to be spewing at the roadkill in my hall, which my DP is planning to SCOFF

[LadyThompson]

There are lots of pheasants round here and unfortunately they have no road sense. DP knocked one over yesterday so he popped it in the boot and he is planning to put it in the pot. Though I am vegetarian, I would actually rather it was eaten, I suppose, than just rotting on the side of the road. But it is by the umbrellas, and he has covered it over with a pair of flip flops to protect my sensibilities (gee thanks darling). It is making me feel sick just thinking of it. He says he can't leave it outside the front door or a fox will get at it. Is this good? Is this right, eating stuff you've taken out with the front bumper? I think the next door neighbour's moggie should pick up his feet.

He should hang it in a shed for a couple of weeks so it's good and gamey. Totally appreciate you don't want to see it. Good idea for him to eat it though as it won't be wasted.

I eat meat and love it - pheasant is very tasty!

Despite this I would find the situation you describe a bit grim even though as you say at least it makes it's death a bit less pointless. So YANBU!

Lolol, especially at the panicky 'but it is by the umbrellas'.

Most people only have to worry about their cats bringing mutilated wildlife into the house.

Yanbu to be feeling a bit queasy if you're vegetarian.

But, in this day and age it's good not to be wasteful. He hit it so he knows it's fresh. What difference does it make how it died?

Will he perpare it himself?

Who was the mumsenetter who stuck the deer on her roof and took it to the buthchers to be chopped up?

It is certainly legal (as long as he didn't swerve to try to hit it of course) but yes I think it is also sensible - waste not and all that.

The only bit I dislike is leaving it in the hall. It should be hung properly neck down somewhere cool. That is just basic stuff IMO!

You may yet get your revenge though, if he hit it hard he will have to spend hours picking bone out of the meat which will probably kill all that hunter-gatherer pride he has right now

I actually thought it was illegal - If you hit it you cannot pick up but the car following you can. - Law made to stop deliberate mowing down by car drivers looking for dinner.

Waste not, want not.

At least it's not the roadkill fox our slightly insane but lovely neighbour jointed and popped in the freezer before his wife got up one morning. Having tasted it in a fricassee, I can confirm that it was quite palatable. A bit like beef really.

I was told recently that if you hit a deer with your car the spleen will get ruptured and this renders the meat inedible.

Wonder is that goes for pheasants as well?

i am quite jealous that your dp can prepare and cook roadkill

my dh, would rather go to pizza hut

By the way, since it was roadkill, I think it may be unwise to hang it, since it probably has quite a bit of bruising and may go off faster. Not sure about that though- may have to ask someone else. My neighbour and I were just agreeing today that pheasant is more pleasant not hung.

Sigh...our kitchen and living room are open plan. So unless I go out for a very long walk, I will have a, cough, bird's eye view of the entire grisly process. I prepare my baby's formula on that worktop. As I say, I'd rather that it was eaten than go to waste, I guess, but its glassy, cloudy eyes and leathery legs are doing my nut in.

Is there any reason not to eat a rabbit your dog has killed?

And how to prepare -- skin, gut, cook? Are skinning and gutting easy?

Thanks duchesse. He doesn't actually like his game too 'gamey', so if I pipe up about the bruising issue it may put him off

One of the reasons I turned vegetarian was that I really disliked rabbit or pigeon stew as it came with lead shot... However, even though none of us were vegetarian at the time (many years ago!) - my father would do all the skinning and plucking outside...

No especial reason Threadie, but with rabbit you must as soon as they die empty their bladder by squeezing it out. Otherwise the meat gets tainted by the urine. So if your rabbit is already cold, it may be too late for it to be eatable. If your dog catches rabbits regularly, there may be mileage in getting a country person to show you how to do them.

Yes, I thought it was illegal to pick up anything that you had knocked down yourself.

Thank you. I think someone round here might be able to show me, though the bladder squeezing is a bit unappealing. I imagine that within a half-hour of death would be fast enough.

omg
i used to be grossed out enough by xh when he gutted fish that he had caught
i could never have someone plucking and gutting a pheasant in my kitchen

Threadie- this demonstrates everything including the bladder thing. Other forums suggest gutting them within 2 hours of death to avoid taint.

Thanks v much duchesse. I will give it a try next time there is a fatality.

He only kills every couple of months. I love to see him hunting, but it does seem a bit wasteful not to eat the meant (though I guess that foxes are quick to take advantage of the kill).

Your hall is probably fairly warm so he'll be better off preparing it now. Either skin & gut it then casserole it or he'll need to pluck it but plucking is a bit of a PITA.

It's already dead and it had a better life than a battery chicken!

BalloonSlayer, that's not true about a deer's spleen though it you hit it there then I guess you might rupture it. The thing with deer is they have to be gutted and bled within 30 mins of death or the meat is tainted.

rofl @ flip flops to preserve your sensibilities

Consider yourself lucky - MIL once hit a young badger and brought it home and put it in the freezer until she could have it stuffed. It now lives in a glass case and gurns at us from the sideboard.

I love the gurning Badger !!

My DH shoots so I'm always being startled by dead feathery things hanging up in inappropriate places ...

An ex BF many years ago was riding his motorbike through the New Forest on his way to see a mate of ours in a pub somewhere .. anyway he chanced across a deer that had been struck and killed and thought to himself ( though God knows why)
"Ah I'll pick it up and take it to the pub as I know the landlord there will buy it"

Now I'm not sure how many of you have tried to pick up a dead deer, place it behind you on a motorbike and ride off ... but from what I can understand it's a bit of a tricky procedure ... anyway much huffing, puffing and grunting later he managed to get Derek the Deer on the motorbike pillion stylee with his front legs dangling over his shoulders and hot motorbiked it to the pub ....He was now running very late - not that punctuality was ever his strong point - but that's a different story - and arrived just on last orders.

So, off he gets leaves the Derek on the motorbike and hangs his helmet off the antlers......

Apparantly there were many regulars who stumbled out feeling a tad drinky and swore off the booze for ever more ... after being confronted by a helmet wearing, motorbike riding deer in the car park ...

And No .... the landlord wasn't interested in it so he had to drive off with it and place it neatly at the side of the road ..

Men and Roadkill eh ??