Are these usually eaten when hunted? What do each taste like?

I don't believe I've ever eaten a carnivorous and I wonder if they taste like cattle or chicken or what

To me, it tastes gamey, greasy, and has a stringy texture. I did not enjoy it. Same with dog.

Lion kabobs fresh off the grill. They were actually quite delicious. It was darker and more coarse than cougar but I'd happily eat it again!

Closest domestic animal comparison would likely be pork.

Wild Lion in Burkina - terrible. Worst cut of meat ever. Its also the only animal I have shot that had hundreds of people lined up to get some meat off.

Mike

I also ate lion in Burkina. It was tough but not all that bad. I've also eaten bobcat, which wasn't that bad.

I was served some leopard hors d'oeuvres in Zimbabwe a couple of years ago. It really wasn't that bad, but just the thought of it limited my intake. The PH's wouldn't touch it

I would not even try it.I tried elephant once in Makuti.A gentleman I shared camp with had just shot one and we were served a bit before dinner while we were having our brews.It was the worst meat I ever tasted.

We had lioness medallions sautéed with onions in Zimbabwe.

Tasted really good--had them with our sundowners around the fire.

No, it didn't taste like chicken--more like veal.

I've eaten both and enjoyed them. The lion was done in a white cream sauce and awesome. Basically very sweet tasting pork. The leopard was done up in schnitzel style and was good but not as the lion was. I've also had bushpig which is a scavenger/meat eater. The tenderloin was marinated and great tasting.

Have had leopard loin, very tasty a white meat that reminded me of pork

I completely agree with hunteratheart. Lion, leopard, cougar are all very nice. Prepared with care as any meat should be they are very good and the leopard tenderloin is really gourmet. Salt, pepper and garlic cooked quickly to a medium rare. Excellent!

Mark

Not great. Not bad. Don't need to try it again. There is usually better meats in camp.

If you shoot one you should try it for the experience.



Cat, the other white meat.

quote:

Originally posted by SmkyMtn:
I was served some leopard hors d'oeuvres in Zimbabwe a couple of years ago. It really wasn't that bad, but just the thought of it limited my intake. The PH's wouldn't touch it

I would be dinning with the PHs.

I ate some of the backstrap of the leopard I shot in Zimbabwe - I hate to say it, but it actually did taste like chicken! It was quite good.

I have heard of some hunters insisting in eating ALL the leopard they had shot themselves, over several days.

I ate Mountain Lion in 7 Critter Chili, tasted like chili.
I had a biologist friend tell me to never eat carnivores, "A good way to get sick."

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by SmkyMtn:
I was served some leopard hors d'oeuvres in Zimbabwe a couple of years ago. It really wasn't that bad, but just the thought of it limited my intake. The PH's wouldn't touch it

I bet after those PHs had watched so many leapords chow down on maggot riddled baits they would have a tough time eating one.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Clark:
I ate Mountain Lion in 7 Critter Chili, tasted like chili.
I had a biologist friend tell me to never eat carnivores, "A good way to get sick."

Mark

Cook it properly and you're fine.

If you read the old Mountain man journals--many of them considered Mountain lion the best meat in the mountains---

always wanted to try it.

Leopard is pretty good. It's very much like pork. Sure, they eat nasty stuff, but so do catfish, and most people here don't think twice about eating them. The most disgusting parasites I've seen in African game have been in herbivores.

quote:

Originally posted by sandyhunter:
Leopard is pretty good. It's very much like pork. Sure, they eat nasty stuff, but so do catfish, and most people here don't think twice about eating them. The most disgusting parasites I've seen in African game have been in herbivores.

Ate some of our Croc in Zambia and we are still alive.

Up till now I would have said no but the cook just advised me that he padded out the left over warthog stew with some Leopard last week and I enjoyed it !!

Personally, while I like hunting cats, I'm not inclined to eat them. You can all have my share of pussy gatos as table fare.

