Roadkill Bill Still Cooking In The Senate

Whether it’s “Centerline Porcupine,” “Coyote Cuisine,” or “Rack of Raccoon,” the epicurean pursuit of road-killed wildlife in Wyoming will soon be decided by the state Senate.  The Wyoming Senate gave initial approval Thursday tolegislation that would authorize the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to issue permits for ridding the road of wildlife that falls victim to automobiles. House Bill 143 has already passed the House and now awaits the second of the three Senate votes needed for passage.  What you do with the wildlife once you claim it is your business.  The exceptions to the prospective law:  bighorn sheep and any federally protected animals can’t be taken off the road, nor can any carcass in Yellowstone or Grand Teton national parks.  Teton County Senator Leland Christensen says he is concerned that people might take the new law as a license to hunt with their vehicle; particularly bison.  That’s not as crazy as you think.  Game and Fish officials have encountered situations in which drivers tried to take big game with their cars instead of guns. However, senators in favor of the bill say incurring damage to a vehicle to harvest an animal illegally is just plain foolish. Christensen says he feels fairly confident that with the bison protected within Grand Teton National Park, the law won’t put them at undue risk.  Proponents of House Bill 143 say it is a way to keep the highways cleaned up and assure usable meat doesn’t go to waste.