Road to table: Wyoming’s got a new app for claiming roadkill

In this photo provided by Jaden Bales, the outline of a mule deer that was struck by a car and claimed for food using a new state of Wyoming roadkill app is seen in grass and snow near US 287 south of Lander on Feb. 21, 2022. — Jaden Bales via AP

LANDER, Wyoming: The aroma of sizzling meat in melted butter wafts from a cast iron pan while Jaden Bales shows his favourite way to cook up the best steak cuts from a big game animal.

The deep red backstrap pieces, similar to filet mignon of beef, are organic and could hardly be more local. They’re from a mule deer hit by a car just down the road from Bales’ rustic home in a cottonwood grove beneath the craggy Wind River Range.