Roadkill is Legal to Take Off the Road in Every US State Except Texas

In America it's legal to take deer, elk, moose and other roadkill found or collid with for consumption to process into roast, steak, tenderloins or burger.

MT PLEASANT, SC, UNITED STATES, November 29, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Yes it is legal to take roadkill in 49 states, though a call to action is required in most states through either the states Natural Resource’s Department or the Police Department. There are 7 states that allow for taking roadkill free and clear, no asking for permission from the police and no report or filling out a form for Natural Resources is required. The one state it is illegal to take roadkill is Texas, (Since 2007 with the passage of House Bill 12 by the 80th Texas Legislature, it is unlawful in Texas to hunt any wild bird or animal on a public road or the right-of-way of a public road. This includes Roadkill Hunting, it is unlawful to pick up roadkill.) Finding information on what to do when wanting to take roadkill is difficult, hunter’s often know what is required to take roadkill in their state but the person who does not hunt but enjoys and finds game meat has difficulty finding the information.
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=HB12

Roadkill information is held by each states Department of Natural Resources, the names vary from state to state, some are tilted Division of Wildlife, Fish and Wildlife Department, Department of Natural Resources, etc. A DNR Officer also known as Conservation Officer or Peace Officer enforces state laws related to wildlife, including fishing, hunting, state parks and outdoor activities. It takes time going through DNR websites to locate hard to find roadkill information which often leads to having to call and speak with a DNR officer.

There is now an app, Roadkill Art, that makes it easy to find out what is required when wanting to take roadkill in one's state or state one is passing through, giving roadkill rules, regulations and laws for every US state and the District of Columbia. The app is available free for iOS phones in the Apple Store and for Android phones in the Google Play Store. Once one has downloaded the app and registered one will find an icon at the bottom of the page, an orange star, behind the icon is a color coded map of the US, the states are divided into 8 categories summarizing what to do when one finds roadkill and want to take it for consumption or art. When one clicks on one's state one will get in-depth details with further instruction and which department or organization to contact.

Roadkill Art Apple Link:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roadkill-art/id1573201332

Roadkill Art Google Link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.innodel.roadkillart

Below is a list of the Roadkill Art 8 App Regulation categories:

1. Yes one can take roadkill.
2. Yes one can take roadkill but one must first get permission from the police call 911.
3. Yes one can take roadkill but a salvage permit is required.
4. Yes one can take roadkill but a permit is required from Natural Resources.
5. Call 911, no known law specifically about roadkill.
6. Yes one can take roadkill but one must notify authorities one took it.
7. Yes one can take roadkill but one are required to file a particular permit, tag, license or report, see one's state.
8. No one can not take roadkill it is illegal.

Under the Department of Transportation, DOT, is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, which has a cooperative agreement with an agency in each State’s government to provide information on all qualifying fatal crashes in the State involving animals. These agreements are managed by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA). Trained State employees, called FARS analysts, are responsible for gathering, translating, and transmitting their State’s data to NCSA’s standard format. https://www.nhtsa.gov/about-nhtsa

Roadkill statics reported by FARS are accurate numbers coming from reported animal fatalities documents, the majority from police reports. In 2019 there were 36,096 reported animal fatalities in the US. With a total of 1,804,800 pounds of meat reported by NARS for 2019 and estimating an average 50 pounds of meat per big game, roadkill provided an average known 7,219,200 meals. One lb of ground meat will provide 4 good sized burgers, 50 lbs of meat processed into burgers, steaks, roast or stew meat goes a long way. The police and DNR continually utilize roadkill deer and big game not waisting fresh free meat by getting it to a person wanting it or a soup kitchen with skilled game meat processors and chefs.

People do not usually report to the police or DNR roadkill squirrels, raccoons or smaller critters which do not cause damage to a vehicle only to the animal. One company ‘Hills for Everyone’ reported in 2019: (Roads across the US kill more than one million animals PER DAY) A statics much higher than that from NARS. Hills does not give reference to how they calculated their estimate, so we can assume it is not accurate but it also leads to the fact there is much more roadkill out there than is reported through the DOT. Leading to evidence roadkill in any given year can provide even more than our estimated 7,219,200 meals. https://www.hillsforeveryone.org/roadkill-statistics/

Even if one doesn't want roadkill, by marking it on the Roadkill Art app map one is alerting others that are roadkill savvy and have the means to pick it up. In turn have done the part to help, maybe even a soup kitchen, this is Gold! One simple task of reporting roadkill in the Roadkill Art app can lead to providing meals, delicious game meat meals, to a lot of people.

Roadkill Art invites one to be a part of a community with a cause to feed, take action by:
1. Downloading the app
2. Allow for location
3. Allow the app to access one's camera for pictures
4. Allow the app to access one's camera for videos
5. Register with name, email, zip code (phone, city, state are optional)

6. Set a password
7. Provide a Hunter status

Janet Arneau
Roadkill Art
+1 843-371-0763
janetarneau@yahoo.com
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