Skip to main content

Why Everyone Should Eat Road Kill

Why Everyone Should Eat Road Kill

The most memorable piece of road kill I ever ate was a whitetail that my dad hit with his Jeep Grand Cherokee when I was 9 years old.

He was driving my two brothers and me home through the dark after bloodtrailing a deer that he'd killed with his bow. He stopped just long enough to cut the deer's throat and add it to the load of venison that we already had in the back.

The lesson to me was clear: Meat's meat -- don't let it go to waste.


Which is a good lesson to learn. I've eaten road kill my entire life, and one of my primary reasons is to make a point. The point is simple: As a hunter, I see value in the resources derived from wild animals, whether or not I've actually experienced the joys and thrills of harvesting them myself.

When a non-hunter sees me or hears about me utilizing an animal that would otherwise go to waste, it reduces any suspicions that they might have about my motivations as a hunter. They see that I'm resourceful, that I don't shy away from unpleasant tasks, and that I don't give a damn about absorbing any hick or hillbilly jokes.

Not that road kill is all about making a point. In fact, one of the most memorable meals I ever had was when I picked up a freshly killed deer from the side of the road when I was traveling to a party where friends were roasting a whole hog.


We parted the deer into bone-in quarters and packed them into the hog's chest cavity. Then we sewed it shut with bailing wire. After eight hours of basting in pork fat, that venison was some of the finest tasting meat I ever ate in my entire life. I'm not sure how many people got their introduction to deer meat that night, but it was more than a few.

From then on, I imagine those people thought a little bit differently about the camo-clad guys they saw heading into the woods with bows and rifles every fall. Instead of seeing something strange and unknowable, they saw something that would eventually result in some damn fine eating.




Take a look at my buddy Skip Knowles putting these ideas into practice on the streets of Illinois:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF-3Jq1_e8

Current Magazine Cover

Don't Miss

The Essentials Gear Box.

Our editors have hand-picked these essential pieces of gear to make you a more successful hunter when you hit the game trails this season.

Learn More

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Hunting

A Boy's First Whitetail Hunt

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Steiner Optics Predator Series

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Introducing the Burris Veracity PH

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Taurus Raging Hunter

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Streamlight Pro Tac 2.0

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Streamlight Bear Trap

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Beretta A300 Ultima Turkey

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Ascendant from Rock River Arms

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

HEVI-Shot Turkey Loads

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

CZ 600 Series Trail Rifle

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Burris Veracity PH Riflescope

Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line ...
Gear

Benelli Montefeltro Shotgun

Petersen's Hunting Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save.

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Buy Single Digital Issue on the Petersen's Hunting App

Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Petersen's Hunting subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now