'Roadkill'... foraging taken too far?

[jondy]

On the radio this morning a man who has not had to buy meat for 30 years (appologies to non meat eaters). He lives near bodmin moor and got into this collection of dead animals for food as a teenager when he took home a roadkill pheasant. Mum cooked it and he was off.
He also collects, rabbits, deer, and, I hate to mention this, badger & fox. (a step too far!) He says that a rabbit will supply him with meat for a week, so big rabbit or a frugal eater, perhaps. Depends where you live, don't try this in Peckham, but it does not seem at all a terrible thing to take home a dead pheasant for the pot. Then again if it gets you into bad habits, badgers and foxes, perhaps not. What do you think, have you tried this?

John

[the.fee.fairy]

My gransdparents had a pheasant one day that committed suicide by flying into my parents car.

I wouldn't let my parents eat it, but my grandparents happily hung it and then it went into the pot.

[Muddypause]

I heard bits of that this morning.

Someone once told me that if you hit a pheasant, you are not allowed to take it home with you, but it's OK if someone else has hits it. Presumably this is to stop people deliberately aiming at them.

I hit a pheasant once when I was on a motorbike travelling at speed. Boy, was that messy.

[2steps]

I've heard of people doing it. I think it's ok but would only do it myself if I hit it personally so I know that's how it died and when. would depend on the animal as well I think. Not much chance of me coming into any road kill, I don't drive and don't think my pushbike or buggy would be quite the same

[digiveg]

Just don't EVER EVER EVER put a 'suspected' deal animal on the backseat of your car/truck/whatever and drive away with it...unless you're absolutely totally 100% sure it's gone beyond.

I've heard two awful stories; one featuring a stag, antlers included, and the other one a badger.

Really really bad idea, especially re. the badger.

You don't wanna know.

[2steps]

god yes, a very good point.

I wouldn't eat anything I found dead incase it'd been ill or posioned in some way.

[Shirley]

I think roadkill is fine... as long as you know it's not been lying there for so long that the crows and maggots have gotten hold.

I understood that you couldn't claim the roadkill deer if you ran it over yourself, but if you were the car behind you could... simple answer to that is to take two cars LOL... not that I would advocate such behaviour.

I wouldn't eat fox though... or badger.. no.. sorry... step too far for me, but even as I type I'm wondering why that is a step too far. What is the difference between that and other wild animals??

[the.fee.fairy]

Oh, my parents were driving in front of my grandparents...the pheasant decided he'd had enough f this life and wanted to move onto the next, so he aimed himself at the car...he managed so well he came out of it headless, so we were rather sure he was dead

My grandparents were behind, everyone stopped, they picked it up and said something like 'ooh look, pheasant!' and put it in the back of their car.

it was definitely dead. I just couldn't face the thought of having seen the animal alive and then eating it... that's why i can't keep my own livestock - i get too attached to living things!

[Andy Hamilton]

I never have eaten road kill, but I don't see why not. If it was on a road that I used frequently so that I would know how old it was and there were no signs of infection then yep free food.

I don't think I would eat fox, I have heard it taste pretty foul anyway. As for eating badger, I remember looking this up sometime ago and finding out that the olde English refered to it as little pig as the meat tastes similar. I would not avocate killing and eating badger but if it is already dead and will just rot other wise then why not.

[PurpleDragon]

Apparently taking and eating your own roadkill is considered poaching and is illegal. So I'm told - don't know how true that is.

I always try to slow down and steer round anything potentially suicidal around here. There are a number of pheasant crossing spots where they always seem to feel the need to run under your wheels.

The kids got upset once about it, until I explained it was a way that other animals could get a free meal - foxes, crows and suchlike.

[Millymollymandy]

It is very rare to see roadkill in France!

[Shirley]

Why is that M3... it doesn't happen, or do people pick it up too quickly?? lol

[chadspad]

Why is badger or fox any different to any other meat tho - because its unusual?
The local supermarket has a section called 'our friends of the forest' which includes badger, boar & deer, all hunted for & caught in the area. Havent tried them yet but I will. My views on meat have changed since moving here as they seem to have a wider selection of stuff. I would never have tried horse in the UK but its a normal product on the shelves here and I have to admit its gorgeous. Not being a lover of fat of meat, this is like a rich steak with no fat whatsoever - yummy! They also have all the bits of all the animals available in the supermarkets - brains, feet, the lot.
Its like the places that eat dog - I think its cos we tend to suffer from fluffy animal syndrome that we dont like the idea of it but if there is a surplus of dog around why not eat it?

[pskipper]

As far as I'm aware the legislation on road kill was changed a few years ago (as far as game is concerned) so that if you hit the animal you can collect it. I think this was due to the fact that modern cars take more damage (especially with badgers & deer) than the carcas is worth! It's also worth knowing whether the animal is protected or not, it's illegal to eat hedgehogs.

From the way foxes smell I wouldn't want to eat one! Pheeew. Also carnivores apparently don't taste too good.

[jondy]

I would think that if you removed a dead carcass of any animal from the roadway you would be seen as doing a service to the community. It would not be a good idea to leave a large dead animal in a place where other motorists have to take avoiding action. Fairly commonplace this sort of thing I guess, yesterday my wife mentioned a dead pheasant by the roadway. We live on the edge of the London borough of Bromley and can see Canary Wharf in the distance from some places. I found a dead deer (not to much of the carcass left) on a bridleway on Hayes (Kent) Common nearby.

John