I hit a deer once early in the morning on a dead end country road. It ran head first into the driver side door and broke its neck on impact. As I stood in the middle of the road trying to figure out what to do a white unmarked utility van pulls up from the opposite direction (heading down to the dead end). A massive eastern European man hops out, looks at the deer, looks at me, and asks in a thick accent "Are you keeping that?". I told him no and as quickly as he appeared he tossed the carcass into his oddly empty van and drove back out the way he came. It was the oddest thing that has ever happened to me. Edit: I want to clarify that I lived on that road and am related to pretty much everyone who lives on it. No one is calling a repair guy in that area. I even asked around after if anyone knew him. No one has any idea who I was talking about. I've nicknamed him Vladislav the Vulture.
I'm a Hunter shooting animal where I hid it I'm not going to waste any of the meat and you only got 50 lb off of that deer that deer a doe I can get anywhere from and 150 to 200 of course my dear are a lot bigger up where I hunt at we have Whitetail and mule deer
Sounds like a guy my dad knew who got a cow from my grandfather, pulled up with a van, some saws and his 7 kids and processed the cow in the yard fitting the result and his kids back into his van. Apparently he had a use for nigh EVERYTHING
In Alaska, the State actually has a list of those in need, to whom they donate "bumped by the road" animals. Nothing goes to waste. It's a really nice way to process the "accident" and help a family at the same time.
I remember as a poor country kid my mom hit a deer once late at night and it was almost the same situation, hit right in the head and it passed in a few minutes. We took it home and her hunter boyfriend dressed it and that deer made a real difference in the next couple months of feeding our family
@@MrMrjchips I mean I agree, situationally it definitely wasn't the best way to go for the deer but it also kinda just happened that way. Kinda morbid but bad luck of the draw for the deer at the end of that day, could've just as well been all of us dead and the deer walking away 🤷
Up in the Yukon during the winter there's a lottery for the Roadkill because it freezes right away. Everybody's names on the list and they go down the list, I was with a co-worker one day when she got a deer phone call, she was stoked
I grew up in a small town in Alaska and if someone hit and killed a deer or a moose (although most of the time the car was hurt worse that the moose) the animal would be taken to the local shelter and used to feed the less fortunate. We also had a lot of friends and family who fished and hunted annually so even though I choose to mostly go plant based I really support the sustainable meat lifestyle (or whatever term you prefer.)
My dad did this twice and it definitely helped our family out at the time. I've also hit a deer and had someone come along and ask if they could have it. Of course!
The one time our family processed an animal for food was when a buck got hit in its back legs. It wasn't hunting season, so we had to call the sheriff to humanely put him down. Afterwards, our neighbor came over and taught me (12 years old at the time) and my dad how to process it. Super important lesson in sustainability and respecting life.
To be clear, even traditional hunting is ethical- without it, deer herds would suffer from starvation and disease. I'm glad this deer didn't go to waste!
@@user-vf6km4sf2r a quick shot to the head, or to the heart, or to the lungs with a firearm or bow is definitely more humane than getting hit by a car and slowly dying
@@mainhalo117 even getting hit by a car is a better death, most die to bears / wolves which take out the back legs first and eat them alive, and the ones who manage to get away usually get injured and that gets infected and they die a slow painful death
@@user-vf6km4sf2r oh definitely getting hit by a car is 100% more human than any of those you just listed I’m just saying that hunting the animal as a human and killing it with a firearm or bow is more human than hitting it with a car
For anyone interested, in the US the laws about whether you can take roadkill for food varies from state to state. If this is something you are interested in, I would check your local laws. Some states don't allow it at all, others you need to call it in, and some you need to get a permit or tag.
I came here to say just this. Some states, the wild fauna belongs to the State and it is illegal to remove all roadkill, period. (The act of striking a deer, for example, can be considered an illegal means of killing the animal.) Other states allow only the collection of non-game animals...so be sure to research your state laws before you collect roadkill.
In Texas, roadkill is the property of the state IF it's on public land --taking even the backstrap of the fresh kill can get you in the pokey. However, on PRIVATE land... as long as it's in season and you have the tag, hope it was the camp truck and not your good truck.
