A Wisconsin lawmaker wants to make it cheaper for people to scoop up fresh road kill and fill their freezers or decorate their mantles.

Under current law, a motorist who accidentally kills a deer or a person who finds a deer carcass on the side of the road can get a tag and claim the animal at no price. But other critters — bears, turkeys or foxes, for example — only can be claimed after paying fees.

Rep. Ann Hraychuck, D-Balsam Lake, says her bill would eliminate those fees and thereby encourage more people to pick up road kill, ultimately saving money and keeping highways cleaner.

“It helps not waste our natural resources when (an animal) gets hit on the road,” said Hraychuck, who is the chairperson for the Assembly Committee on Fish and Wildlife.
Deer frequently are tagged and claimed by motorists who hit them or others who pass by because they can produce a fair amount of edible meat.

It’s not as gross as it might sound. Jean Jackan, 63, of Weston, said he once retrieved a deer when his nephew collided with it and suggested that the deputy who responded to the crash call Jackan.

“Why not if it’s not too banged up?” Jackan said.

Department of Natural Resources game warden supervisor Randy Falstad said bear and turkeys, for which permits now cost $50 and $10 respectively, also are popular meals plucked from the roads.

Falstad said many people also request permits for animals such as raccoons and foxes so they can have them stuffed by taxidermists for decoration. So far in 2009, the eight DNR wardens in Marathon, Wood and Portage counties have issued 74 permits for road kill claims, Falstad said.

Still, that leaves a lot of carcasses rotting on the sides of roads.

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