How long is too long for roadkill to be on the road before you shouldn't pick it up? It's starting to warm up now, I saw a deer at noon, would that be safe to fool with or a waste of time? Thank you
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Use your nose and eyes. Is it bloated? Does it stink to high heaven? Are the eyes/nasal membranes really sunken in? Try lightly tugging on the hair in a few places. If it just falls out in wads, that's a bad sign, too. Unless you actually hit the animal, you don't know how long it has been there. That deer could have been hit recently, morning or during the night, assuming you traveled that way the day before and it wasn't there.
Be sure it's ok to pick up roadkill and your state and find out what you have to do once you have. In Missouri, you have to take it to the Missouri Department of Conservation. They'll give you a slip of paper allowing you to mount it or have someone else mount it.
Good luck!
My proofreading skills ain't what they used to be! :)
Another thought to picking up road kill: WEAR RUBBER GLOVES when handling them. (Really should wear them at all times in the shop...). This is especially important for skunks, fox, etc. which may have had rabies when killed. They may actually have been chasing an auto! Again, if you didn't hit the animal, you have no way of knowing how it was acting prior to being struck.
I just went on a road kill hunt last night myself (for deer). It is starting to earm up here in Jersey, so I go on Vicki mentioned.
1. Look at the overall condition
2. Look at the eyes. If they are sunken in forget it. I usually will pick them up if their eyes are clouding up, but once they dissapear I do not.
3. I will not pick one up unless it is a hit within a day...and you can tell a fresh road kill from one that has been sitting a few days.
Good luck!
I agree...wearing gloves (for handling skunks)...I put on a pare before I git outta bed in da mornin...so I don't touch myself wit bear hands.
Road kill has a lot road rash at times to. I have seen plaenty of them at my full time job as a cop for 13 yrs. I would look for the hair being worn off in spots. You could also contact your local sheriffs to see if they may have covered the MVA and find out how long its been down.
Bear hands? As in hairy? ;)
I'm still curious about "Twinkletoes."
ETCC doesn't have hairy hands. His are bare...but he stinks like a skunk...He just hasn't lerned how to spell korrectly yet...thus the confusion...ED
"Twinkletoes"...Comes from the sparkles in the red toenail paint. Aint that what you use?
It depends on the time of year. If it's summer and I'm wearing sandals, my toenails are liable to be various shades of off white, silver pearl, bass green, gill red, etc., finished off with a nice, shiny gloss.
I picked up a nice bobcat this morning on the way to work. I know it had just been hit. I got some garbage bags from work and a box, and had stopped and got a bag of ice on the way to work. It got 75 out today, worked 10 hours. I got home, called fish and game, went and got a disposal tag,and skinned and turned, and salted. He has a spot of road rash about the size of a quarter. His skull was crushed, but was a great looking, well spotted cat, about 30 lbs! If nothing else, I will tan and use for a wall hanger! Over the winter I picked up 3 mountable yotes, 3 grey foxes, damaged, and 6 coons, mountable!
This was a good end to roadkill season! Keep your eyes pealed!
I wasn't sure what the cat was at 4:30 am, but I stopped anyway! This is the first cat, I have ever seen hit by a car!
Tony
Sometimes you'll find one that has a ruined back end or front end. You may still be able to use the good front ends for shoulder/pedestal mounts. And there is a form out there for the back end of a raccoon. (Like a deer rump mount.)
HEY! I saw one of those Rear-Rupm Mounts this morning...when I looked in the mirror.
~ ETCC