If someone expresses an interest in it, I’m happy to rattle on about it, but otherwise I likely won’t bring it up. Some of the people I’ve mentioned it to have been confused, or have tried to be encouraging, bringing me dead insects they found.

Others have joked about the serial killer ties to my hobby, which I suppose is fair. But I’ve never had the desire to kill an animal, and much of my life revolves around animal welfare and conservation. Sometimes, on a rough day, I’ll cry over a roadkill squirrel that looks particularly innocent and cute.

Those looking to join the vulture culture scene should take precautions before investing in the hobby. Begin by looking into your local roadkill collection laws, which vary by state. Some laws can get a bit tricky. For example, in Oregon it is legal to harvest roadkill animals for food, but not for any other purposes — and even the meat you harvest can’t be resold.

Safety is another concern that should be on your mind when collecting roadkill. Be cautious because you don’t want to die ironically, getting hit by a car while retrieving an animal that died the same way. Wear gloves, double-bag your finds (or triple-bag if it’s particularly messy), and bring hand sanitizer. Make sure others who live with you won’t mind you processing animals in their vicinity, either.

Vulture culture as a hobby can be difficult for those with weak gag reflexes. If that’s the case, you might want to opt for something less gruesome. Fortunately, there are many online marketplaces where you can buy pre-cleaned bones and fur.

If you’re too squeamish to skin your finds, there’s always the easier, yet more time consuming option of letting the animals rot in warm water, also known as maceration, until the flesh is gone and only bones are left. At that point, they can be displayed as-is, used as canvases for painting, or turned into any number of crafts or art pieces.

You can also try wet preservation, which involves preserving an animal or portions of it in formalin or isopropyl alcohol.