Drivers, start your grills! New Oregon law permits eating roadkill

A new Oregon law is set to expand local palates by legalizing roadkill consumption. The law permits deer and elk hit by vehicles to be legally salvaged for food, so long as the wannabe-scavenger gets a permit.

Would-be roadkill harvesters must apply for their free "roadkill salvage permit" no more than 24 hours after picking up their cut of street meat, and must submit the heads and antlers of the animals to the Department of Fish and Wildlife within five business days.

The rules are strict: "the entire carcass of the animal including gut piles" must be removed from the road by the legal salvagers, lest some other driver come along and get upset that all the best parts are gone.

The state of Oregon reminds would-be roadkill chefs that "any person who salvages a deer or elk will consume the meat at their own risk." Now, dig in!

Selling the salvaged animal is prohibited, but it's possible to transfer possession to another person with a written record, in case you're thinking of an unconventional gift for your loved one. It remains illegal to intentionally hit an animal in order to salvage it. As for other species, don't even think about trying to salvage a bear.

Oregon proudly joins 20 other states with an appreciation for an aftertaste of blacktop and burnt rubber codified in roadkill salvage laws.