Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Favorite Big Game Meat

From what I have had North America:
Axis
Moose
bighorn
antelope

Africa:
Eland
Hartebeest
Sable

#1 - Axis
#2 - Oryx
#3 - Elk
#4 - Bison
#5 - Midwestern Whitetail

Have not had the pleasure of eating a Nilgai yet, but it is on my list.

Sounds to me like a fellow who has eaten his fill of wild game meat.

My wife is there now. That’s how I know.

I’ve only eaten WT, Elk, & B Bear.

My preference of those is
Elk
W T
B Bear

I must boil the Bear meat FIRST, helps with the fat grease.

I hear of people who LOVE Caribou but I haven’t had the opportunity.


Jerry

I'm surprised few have mentioned Fallow. It's probably one of my favorites.

Antelope and Sitka Blacktail are two of my favorites. The antelope have a natural sage flavor that I love. The Sitka blacktail have a sweet and salty taste which I believe comes from feeding on the tide line during winter months.

I am not very fond of bears, though most I’ve had where the salmon eating variety. Moose also rates low on my list for ungulates. Just has a different taste that rates lower than common whitetail/elk imo.

Sitka Blacktail

Moose

Axis

Whitetail

Guess I'll Chime in.

AXIS YOUNG FEMALE

YOUNG COW NILGAI

YOUNG DRY COW ELK

YEARLING BISON

We are talking eating ? not about shooting bones and then trying to eat what ever.

Rio7

Moose/Caribou tie

Pronghorn

Whitetail

bison by far,
eland
gemsbok
elk
whitetail if used for sausage
black bear sausage

Elk
Whitetail
Mule Deer
Pronghorn

Moose/caribou
BH sheep
Bison
Elk
Muskox
Pronghorn
Black bear
Hog
WT/Mule deer

Elk is top choice in the house

Same here but choice restricted to Elk, Moose, and Whitetail deer.

Of the ones I can recall recently. I've had others well in the past but don't have a clear recollection.

Antelope
Whitetail
Elk (not shot by me so not sure how it was taken care of) Tasted fine but tough.

I’ve eaten almost every member of the deer family native to NA. I may be the odd man out but to me , for the most part, they all taste like deer. I may just not have a sophisticated enough pallet because with few exceptions I view fish the same way, white flaky fish fried in oil with cornmeal coating tastes like white fish fried in oil to me.

I think much of the time nostalgia plays a bigger part than actual meat quality. I mean who’s not going to fondly recall how good their Dalls sheep tenderloin was when they had it for supper after they trudged back to camp a couple hours past dark. My dad, a friend, and I once fried and ate about 16” of grizzly bear backstrap after finding our way to camp in the fog. We all 3 remember that and talk about it often, but I’d bet it wouldn’t have been as good at the house when we weren’t wet and tired.

Around here it’s elk, most guys have never shot an elk around here but may have eaten some a friend gave them. Or maybe they’ve shot one on their personal once in a lifetime hunt, of course it’s the finest meat they’ve ever eaten. I hear this regularly from people who wouldn’t think of eating a local whitetail deer that’s been eating green wheat and living the good life.

Like I said, maybe I’m the weird one but I find about all big game in NA pretty good table fare. Depending of course on the individual animal and the way it was taken care of.

🤣🤣🤣

Bill N;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope the last Friday of 2019 finds you well.

Thanks for the interesting topic and the educational reading that it's provided.

Whenever this topic comes up, I'm reminded of a good buddy from the Yukon who when asked that same question by me replied, "Caribou". When I asked him what was his least favorite, he replied, "Caribou 2 months later..."

Off the top of my head and dragging up some distant memories it'd be something like this for me personally.

Sitka Blacktail
Young Moose
Whitetail
Early Mulie buck
Vineyard/orchard raiding Black Bear
Elk
California Bighorn
Blacktail
Good Pronghorn
Nanny Mountain Goat
Cougar

Over the years at game banquets we've had Caribou, Bobcat, Beaver and most of the above listed species too. However as it's cooked for a large group I'll leave them out other than to say I've had small samples.

Way, way back in the day I've sampled Zebra, Cape Buffalo, Klipspringer and Hartebeest. As it was a lifetime ago - 1975 - I recall thinking Zebra was really good, but otherwise nothing stands out.

Also I should further state that we've had some "old bull Moose" that was flavorful, but even the burger was tough, with a similar experience with a big old billy Mountain Goat.

We had friends here in BC who made an annual trip down to Wyoming for a few years prior to 9/11 when it became much tougher for us Canucks to travel south of the medicine line with firearms. The first year or two they shared Pronghorn with us that was fantastic, then the next year or perhaps two were much, much less than fantastic. I can't for the life of me recall if we ever figured out why that was - sorry.

While I don't mind the taste of mutton, my good wife and one daughter do not, so that's why the California Bighorn rates there. I'd say as a broad statement that if one doesn't like mutton, they won't prefer wild sheep as table fare, but that's just one guy's opinion as always.

Lastly, I struggled with where to place the vineyard/orchard raiding Black Bear as one we had was simply spectacular and the rest were just "really pretty fine eating" That said, it is bear and some folks just can't get over eating a bear - which I honestly struggle with a tad for reasons which are inexplicable and irrational at best.

That's my list anyway sir and thanks again.

All the best to you all in 2020.

Dwayne

It's been a while since eating some of these but if memory serves:

Barbary sheep (private ranch in NM)

oryx (FIL killed it, not I)

elk (cow) My wife likes wt deer better

whitetail deer

mule deer

caribou (depends on the age of the animal, old cow tasted like liver, younger ones pretty good.

antelope (NM and Wyoming) didn't care for it much. NM better than Wyoming

Stone sheep ribs over a willow fire (to satisfy the “tastes good because of the experience” factor)
Stone sheep steaks at home
Bull elk
Young cow elk
Older cow elk
(I can definitely find a flavour preference among elk, bulls always appeal to my palate more)
August young bull moose from a young aspen stand
Whitetails where they are feeding on peas and oats all summer and fall (tastes remarkably like young cow elk)

Cougar/lynx
Caribou/november muley bucks.

KodiakHntr;
Good to see you posting sir!

I hope all is well with you and yours.

All the best to you all in 2020.

Dwayne