Rhode Island’s New Roadkill Law Is Bold, Brilliant and Long Overdue

This might be the strangest law I’ve ever seen, yet somehow, it just makes sense.

Rhode Island has officially passed a new regulation allowing residents to take home roadkill – yes, really – as long as they obtain a free permit within 24 hours of collection.

Now, before you gag at the thought, hear me out: this is actually a smart, sustainable move that reduces waste on our roadways.

Compare that to Massachusetts, where if you hit a deer, you’re required to call the Environmental Police and your local authorities. You can't just toss it in the trunk and call it dinner. In contrast, Rhode Island cuts out the middleman, and honestly, I hope Massachusetts takes notes.

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According to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, residents can legally salvage animals like white-tailed deer, turkeys, beavers, coyotes, muskrats, pheasants, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, woodchucks and even mute swans – again, with a permit required within a day.

Of course, common sense still applies.

Fresh roadkill is the name of the game; no one’s suggesting you scoop up a week-old raccoon and fire up the grill.

When properly handled, this can be a real source of meat. A single deer, for instance, can weigh around 150 pounds and yield up to 70 pounds of boneless venison. That’s plenty of steaks, roasts, shoulders and ground meat to fill your freezer for weeks on end, if not months.

The same goes for salvaged wild turkeys. Thanksgiving might just come early.

This isn’t just about filling plates, either. It also saves state workers from having to clean up carcasses, freeing them up for other essential tasks.

So hats off to Little Rhody for leading the way in practical sustainability. To that, I say: bon appétit, Rhode Island.