Collecting roadkill? Use the Wyoming 511 app

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has partnered with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to utilize the 511 app for roadkill collection authorization. 

Collecting roadkill from select Wyoming roadways became legal in January. Now, people can request authorization to salvage deer, elk, antelope, moose, wild bison or wild turkey from unintentional vehicle collisions with wildlife. There are some restrictions to collection. Namely, anyone collecting roadkill must receive authorization from the Game and Fish before collection. Authorization can be done through the Wyoming 511 app, even without cellular service.

According to the Game and Fish, the department and WYDOT recently launched new features to the Wyoming 511 mobile app to send authorization for those seeking to collect roadkill. The app is available for Android and Apple devices and is the easiest way to request permission to pick up roadside carcasses.

Safety considerations bar people from picking up carcasses from extremely busy roadways, such as Interstates 25, 80 and 90. It also disallows collection in active construction areas and within national parks in Wyoming. Other rules outline where to park for collection and the use of emergency flashers, as well as banning field dressing on the roadway.

Limiting the spread of disease is another concern. For wildlife managers, preventing the spread of chronic wasting disease is the foundation for requirements such as taking the whole animal — both edible and inedible portions —  and following all carcass transport and disposal procedures — same as a hunter.

“We’re grateful to be able to work with WYDOT to integrate the roadkill collection authorization into their already well-known and highly-utilized 511 app that many are already familiar with and have installed on their devices,”  Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik said. 

According to the the department, integrating roadkill authorization into WYDOT’s app seemed like a natural fit, given the road and location data infrastructure existing within the app already, as well as the close collaboration between the two state agencies on wildlife – roadway safety and developing the stipulations around roadkill collection with an emphasis on safety.

To start, download the Wyoming 511 app from your device’s respective app store. For those who have the Wyoming 511 already on their phone, the update might require users to reinstall the app for the new features. To request authorization through Wyoming 511, look for the “Report Roadkill” button on the app’s homescreen. Following a question series about the carcass, if the species is available for collection in an approved location, the user can request authorization. The app immediately sends a certificate upon completing the questionnaire. Requestors must currently have or create a username and password with the Game and Fish to gain authorization.

Game and Fish will be reviewing all the applications and can follow up with anyone to confirm the legitimacy of collection requests. The department reminds anyone collecting roadkill that under the new roadkill collection laws, the public is not authorized to euthanize an injured animal and the meat cannot be donated to nonprofit organizations. 

Full collection guidelines and the regulation are available on the Game and Fish website, as well as a desktop authorization form for people without smartphones.