Fun Fact Friday: Roadkill Rules

This week's random reference question is random because I'm the one who wanted to know the answer ... like when chefs cook fancy meals for themselves, sometimes I do answer my own questions.

So here's my question, inspired by seeing a dead deer on the side of the highway this morning and wondering why it was still there:

If you accidentally kill a deer with your car, can you take it home and eat it?

The answer depends on where you live, and brings us into the slightly silly world of state-level laws. Here's just a sampling of what states are saying about the dead deer for dinner debate:

• In Oregon, where I live, it's illegal for citizens to possess accidentally-killed deer (hence the roadkill on my morning commute) but organizations do collect roadkill to feed to other animals.
  
• In Illinois and Wisconsin, the driver has first dibs on the deer; if he doesn't want it, someone else can lay claim to the carcass.
• In Ohio and Minnesota, you have to have a deer possession permit before you can take the deer you've hit home.
• In Massachusetts, you can keep the deer, but only if you tell the police you're taking it.

Random enough for you? Don't ask where my mind is at 7am before my coffee kicks in ... and forgive me if this was all anti-animal of me; deer may be cute and big-eyed, but they're also nuisances, and, sorry, but they taste pretty good.