I would be interested in knowing what game animals you guys like at the table. Which animals would you just as well give to the homeless for nurishment since their culinary qualities are less than stellar?

For me the list, in descending order, is as follows:

Moose -- Try to take a moose steak off my plate and I'll cut ya! Could be because the only moose I ever killed and consumed was a young four point that was as tender as mother's love. Reminds me of beef, only better.

Elk -- Only slightly below moose. In fact, if we are comparing burgers on the grill, I might even give the edge to the wiley wapiti.

Wild bore -- I've often heard that wild hog meat is either very, very good, or very, very bad. I guess I'm lucky because all that I have ever eaten has been very good. Of course the largest one I ever killed was just under a hundred pounds, which could have something to do with it.

Mule deer -- Tangier than whitetail, and slightly more exotic. Could be the sage diet, a natural seasoning.

Caribou -- Somewhat stronger in flavor than the muley, even though my specimen was not in rut. Actually reminds me a lot of of whitetail.

Whitetail -- The only reason it's down the list this far is because I've grown tired of it (having shot over 50 in my life). Read an article one time by a renowned game chef who also felt that whitetail is a very tiresome meat. I've started cooking it in more and more exotic ways to spice up the flavor.

Black bear -- Flavor almost non existant. Too bad I can't say the same for the fat. Reminds me of eating a greasy piece of pork, only the pork fat has a nice taste. Bear fat is just, well, greasy.

Antelope -- Thank God I finally cleared the last of three anetlope out of my freezer by giving the remaining chops and ground to a group of Mexican painters who were painting the outside of my house. I hesitated to make my gift until they were almost through, not wanting them to sample some of the meat and take their revenge on my walls. I've shot my last prairie goat.

Notice, I haven't included fowl or small game in this list. I'll same that for the appropriate forums. Also, I've only included animals that I have shot. I've never shot a bison or a ram, but I have eaten both and found the flavor excellent.

Now it's your turn, What is your favorite game animal on the table?

GAHUNTER,

My first choice is Dall sheep...........nothing even remotely close(except for Stone's,etc...).
Moose would be second with COW caribou third. Elk is right up there also, again especially a cow elk. I share your prairie goat sentiments, never shot one myself, but I've choked some down and it wasn't much. A berry fed, fall, mountainside, haven't been on a salmon stream black bear makes some really choice sausage.

Then, again, we're blessed with a gracious bait of game to choose from.

Joe

GAHUNTER
For me it is
Dall sheep
sitka blacktail deer
elk
moose
black bear
goat
caribou

and they are all tasty to me.

#1- Sheep

#2- Elk

#3- Wood bison

#4- Moose
or
Mtn. Caribou in the velvet

It really depends on how hungry I am....

Daryl

A nice tender young blk bear is hard to beat.

My experience does not include the wide array of western fare that you folks have had, however:

Quail,pheasant
venison
hog - sows under 100#, boar under 50# +/-
Rabbit, squirrel

For the soup kitchen. I know they're quite tasty but I DON'T:

Possum, Armadillo, Raccoon, perhaps slightly larger hogs. May be a few others...cake for dessert.

My list got skewed last year. Up to then #1 was Ruffed Grouse. But after having tasted a Moose steak that been fattening up on Blueberries and Ligonberries all summer. Moose moved to No.1....and Pheasant which was about #7 on my list moved up after having tasted a magnificent sample at the Lamb Inn in Burford, Oxfordshire. Like Jerry Clower said, "if you put some on your forehead, your tongue would beat your brains out trying to get it"!

Best I've had was from a mule deer a friend shot in MT -- don't know the sex, age or circumstances but it was both tender and flavorful.

My elk was more flavorful (sage), less tender. It made wonderful stews.

I prefer my 2 legged deer at the table. I would think wild game would make a mess of everything. And do you really think they would wash any dishes?
JK
I am a deprived man, as I have only had a chance to eat deer as far as big game goes and wild pig.
They were both equally good. The porkers were about 100 pounds and I had the hams smoked individually and rubbed with rib seasoning.

