Which Big Game tastes Best

[Palmer]

I've been reading some pretty exciting stories of Mule deer hunting.  They are a magnificent animal but I always here they taste bad and are tough.  However, I've also heard that bear is terrible and after eating my first bear, I'm in total disagreement.  It's delicious - better than venison.

I'd like to hear of some opinions on various game such as Mule Deer, wild pig, and cougar.  I'm used to Whitetail but my family is not to fond of it.  I need to start reading the recipes on this site.

[PolarBear]

It all depends on how fast you get it cooled down completely and how clean you keep it.  I personally do not like predator meat such as bear, cougar etc.  Just about any other wild game (herbivores) are great.   My favorites are buffalo, moose and elk and least are antelope and sheep.  Imo.

[ICEMAN]

Muley's are great eats. Take care of your meat. I havenever had a foul tasting deer, blacktail, muley, whatever. Get them skinned, cooled, cut and into the freezer.

[jackelope]

mule deer are no tougher or gamier than whitetail IMO as long as they are taken care of properly and cooked properly.
the way you cook it has as much, if not more to do with the way it tastes than anything else IMO. if you cook it well done, you might as well eat your boot. i can grill venison steaks with nothing on them and love them, but most people that eat it that way are  not too fond of it.
the older they get, the tougher they get i think too...whitetail or mule deer.
i've never eaten blacktail venison, so i don't know, but i assume the same would hold true. i think the bigger the animal, the better tasting. elk and moose venison are top notch if you ask me...just don't burn it.

[tlbradford]

No science, but just my opinion, I think what the animal has been feeding on is the determining factor for taste.  I hunt muleys that eat alfalfa and winter wheat most of the day, and they are great.  Even the older ones with swollen up necks.  I have not had a bad blacktail.  I have eaten a two year old whitetail that was killed instantly without running, the meat prepped and cooled properly, that tasted terrible.  It browsed in the pine forest.  I have eaten palouse whitetail that eat in the wheat fields that were delicious.  Bear that have been eating mushrooms and berries have been great, while a coastal Alaskan blackie eating fish, was extremely greasy and had an odor.  Moose and elk are probably my favorite. 

[rainshadow1]

I think tlbradford has smashed the nail home with a direct blow to the head.

Example, the best meat I've ever eaten AND the WORST meat I've ever eaten: Pronghorn Antelope.

(Not just wild game, all meat of any kind, including prime rib at Stuart Anderson.)

The worst was from NW Wyoming, sage, native grasses, and evergreen ridges.
The best was from N Central Montana. Wheat, Alfalfa, and native grasses.

A side note, Cougar is excellent meat. More like pork than beef, but it's inherently very good. Bobcat is like rabbit. (Haven't eaten Coyote yet!)

Meat handling rules apply to all of the above.

[sisu]

All wild game is good. Do a good job bleeding mammals, big game fish I slit the throat so the blood will squirt before gutting, lay ducks and geese on their backs after shooting so blood will drain away from breast(if warm out gut the bird ASAP and let it cool).
Secondly, butcher well, clean and double wrap the meat before freezing, and lastly look up good recipes on line or in books and you'll have a meal fit for a king, queen, prince etc.

One example of on-line recipe places is http://www.epicurious.com/  (general information)

Here is a sample of their ideas for venison. http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=venison&x=33&y=15

I've eaten grizzly stew, black bear stew, and steaks, caribou, moose(my favorite), elk, mule deer, white tail, black tail, beaver(the buck toothed version), muskrat, eel, porcupine(favorite with a old timer in Alaska so he prepared it for me), all kinds of fish, shell fish, wild hogs, goat and sheep etc.( I am not listing all this for brag just
The key to all this is what I mentioned above. Care of game after the kill, care of butchered product and care in preparation for the table.

[Craig]

So far I like Moose the best.

[Pugetsound]

Zebra hands down!        Caraboo is 2nd, then Hartibeast.

[Palmer]

I have eaten a two year old whitetail that was killed instantly without running, the meat prepped and cooled properly, that tasted terrible.  It browsed in the pine forest.  

I've been eating Whitetail from the pine forest and probably cooking it too long, well done.  That could be part of the problem.  I still like the venison and does do taste better although I prefer not to take a doe.

[high country]

 I have taken all breeds and sexs of deer and rocky mtn elk. I have yet to have a poor one. I have killed some whiteys that smelled so bad I was sad I killed em'......they ate just fine. here are some facts;

alert deer will have adrenaline in them.....could possibly taint flavor

deer that hav been run may have lactic acid build up......could taint flavor

deer that are not cooled properly will possibly bone sour

stomach/intestine contents are gonna do you no good on your meat.

aging does not seem to afect flavor if the area it is hung is free of forign odors/chemical, it does promote tenderness.

the cut of the meat is critical. cut a backstrap at 1/4" and 1 1/4".....the thick one will be more tender.

never cook any meat beyond its capacity, alot of people overcook game meat. I like it where a good vet might be able to bring it back......sans bear

let your meat thaw and "rest" at room temp before you cook it. a salt based rub does good things, my fav is montreal steak seasoning.

don't get your meat dirty or covered with hair....it takes practice.

trim all fat and fascia (silver tissue) it can go rancid in the freezer well before thw meat.

don't skinp on your freezer wrap, 90% of bad flavors are from the freezer....IMO

pretty simple, kill it quick, clean it quick, cool it quick.......now let it relax and then cut it as slow as you want, just keep em' thick and wrapped well.

some people soak their meat in milk for a few hours to overnight to pull the blood from the meat, they claim it helps with flavor/tenderness. I have tried it and am on the fence.

