Which Is The Best Tasting Critter?

[NEWHunter]

Went for halibut one time out of Homer with my Dad and Uncle. Caught a couple little ones. Cooked them up on the porch of a forest service cabin across kachemak bay for dinner - easily the best wild thing I’ve ever eaten.

A close second was a couple small brown trout my dad and I caught after a hard morning of turkey hunting. Had a camp fire going so we threw a good sized flat rock in the embers. Pulled it to the edge of the fire and put the trout on. Dug some fast food salt packets out of the glove box and we were all set.

I’ve not had a ton of terrestrial game variety but from top to bottom:
Antelope
Bear
Grouse
Turkey
Whitetail
Pheasant
Rabbit

 

[shrapnel]

It is interesting to see the different takes on antelope. I can’t believe all the negative comments made by many hunters about antelope. I prefer the chops from the back (referred to by many as backstraps) to most any game meat. Elk tenderloins are still in a class alone, but cuts from any part of a game animal will rarely beat the antelope.

Then there is always the wive’s tail of skinning the antelope as soon as you kill it. I can’t count the antelope I’ve killed and never skinned immediately, yet they tend to be the best game animal, equally as good as any elk.

Moose, however, is a game changer and is exceptional, just not attainable as often as elk, antelope and deer.

 

[MarvB]

Most/best fireside meal was after hunting all day in the Cabinets, putting about 9 miles on shanks’ mares and then getting back to camp and having the day priors whitetail heart on a open campfire. The BIL had just cored out the valves, beat ‘er fairly flat, and soaked it for a few hours in Italian dressing and a little pepper. We cooked strips on forked sticks over the coals and it was truly one of the best things I’ve ever ate.

Day in/out though I’m going elk, antelope, moose but bacon wrapped quail breast with a little smoke on the bbq is right there as well. +1 for lingcod and Dungeness crab if we bring in the ocean critters.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Elk flat iron steak

Fatty late season mallard breast.

Lake trout from Flathead Lake.

My opinion on this topic changes often.

Only the small lake trout. The big ones in Flathead Lake are fishy tasting grease barrels.

 

[Hem]

Last few years I have been combining some pike on a fly with my turkey hunt.
I usually bonk one fish.
Pike tacos.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I don't find much difference between moose and elk meat. Shot a lot of both. You can get good ones and bad ones.

Ruff grouse is definitely somewhere at the top of the list. Pheasant is good to okay. Any wild meat soaked in the right marinade and cooked on the BBQ can be mouth watering. I have a recipe that will make it hard to get goose meat in the house hot off the grill. I usually eat myself sick on the stuff.

 

[gouch]

The meat from one bear a friend shot was the best meat I think I have ever had. Every other bear has ranged from edible to down right disgusting. I have never killed one myself but moose has to rank right up near the top followed by elk. But you would be hard pressed to beat fresh caught halibut or ling cod.

 

[Panda Bear]

Muskox, Bison, Elk and Moose can be enjoyable meals but I always say "Dall" when ask what I think is the best tasting

We also enjoy Beaver, and Lynx meals.

birds, probably the Sandhill.

Fish, maybe the Arctic Char but there are several we eat and enjoy

I was asked about Walrus. I dont enjoy hunting them, I dont enjoy eating them, I dont even enjoy looking at them

 

[Hunting Wife]

Our meat consumption is nearly exclusively wild meat we kill, and I like it all. I have found that some lend themselves to certain preparations better than others. But the things that kind of come to mind as “treats” or that kind of have a special comfort food quality that I really look forward to:

Pan-fried ruffed grouse cutlets
Grilled Mountain lion medallions
Braised antelope shoulders

Elk and pheasant round out my top 5 of readily available stuff. Sheep are excellent but is not something most of us get to enjoy very often. Moose tastes fine, but again not one I eat often.

 

[88man]

RABBIT

 

[geetar]

Get to Pocatello much?

Montana authorities charge man with illegally buying black bear, other wild animal parts

Bear gallbladders can be worth thousands of dollars in Asia where they are used in traditional medicines. Their sale is illegal in Montana.

helenair.com

Never been

 

[300stw]

bighorn backstrap, followed by antelope backstrap,,,,

 

[Shangobango]

Acorn fed whitetail backstrap for me. Crappie fillets are another favorite.

I have never eaten pronghorn. I intend to change that soon.

 

[longbow51]

Elk/Deer/Antelope Heart
Deer/Antelope liver
Teal, roasted until medium rare
Dove, roasted whole
Then, deer/elk/antelope tenderloins and backstraps
And chili from any ungulate

 

[EastTNHunter]

I love white tail deer meat of all ilks, but especially prefer back straps. But... the one elk that I killed definitely edged out the deer

 

[Howie]

With limited experience my vote is Moose from the ground and grouse from the air

 

[MTelkHuntress]

Elk and Franklin's grouse, and I'm pretty dang happy. Walleye is way up there too.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I had some Bighorn sheep steaks that came from my best friend's ram. My wife and I agree that it was the best wild game meat we ever had. Followed by moose, then elk and then whitetail, then mulies. antelope is at the end of the list for us.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Elk and Franklin's grouse, and I'm pretty dang happy. Walleye is way up there too.

Fool hens? Seriously? They taste like turpentine. No small wonder since their diet is spruce needles. I would take a couple on the ride in to my camp ... for dogfood. But when I arrived and found a bear had cleaned out my cache, Ethyl had to be satisfied with eating just the guts. I think she got the better deal.

 

[Wildabeest]

As far as big game, all I’ve had is elk, antelope, whitetail and muley. I prefer them in that order, although I have a whole freezer full of muley right now and will enjoy every last bit of it.

From a bird standpoint, have had several species of grouse, pheasant, quail, duck and wild turkey. Turkey and duck would tie for my favorites, although they are very different.

Grew up eating a lot of squirrel and rabbit. Never minded the taste, but just seemed like a lot of work for a little bit of meat.