QUINCY, ILL. -- There are new rules for road kill in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says now people who hit a deer with their vehicle may claim the animal.
But folks involved in the accident must first report the possession to D-N-R within 24 hours.
Under the newly implemented road kill policy, individuals who wish to claim a deer killed in a vehicle collision must report the possession of road-kill deer to the IDNR through the internet or by phone.
Individuals claiming road kill deer must report the possession within 24 hours using the new online IDNR Road Kill Deer Reporting Form, which can be found through this link on the department’s website http://dnr.state.il.us/law3/images/Road_kill.pdf. Possession may also be reported to the IDNR by calling (217) 782-6431 no later than 4:30 p.m. on the next business day. Individuals involved in deer-vehicle accidents who do not want to take possession of the deer are not required to file a report with the IDNR.
"We understand that some people don’t have access to a computer, but for those that do, we encourage them to make their reports via the internet. This only takes a few minutes and can be done from the comfort of home 24 hours a day," said IDNR Office of Law Enforcement Director Rafael Gutierrez.
Road kill deer may only be claimed by those individuals who are residents of Illinois, are not delinquent in child support payments and do not have their wildlife privileges suspended in any state.
For more information about living with white-tailed deer in Illinois, please visit http://web.extension.illinois.edu/deer/.
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