Questions about Roadkill.

[Melonfish]

Hi,

I've had a good old search and i've been through the whole dispatching roadkill debate, i don't wish to re-start that. However i find myself to be away next weekend and will have to walk down pathless country lanes which if i'm not mistaken should be strewn with those small furry or feathered friends who can't move faster then a speeding townie..

I'm looking for general advice on roadkill, what to look for to be sure i don't poison myself, suitability for eating etc etc. i'd like to hear from anyone who picks roadkill regular or has done in the past?

As far as dispatching an injured animal goes i've looked up the techniques and i understand what to do, i'm confident i can do whats necessary but again i don't want to re-open that arguement because its all pretty much been said.

Thanks
Pete

 

[Miyagi]

My only worry about roadkill was how badly mushed it was.

For instance, have the intestines been pressure injected into the flesh (flattened hedge hog style), or did it die from impact and was knocked aside etc.

Not something I'd fancy doing unless I was starving etc., although I know of the roadkill chef etc. However, if it was a deer by the side of the road...

I suppose you'd have to take each find on it's own merit.

I'll need to look for that debate on despatching road injured animals, didn't know there was a debate about it TBH.

Can you post on here how you get on please? I'd be interested to know.

Cheers

Liam

Edited to add; my throw away remark: "However, if it was a deer etc etc", - found the debate - OMFG!!!

Least said soonest mended. Ooops.

 

[Melonfish]

Edited to add; my throw away remark: "However, if it was a deer etc etc", - found the debate - OMFG!!!

Least said soonest mended. Ooops.

Yeah hence i didn't want that can of worms re-opened
but yeah i'll let you know how i go on, i reckon everything i find should be already off to its own valhalla anyways.

 

[scrogger]

Pete if you can hunt down a copy of the last bushcraft mag its got a whole section on roadkill. I have read it now so if you cant find it, pm me your addy and I will post it to you.
It was really informative.

Andy

 

[Snowfire]

I've eaten plenty of roadkill pheasant. I just pick the ones that are whole rather than mangled into pate. I usually pick them up on a road I travel at least twice a day so I know roughly how long they've been there.

In the summer though the flesh seems to go a bright blue colour - someone said it's something they put in the food to stop poachers. Not wanting to highjack your thread but maybe someone could confirm or explain?

Not tried a deer though I've seen a few - a bit too heavy to carry

 

[Miyagi]

I've eaten plenty of roadkill pheasant. I just pick the ones that are whole rather than mangled into pate. I usually pick them up on a road I travel at least twice a day so I know roughly how long they've been there.

In the summer though the flesh seems to go a bright blue colour - someone said it's something they put in the food to stop poachers. Not wanting to highjack your thread but maybe someone could confirm or explain?

Not tried a deer though I've seen a few - a bit too heavy to carry

When I was a chef we often sent bacon back to the suppliers because they had a greeny blue look.

This was due apparently, to fish pellets being fed to the pigs, at "x" amount of weeks before slaughter this is removed from their diet, to prevent that green sheen.

Could be something similar?

 

[hedgerow pete]

to eat road kill, there are only a few rule , number one it still must be in reasonable shape, Ie not flat as when the intestines are split open it tants the meat,

the smell is the biggest give away after around a day they smell off
if you are in the are several times take a hand full of corn with you and throw it on the road in the early morning hopefully a townie will run a fresh phesant over for you

 

[Front Room Woodlander]

On picking up the bird feel its shape, is it uniform, listen and feel for any crunching / grating noises. Look for nice clear round eyes, the shrink and go dull the longer after death. Check for external bleeding. If it looks good, feels good it'll tatse good too.

To avoid the messy and smelly gutting process simply take out the breast meat and tops of legs and leave the rest in place. Bury your waste away from your tent.

 

[spiritwalker]

feathers still near the kill is a good sign of recent death, maggots present or not or fly eggs. Do not rely on eyes looking fresh more often than not they are the first thing to get pecked out so the meat could still be fresh

 

[hog]

So now say you come across an injured rabbit on the road, whats the best way to aproach it and despatch it?

 

[Melonfish]

Pete if you can hunt down a copy of the last bushcraft mag its got a whole section on roadkill. I have read it now so if you cant find it, pm me your addy and I will post it to you.
It was really informative.

Andy

I didn't even know there WAS a bushcraft mag? whats the site link?

you got a scanner, should save you having to post it out?

 

[Melonfish]

So now say you come across an injured rabbit on the road, whats the best way to aproach it and despatch it?

Sorry for the double post mods, but here is bear grylls doing it right for once.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDcnsOtlLCQ

however he was trained by the army.

Edit: also a good guide here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ferreter/working2.htm

as i say i don't want to re-open the dispatching thread found here:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30931&highlight=dispatching
it gets a bit messy.

 

[Hugo]

I nave eaten plenty of pheasants than have been knocked down.
On average 38 a year as I used to keep a note of how many.
Now I'm not driving for a living I don't get out much to get any.

 

[Miyagi]

I nave eaten plenty of pheasants than have been knocked down. Now I'm not driving for a living I don't hit any.

Fixed that for you

Sorry, couldn't resist...

 

[lannyman8]

the best way to know how an animal should look is to go to a friend who shoots and let them show you how to gut and skin a rabbit for example.
this will show you what you are looking for in the best case any thing else is up to your own mind set of what you are willing to eat.
a word of warning though if the guts has split inside the animal do not use that part remove it totaly by cutting it out. the legs for instance should still be fine though if not mangled to bits.

i once had a deer and made the mistake of eating meat from the stomoch area and payed the price lesson learned lol....

hope this helps chris...