Different species

[Ken Taylor]

Of course, as we know, there are many variables -  age, sex, health, circumstances of the kill, field dressing, care in the field, weather/temperature, and the quality of the butchering, etc.

However, all things being equal, my favourite (and our staple) is moose, with caribou a close second. Caribou is finer grained and therefore on average it has a tendency to be slightly more tender than moose.

But, we also like (and regularly eat): black bear, beaver, snowshoe hares, geese, ducks, grouse, ptarmigan, and other.

We live north of where whitetail deer range, but I have often traveled to hunt them, and that venison would be a close third on my preference list.

[M73]

**
Hi mole trapper, don't forget we have Chinese water deer here too and are also lovely to eat. And a lovely size to handle like a roe.


Hi everyone, I put this in the wrong part of the forum originally.
As I live the other side of the pond I've never tasted mule deer, whitetail,  elk, moose or caribou.
Over here we have in order of size muntjac   roe,  fallow, sika and red.  There are a few wild boar  but not huge numbers.
In my opinion our best tasting is fallow, then red  sika, munty and finally roe. I've only had boar in sausages.
I come over to the states every year or so ( if I could I would spend more time there than here) , unfortunately none of our relatives over there hunt, shame as some are park city and the others siesta keys.
So, I know it's a subjective question as we all have different tastes, but what order would you put yours in over there please?

[Bowguy67]

Moose, bears, turkey, mule deer

[Al Dente]

Moose is my all time favorite tasting game animal, followed closely by black bear.  I have had mountain lion once, and it was delicious, reminded me of veal.  Whitetail deer, wild boar, rabbit, squirrel, axis deer, turkey, pheasant, quail, even raccoon are all good.  The only meat that I did not enjoy was iguana.  It was dry and stringy, most likely due to over cooking from my friend.
I process all of my own game, they are gutted quickly and cooled down.  No blade EVER goes through bone, especially on a deer.  The marrow is just as nasty as the fat in my opinion, which I trim off every piece that I see.  That fat is waxy and offers nothing other than an "off" flavor. 

[Chuck Jones]

Of the game I’ve killed and eaten; black bear, elk, caribou, white tail. I’ve also had moose, bighorn, mule deer. All were good. Some white tail dishes can’t be beat. I eat venison a couple times a week. The buck in my avatar picture weighed over 300 lbs and was the best tasting venison ever.

[MnFn]

The meat I have eaten from best to worse were:
Moose, elk, deer, bear, turkey, moose.
The two entries for moose was not a mistake.

The first example was marinated and grilled. It was great eating.  The last entry had good flavor but was so tough it was almost impossible to chew and eat. Also grilled. In both cases, the meat was provided and cooked by someone else.  So, I don’t know where they went wrong, but I have never, ever tried to eat a tougher piece of meat in my life.

[Tim Finley]

My dad shot a moose every year in Sask. so I grew up on it was good . I shot a cow moose here in ND and we had to make hamburger out of most of it I think she was to old to be tender ,
 Our deer at the time were terrible they are now delicious they went from a brush eater to grain eater when sunflowers became a more dominate crop in the area .
  I like antelope the best its mild and tender . I like mule deer better than whitetails.  I shot an bull elk that tasted ok but was tough I also shot a cow elk that I tossed it was so stringy that you couldn't chew it even after pressure cooking . Spring bear was ok but I didnt like fall bear . My mom used to make creamed duck and grouse ...man it was good .I shot two caribou and left some of the meat with the eskimo kids I hunted with I wished I had taken it all it was good .

[Even]

The meat I have eaten from best to worse were:
Moose, elk, deer, bear, turkey, moose.
The two entries for moose was not a mistake.

The first example was marinated and grilled. It was great eating.  The last entry had good flavor but was so tough it was almost impossible to chew and eat. Also grilled. In both cases, the meat was provided and cooked by someone else.  So, I don’t know where they went wrong, but I have never, ever tried to eat a tougher piece of meat in my life.

A deadly trick for those who have a monster, old moose, or a cut that they know will be really tough, is jarring it.   Moose CAN be tough as hell, but once you try jarred moose meat, you'll always have some on hand, thereafter. 

I think the Newfoundlanders call it "Bottled moose", on the East coast.   Its a staple on inland BC native reserves.   

Basically you jar it just like fish, cut it into inch size cubes, lightly cook it in stock (recipes vary), then jar it in mason jars.   

You can flake it with a fork, it has killer flavour, it lasts for years, and provides an instant meal topping for anything (rice, quinoa, potatoes, etc.).  Its delicious, and no more tough moose.