Discarded deer carcasses left for road crews

Over the past few weeks, Clear Lake Township highway employees have picked up more than 20 deer carcasses from the sides of roads.

Clear Lake Township is just east of Springfield and includes Riverton.

The animals have been butchered for their meat, and this isn’t the first time township employees have had to clean up during hunting season, said Alex Lyons, the township’s highway commissioner.

“You an almost set your clock by it,” Lyons said of the appearance of butchered carcasses during Illinois’ shotgun deer season.

Hunters responsible

This year’s shotgun deer season started Nov. 18-20 and continued Thursday through today.

Lyons said road workers usually find the majority of the carcasses after the first season, but he expects to find about a dozen more after this weekend.

“Primarily, the first shotgun season is the big run,” Lyons said.

Employees were especially busy Monday, when they picked up 11 carcasses. A day later, Lyons had already found three more carcasses that needed to be removed.

Stacey Solano, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said hunters are responsible for disposing of their deer carcasses.

Carcasses can’t be left in waterways or in view of motorists.