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I certainly understand that a fresh-killed deer, if not too badly mangled, can be eaten, but small creatures like possums and such found dead and usually squashed would be very unhealthy and certainly unpalatable. Here in Alabama, for example, the police lets you keep such a deer if you were unfortunate enough to hit one and kill it. And no, I do not know anyone who does so intentionally. Deer strikes cause a lot of damage.

And even so with deer, caution should be taken. The carcass should be examined thoroughly to ensure the intestines, colon and bladder haven't burst and spoiled the meat, and that shards of glass, metal or other foreign material are not embedded in it.

Recovering and eating such animals as deer after a careful survey is far different than “stopping at every flattened possum and throwin’ it in the back o’ the pickup to make a stew later”--which the writer is implying us rednecks do--is what's wrong.