Idaho lawmaker withdraws roadkill harvesting bill

Updated: Friday, February 26, 2010 7:39 AM

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- An Idaho lawmaker has withdrawn a bill that would have made it legal to snatch up roadkill, saying it faced too much opposition.

Rep. Dick Harwood told the House Resources and Conservation Committee Tuesday both constituents and the Department of Fish and Game expressed concerns with the measure.

Harwood had wanted people with hunting or trapping licenses to be allowed to harvest the pelts of animals like badgers, bobcats, red foxes, bears and mountain lions. The St. Maries Republican said letting a dead animal rot on the highway doesn't make sense if someone can make a few hundred dollars off it.

A representative from the Department of Fish and Game said before the committee hearing the department opposed the measure because it collects information about animals killed on roads that help officials determine the length of hunting seasons.