Good news for people who enjoy deer, elk and saving money: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will allow people to take home and eat deer killed in motor vehicle collisions in Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties.
The rule change went into effect on May 17 and was announced Monday.
The move does not apply to federally protected Columbian white-tailed deer. Instead it allows salvage of elk and black-tailed deer in Cowlitz, Clark and Wahkiakum counties with a WDFW-issued roadkill salvage permit.
“We carefully reviewed available data and determined the risk of mistakenly salvaging Columbian white-tailed deer is low,” said Kyle Garrison, WDFW’s ungulate section manager, in the announcement.
It’s still illegal to salvage, handle or possess Columbian white-tailed deer in Washington. WDFW asks salvagers to report when the remains of that species are found.
When it comes to diseases, while eating roadkill can be dangerous, salvagers west of the Cascades have not had to worry about Chronic Wasting Disease.
“We have not had any cases of Chronic Wasting Disease in Southwest Washington,” said Britton Ransford, WDFW spokesman for the region.
The department stressed that salvaging deer and elk is only allowed for animals killed in motor vehicle collisions. They also said anyone who takes possession of a carcass is required to obtain a free roadkill salvage permit within 24 hours.
Printable permits are available online or at WDFW regional offices.
