CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Did you know that you can bring home roadkill and even eat it if you want to in West Virginia?

West Virginia State Code §20-2-4 details what you can and cannot do with dead animals. Subsection E tells West Virginians how to properly take home roadkill.

It says that if you accidentally hit and kill wildlife, you can keep it if you tell local law enforcement within 12 hours of the incident. A non-hunting game tag also needs to be obtained within 24 hours of the incident.

Wildlife that is not allowed to be taken home includes protected birds, elk, spotted fawn and bear cubs.

The Associated Press reports that this was signed into law in 1998 after Gov. Cecil Underwood (R-WV) did not veto it by a deadline.

For more than 35 years, a festival held in Pocahontas County is giving people the chance to try “roadkill” food, without it actually being roadkill.

It is called the Autumn Harvest Festival and Roadkill Cook-off. According to West Virginia Tourism, the festival gives participants the chance to try wild game recipes, like wild boar, snapping turtle and more.

2023’s festival is being held on Sept. 23.