A new law that permits Montanans to harvest roadkill has proven enormously successful, with more than 800 game animals removed from the highways for human consumption in its first year on the books.

The law that became effective Nov. 25, 2013 permits citizens to salvage deer, elk, moose or antelope killed in a motor vehicle collision. Anyone salvaging roadkill must obtain a free permit within 24 hours, either from law enforcement officers or online from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website. In its first year, 865 permits were issued statewide, with Flathead County residents acquiring the most of any county, with 135, according to figures released last week by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Rep. Steve Lavin, R-Kalispell, primary sponsor of the bill, said its primary purpose was to fill the freezers of Montana families and food banks rather than let road-killed animals and their salvageable meat go to waste. Lavin, who also serves as a captain in the Montana Highway Patrol, said his experience responding to wildlife-vehicle collisions on the state's highways prompted his support of the measure.

Although the bill was the butt of jokes initially, Lavin said the high number of permits issued is evidence of the new law's success.

"My intent when drafting the bill was to reduce waste and maybe help a few people out at the same time," he told the Flathead Beacon newspaper. "It became quite a joking matter, but that's OK."

While the idea of harvesting roadkill may be met with chuckles from the uninitiated, salvaging road-killed game is common across the U.S., with more than 14 states permitting the practice, including populous Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan. Further, a recent report from State Farm Insurance recently ranked Montana third in the nation for the likelihood an accident involving deer. The odds for Montana drivers are one in 75, which is much greater than the national average of one in 174.

Among the provisions in Montana's law is one requiring salvaged meat to be used for human consumption, and not for bait or other purposes. Meat may not be sold and those who salvage an animal must take the entire animal, including entrails if it is gutted on site.

In 2012, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a roadkill-salvage law after it passed the Illinois House 98-16 and breezed through the Senate 56-0. The measure permits persons with current Illinois furbearers license to salvage roadkill from the state's ditches and highway medians - providing the salvagers are not delinquent in child-support payments and do not have their hunting privileges suspended in any state.

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Promoted more as a "cost-saving measure," than a method of obtaining low cost protein, Illinois bill sponsor Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) said highway workers would need to remove fewer dead animals from the state's highway and byways - when hungry and creative citizens will gladly do it for free!
"We will no longer have those animals laying around on the road," said Hammond. "The Illinois Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources do not have the labor force or the money to take care of these animals."

For those roadkill-cooking novices who may not have Granny Clampett's expertise (or Uncle Jed's and Jethro's gastronomic preferences) for 'possum innards, Illinois offered some important tips for safely removing potential entrees and hors d'oeuvres from the tollroads and interstates:

- Wear gloves at all times to avoid direct contact with the animal.

- Wear protective glasses to avoid fluids splashing into the eyes.

- Wash hands immediately following removal.

- Wash any fluid-stained clothing.

An article in Northwestern University's Medill, a publication of the journalism school's graduate program, added: "Roadkill takers should check the animal for visible signs of bacteria and bugs."

More good suggestions came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which says game meat should be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 160 degrees to kill any bacteria.

And finally, Montana's Rep. Lavin chimed in with some sage advice for the would-be roadkill remover, noting it's important to salvage only meat that's been freshly killed.

"I wouldn't attempt it unless you know animals or you're a hunter," he said. "However, it can be easy to tell if something isn't fresh."

An excellent point, indeed. Happy salvaging!

- J.R. Absher

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