Is it legal in SC to take home and eat an animal you ran over? Yes, we mean roadkill
You’re driving along the road and suddenly a deer jumps in front of your vehicle and you hit it, killing the animal.
You’re bummed about the damage it caused, but at least you have dinner, as you can take home the deer and eat it.
Or, can you?
In South Carolina it is legal to “harvest” roadkill for eating.
The chances of hitting a deer while driving in Horry is higher than most counties in South Carolina. Horry County ranked among the top five counties with the most vehicle-deer collisions in the state.
However, when it comes to big game, such as deer, a person is required to report the accident to law enforcement, according to Greg Lucas, director of public information with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Other animals that might be killed, such as raccoons, foxes, wild hogs or squirrels, can be harvested without reporting it. Big game in South Carolina refers to deer, bear and turkey.
It might seem like a weird way to save on groceries, but it’s free and safe and meat from a full-size animal can go a long way in feeding a family.
The law regarding deer is so “not to waste a resource like that,” Lucas said.
Reporting the animal collision to law enforcement allows a person to have a report of the accident, which is needed in order to have the animal taken to a processor to prove that it wasn’t illegally shot, Lucas said. However, if you are planning to process the deer meat yourself, then you don’t have to have an incident report, but Lucas suggests having one anyway for vehicle insurance purposes.
But most people don’t process their own game, Lucas said.
Between 5,000 to 6,000 vehicle-deer collisions happen each year in South Carolina. Most of those happen during the rutting season which is from October and November, but the highest number of collisions with deer is in December, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Collisions also frequently occur near dawn and dusk because deer tend to move more during these times, according to the SCDNR. Unfortunately, these are also the times that most humans commute to and from work in their vehicles.
