Road Kill Dinners

The question of why the chicken crossed the road is of secondary importance to who gets to claim the bird's carcass if it's killed while attempting the crossing.

For a long time, the rule in a majority of the country was the government got to keep the deceased animal. State laws prohibited drivers from claiming the meat of animals killed on public roads and highways for food. Instead, ownership of the corpses defaulted to whichever agency maintained the roads, wasting countless tons of farm-fresh, slightly battered flesh to rot.

In recent years, a growing number of states have been loosening their highway harvesting bans. The Associated Press reported in 2022 that "30 or so" states now allow people to harvest roadkill. The pace of reform doesn't appear to be slowing down.

Come July, a new Virginia law allowing anyone to claim roadkill all year round will go into effect. Current law allows only the driver who the killed animal to claim the carcass, and only if they hit the animal during hunting season.
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pmbug said:

It sounds odd to me, but I live in the burbs. I guess this is more common out in the country?

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pmbug said:

New Virginia law will let anyone harvest roadkill anytime of year

Previously you had to hit the animal yourself during hunting season to claim the carcass.

reason.com

It sounds odd to me, but I live in the burbs. I guess this is more common out in the country?

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Joe King said:

Deer will be the main critter this will apply to.

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