@@davidwhite533no, it is illegal to keep any animal killed by vehicle in texas, including private land. The game warden was my neighbor. A vehicle itself is not a legal means by which to kill a deer. Private, or public. Every single deer belongs to the state so to speak
Came across a deer that was hit and left for dead in the middle of the highway. Broken leg, broken rib(s) and kept trying to walk away but would stumble and fall back in the middle of the road. Parked on the shoulder & put it out if it’s misery. Threw it in the truck bed & was able to salvage a good 40-50 lbs of meat from it. However, the gut was punctured so wasn’t able to harvest it completely. Still thankful for its sacrifice and contribution.
My dad and I processed a deer that he hit on our way to taking me to school. Somehow that deer managed to get her head right into the headlight and then just flipped.... Weirdest thing I ever saw! Obviously broke her neck, but never impacted the body at all (except to drag it a bit as he screeched to halt). It was a fun and very informative day off from school! I always liked "skipping" with my dad. Didn't happen very often, but makes for the best stories in my repertoire! ❤
some places have bizarre roadkill laws so i can understand the hesitance personally. in texas for example you absolutely cannot take any roadkill for any reason.
Like an above comment said, some places have weird roadkill laws. It’s also kind of a stereotype in the US that only “red necks and hillbillies” would use roadkill meat. And the average person will not know or understand why you shouldn’t take it home if it isn’t immediately showing signs of contamination. People need to be informed and smart about it or they can get very sick. Hopefully no idiot sees videos like this and tries to do it themselves on a 🤢not so fresh specimen
In some jurisdictions this is legally prohibited without permission, and you can be penalized. In the Pacific Northwest where we live they notify local tribal people to pick up. Not really fair and others should be able to process it. Maybe they just know who is able to do it safely?
The only time i was in a car that hit a deer, the local police had a list of folks they could call to come take the deer for meat, pelts etc. This is awesome, thank you for putting this deer to good use!😊
Well done. In the UK the most common “vehicularly slaughtered” animal is the pheasant and I’ve had a fair few of those. It really is a sense of achievement knowing you got something that might otherwise go to waste and now you’re providing food for the family. Although knowing how to sort a whole deer… 😮
My dad worked on the railways. He brought back a whole deer that got hit by a train. We had venison everything. I don’t think any of it was wasted and we were struggling a little at the time so it came in very handy indeed. 😊
@@andyscott5978 I agree. I don’t trust produce to not be full of pesticides or hormone pumped these days. Food is so expensive nowadays so I can’t hardly afford organic fruit/veg anymore. I am putting my garden to good use.
@@jujutrini8412 good luck with your gardening my friend. I’m blessed with a large garden with fruit trees and a lot of potential so I’ll be growing a lot more of my own produce like you.
@@andyscott5978 Good luck to you too. I’m starting to get the seeds in right now. It’s easy to grow certain herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and chillies (only ever done chillies indoors). I’d start off with them first as I have grown them before. We’ll be alright.
Not everyone has to be vegan. If my ancestors were respectful stewards of these animals to sustain themselves I can be too, and be grateful for them sharing their abundance with me. My town has a registry you can get a call when someone hit a deer if they themselves don't want it.
I have two reactions for vegans, if they are the angry Peta ranters, it's a no for me ok so I peace out and find the nearest exit, and if they are chill and not judgy I'm just like oh cool we can just act like normal people now. Glad we established my food habits don't make you become unhinged. What a relief, Lol.
@@CynicalLight I’m vegan but, I understand that may not be everyone’s path. However I think that we all have to demand better practice in how it’s done! No more sick mistreated animals. No one should stand for that. Not only is it extremely unhealthy for people but it’s just wrong! These animals need respect and honor.
I recently moved to a more country/rural area and the amount of dead animals I see on the road is so sad 😞. It’s great that you guys were able to use the meat and honor the animal in that way.
Same i moved to the south a few years ago and they're everywhere, unfortunately ive even witnessed a sick soul go out of their way to hit an animal.... what is wrong with humans....
