Road Kills vs. Harvests

Jeeze I know that in the Kansas City Metro area we kill alot of deer with the buick, probably as much as with the 3030. Ithink St. Louis has alot of deer vs. car problems and Missouri Department of Conservation has taken steps to change our seasons and add Urban seasons to the yearly harvest plan to counteract the problem. Just a sidenote, There was a dead deer,(car related fatality) right up on one of our main roads here in Independence just last week.:eek:
 
The meat isn't very good.
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That just depends. Many years ago when I lived in town, I too was on a list and dated one of the local LE dispatchers of a suburban area. During the start of the first pre-rut throughout post rut, with a deer, over-populated park in the vicinity, I got a call on average every other night. She worked night and would call me ASAP as she knew I didn't want a deer that laid very long.

Needless to say, my freezers stayed full as well as everyone I knew that wanted deer. Had to keep my knives sharp. ;)

I didn't have to take the deer if it was badly torn up. Many would still be alive, some not. I'd dispatch those alive and inspect the bodies to see what was broken up. Some would have their necks broken and the rest of the body untouched. So you could make use of most of the meat. Many would have one side beat up which would translate into taking the meat from the other side. One thing I did notice, I could usually get both backstraps. :D

If the bodies were really torn up externally or badly broken up inside to the point I didn't feel I could make use of much decent meat, I'd just deny getting the deer. Too, knowing most of the deputies, they would inspect the deer and usually knew whether I'd would want it or not.

Too, I wouldn't take any deer during the summer months. Just Fall through Spring. But always had plenty of venison all year long.:D
 
Know a guy who is on all the road kill deer lists. The meat isn't very good. Sometimes it isn't all that great even in Summer sausage.
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When I lived in Florida, one of my friends used the highway as almost the only source of animal protein for his family. He would pick up pretty much anything, from Deer to Opossum, to Raccoon, to Dog, to Snakes.

It all tasted good, if it was prepared correctly.
The same rules apply to roadkill, as they do to other meat: If it's bad meat, it's bad meat. Putting it in a summer sausage won't magically turn it into meat that didn't spoil. If it's trash, it's trash. The source doesn't matter.
But if it hasn't spoiled, it's free venison, that will taste just as good as any other. (plus, it's pre-tenderized ;))
 
I don't know what the actual count is of deer killed on MIssouri highways. However in my part of the state the rightaways and mediums of major highways is littered with rotting carcasses of deer killed by vechicles.

During deer season and harvest season is the worst as the deer are being moved around more.

During the 2011 rifle portion of deer season between St Joseph MO and Mound City MO which is a distance of 42 miles I counted 38 dead deer along I-29.
Of course they were left there to bloat up, burst open and rot away.

In my opinion the MDC (Missouri Department of Conservation) should be responsible for removing all the deer killed along Missouri major highways. After all they are the department that reaps the monetary benifit from the deer and they have the resources to do so.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
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FrankenMauser, I remember when I was living in Utah we used to judge how bad the winter was by the number of dead deer per mile we saw on the road. There were times when it was an exercise in futility to attempt to count the dead deer on the side of the road going up Provo Canyon.

I killed my first deer in Provo Canyon. I was poor student and didn't even own a deer rifle - having only brought a shotgun with me. My landlord loaned me his 1917 Enfield and a half box of Remington ammo.
 
I pick one up if I see it hit or someone calls me quick after seeing one hit. I am with the other guy, only take the good ones. A lot are just stepping out and the headlight cracks there head or breaks their neck and throws them back off the road. Most of the ones I have picked up are in better shape than a lot of deer I have seen shot with a gun.
 
FrankenMauser, I remember when I was living in Utah we used to judge how bad the winter was by the number of dead deer per mile we saw on the road. There were times when it was an exercise in futility to attempt to count the dead deer on the side of the road going up Provo Canyon.
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Yep. About one day a week, my wife's first words after a long shift will be something like "Wow, there were 13 deer today" (referring to road-killed deer in an area along the Jordan River, on her way home).

We get about 3 times as many kills in the good years, as the bad.
 
Texas had a drouth in the mid-90s. On a trip to Austin, in the stretch between Fort Stockton and Fredericksburg (I-10/US 290) Fran and I counted 120-some roadkill deer and one cougar.

Even a sprinkle of rain has some runoff from the pavement to the borrow ditch, so there are more growies in the ditch than in the pasture behind the fence. So, more bugs, more little critters--and more deer.
 
Around here the big crash season is coming-snow just melted off. Grass will green up along roads.

However, there are many less deer than in the 70s. Many hunters blame the insurance companies. People that feed em cause the problem to be increased.

On our small road fron Aug 1 to middle Oct there were 5 killed within 1/2 mi-that was late 80s. New neighbor has to feed everything. Five drivers got $2000 gift from her.
 
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