what has the best taste?

[VA Elite]

whitetail
elk
moose
bou
mule deer
black tail
prong horn
I have only had whitetail and likely won't ever get try the others

[Msturm]

Moose in my opinion is the best on this list.

However, Axis deer takes the trophy for overall best eating animal I know of.

[VA Elite]

I hear that about the axis. taste sweet I hear.

[Ken Taylor]

Moose that has been properly taken care of is our favorite.

And as far as meat goes, it's our staple.

[achigan]

I've heard cougar has great favor.

[drewsbow]

another vote for moose

[Doc Nock]

Interesting responses...

I'd have to say on each one, "IT DEPENDS".

Why?

Every animal's flesh is a product of several things

* diet (worst tasting mule deer was living in sage brush
* how it was killed (ie, dropped quickly or ran it's heart out)
* how it was handled after it hit the ground (skinned and cooled quickly, guts removed intact or all shot up and full of gastric juices

Those are just some of the factors I've found thru personal experience can seriously affect meat flavor and quality.  We won't go into "tenderness" as that always seems to generate more heat then light...

That said, I never met a well handled ungulate that I didn't like, Moose, Elk, Antelope (from irrigated alfalfa ranches), Mulie (other then sage fed), and whittail.

Even small game is taste dependent on the fodder it's eating... grouse on varied diet is great fare, on juniper berries, not so much...

[Crittergetter]

I have to agree with the Doc, diet, death, and handeling play a huge part! But for me it's
Scimitar oryx
Axis
Buffalo
Elk
Sitka
Whitetail
Mule deer
Pronghorn Antelope
Black buck
Never had moose

[Cory Mattson]

Moose - killed a couple a bulls - both excellent Elk killed several - all excellent Whitetails - we love em - aged 5 to 7 days they are mellow and tender never gamey and we eat 5 or 6 a year for many many years Mule Deer I have only killed a few but I have been lucky I guess cause they all were excellent all were high country Pronghorn I only got 1 and can't remember what it taste like - think it was early 90s and I think we grilled most over a fire and don't remember not liking it. Caribou I am not a fan - at least for me - I hit the migration and got a bunch of em several years - I recommend eating back straps fresh in camp - ok for sure - smoke the legs over elder fire - once frozen they taste too bloody like old liver. Axis are excellent - that is true.
Thanks - Cory<><
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[Crittergetter]

I forgot wild hog!  Most any hog less than 150 lbs rates right up there with elk on my list! Some of the big ones ain't to bad but usually end up in sausage,

[huntingarcher]

For me its a toss up between Moose and Axis.

[Longtoke]

I think the best tasting wild game is rattle snake.

I second what doc says about sagey mule deer

[JEFF B]

NZ FALLOW DEER TASTE REAL GOOD  

[MnFn]

I have had whitetail, moose, elk, and black bear.  I would take the bear I shot this spring over any deer I have shot.  I have not had elk for some time now and I can't remember the taste very well.  Marinated moose steaks were excellent on  the grill.

I think of these whitetail would come in last.

[kadbow]

Best I have had is pronghorn.  Haven't had much moose but it wasn't good (not my animal). Elk, mule deer (sagey or not), whitetail, and hog are all good but any can be bad if not taken care of.  Worst I have had was musk ox.

[newhouse114]

My vote would be Dall sheep as number one, and an interior Alaska blueberry fed black bear a close second.

[Daz]

I've had horrible meals of every one of the animals on the OP's list. The first time i had caribou and pronghorn i swore never again.

I've also had spectacular meals of every one of the animals on the list, which showed me that caribou and pronghorn can be excellent. As was pointed out above, how the animal died and how it was cared for after the fact makes or breaks the meat.

All i will say is that whitetail is near the bottom every time, and that well prepared black bear, cougar, and bobcat are underrated as game meat.

[wapiti]

Elk and caribou for me out of those choices. But the best was my Bighorn ewe. Lotta hiking for a small amount of meat but oh was it tasty.

[wapiti]

Have to say I had whitetail given to me that was shot in Iowa once. We gobbled that up FAST. Rank it 3rd. Tasted nothing like the whitetails of the rocky mountain west.

[Terry Lightle]

Moose,hands down  in my opinion
Terry