Shot a big ol cow once. First thing I did was pull down her lip and see she had no front teeth. She was huge, went all into burger. GFP said she could have easily been in her late teens or 20.
I got one of those once, picking the largest cow in a bunch. Not many teeth and she was aged around 17. It was like eating cardboard, dry and terrible tasting…
The last elk I shot was the biggest cow in the herd and was the lead cow. I butchered it myself. I tried eating a steak. Then I ground the meat in my grinder. The hamburger was tough. I gathered it all up, took it to the local butcher. It's now salami, different kinds of sausage and sticks. I was planning on doing the sausage thing myself but didn't.
I think I'll be looking for a younger animal this year. I'm applying several places and have my fingers crossed.
