The evidence is also found in the number of carcasses that MDT crews pick up along the state's highways. Between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2014, more than 29,500 animals were picked up. The majority were taken from along Interstate 90, more than 4,000, followed by Highway 2 across the northern tier of the state and Highway 93 near Missoula. More than 21,000 white-tailed deer were counted in the tally.

The high number of such large wildlife killed on Montana roadways prompted a legislator to carry and pass a bill that took effect in 2013, allowing people to pick up the animals their autos have struck to try and save some of the meat for consumption. The roadkill law requires those folks to log on to a computer to acquire a permit for the meat. In the first year, more than 180 people claimed roadkill, based on the number of permits issued.

That figure climbed to more than 1,000 in 2014, more than 1,200 by 2015 and already almost 480 so far this year. In each year more than half of the permits were issued for white-tailed deer, followed by a close tie for second between mule deer and elk. Moose have accounted for just over 100 of the tags in the entire time period, 2013-2016.