1 sheep
2 elk
3 moose
4 deer

1. Stone sheep (never tried Dall, bighorn seem tougher)
2. Bison
3. Caribou before or well after the rut (January caribou from the Dempster are Dee-lish)
4. Moose
5. Elk

1. Elk backstrap
2. Wild turkey breast
3. Quail breast
4. Kudu tenderloin
5. Axis or Sika deer (tenderloin and sausage)

Better than the above is a good beef lomito on the balcony grill.

On my SHIT (Stuff Horrible In Taste) List are:
1. Aoudad anything

On my SIDE (Stuff I Don't Eat) List are:
1. Jackrabbits
2. any predator
3. any rodent
4. Javelina (I've been asked not to bring them back to camp.)
5. any reptile
6. Aoudad (again)
7. internal organs (of anything)

On my SIWDI (Stuff I Was Disappointed In) List are:
1. Dove (I know one person that can make them taste moist and good.)
2. Pheasant (otherwise known as Big Dove)
3. Pronghorn (otherwise known as Goat)
4. Aoudad (again)
5. Oryx heart (should have known, see Item 7 above)
6. Mule or Whitetail deer (considering the number I've eaten, I don't know why I don't consider them special; just don't.)
7. Duck or Goose.

1 Wild hog
2 Whitetail
3 Mule deer
4 Antelope
5 African Antelope(most of them)
6 Gater
7 Black bear

Doc

My list from my experiences are:

1) Bighorn Sheep
2) Moose
3) Elk
4) Whitetail
5) Mule Deer
6) Antelope
.
.
.
10050) An old sagehen!!

Moose
Bison

But I have only eaten Alaska moose and bison that roam free. I have no idea how "fenced'" bison tastes, but the ones by Delta Junction in Alaska (no fences around them) are delicious

ELK!

1. yearling whitetail chops fried in butter and cut with a fork
2. elk
3. grouse
4. goose
5. duck
6. rabbit/squirrel
8. moose/black bear

Axis deer, followed by bison and nilgai backstraps.

George

Bison hands down winner

Deer Mostly because I was raised on it and didn't ever know any better. and it must be cooked by my wife or daughter who all learned how to cook it from my mom...

Elk

If You count Africa then:

Eland
Bison
deer, cooked by my wife or daughter.
Kudu
Cape Buff if fat and tender.
Springbok
Nilgai
elk

I like most game meat...

1) impala....some of the best game meat I've ever tasted, broiled over an open fire in Tanzania
2)grants gazelle cooked the same way
3)deer backstap...if my wife chicken fries it and from a yearling or young doe. I'm sort of tired of it now. We used to live on it and it was an every day thing. If I never eat another deer roast it will be fine with me.
4)elk...some parts almost as good as beef
5)cape buffalo...tastes like a tough cape buffalo
6)mule deer...too much sage for me

Axis
Wild Hog
WT Deer
Put em in a sack, Mix em up and I'll take em in any order they come out.

Moose, before the rut.

Thats easy,

1) Elk

2) Elk

3) Moose

Moose
Young muntjac (ie just weaned or thereabouts)
Deer liver with bacon and onions for breakfast.

Rest gets sold.

Elk, followed by whitetail doe.

The one Oryx steak I've had was outstanding.

Although Muleys aren't generally noted as premium meat, the VERY best game of any kind I've every had was a young desert mule deer spike buck from aroung the Big Bend of Texas. Meat looked and tasted like veal!

I have never eaten pronghorn. After dressing a pronghorn, most people feel the same. Nasty.

But the all-time worst has to be nilgai. The more you chew, the bigger the bite gets, until it completely fills your mouth and your aching jaws just can't masticate it any more. Because it was at an event with mixed company, I just had to swallow the chunk whole and pray. Even if I had suffocated, well, I just had to get some relief somehow, cause I was gonna die from chewing anyway.

