A few years ago, my friend Austin and his girlfriend were enjoying a quiet night in his apartment when his friend burst through the door carrying a dead raccoon that he’d accidentally struck with his car.
“I figured you’d know what to do with this,” he announced as he offered the carcass to Austin.
And Austin did. Growing up in North Carolina, he’d always been surrounded by hunters. The process of skinning and cleaning an animal was as normal to Austin as tying his shoes. Although he’d never eaten roadkill before, it seemed just goofy enough to appeal to him.
“That first time, it was just kind of a joke. Eating a raccoon that’s been hit by a car fulfills just about every hillbilly stereotype out there. But after marinating and grilling the meat, it was surprisingly good. That experience made me kind of reevaluate how I thought about roadkill.”
If that account causes you to grimace or feel squeamish, you’re not alone. Most people would never considering eating an animal that they picked up on the side of the road. And even those that have are reluctant to go on the record about it.
One local hunter told me, “I’m not going to say I haven’t eaten roadkill, because I have. But I think you may be on your own for this particular investigative reporting assignment.”
There is a certain taboo about roadkill. Spend even a minimal amount of time driving around Kent County and you’ll pass by numerous carcasses on the side of the roads or in nearby fields. Vultures and the occasional eagle jockey for position around the recently deceased critter.
But for humans? Surely that’s a good way to contract a disease, right?
According to Austin, eating roadkill is fairly common in Southern Appalachia. He and a number of his friends who hunt consider it good fortune to come upon a roadkill deer. And they’ve yet to get sick.
“I would never eat an animal if I didn’t know how long it had been dead,” he says. “But if you accidentally hit a deer, or witness someone else hit one, why let the meat go to waste? Plenty of people I know would gladly throw it in the back of their truck.”
Hillbillies being hillbillies? Most of Austin’s friends are college educated. They hunt for utility purposes more than sport.
“One of our biggest problems as a society is that we’re 100% disconnected from our food source. Most people have no idea where their meat comes from and they’d be repulsed by anything that isn’t wrapped in plastic and sitting in their grocery store.”
At this point it’s worth mentioning that Austin is a farmer. He raises grass-fed cows. Part of his job also involves the slaughtering of the animals and the selling of their meat.
“Once I was forced to face exactly where my meat comes from, it changed my perspective. I know that my farm takes every step to do it as ethically and sustainably as possible. I couldn’t go back to buying commercially raised meat from the grocery store.”
Austin sees harvesting fresh roadkill as a natural extension of this philosophy. “Any time you’re taking responsibility for where your food comes from, that’s a positive thing.”
“I’ve seen plenty of deer struck by a car with far less damage to their bodies than the ones shot by a high powered rifle.”
Austin doesn’t suggest that everyone should start scouring the roadways looking for dinner. You have to know what you’re doing. If an animal’s intestines or major organs have ruptured, the meat can be tainted with stomach bile and/or fecal matter.
“If in doubt, throw it out,” he says. “The beauty of roadkill is that it didn’t cost you anything to begin with. But when you can find a fresh deer that offers good meat to put in your freezer, that’s a total score! I would consider it a much bigger gamble to go to the grocery store. The risks that you take when you eat commercially raised meat are astronomical.”
Perhaps it’s too great a leap for the squeamish among us to suddenly consider roadkill as a potential food source, but Austin’s greater point is one that certainly deserves consideration. The modern consumer is almost completely removed from the processes that bring food to our tables. Any step (however small) towards lessening that divide, is progress.
Joe Diamond says
There is something for everyone here,
Regarding the local roadkill deer. If you hit one……….first be safe. Walking on the roads at night is not always safe if all your lights are broken……..or you also will be a road kill.
Approach the animal from the opposite side of the legs……..if still alive those legs could suddenly show you just how strong a wild anomal can be. A hammer to the head will help here.
Call the state police. They have a road kill tag you will need to attach to the animal before you can legally move it.
Road kill in warm weather…even if you do the hit….exposes you to deer ticks. Wash & look after handeling deer carcasses. Field dress and get ice into the cavity as quickly as possible. Finding a deer butcher and or cold locker out of season can be tough.
Don’t tailgate around here. If the car you need to follow so close does hit a deer you will probably hit it also. For those who need to pass on the shoulders….say hi to the deer yourself.
Good topic!
Joe