# Road Kill Deer.....



## ramfan (May 6, 2008)

A friend of mine saw a deer get hit and the police gave him permission to take the deer,gave him some paper....He wants to get it processed but doesn't know how to check it in......Help anybody?


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## jlami (Jan 28, 2011)

He should be able top process it with the paper the PD gave him? (GO FISCHER!)

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## Bowhunter57 (Feb 9, 2011)

ramfan,
There is no check-in required with a road killed deer. The paperwork that any law enforcement gives you is all you need for meat processing, taxidermy, etc. 

Bowhunter57


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## dmills4124 (Apr 9, 2008)

I have never had a road kill deer before. I have heard that for several reasons the meat is not the same as when the deer is killed during a hunt. Example; some portions of the meats texture is only good for grinding and that the meat sometimes has a very odd taste. The odd taste may have been caused by the deer not being killed as fast or as good as an arrow or bullet would have done. It lets more adrenaline into the muscles(meat). Anybody have some thoughts on these camp stories?
thanks
donm


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## GFP (Jul 12, 2012)

I've eaten a lot of road killed deer over the years. There is nothing wrong with the flesh except in the immediate area of contact. I would never try one that I didn't see die or know how long it had been since it was hit, though.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

GFP said:


> I've eaten a lot of road killed deer over the years. There is nothing wrong with the flesh except in the immediate area of contact. I would never try one that I didn't see die or know how long it had been since it was hit, though.


Same here. When some people hear "road kill" they seem to assume that we're out there scraping them off the road with a snow shovel!


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## ldrjay (Apr 2, 2009)

I think it tastes better! Lol no work or time required. Free meat. 

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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Had one hit in front of my house and it crawled into a creek bottom and was there, alive but crippled for about 30 to 40 minutes before the police finally shot it. My neighbor claimed the deer and I field dressed it immediately after it was shot. Hung it in my barn overnite in 40 degree temperature and boned it out the next morning then took it to a processor to cut the steaks, roasts and grind it with 20% beef fat. There wasn't a bit of that meat that was any good to eat from a flavor standpoint. Gave it to a friend that raised beagles.
There is no way you would ever get me to try and salvage any deer that was hit by a vehicle. I also hit and immediately killed a doe a few years ago. I pulled her into the woods and went on my way.




dmills4124 said:


> I have never had a road kill deer before. I have heard that for several reasons the meat is not the same as when the deer is killed during a hunt. Example; some portions of the meats texture is only good for grinding and that the meat sometimes has a very odd taste. The odd taste may have been caused by the deer not being killed as fast or as good as an arrow or bullet would have done. It lets more adrenaline into the muscles(meat). Anybody have some thoughts on these camp stories?
> thanks
> donm


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i seen this big buck get hit pretty hard and got a permit for it and took it to a friends house and we butchered it. we lost some of the meat from car damage. but when my friend tried cooking it you could even smell the meat cooking and it tasted like crap. he ended up feeding it to his dogs also.

i guess it depends alot on the deer and if its a buck or doe and how long it lives after its hit. a few years back this guy hits a nice doe. he gave the deer to me. i dressed the deer and the only thing i found wrong with it was a broken neck and its paunch was busted. i washed it out good with the water hose and took it to my butcher. that deer was just as good as any deer i have killed. it all tasted just fine, and we didnt lose any meat at all.

and i know other people that have taken road kill and said they were good. i had a nephew that had his name on a list with the sheriffs office. they would call him if they had a road kill that the person that hit the deer didnt want. he did this for about a year. he said most of the deer he got was good if they wasnt all tore up. but he got tired of getting calls all hours of the night and took his name off the list.

my son has to drive about 60 miles each way to work. he has hit 2 deer with his little truck. he kept both deer and said they was good. but they were both does.

so i dont think its going to hurt anything to give it a try. as for the paper you got for the deer should be all you need to take it to a butcher. they can tell you if it needs to be checked in first. good luck with the deer.
sherman


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Very true! I think you have to look at them on a case by case basis.

For instance, the deer I referenced above was a very fresh kill. I was driving down Rt 11 (I was actually on my way to Beaver Creek SP to bowhunt) when I see a dead deer in the median and a car with its flashers on about 100 yards ahead in the right berm. I think, OK, I know what happened here. I pulled up behind the car and got out to see if they were alright. There was a football sized hole in the windshield right in front of the driver's face from where the buck had gently laid his head! Glass all over the inside of the car! Turns out the OSHP had just left and the guy was letting his nerves unjangle before heading out. I asked if he wanted the deer. He said I could have it if I wanted it.

So, I got my truck to where the deer was and looked it over. No broken legs, no broken ribs, paunch seemed intact, however, both antlers were snapped off near the bases and every tooth in the deer's head was broken! I figured it died of a fractured skull. I wrestled it into the truck (it was a BIG deer) and drove to the local OSHP barracks to get a possession ticket. That is exactly what you need to get the deer processed by the way. 

That deer ate just fine! The only meat lost was from a baseball sized bruise on its right ham. 

That instance has got to be pretty close to the ideal as far as road killed deer go. Somebody else's car took all the damage, and I got all the meat!

Now, a deer that's been dead centered by a semi, or been run over and had its internal organs turned into paste is NOT a deer I want! You have to be careful, but occasionally it can work out. I like venison too much to see good meat left for crow food!


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## ramfan (May 6, 2008)

My buddy Vince got the proper answers from the osp and took his R K deer to get processed...I guess he lost about 1/2 of it from impact....So now he has 1-1/2 deer in the freezer....Good luck to all and have a safe year !


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

I'd just take the paper the cop gave him and tell the butcher what happened. Or just butcher it himself

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## wildman (Sep 3, 2008)

Just a few days ago I planed on hunting. My wife said no I said Ok. (I wasn't happy but she was right I had work to do) Well she called me while she was driving one of my kids to school and said the car in front of her hid a small deer. I went over there and looked at it. I them called the sherif's they told me to take it to the state troopers head quarters which I did. I got a slip and took it home. Well that thing must of been hit on the Rt side and landed on the Lt side.. all I got were the back strap's...

I will tell you how they taste on a later date... LOL but it smelled fine.


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