Ok... I was recently told that it was illegal to stop off the side of the road and pick up roadkill. (only in PA) I didn't believe it and am seeking info from PA residents.
Of course I can understand not picking up endangered species, but what about your common opossum, raccoon, deer and such?
What if I hit it!? (not that I'll go purposely hitting things).
Is this or is it not true? Or does PA have freakishly weird laws?
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In Illinois, we can't pick up deer along side the road or even dead deer found in the woods.
We can call the DNR and if they are available, they will go with you to the site and tag it for you if they wish.
The only way you can posess a roadkill deer is if you are the person that hit it or if that person that hit it gives it to you. The DNR will then issue a tag for taxidermy purposes.
Deer found dead in the woods need to stay there as well. If we are lucky enough to get the DNR to follow us out there and give us a tag, then you can posess it.
It really makes sense if you think about it. The tag is proof that the deer was not taken illegally.
Hi Lee, some states require you to have a license for the animal you are picking up. Like a small game license to pick up racoons and such. All cites animals can only be picked up in the seasons that they can be tagged like bobcats and otters because they have strict federal guidelines and even if you were to pick it up in an off season no sane taxidermist or tannery would take it as there are severe fines that come with it. If you call the local wildlife office they can tell you what you need and try and speak with a wildlife officer because even here in Colorado you get a different answer every time you call if you just talk to a receptionist, who are usually volunteers expressing their opinions. Good luck
...laws. Some you need to first contact the DNR for a special permit before you touch anything. Here in Illinois I can pick up an animal I hit and all I need to do is contact the DNR within 24 hours (or 48? Can't remember...)
Pick up your phone book. Find the Blue Pages and then find your Game Commission's phone number. CALL THEM. They are paid to enforce the law you need information on.
about PA. When I was there in school I couldn't believe the laws pertaining to roadkill. You can't pick them up just as you can't pick up driftwood at a river or lake---they belong to the state!
If there were roadkill laws like that here in KY lots of folks would probably starve (till their next welfare check)!LOL
Seriously, the KY F&W are very good to issue "disposal tags" for roadkill animals so they can be mounted. If there is a question about legality or if it was really roadkill they might personally check the animal but many times they will just mail a permit to the person who found it.
The only road kill you can pick up with out call PGC is a deer but after you take it home you must call them up.
Now any other raod kill you must contact them and ask them if you can pick it up and they will then meet you either at your home or at their office to get a permit for it. You will have to pay for the permit. The PGC owns the animals in our state unless you have papers to state that this is your animal.
I have done this a few times along with many clients. It's just our laws so make sure you folllow them and if your still not sure just give your office a call and ask.
they tell us the people own the animals but they still have laws that prevent us from "legally" picking up roadkilled animals. I really don't think it meant much back in the late 70s when coons were $30.00 a pop and red fox were going for $70.00 each. You didn't find a dead animal on the road other than an occasional oppossum.
Now that they aren't worth jack diddly they litter the roadsides.
pick up any roadkill in Texas either. They consider it "road hunting". BP
If you ask the PGC they will tell you that the animals are owned by the commonwealth not the game commision, that covers there butt from lawsuites by people in auto wrecks involving deer. If thats the case then why do have to buy permits from the game commission for animals they don't own? Why don't the money go to the general commonwealth, not the game comm. bank account? Or have I been misinformed about who owns the animals in the state?
If you have a furtakers permit, can you pick them up?
I agree that it would be nice to pick up a good road kill but you also have to realize that if that was in effect there could be a larger numbers of animals picked or killed just to say it's a road kill. That's why they want to see the game to make sure it wasn't taken illegally and was truly a road kill. It's part of their job and it's a hassle for them to do this but they must. It's a law and we all have to abide by it for now. So I really don't care about calling them up and asking for a permit when one is needed. My only guess is that the PGC controls the game in the state and their responsible for the limits set on game and how it should be controlled. So even though the commonwealth owns it they control it and have set standards on the game.
Also having a furtakers permit does not give you permission to pick up any raod kill.
if you pick up roadkill was it a healthy animal or was it attacking the car that killed it? becareful you just dont no