Caught on camera: A smiling couple stuffs a roadkill deer into their trunk

A white sedan sits on a US roadside. The boot is open. A man is smiling.

Next to him, a woman in a yellow dress takes the other end of a deer. It looks freshly hit. Together, they heave it into the car and close up.

That is the whole video. It went viral on X, and the comments turned into a national argument about one question: Would you?

Why did people split over the roadkill video?

Half the replies were warm. "Country folks do this," one person wrote. To many, loading the deer was just sensible.

Another wrote that "venison isn't sold in any store" and that the deer "will feed a family for weeks." That one got a lot of nods.

The other half joked. "He's looking back like we might get caught," one wrote. Another joked, "Now they're taking away the job of the American Vulture!"

Some replies were racist or political, and we are not repeating them. The video itself shows two people, a car and a deer, and nothing more.

Is it legal to keep a deer you find on the road?

In many states, yes. But the rules are not the same.

A November 2024 memo to the Nevada legislature found 35 states that explicitly allow people to salvage certain animals killed in crashes. Some of those want a permit. Some do not. And a few states have no clear rule at all, so the answer there is "ask a game warden."

The video does not say where it was filmed. That matters, because the same act can be fine in one state and a fine in the next.

Which states need a permit for roadkill?

Here is what we found for five states. Check the state wildlife agency before you pick anything up.

Sources are state wildlife agencies and news reports, checked 10 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency.

Photo: Oregon Department of Transportation / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

How does Washington's roadkill permit work?

Washington changed its law in 2016. After that, people could salvage deer and elk hit by cars.

You file a permit online. You can click a spot on a map, or list the highway and mile marker.

The state says 3,099 animals were salvaged between the new law and the end of 2017. That is a lot of venison.

Do Oregon and Montana have extra rules?

They do, and they are strict.

In Oregon, you cannot apply in advance. You must file within 24 hours of taking the animal, because you need the place and time. You must also hand in the head and antlers within five business days. The state tests head tissue for chronic wasting disease, a sickness that spreads among deer and elk.

And hitting a deer on purpose is a crime. In Oregon, only an animal that was struck by accident can be salvaged. A deer with its antlers removed is not allowed either.

Montana's permit system dates to 2013, and it also covers moose and antelope, which are far bigger than a deer. Anyone who takes the animal must remove the whole thing, not just the best cuts.

Photo: Bill Gillette / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

What do people say about eating roadkill?

The "would you?" crowd had rules of their own.

One commenter said, "As long as the stomach or bladder aint ruptured, go for it." Another said their dad hit a deer, and "the officer asked if he wanted to keep it."

So in at least one family's story, the officer asked first.

Not everyone is sold. Oregon's rules show why the question is serious: The state tests head tissue from salvaged animals for chronic wasting disease. Salvaged meat also gets no government inspection there. The permit holder carries the risk.

What happens in Alaska when a moose is hit?

This is the part that made people stop. Someone in the replies mentioned Alaska's roadkill moose list, where charities and volunteers get a call in the night.

It is real. Alaska has run a salvage program for road-killed moose since 1978. Reports put the number of moose killed by vehicles at roughly 600 to 820 a year. One estimate says that leaves up to 250,000 pounds of meat on the road.

State troopers keep the list. Churches, charities and small volunteer teams sign up to take turns. Since 2021, dispatchers phone the teams when a moose is hit, and they have 30 minutes to answer.

So the biggest roadkill in America does not go to waste.

Photo: FairbanksMike / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Why are so many deer on the road right now?

Because autumn is the worst time. The Oregon Department of Transportation says the most animal and vehicle crashes happen in November, and it tells drivers to take extra care.

That means more hit deer at the roadside in the weeks ahead. And more people standing next to them, wondering what to do.

Some states have made it easier. Wyoming changed its rules in 2021 so a game warden no longer has to issue a tag first for a hit big game animal. Online permits now do that job in several places.

So the scene in the video may soon be more common, not less.

So would you load it into your car?

Picture the roadside. A fresh deer lies there. Cars pass. In Washington, Oregon and Montana, a permit makes it legal to take home. In other states, it can mean a fine.

Did the smiling man have a permit? Was it his state's rule, or just good luck? The clip does not say.

And here is the Alaska version. Somewhere right now, a phone is ringing in the dark, a trooper is on the line, and a stranger has 30 minutes to decide whether a moose on the road belongs to them.

Would you pick up?