The Raghorn vs. Forky Discrepancy

[Irrelevant]

I feel like some of you guys need to learn how to cook. I've never had a bad deer than wasn't, 1. not cooled quick enough, 2. not cooked properly

And I made a career of shooting forky blacktails, went 10 yrs in a row, with only a couple of 3s and one 4 in there. Then I got married... and it all went downhill.

 

[TOGIE]

I feel like some of you guys need to learn how to cook. I've never had a bad deer than wasn't, 1. not cooled quick enough, 2. not cooked properly

And I made a career of shooting forky blacktails, went 10 yrs in a row, with only a couple of 3s and one 4 in there. Then I got married... and it all went downhill.

Big agreement. The primary big game ungulates really aren’t drastically different in flavor and any variations between them are equally likely found within them as well based on diet I’d argue. It’s all pretty damn good stuff unless you shoot a lemon which can happen with any species.

Mule deer is on par with everything I’ve eaten, and I’ve eaten all of it, except for like caribou, and goat and sheep.

 

[Irrelevant]

I've eaten a bunch of critters and made the comment to a bunch of casual hunters that it all tastes the same. They of course had all kinds of contrary opinions. I just so happened to have like 5 different types of ungulates in the freezer, so I cooked up a small batch of each, ground, no fat, just a little salt and pan fried. WT doe, muley buck, pronghorn, elk bull, beef.

We did the ole blind taste test. No one get even close to 100%. They couldn't even get beef consistently.

Moral of the story is if you THINK you can tell the difference it's probably in your head.

 

[SixPoint]

Good perspectives. I agree elk are much harder to come by and provide a lot more meat. In units where the regs are browtine bull only then obviously it makes sense that a bull will be shot. What is interesting to me is in units that are either sex, the rag horns are getting picked out of big herds and shot first. It’s kind of crazy how folks will go out of their way to shoot a small bull over a cow in sw mt.

 

[Cornell Cowboy]

All things considered, elk populations are a lot healthier than deer... You usually don't get to hunt the elk rut with a rifle, so a better age class persists... and I love elk backstraps!

Here in WY, you typically don't get to hunt mule deer during the rut at all. So I don't think that affects our age class much.

 

[BenInMT]

I almost always take the first legal bull. My time is limited so encounters are limited. Elk is our primary protein for a whole year. If the HDs I hunt had enough elk to be either sex I’d be happy to shoot a cow every year.

 

[Sask hunter]

Elk sure fills the freezer compared to a mulie and tastes better too

 

[shannerdrake]

Seems like the general consensus is that elk are hard to kill, even when they’re young.
Forkhorn deer are easier to kill. People like to judge each other for taking the “easy way out”

Valid.

I’ve been on 6 elk hunts and on 2 of those despite hard hunting, I didn’t even see an elk of any kind anywhere.

I hardly can go a sit on a stand in Indiana without having a forkie or basket rack in range.

AND elk is delicious.

 

[jtm307]

I once shot a forkie mule deer. I instantly regretted it. I promised myself to never shoot a forkie muley again. I just filled my WY general tag with a cow. I was thrilled. Last year I filled it with a rag horn, no bigger than this year’s cow. I was elated. I don’t know what it is about elk, but they’re so dang fun to hunt that I don’t feel the need to be picky.

 

[TheTone]

Anyone willing to drop their no fork rule for this one?

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

View attachment 246447Anyone willing to drop their no fork rule for this one?

I've always wanted to shoot a big forky.

 

[SAJ-99]

Honestly I think it sucks people belittle others for what they are willing to shoot. Thats on them at the end of the day.

…right up to the point they post it on the internet and invite the world to comment. That’s on them too, I guess.

 

[rogerthat]

I've eaten a bunch of critters and made the comment to a bunch of casual hunters that it all tastes the same. They of course had all kinds of contrary opinions. I just so happened to have like 5 different types of ungulates in the freezer, so I cooked up a small batch of each, ground, no fat, just a little salt and pan fried. WT doe, muley buck, pronghorn, elk bull, beef.

We did the ole blind taste test. No one get even close to 100%. They couldn't even get beef consistently.

Moral of the story is if you THINK you can tell the difference it's probably in your head.

I shot a 7 year old whitetail in Montana and a 5 year old mule deer in Colorado last year. About a week apart in late November the whitetail being shot last. The mule deer is about as tough as any meat I have eaten. Plus it has a distinct rutty flavor. Run it through a meat tenderizer and season it and it makes table fare but the whitetail you can cut with a fork no matter how it’s cooked. I shot a couple 7 year old mule deer in Colorado prior years and didn’t notice they were tough or any rutty flavor but they were shot in early November. So for me the takeaway was not all deer are the same and you never really know what you got until you bite into it

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

For me, it depends on if the tag is a limited quota one or not, and if I have a late season cow tag. Limited quota - I'm holding out for something big (especially if I have a late season cow tag for meat). General unit - Deer meat isn't my favorite, so I'm not shooting something small. I'll kill pretty much any bull on a general tag, but would probably pass on a cow (again, only if I have a late season cow tag as well).

 

[schmalts]

I feel like some of you guys need to learn how to cook. I've never had a bad deer than wasn't, 1. not cooled quick enough, 2. not cooked properly

And I made a career of shooting forky blacktails, went 10 yrs in a row, with only a couple of 3s and one 4 in there. Then I got married... and it all went downhill.

I take care of all my deer the same and am very good at getting it cooled off. That said, I have shot 3 mule deer and 3 WT that were peak rut and even the game bags smelled like a deer pissed on them. I am a firm believer that there is a couple day window when deer are in peak hormone phase and it makes them taste like crap. For reference I have talked with a bunch of long time WT hunters and we all agree the window is between Nov7-10 for them having a possible bad taste. This is WI though. the bad Mule deer were MT and were around November 20. All 3 Mule deer I gave away as I just could not have choked that stuff down, it would have almost been as bad as the rutting Caribou I shot that took first place in the "taste like piss and tarsal gland" contest.

 

[Irrelevant]

All of my muley bucks were killed Nov 20 through 23, during a late archery season. None have had a bad taste. All stunk to high heaven on the hoof. I never touch the meat with the same hand as the hide. Always remove the glands on the inside of the hind legs first, then clean my blade swap gloves and continue.

 

[Oak]

Eh, some people love mushrooms, some can’t stand them. Seems silly to argue over what tastes good.

But I’ll fight anyone who disparages apple pie.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I would totally shoot a forkie mule deer for other reasons than starvation or being disabled. For example, if you had to kill a deer to leave camp with OntarioHunter and MustangsRule, first thing that steps out is smoked meat.

 

[golfer]

Eh, some people love mushrooms, some can’t stand them. Seems silly to argue over what tastes good.

But I’ll fight anyone who disparages apple pie.

Not a real big sweets person, but apple pie sure wouldn't be my first choice. That said if I eat a piece of pie a year that would be an accomplishment.

 

[thomas89]

Eh, some people love mushrooms, some can’t stand them. Seems silly to argue over what tastes good.

But I’ll fight anyone who disparages apple pie.

I was thinking per the stolen elk / beat down thread, there’s not much worth fist fighting over anymore. Too many repercussions.

Pie flavors are certainly worth an old fashioned dust-up though.