Rank your meat

[WildWill]

So I was reading another post about how mule deer meat can be gamey some say yes others say no. I've seen similar post about antelope meat after killing my first antelope this year I was pleasantly surprised it was the best game meat I've ever had. It got me thinking how would you rate big game meat from a best to worst scale. Mine would go.

1st. Antelope
2nd. Whitetail
3rd. Elk
4th. Black bear

When my dad was stationed in California I know he killed a few blacktail but that was 20 years ago and I was a kid and not a very picky eater so can't remember that. That's all I've tried so far I hope to add mule deer and others to the list soon.

 

[onpoint]

Interesting title............................

 

[Louisdove]

Interesting title............................

I was all ready to claim "#1", but I guess I have to give a little more effort on this topic.

1. Elk
2. Whitetail
3. Antelope
4. Mule deer and black bear. In their defense, I've only had when my dad has cooked it and that's not always a selling point.

2 and 3 could swap depending on the day.

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

Chital
Red deer
sika
Hog deer
Fallow
Sambar

 

[Schaaf]

Antelope
Elk

I’d rank everything else as about equal, some great meals and some that left me wondering. Antelope and Elk make me say giggity.

 

[Gr8bawana]

The only ones I've ever eaten.
1. Antelope
2. Cow elk
3. Bull elk
4. Mule deer

 

[----]

1- pronghorn
2- whitetail
3- mule deer
4- moose
---big gap---
5- elk
6- mountain goat
7- mountain lion
8- caribou
9- bighorn
10- MT black bear
---gigantic gap---
11- SE AK black bear

1-4 are my absolute favorites and I plan my hunts around them.
5-10 are plenty good, and ill gladly eat them, just not my favorite.
11 was real bad.

 

[the nikster]

I have had just about everything from moose to mollusks. When you throw out the outliers, bigger is better.

 

[Steve O]

I find all game meat fantastic. Probably the BEST individual game meal I’ve ever had was a black bear pot roast.

Axis Deer and Stone Sheep

Elk and Antelope

Sitka Blacktail

Moose, Elk, Caribou, Deer, Black Bear

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

Axis deer
Elk
Antelope
Whitetail
Mule deer

 

[NoWiser]

1. Antelope
2. Cow Elk

3. Bull elk
4. Moose if you have jaw muscles strong enough to chew them
5. Deer (whitetail & mulies)

I find there is a huge variation among individual deer. I had an old 240 lb dressed buck I shot in a swamp in northern MN that was right up there with cow elk. I shot a doe in a corn field in southern MN the next year that I had everything I could do to choke down. Most are somewhere in between.

I’ve never had a bad antelope and every elk I’ve had tasted great, but the cows we’ve shot seem to be more tender than the bulls.

The moose we’ve shot didn’t live up to all the hype, but one was 8 years old and the other was 12 years old. They were tough.

I’ve had bear a few times, but not enough to rank them.

 

[Steelsearchin]

Elk
Farm country whitetail
Antelope
Moose
Cedar swamp whitetail
Caribou
Mulies

 

[Dinkshooter]

Dall sheep strap, cooked either in a elk shed camp in Moffat County Colorado or on the beach in Maui.

 

[Southern Elk]

1)Elk

Not even a close second Antelope

3)Mule deer
4)Whitetail

Grouse would be near the top if small game was allowed.

I like antelope, but I don't see how it can rank ahead of elk on these lists.

 

[mtmuley]

Burger at Nap's in Hamilton, Montana. mtmuley

 

[BrentD]

Squirrels (fox and grey)
Moose
Antelope (close 2nd)
Pheasants, quail, grouse
Duck, geese
Iowa Whitetail
Mule deer

A week in the bush, in AK, in the rain, eating nothing but freeze dried - and then this happens. You can't understand unless you've been there...

 

[Crumb]

1. Elk
2. Antelope
3. Whitetail
4. Mule deer
If buffalo counts it would be right up there with elk, but I’ve never sampled a wild one.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Elk
Bison
Grouse
Ostrich
Pheasant
Kangaroo
Whitetail
Bear

 

[justdada]

Ewe sheep
Whitetail
Antelope
Moose
Elk
Mtn goat
Mule deer

 

[Dinkshooter]

Burger at Nap's in Hamilton, Montana. mtmuley

That's not fair, I didn't know we could go prepared.

Freemans General store west of Creede Colorado during a fine high country elk hunt.

You cannot eat that burger driving down the road.