In rural NH, deer-car crashes bring free 'dinner'

PITTSBURG, NH When a whitetail gets clipped by a passing vehicle on Route 3, conservation officers survey the damage. If the animal can be salvaged, it's offered to the driver who hit it. If the driver doesn't want it, the officers call folks who will take the animal for venison.

In Pittsburg, N.H., there's no shortage of fresh meat on the grille. Deer have been getting hit at a rapid rate recently and many have either died on the spot or been euthanized because of their injuries.

About 1,300 New Hampshire deer die each year in collisions with vehicles. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety counts 1.5 million deer-vehicle crashes each year in the U.S. In 2008, car crashes with animals, mostly deer, killed 210 people around the country.