(AP) Richard Sanders hadn't given much thought to roadkill until a buddy came across a very large bear on the roadside near Hudson. The animal was bigger than any trophy bear the friends had bagged over the years, and they thought it deserved a better fate than rotting by the road.

"It is not their fault they were hit by a car or truck," Sanders said. "They shouldn't go unnoticed."

Recognized big game record books, such as those kept by the Pope & Young and Boone and Crockett clubs, won't list roadkill animals because they weren't taken by bullet or bow.

To remedy that, Sanders created an alternative online: The Road Kill Record Book Club.

"It certainly is a novel idea," said Keith Warnke, Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources big-game specialist. "I suppose it could serve an educational purpose, especially if they provide information on peak seasons and what to do if you see a deer in the road."