Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Favorite red meats in order

1.beef
2.moose
3.whitetail
4.blackbear
5.mule deer

Regarding wild game and in order:

*Zebra
*Eland
*Zebra

The rest are about the same to me: young mule deer, oryx, elk, wildebeest, whitetail, impala, hartebeest, nilgai, etc. are all good to me and taste about the same if not overcooked. I've never eaten warthog, but sure like watching them and hunting them. All the PH's always said they didn't want to eat them and gave them to staff.

Old rutting mule deer can be bad enough to stink up the house for a couple of days and can be hard to take, though I have completely covered the taste by throwing backstraps on a smoker frozen and slowly smoking until you could only taste smoked meat and not a rutting mulie. Wild pigs, especially old boars, can have the same affect as old rutting mule deer. Having seen the things that crawl out of dead wild pigs and witnessing old boars that even coyotes and buzzards won't eat, I tie a cotton rope to them so I can limit touching them, drag them out into the pasture, cut the rope (again so I don't have to touch them) and leave them.

Regarding sandhill cranes, the best thing to do is keep a straight face and repeat "rib-eye of the sky" to everyone you see and as often as possible. If you do it convincingly and enough people are around, you won't be stuck with having to eat one.

Beef
Whitetail
Lamb
Pork
Wild pork

What it has been feeding on and how it is cared for and prepared matters.

My favorite game meat is Javalina and pronghorn when I have killed and prepared it. Other peoples, not so much.

Javalina??? Range Rats ?? You have to be kidding how do you get past the Flea's and the Smell ?? Rio7

In order best I can:

Zebra
Kudu
Moose
Lamb
Whitetail
Beef

Can’t rank the other African game I have eaten.

Not a big fan of elk. Had it several times but I think it was the preparation mostly.

Beaver backstrap was excellent the one time I had it.

Here here🍺🍺

[/quote]Not a big fan of elk. Had it several times but I think it was the preparation mostly.[/quote]

One of my writer friends who's killed a lot of elk once stated that elk meat is one of the most variable in taste of any big game. Which my wife and I agree with.

The reasons are:

Elk rut relatively early in the fall compared to deer. Mature bulls tend to taste great until they get into the rut in late September, and after around October 1st can taste kinda musty (or even worse) until they start to recover from the rut around November 1st. Plus, this stress also results in tougher meat. Cows aren't affected as much, but during the rut can be hassled by bulls enough to lose weight, which also affects their meat--along with age of the animal.

Because elk are bigger animals, and often killed during warmer weather during bow and some rifle seasons, the meat also isn't always cooled very quickly. This can definitely affect taste--and the typical technique of boning-out elk, especially early in fall, can make the meat tougher, due to "shortening" of the muscle cells. As can quickly skinning elk in colder weather.

The very best elk we've gotten was a 5-point bull I killed on the opening day of archery season near dark. We were able to load the field-dressed carcass into a pickup, and then hang it up where it could cool during a 35-40 degree night. It was skinned the next day, and the quarters aged five days before butchering. (Yes, "aging" starts to take place within 36-48 hours.)

It takes longer to age either mature cows or bulls enough to make a difference in tenderness, sometimes up to 2 weeks. But not cooling the meat sufficiently within the first 24 hours can result in "souring" of the meat due to bacterial activity, which usually happens to the front quarters, which contrary to what many believe are thicker than the hindquarters--especially the shoulders of a big bull. Which is why many elk hunters skin and/or break down the front end soon after the kill.

Which is why "preparation" is far more involved than just cooking 'em.

For me, timing of the season, what the animal is feeding on, age and condition of the animal, manner of the kill, field care, proper temperature, aging and preparation are all variables that affect how the meat will be.

Almost every species of game I've taken, when the stars align when all the above factors are optimal, the meat is fantastic.

When almost none of the criteria are met, no matter what the game, it sort of turns to dog meat.

Be selective of which you shoot. The young half grown ones are best. Never had a flee infested one. Don't touch the scent glands, take them off with the hide. Change gloves and wash the knife after skinning. As I said, when I shoot and prepare one they are all good. If someone else does it not so much.

I hear a lot of negatives from many about the quality of javalina and pronghorn for eating. But I've yet to experience any of that.

Prime Beef
Lamb
Whitetail
Elk
Wild Pigs small ones
Duck
Mule Deer
Pronghorn

Moose
Pronghorn
Black Bear
Caribou
Elk
Whitetail

Cape Buffalo
Bacon
Bacon
Bacon
Bacon

I have never shot an elk. I like hunting them while deer hunting but have not been successful. I do like mulies and antelope. I finally tried elk prepared a few different ways and they just remind me of a big deer. After that, I really have no intention of actually harvesting one. I'd rather just chase my mule deer and white tails. If I could pick my game to hunt ever year it would be no question pronghorn antelope. The hunt is a blast and their meat is fantastic.

Lamb
Veal
Moose
Whitetail/black bear
Beef

Only "wild" big game we've eaten !

Moose
Bighorn sheep
Bison
Elk
Caribou
Pronghorn
Black bear
Beef
MD/WT
Muskox
Domestic pork
Wild pig

I just had some fresh venison blackstrap tonight which melted in the mouth.

Beef
Moose
Antelope
Elk (young 2 year old)
Blacktail
Like to try Axis

Beef, aged, prime.

Yep ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Did it look like this;