Caribou Meat

Mike

Legistine actu quod scripsi?

Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.

What I have learned on AR, since 2001:
1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken.
2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps.
3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges.
4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down.
5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine.
6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle.
7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions.
8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA.
9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not.
10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact.
11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores.
12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence.
13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances.

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Even the rocks don't last forever.

15 April 2012, 08:37

vicvanb

Compared to moose, caribou are only fair eating. Rutting caribou bulls can be very low quality. I found that both moose and caribou are best if shot before September 10th if it's cool enough to keep the meat from spoiling. The meat needs to be kept clean in the field, allowed to glaze over, kept bug free and dry and aged. In my humble opinion, those who say moose yearlings or two-year olds are the best eating have never eaten a fat mature bull shot early and properly aged. One of the best I ever ate was 13 years old--about as old as bull moose get. But you have to take good care of any of them if you want high quality meat.

"...I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprize, and independance to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks." Thomas Jefferson

15 April 2012, 22:40

Bear in Fairbanks

I taken quite a few but don't remember any of them being tough. We usually have most of it made into hot links, etc. On the wild game that we process on out own, we just keep everything that looks like a roast and trimmings are turned into burger/ breakfast sausage, which we grind on our own. IF we want a steak, we'll take a roast & slice it as we wish.
As far as I'm concerned, regarding caribou, I won't take one any later than about the 1st of Sep. - maybe mid-Sep. There's nothing more rotten than a bull you shot in Oct. I wouoldn't even give the meat to my worst enemie's dog. BTDT. We like caribou & hope to get a ouple later this year in Aug.
Bear in Fairbanks

Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes.

I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have.

Gun control means using two hands.

16 April 2012, 03:14

Zhurh

Our caribou are best early, July, August. After about 2nd week Sept, we don't eat them until later in winter and then just cows. Family members, relatives, and local Indians I hunt with; we have got so many, I'm embarrassed to admit; but they all got ate and served their purpose of providing fresh meat for man. Some villages depend on caribou, they like them more than moose. I remember years back when we taught at Mentasta, they only ate moose, nobody shot caribou even though they migrated right through the village. I remember hearing my dog team going nuts, turning on outside lights and seeing 25 caribou in the yard between back door & dog lot.

We usually get a moose or two if lucky and use the caribou for jerky, Uncle Abes really covers the caribou taste. If you shoot a bull in late Sept, your dogs won't even eat it.

_______________________

17 April 2012, 08:25

vicvanb

quote:
Originally posted by BNagel:
I read/heard that well into the rut off-flavor results from bulls DRINKING cow urine testing for estrus condition.Barry

Bulls don't actually drink cow urine--they smell it to test if cows are ready to mate.

Starting about September 10th mature bull moose stop feeding and start digging rutting pits. Because they don't eat and rely on reserves their urine smells--a lot. They urinate in the rutting pits and splash the urine-mud mixture on their antlers, head and neck, then lay in the pit. Cows wallow too. After a few days they get pretty smelly. Any of the hair soaked with the bulls' urine that contacts the meat will affect taste. You have to be carefull about this with bulls shot after about September 10th. It's much better to shoot them early before they stop eating and start digging pits if it's cool enough to keep the meat.

DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY

17 April 2012, 10:29

Zhurh

Last August, we had around 1000 caribou on our summit a few weeks before season. My daughter and I were riding 4 wheelers and on the down side of road a group of about 200 were moving parallel to us; so we pulled off along weeds and waited for them to cross at the 140 mile marker where they always cross. Quite funny, cause they started crossing and we were only 10-15 yards from them. Twenty or so out on road as they crossed. Then they spotted us sitting there and they'd stop and the ones behind them would pile into them. Man the big double shovels up close and I didn't even have a camera. Boy did they stink too. I can smell caribou a good ways off, but when they are close like that and so many of them bunched up; they are foul smellin as can be imagined.