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.

PMSL yeahinaminute!!! that sounds like something out of midsomer murders!

Rofl at gurning badger and Derek the Deer.

I hang my pheasants on the washing line in the carport,or outside the front door,I wouldn't want to leave one sitting about in a warm house though.

Don't let him pluck it inside either,the feathers go everywhere.

Sorry, just got back, those posters who said it is not legal are right! It does have to be the car behind. You can't, legally, pick up somthing you hit but you can pick up something someone else hits!

Thats illegal - if he was caught he'd be in serious trouble. You're only allowed to pick up roadkill if the person in front of you hit it.

However, Pheasant is a good meal and if cooked well you shouldn't worry about it.

actually that isn't true. I looked it up a while ago when a friend said it and there is no law on it at all.

so it's perfectly legal to do

OP, your dh should really hang it though, not just leave it lying around.

at the comments at that law about the person driving behind you could pick up the road kill...my dad and grandad used to drive around the village roads in tandem to do just that . I am a vegetarian and many a time I walked into (literally) a brace of pheasants hanging in the darkened garage. There are many more grim stories that contributed to my vegetarianism- it was like fucking Silence of the Lambs growing up in my house .

I have found this

"The picture becomes even murkier when we throw in the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which, in short, seems to make it illegal to take or possess almost anything wild however you came by it. This catches out people picking up carcases of dead birds, particularly raptors. It is not limited to rare species. All wild creatures and plants are covered by the Act. Fortunately game birds are one of the exceptions and thus if you find a dead pheasant, grouse, partridge etc, you may lawfully pick it up and keep it. Rabbits and hare may also be kept."

Saying, it is fine to keep anything you find already dead.

Eeek, ignore the bit about MIL's badger then! Actually, it's not a badger, it's a big rabbit. With stripes.

pheasant should be hung neck down, for at least a week! and some where cold!

Well, it was put into a stew with some morels and lots of red wine. It stank when it was cooking, but hey, I hope he enjoys it...and swerves in future...

Uuurgh...no I'm with the op.

I like meat to come in a nice sanitized tray from the supermarket. I don't want to see eyes, faces and leathery feet. Or have to gut and pluck anything.

I am a wuss and a product of modern living it seems.

Also what do we mean when we say to hang pheasant until it's 'gamey'? We're talking maggoty here aren't we?? Aren't we?!

it really does need to be hung. and any bruised meat taken out.

but a bit late now judging by op's last post lol

TsarChasm, I hope you like your nice sanitized tray to be containing free range meat!

Hanging until gamey doesn't mean maggoty, though some people do like their game 'high'. Hanging is to tenderise the meat but, especially with game, if you hang it for more than a few days, then it will develop a gamey flavour. You have to leave it for a fair while to become high. Personally I don't like gamey meat at all and so wouldn't have pheasants hung for more than a couple of days in a cold garage.

Ownership of roadkill is debatable. Most country people assume that the driver who kills the rabbit, pheasant or pigeon may not make a meal of it, but the driver of the car behind can. In 2004, when I was researching my book on economic cooking, The New English Kitchen, the Highways Agency told me that it owns roadkill, but this rule is rarely enforced. It is, though, the party that is responsible for clearing it away.

thisisyesterday Are you RP then? If so my dh is a food photographer and absolutely adores the New English Table! In fact he gave it out willynilly as Xmas pressies. You might know of him infact, he is WL.