill should be handled by the proper authorities and brought to reservations, food banks and jails. Well, it should, no doubt. We should share it with ourselves in one way or another -- especially if it has a chance of being cleaned in time before the meat goes bad.

However, finding a roadkill deer fresh enough to eat is like winning a lottery. It doesn't happen every day.

Begrudging a person the work of processing 60 pounds of free food is mean, controlling and selfish.

Most people who take the trouble of bringing home the deer know what they are doing.

They also have the common decency and generosity to share it with relatives, friends and neighbors.

Roadkill is a benefit to the welfare of our communities. It has the added value of honoring sharing.

Roadkill should be celebrated and respected.

Bringing home the roadkill should not be a crime!

Legalize free meat!!!

* California Department of Forestry

copyright 2000, Lynn Harrington

email: woofie9@juno.com