I wouldn't normally think of eating cougar, but my Dad tells a story of dove hunting in Mexico in the early 50's and the rancher where they were hunting was serving "steaks" for dinner. Halfway through the meal the rancher asked the group if they knew that they were eating puma. They didn't until that moment, but my Dad said it was very lean tasty red meat. Just curious what others' experience and thoughts were on the subject.

I've never eaten any type predator but some "meat eaters" are quite popular as food, especially among some ethnic people. Raccoon comes to mind and of course dog meat is very popular in many cultures. Used to know an old country fur buyer who claimed he used to have (60's & 70's) a customer from Wash. D.C. who ran two high class Chinese resturants there. From Sept - Mar. this customer drove 75 miles one-way to pick-up two skunk carcasses every Saturday! This isn't a joke or slam on Chineese food, just a story related by an old man I have no reason to doubt. Claimed skunk were the closest thing to some Chinese animal used in a special dish the resturant only made two orders of per week!

Woodcock are the only meat eating game animal normally considered as food by most American hunters but prejudice usally has more to do with such things than palatability!

Cougar meat is really good.

Canuck

quote:

Cougar meat is really good.

Yes it is, so is bobcat.

I ate a lot of bobcat fajitas whilst trapping in the desert.

Had summer sausage made from coyote loin that was as good as any other summer sausage.

Coon and possum meat is greasy but pretty good if done right.

When hunting black bear out of Elk City Idaho
we would stay the first night at the Elk City Motel. The Lady there always asked me for any black bear fat we did not want [it makes the best pastry] and for any mountain lion meat we did not want. She said it was the best.

I have eaten Grey Fox meat and it was good.

ranks right up w/mt.sheep,in my opinion.the other white meat.lion is quite tasty and takes a light marinate well,fine grained.have eaten coon,beaver and bear.gotta say thou i prefer those that like lion and beaver.

House cat, lynx and lion are all excellent. they are lighter than pork. Alaskan lynx however has been found to have an extremely high incidence of tricanosis so needs to be cooked well.

Several years ago while visiting a friend in Tucson, his wife served Mountain lion fillets. They were quite tender and tastey. My friend had killed the Mountain lion in Arizona.

Just this past summer, I ate some Mountain lion jerky which also had a very good taste. Liked it better than beef jerky. It was from an Idaho Mountain lion.

L.W.

Lion, or couger is a fine game animal. Meat is as good as any I've ever had. If we kill it we should eat it.
. Just as every game animal, we must clean and prepare it properly. if you don't it will be be unpalatable.

Mountain lion is very good to eat. It has a color and texture akin to pork. It has little to no game taste and is very tender. Good fare.

Kitty, the other other white meat.

I've not tried but have also heard it is excellent table fare. Be advised, however, that several years ago an Idaho hunter and his friends who ate cougar jerky contracted trichinosis because the meat did not reach a high enough temperature during the drying process to kill the little buggers.

I have a buddy with lion dogs, he says it is one of the best meats he has ever eaten. I have not had a chance to try it.

Fox was the tastiest meat I have ever eaten...

there is a Chinese restaurant here in town that my wife and son love.. but all of the waitresses are Americans.. we don't have much of an asian community here...

But I have asked the waitresses at times, do the owners eat the same food....

I have always been told NO...

Each gal has told me that no one would want to know what they eat... they have people who bring them stuff like Skunk, animal intestines.. and all sorts of other funky stuff...

as one gal told me, they have nothing on the Beverly Hillbillys and road kill stew....

I've not eaten Lion but in Colorado the law reads that you must when harvesting a Mtn Lion harvest the meat and "provide for human consumption".

Tried it once, no more.

According to what I've read the mountain men claimed that mountain lion was the finest meat to be had.

I've never had it but have talked to several people that actually have and every one of them said it was excellent.

$bob$

So, would this be considered veal?.....

Maybe I should slip one of these in my backpack next time.....



IV

Brianbo: Backstrap of Mt. Lion is excellent! I have eaten it fried in olive oil and butter with the other appropriate spices and floured - and it was excellent!
I have also eaten it after it was roasted in a barbecue sauce. Again very good.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

heres one that added to the winter menu.killed and eaten with a red heeler.

Cool... How'd the red heeler taste?

$bob$

you guys are f--ing crazy!!!!

In Arizona, Mt. Lion is classified as a game animal and it is illegal to NOT eat the meat. Wasting game meat is against the law. I've had it twice - as green chili burros it was a little stringy and tough, but backstraps on a mesquite fire was some of the best tasting meat I have ever had.

JIM

The 49'ers called it "Mountain Veal."

Dave

While elk hunting in Idaho, a friend arrived by the evening with what looked like chicken strips. When asked what it was he proclaimed that it was pussy. Since everyone around the fire liked to eat pussy, it wasn't long before it was all gone. If he hadn't told us it was cougar, I would have thought it to be chicken. Lou