It makes me disgusted and sad when I see an animal that got ran over. I had to walk a way where an animal got ran over to get to my school bus stop. I don't like seeing that
@@niabiiipeople can be so sick. I stopped today to avoid hitting two squirrels chasing each other in the road. The guy behind me honked so hard. No honker, I'm not running over squirrels to save you 6 seconds.
Anyone who wants to give you crap about salvaging resources that would go to waste otherwise is just looking for something to yell about. You honored that animal's life.
This is great use of loss of life. Glad you shared. My family did this back in the day too . I don't eat meat for dietary and ethical reasons mass farming type cruel shit. But this and small farmers are the true backbone of our country. Work for that animal meat or keep it local. Mass anything is crap.
From the time I was little, two lessons were pumped into my brain. 1.) If you find an injured deer along the road (or hit one), you do not leave it alone. You call somebody to put it out of its misery because it doesn't deserve to suffer. 2.) Call your uncle. He knows how to process it.
@@zinknot cells don't work to fit agendas. It's still a cow or chicken cell replicated. My body would still have trouble processing that flesh. Vegetables and grains are much easier, quicker to digest. It's not rotten meat in stomach. Different foods.
I think this is a awesome idea. Alot of more rural communities will do this too. As long as you know its safe and follow whatever area regulations you might have, I say go for it. Heck out where I live we will call the neighbors when a produce truck looses its product due to accidents. Its happened a few times and they cant take it back since its considered unhygienic. We just grab it, sort out the good and give the rest to live stock. Repirpose all you can.
There is nothing wrong with that and it does make perfect sense especially when you know how to process and tell if it is still perfect. Great job!!❤❤❤
That's fantastic. We raise rabbits for meat/organs, and tan their pelts for blankets and use their feet and ears for dog treats. Everything else goes into the compost. We also have goats that I have started milking over the last month and are raising a buckling for meat at the beginning of July. It is definitely a learning curve but very fun. We live in a neighborhood and our neighbors have been so wonderfully supportive.
Remember to call your local game warden, they have to give you a tag for any road kill deer you pick up. If you don't call them up and someone witnesses you taking it and calls them you will be ticketed for poaching and illegal means and methods, you could lose the right to hunt and fish for a couple years! If they didn't do this then people would be running deer over on purpose to fill their freezer.
Old neighbor was a butcher for his friends & family & hunter, every year he’d give us I don’t even know how much freshly butchered & vacuum sealed venison. Could easily fill 2 of 6 rows in the bottom of the freezer we had stacked up. Enough for us at least to eat all year. Was very nice & he was a great neighbor
The way you know if it is freshest is if you see the accident happen. Person who hits it gets first claim where I live and then if they don't want it it is first come first serve. You do need a salvage tag for it though. I see so many dead ones just on the side of the road left to go bad. I try moving them more to the green areas if I can, but if they're fresh I always try to get them myself and split the meat with others.
Yea, you've gotta call up the game warden in america to get permission to take it, they will give you a tag for it too, or they will take it to the local food pantry for the needy. That's the law in all 50 states too, if you're caught picking one up without the proper paperwork it's poaching and you're ticketed for that as well as illegal means and methods. If they didn't do that though people would be buying sturdy aftermarket bumpers and cruising around at night trying to nail a deer crossing the road.
Yea, you actually have to call them up before you take a deer you found hit by a car in all 50 states, it's illegal to just pick them up because you can't prove you didn't hit it on purpose, or your friend didn't hit it on purpose and call you up to go claim it.
That's great. I'm glad you guys were at the right place at the right time to not let it go to waste, and that it provided you with a solid amount of good food.
@@willatwood They stood to lose nothing if they had accidentally hit the deer and confessed. Coincidence is a real thing; it's easier to give them the benefit of doubt.
I so deeply admire y'alls ability to transform what most would overlook into a sustainable meal. You two do wonders and i am so grateful for this channel.❤
That happened to the son of my 4th grade teacher. He was able to save the meat and brought the heart & lungs for us kids to look at & examine. Really turned a bad situation good and made the memory of that deer live much longer than it ever would have (this was 28 years ago and i still recall it)
My mother's mother was a teacher and so the familiy had to go wherever she could get the work. Sometimes that meant pretty rural. When my mother was in high school in Forks, WA, the county sheriffs for the area would pick up fresh roadkill and bring it to the schools, so they would regularly have vehicularly harvested venison. Apparently, this was a genuine arrangement in that part of the state; if you roadsmacked an edible animal, it belonged to the local schools as a cheap source of meat, not to the vehicle owner. (My mother said she actually preferred venison in her school lunches to pork or beef.)