I just don't get that antelope is that far down on the list for most people. Good antelope is, well, AWESOME. My mouth waters at the memory of broiled back strap steaks.

Anyway, I like it all (well, maybe not that old sage hen....) but the #1, absolute best is my mother-in-law's chuckar-breast in cream sauce.

Part of that has to be the effort required to get 8 birds for a dinner..... LOL! Dutch.

Call me a rebel, but Antelope - especially doe is at the top of my list followed very closely by bighorn sheep
1. Antelope
2. Bighorn Sheep
3. Caribou / Mule deer (tie)
5. Elk (had to cut one up warm once, still have not got over it)
6. Mountain Goat - Flavor was ok, but was so darn tough I turned it into brauts and burger.

Have only had moose once and it was the Colorado variety. It was not good at all and am therefore reserving judgment.

In no particular order:

Cape Buffalo backstraps
Mule Deer backstraps
Oryx steaks
Moose steaks
Sable backstraps

Tenderloin anything. One of my nyala had the best though my recent whitetail buck was quite good.

1) Red Deer
2) Fallow deer
3) Eland
4) Scimitar Oryx
5) Bison

All the above (loins and tenders) must NEVER be cooked beyond medium rare. Preferably served with a good red wine (Cabernet, Shiraz, or even Zinfandel....not so much with Pinot Noir).

I like the moos!

1. BEAVER
2. Moose
3. Bison
4. Sitka Blacktail Deer
5. Caribou
6. Black Bear jerky sticks

Wild boar !

1. Oryx
2. Moose
3. Elk
4. Early season Caribou

Well, you know, I was not going to bother to respond here, but what the heck?

I pretty much agree with GA Hunter on his orginal post. Moose is by far the best meat of any kind that I ever ate. BUT,,,, I cannot go along with the dislike of pronghorn antelope. I am glad to see that down toward the bottom of the list here some folks came out in defense of antelope meat. I may be crazy, but I LIKE antelope. I have shot several in Wyoming now and I have yet to get one that was not really good eating. I shot one in September near Rawlins, WY and once again this is some fine eating.

But, I do agree that too much of anything can get old. I live in CA and we shoot LOTS of wild hogs.
I really like them, but you can only eat so much pork chops and sausage. (I mean we shoot lots of them, I got 6 or 7 last year and my dad got over 20!) Having said that, a wild hog that has been eating barley every night is right up there on my list of good stuff.

Heck, it is all pretty much good.

R F

I to must defend the lowly speed goat. I've got a freezer full and when my wife first tasted it right after my trip she wanted me to book a trip for next year right away, as well as chewing my butt for not buying the extra doe tag.

As for the best, I don't think anything beats fresh tenderloin from a young whitetail, like the stuff marinating in my fridge to be cooked up in about, oh, 4 hours.

Nickudu,

You like Sable??? This was actually my least favorite African Game meat. Now Eland!!!! There's a tasty treat!!!!

Regards,

JohnTheGreek

-Elk

-Broiled Salmon

-Cottontail Rabbit

-Goose

-Mule deer

-Phesant

-Baked Trout

Fido says pronghorn and duck are good.. he,gn have um! Still waiting to sample some moose & Bear.

Joint First: Well aged Fallow pricket, Roe or Muntjac,
Then Red.

Trouble with game especially venison, is that the quality can be very variable depending how the carcass was looked after ( or not as the case maybe!) and the skill of the cook. Some of the worst tasting venison i ever had was Red served in a small pub...tough as old boots. Conversely when cooked correctly etc, i have enjoyed tremendously...

Regards,

Pete

When I was in elk camp in Idaho last year I posed this question to the guides, cook, and wrangler. They unanimously voted for mountain lion as the best tasting of all big game. I've heard that from others as well but have never tried it myself.

Jeff