I actually prefer venison to elk as I like the flavor it has.....most are opposite.

caribou seems to be one of the stand outs, a bull taken in the rut is not fit for dogs to eat and in fact some won't.....and I can't blame em'

"my family motto is "beef free since '93" we eat nothing but game meat ....or chicken after we run out of game birds.

[johnsc6]

MOST ANIMAL ARE WHAT THEY EAT

[WAcoyotehunter]

don't thaw your meat on the countertop- it warms too rapidly and the cells burst- losing the cellular fluid will make you cooked meat dry.  Instead thaw it in the fridge for a day or two then put it on the counter to age.  I think it makes a huge difference.  I like elk the best. 
I also like Lion.  Both grilled.

[MuleySniper]

In order "best" to "not as good" IMO

1. Antelope
2. Elk
3. Moose
4. Deer

[billythekidrock]

1. Bear
2. Moose
3. Elk
4. Deer
5. Goat

I am sure cougar would be higher then deer and goat, but I have not had it yet.

[actionshooter]

I find the harder it is to pack out the better it tastes. 

[billythekidrock]

I find the harder it is to pack out the better it tastes. 

How true!

[Alchase]

I believe same day killed, Elk backstrap wrapped in bacon with mesquite garlic rub, cooked over an open fire. Throw in a couple BBQed grouse breast as appetizers.
Not much in life is better then that.

[actionshooter]

 

[wastickslinger]

I agree that it is all in the preperation right from the time it is killed. I see so many guys not skin them out right away or not let them hang long enough or cut them up with all the fat and bone in. Take care of teh meat and it will eat just fine. I rarely have a bad peice of mule deer venison.

But I will say that moose and elk do have a little better flavor. 

I also had antelope steaks during elk season, thanks to Muleyniper's dad. Man it was good.

[Alchase]

It has been awhile since I had bear, I can't really remember if I liked it? I was under the impression that predators do not taste good? Apparently by what I am reading here that impression may be false. Quite a few of you seem to like bear more then venison. I think I need to find out why. LOL

[hogsniper]

My top 4 would have to be...Elk, Deer, Moose, Goat.....

The moose i had was from alaska and was kinda gamey tasting...I will kill one here in this state one of these days...until then i will be eating elk and deer....I wonder if the area an animal comes from has an effect on the meat....

[billythekidrock]

Apparently by what I am reading here that impression may be false. Quite a few of you seem to like bear more then venison. I think I need to find out why. LOL

Um no....it is not good, don't kill one and don't eat it.

[Intruder]

Assuming all animals have been cared for properly IMHO:

1. Moose
2. Antelope
3. Caribou
4. Elk
5. Whitetail
6. Mule Deer
7. Bear

Never had wild hog, courgar or any African game.  Obviously the diet of the particular animal can cause them to move up or down the list.  Young, grain fed Palouse whitey is a better succulent critter.

[Skyvalhunter]

Any wild game on the end of my fork!!

[andrew_12gauge]

Hang the mount in your dining room and stare at it while youre eating it, any big game will taste good that way

[dbllunger]

Elk and Moose.

[Kent Hunter]

Moose
Bear
Cougar
Deer
 And if the bear are fall high mountain bears then I'll swap prefrence with moose.

[FANATIC]

Wild Hog
Moose
Sitka Blacktail
Mule Deer
Whitetail
 The one thing I miss about growing up in Texas is hogs...yum!

[Falcon]

Dall Sheep!

Jack Oconner mentioned this in more then one of his books. After finally bagging one in Alaska this year, I must confess he was right!

[Bigshooter]

Elk is my favorite.  Every mule deer in the rut i have ate sucked.  Stringy tough and horrible.  The whitetail i have ate some have been fine others not so good.  Blacktail in the rut most of the time taste worse than they smell, though i have killed a couple of stinkers that tasted really good.  So what i do any more is if it smells when i kill it, it gets turned into sausage.   

[ICEMAN]

     Are you kidding me!? Are you getting it cool fast, deboning it as you butcher? We never find poor tasting deer if done this way....

[Bigshooter]

No i'm not.   I always cool them as fast as i can.  And I will not eat deer meat with bone or fat on it.

[ICEMAN]

I definitely agree with the bone or fat on the steak....not really tasty....this is why we bone it out.

[257 Wby Mag]

That Oryx I killed on the WSMR in Feb was pretty hard to beat, followed by Moose for me.

[coonhound]

High country Bear is the best I've eaten, Elk is typically better than deer in my book.  I do agree that you need to bone and remove all fat, grisle etc and it's all good.

Coon

[Dudeluv]

Cougar is the best I game meat I have ever had
I do alot of bear hunting and have killed my share of them and love the bear meat
so bear would be my number 2

[Slider]

I really like Elk. Deer is OK and Couger is good. They say Elan is the Best!!! I'll let ya know next June........LOL

[Houndhunter]

lion and boar are i think my favorite, really the meat between these two is quite a bit alike

[jstamp]

Bear is good, if it's killed up high in the huckleberrys, if it's killed down low it tastes just like it smells. As for me I like th taste of mule deer better than blacktail, but I let mule deer hang around 5-7 days before butchering. I hear cougar tastes and looks just like pork, but have yet to try it (just something wrong about eating cat). My favorite, as with most, is elk.

[Kent Hunter]

#1 Moose. #2 Bear

[mossback91]

Elk  taste great but the best ever tasting game that I have ever eaten was a  young whitetail buck that I shot a couple years ago.