Dig In It's...Roadkill for Dinner?

 

Is this really what the world is coming to?  Roadkill for dinner?  I personally would not want to pull over on the interstate and strap the poor deer, moose (or skunk) to the roof of my vehicle, then drive off with recipe ideas dancing through my head.

For most of us this sounds like a disgusting alternative to "real" food, but it is actually legal in places like Alaska, Wisconsin, New York, Florida, West Virginia and Illinois.  And in places where it is technically illegal to haul your dinner off the side of the road, law enforcement is willing to turn a blind eye to it.  

However, a bill is now working its way through the Montana legislature, trying to make it legal to shovel your roadkill feast from the pavement to plate.  

Senator, Larry Jent, told the Montana Public Radio, "It really is a sin to waste that good meat when there’s no reason to, when it could be salvaged and somebody could use it."  

Granted, Americans do waste on average of 23 pounds of perfectly edible food, per person, every month, but roadkill?  The pro-roadkill argue that whether it be a bullet or fender, what difference does it make?  But how do you know it was a vehicle that was the underlying cause and not a poison or disease?

“The risk is relative depending on the condition of the animal and how it was killed,” said Benjamin Chapman, a food safety specialist with North Carolina State University.

“In roadkill if you happen upon the animal, you don’t know its condition, which makes it riskier than eating regulated food or an animal you’ve hunted.” Chapman added.

If there is no flies, maggots or sign of spoilage it is generally thought that by thoroughly cooking the meat to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees, it should eliminate any chance of illness.

This still seems like a crap-shoot and would question why anyone would want to take the risk.  Plus, I think most folks may not want to put a face to their meat-feast and all of the other yucky tasks that accompany the preparation of taking your dinner from the side of the road.

What do you think of this and hunting in general? Feel free to leave me a comment.