Im in Australia and we have problems with parasites in our wildlife. Especially the pigs and feral animals. How do you deal with that? We will catch a wild pig and cage it for a few months while treating the parasites before consuming. 😁💚
Good for you posting this🎉 i love people who aren't scared of a small group of violent vegans who dont understand that the production of the food they consume kills more wildlife than meat consumption.
I live in a rural area where there are probably more deer than people. I commend you, it’s better to take the meat if it’s good rather than let it rot on the roadside for weeks.
Normally you don't pickup roadkill in the south (internal damage, rotting in the heat, you don't know how long it's been there) but this is really cool, and I'm glad y'all can use the meat!
Thank you for sharing! Meat processing so often gets shut down by the algorithmic high ones, do I'm glad this one made it through! Happy for your windfall!
As a born and bred city girl I’m grateful for the insights provided in this video and comment area of a culture around food and animals that are accidentally killed. It’s eye-opening for me.
I used to have a T-shirt from The Roadkill Cafe. The two slogans I remember were the original "You kill it, We grill it" and later they added "From your grill to ours".
Every year the week around the full moon in december (and sometimes November depending on the tempreature) 've taken to driving through the mountain passes every morning to find vihiularly slaughtered deer and then call my States game and hunting people. I'll often end up with 5-7 deer in the winter months and hand a lot of it out to the community. If you want to do this please do your reasurch before, make sure it wasnt hit in the gut, that its fresh and that it's legal in your state. The full moon is when deer are most active so that's the best time to look for them.
@@donquixote8462, EXCEPT... CWD; Chronic Wasting Disease is a growing concern for all of us, and I'd urge anyone who does hunt and/or consume wild meats to have their venison, or any meats, tested for it. It's growing! Here's something I wrote out years ago: Prions cause Chronic Wasting & Mad Cow Diseases, kuru, zombie deer disease & others; scientists think prions cause Alzheimer's & Parkinson's through surgical instruments, that's why they're not using reuse ones, only disposables ones now!! There are at least nine avid hunters in New Brunswick, Canada who've eaten deer, elk and moose meat they've harvested, and are now dead from encephalitis very similar to mad cow disease!! They DIED slow, painful deaths from this!! Prions are not killed by heat from autoclaves; I believe that's why many hospitals have recently begun using throwaway tools, not reusable ones! Be careful, folks! Remember a few years ago, when wild boar got into a field of spinach near Chualar, California (just south of Salinas); dozens were infected with e-coli, a few died? How? Why? Feces from those boar! How are prions spread? From deer, elk and moose urinating on grass or plants, then other animals eat that grass or plant. What if: they urinate on berries, mushrooms, ginger root, truffles and other plants we harvest from the wild, eat them and ingest and infect themselves with prionic diseases!??! What if the predators who eat these infected animals are then infected themselves? We could have bear, wolves, coyotes, big cats infected - even our dogs or cats could get it, from eating a carcass in the wild! Then what? They piss on the grass, we step in it and cross-contaminate our homes?? We'd better be very, very careful! Here's a relevant video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Hw3cFSoRDDw.html
Had a very similar experience. My mom hit a deer and just broke its back and it tried to get away. I had to put it down and process it before I had college that morning.
That's a great question Tyler.... everyone needs to assume that that's a possibility. Especially the grocery stores also. Farmers don't go around giving worming medicine to all the livestock because it cost to much. So the best thing to do is to fully cook your meat. Try not to get to wrapped up about it. You'll be fine.
There's never been any reported cases of human transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD from deer to humans, but it has been recorded in monkeys and animals, it's been recommended by the word health organization since 1997 to keep prion diseases out of the human food chain, I'm not expert on CWD but it's recommended to not consume any brain tissue or spinal fluid of deer, elk, and moose.
