Deer-ly departed: Illinois allows residents to claim roadkill bucks and does — and thousands do

Drivers who have hit a deer with their car will probably acknowledge their first thought wasn’t about what they should do with the deer.

But apparently there are enough people out there who gave it their second or third thought that the state of Illinois created a program allowing residents to claim roadkill deer to process the meat for food, have it taxidermied or maybe just use various parts for a questionable arts and crafts project.

“Most of the day-of vehicle accident claims we get, someone’s going to take it and process the animal themselves, or somewhere that does wildlife meat, and use it for personal consumption,” said Illinois Conservation Police Capt. Josh Mooi. “If it’s a trophy buck with big antlers, someone’s going to get that guy mounted.”

But to do any of that, permission from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is required.

The agency operates a surprisingly popular program that processes about 2,500 roadkill deer claims annually statewide, according to IDNR’s latest figures. Cook and the collar counties combined average about 180 claims annually. The agency’s dedicated website, dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer/claim-a-road-kill, is where they get started.

“If you get to them right away it’s a shame to let the meat go to waste,” said John Schalz, a butcher who specializes in processing wild game and operates John’s Elgin Market in South Elgin. “We do mostly steak cuts, but also we can make sausage and sometimes jerky.”

Schalz estimates he processes about 20 roadkill deer a year. If they don’t have the required IDNR tag and documentation, he won’t let them through the door.

Mooi says the reason for the documentation is twofold.

“It helps our biologists track populations and trends to determine if a species is thriving or becoming a nuisance,” he said. “Secondly, these aren’t the state’s deer, they’re your deer, and just like hunting, there are additional laws that dictate the possession of those animals.”

The online form requires basic identifying information. Once complete, residents are emailed the tag number that allows them to claim the deer.

In some instances, deer are injured in collisions and the state’s website provides residents contact information for conservation officers by county who are responsible for euthanizing the animal.

Only Illinois residents can claim a roadkill deer, according to state law. The only stipulation is the resident claiming the deer cannot be delinquent on child support payments.

“I don’t know why those are the only people singled out,” Mooi said.

State law also prohibits the sale of roadkill deer in any form. Once it’s processed for meat, it’s only allowed for personal consumption. If it’s taxidermied, you can give it as a gift, but don’t put it on eBay.

Documentation is also required to claim deer killed by means other than hunting and vehicles. These are rare instances, but deer get stuck in fences, snared in traps set for other animals or killed by a coyote, Mooi explained.

“I’m working on a piece right now where two deer were fighting, got their horns locked together and died just off the roadway,” said Tom Rancak, owner of Rancak Taxidermy and Wildlife Store in Cary.

He believes the locked antlers ultimately will be a centerpiece for a table.

Rancak said he only handles about two or three roadkill deer a year. Usually it’s not the person who hit the animal, but someone who came upon it. Often the person wants the “European mount,” where the skull is cleaned and bleached with the antlers attached.

“Two of the biggest we had this year were a 12-point buck and a 10-point with roadkill tags,” he said.

Other suburban taxidermists said it’s rare to get a roadkill deer to work on.

“People want their own trophies they hunted,” said Jim Nelligan, a taxidermist for 40 years who also runs The Salmon Shop & The Great Outdoors in Palatine. “Road kill is nobody’s trophy.”

It can take 18 months and cost around $1,000 to taxidermy and mount a deer head.

Meanwhile, it only takes a couple of days to get the meat back from a butcher and costs about $200 on average. Schalz said the typical deer provides about 75 pounds of meat.

“It’s lean,” he said. “Like with all game meats, you don’t want to overcook them.”

There are some who believe an adrenaline spike a deer might experience after getting hit by a car changes the flavor of the meat, but Schalz doesn’t buy it and said he’s never tasted a difference.

“I think they all get an adrenaline spike whether you’re hunting them or they got hit with a car,” he said. “They’re not going to be happy either way.”

Mooi said he’s eaten roadkill deer before, but only from a trusted source.

“I have never tasted roadkill deer from someone else outside my family,” he said. “But as long as you know how long it’s been there and get it processed fast enough, it’s not a big deal.”