Leopard, Lion, Croc and Elephant may be palatable to some and not to others, can be tasted more out of curiosity and be able to say you have tried it; to rank them as table-fare can hardly be given a second thought.

Whilst having tried them all, Leopard has been the more acceptable but nothing to write home about.

Both lion and leopard taste like pork to me. Great to try, but nothing I would consider eating much of. My PH on the leopard had never tried the meat although he had wondered what it tasted like. He had a hard time getting over the rotten bait smell. When he found out I wanted some, he tried some too. Not sure if he was able to swallow it, but it was checked off his bucket list.

On side note, I drew the line at hyena. Not remotely interested to try it, but some of the locals were very excited about getting the meat.

We tried feeding some leopard bits to house cats around camp. Even though they would eat most of what they got, oddly enough, they wouldn't touch the leopard meat.

Tried leopard biltong - it was fine.

Like most meat, would benefit with a little ageing.

I wanted to try the leopard I shot in Zim. The carcass was stolen the first night.

Dave

I tried a bite out of a grey fox one time. Pretty tough and hard to swallow.

Elephant reminds me of bear, tastes okay once you get past the smell (no off color jokes please.)

BH63

I have eaten both lion and leopard and they tasted like a cross between chicken and pork to me. Mine were closer to the chicken taste, like subsailor74.

I reckon since either one would eat me, then given the opportunity I would return the favor.

Although as far as I know, we did not eat the leopard I shot last summer.

I've not eaten African lion or leopard simply because I have never hunted either of them. I have eaten Cape buffalo, zebra, wart hog wildebeest and hippo and I found Warthog best and zebra tastes exactly like American Elk.

I have eaten black bear, and mountain lion and am not found of bear, but love mountain lion. If African lion and/or leopard taste like American lion I would like it!
...........I guess it is a matter of personal taste.

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:

Elephant reminds me of bear, tastes okay once you get past the smell (no off color jokes please.)

I haven't eaten lion or leopard but I have eaten mtn. lion. My wife doesn't like much wild met but we went to a lion feed once where they served mtn. lion roast, lion stew and lion chops. We both thought it was some of the most delicious meat we had ever eaten. We both thought it tasted like pork, which my wife loves. I suspect the cooking, as it does with most meat has the most to do with how good it taste. In the Yukon on a hunt my partner and I returned from a long days hunt, wore out and starved. My friends Indian guide had cooked up a stew that we ate with relish. It wasn't until we were in our tent that night that it occurred to us that there wasn't any meat in camp that morning except the meat on the head of a wolf that I had shot. Neither of us had the guts to ask the Indian guide if that was wolf in the stew.

465H&H

My daughter and I ate some of the leopard I shot, and it was delicious. Tasted and looked so much like pork that I still wonder if Jan played a trick on me. When I asked to eat leopard, he agreed, but made it clear he was not happy with eating cat.
I think I'll email him and ask.

Ate some of the lioness I shot and to me it tasted a lot like pork but was quite tough. I would eat it again if offered.

Was always told that mountain lion was great so I insisted on trying my leopard loin. Like others have said, light colored, medium rare off the brai and I would not miss the chance to have it again! I did not just have a bite to investigate it, it was wonderful and was completely devoured as appetizers. I've twice had warthog that I did not enjoy and had an inedible mountain zebra stallion. I will always at least be up to try any cats.

Guys

I think preparation and even a day of aging can make the difference between inedible and excelelnt. If the camp cook is uncomfortable handling a cat or anything else it may be horrible. We had elephant the day I shot it. Man! That was tough but it didn't taste bad. Had hippo in '98 and it was fine. We wanted it again in 2012 different camp and cook. You could hardly chew it as the PH predicted. Same camp the cook wouldn't touch the leopard loins. Bad juju! In Tanzania the camp cook turned the leopard loins in to a truly gourmet dish.

Mark

I did try some leopard liver hors d'oeuvres from the one I shot in Zimbabwe. It tasted like liver!

Probably one of the worst parts of it's body I could have consumed!