I'm not sure if this is true or not but I remember Bear Grylls picking up a dead animal that is cut and he shakes it and because no meat drops he says it's safe.
That's awesome man! My dad had an accident with a moose once and we ate that for a year! We had the moose processed but I can't imagine taking a life, accident or not, and not doing your absolute best to honor it. Thank you for honoring this deers life. 💙 Shalom
My dad hit a pheasant one time, stopped and threw it in the trunk. Brought it home. Our neighbor was a hunter. He came over. We plucked it, cooked it and ate it!! What a great memory. Thanks Dad
We started doing this in Washington state finally!!! My sister in law worked for the local garbage company and she was so excited she didn't have to haul anymore deer out into the woods and huck it off a designated cliff anymore because they weren't allowed to keep it- it's made a huge difference in the whole state too because you don't see deer on the roadsides anymore!!!
I’m Alaska (a natural freezer mind you) Moose roadkill was processed locally and donated to the church, food banks, and needy families who sign up. Thought I’d share, I think it’s womdeful
If you're going to do this, make sure you know if CWD is a problem in your area or not. There haven't been any known cases of CWD being transmitted to humans, but animal studies have shown it can happen with other primates if they eat the meat of an infected animal. If CWD is a problem near you, have the animal tested and spend the time to learn about extra precautions. Prion diseases are really nasty and you don't want to find out the hard way
It's amazing how cwd has become a major talk among hunters as of recent. Don't get me wrong it's a problem. Just wondering why we are just now being brought into the loop about it when it's been around for 50 years or better. Who knows how many deer have been consumed with this disease during that time. We just had our first confirmed case in our area a few months back and it seems that people are losing their minds
It isn't poaching exactly. You can call road kill control but they will just throw the whole body into a composter. It was an accident so I don't think that's a problem. Poaching would be if you did it on purpose and multiple times, that's illegal.
I have some major sensory issues especially around food and ESPECIALLY around meat so I eat it very infrequently. I can’t eat a bite of stake without gagging, but it’s so cool seeing how you process and utilize every part of the deer! Very impressive and fascinating!
I did this once when the young 18 year old girl in front of me on the highway totaled her truck by a massive buck. It was killed instantly. It was a win in my book!
FYI in Europe, or atleast Germany, this would be considered Poaching, because even roadkills belong to the Hunter which leased a certain area. There are heavy fines for Poaching, so dont do that.
I’m good with farm raised meats seeing how they are raised from family and friends who sell animals to market, Big fan of hunting, though as a wildlife biologist. The animal is living its life totally naturally and often has no idea anything happened when it is harvested (far more humane than nature often is) and allows for better management of our out of whack ecosystems. Roadkill is a great utilization of the right opportunity and timing present themselves
These channels that I come across are so good ...about being resourceful snd using your land to plant organic...eating healthy, growing your own trees, herbs etc....kudos to these people that read abundlely , live simple and have knowledge , teaching others through media...🙏🙏🙏🙏
Eating roadkill deer is more common than people think it is. There are so many communities that are at least an hour from a gas station, let alone a grocery store, and so any extra meat to stretch the time between shops is always good.
Best way to fill the freezer!! So far ive harvested 2 from the roadside, both were fresh. one was still alive when found! Free meat if your not afraid of home processing. Nice job
A similar thing happened to my sister a while back. She was driving on a fairly busy highway at around noon, and saw a car a little ways in front of her hit a small-ish deer. The car drove on and nobody else stopped. It happened so fast that she passed it and had to turn around. She pulled over on to the other side of the road and had to cross over to get to it. She ended up pulling it down into the ditch so no one could see. She cut off its head and its hooves but left it’s torso. She’s a hunter, but she only does it for fun, which is a shame so all she cared about was the antlers. She gave hooves to her dogs. She tried to drag the torso as far back into the woods as she could. She took a video of it and everything, it was really sad. We live in East Tennessee so deers get hit a lot around here. The way she handled it made me uncomfy.
Honestly, as long as the road kill wasn’t decomposing or basically spaghetti when you got it I say it’s very sustainable. The DNR probably likes having less roadkill to clean up after, too lol
