what has the best taste?

[KentuckyTJ]

I killed an axis buck in Texas. That is the best deer type meat I've ever eaten. We also killed several 60-100 pound hogs while there and after cooking them all day with mesquite wood there was no BBQ sauce required. Amazing meat. But you can't compare pork with any deer like critters. Not in the same ball park for me.

[centaur]

Moose followed closely by elk. And what little mountain lion I have had has been wonderful.
Grass or alfalfa fed antelope is good, sagebrush antelope would gag a maggot.

[eidsvolling]

You need two lists.

1. Dall sheep

2. The junior varsity: Everything else you listed.

[Stickbow]

While I agree much has to do with diet and handling, I would also add how far I had to pack it. The harder I worked for it generally adds to the flavor.      
Moose
Whitetail
Pronghorn
Elk
The rest all run together....

[pinky]

I have not tasted black tail or caribou that I recall, Of the other animals listed, the Moose that I can recall on a few occasions is my favorite.  

[Ray Hammond]

I absolutely love elk backstrap...the 'boneless ribeye' basically.

I've had good everything on your list if I killed it...and I've had good and poor everything on your list when I got it from others.

I would add wild pork to your list....can be sublime.

Whitetail in Kansas, Iowa, Illinois- I think is right up there if they're feeding on grains, alfalfa, or corn. On my last KS trip I ended up buying a doe tag and taking about a 150 lber..and she ate like beef. packaged up, but kept unfrozen in a cooler for a week, to age. Fresh ground pepper, sea salt, seared in olive oil in a hot cast iron skillet, then grilled over a real hardwood charcoal fire till medium....it was unforgettable.

Terry Green gave me some dry pronghorn sausage once that I thought was abfab.

Wild hog done up by my favorite processor into sausage that contains jalapeño and cheese...day in and day out, I could eat those for lunch every day and never get tired of it.

[Phillip Fields]

I've had excellent meals from all on your list, except blacktail. I think more depends on how the meat is handled than on the species. I would say that grass fed bison and wild hog (around 100 lbs) are among my favorites. I've also had some outstanding meals from various antelope in Africa.

[DanielB89]

though I have only had elk and deer.  I think a lot of people have stated a very good point.  I think it matter more about what you do with the animal after the kill than the species.  I have ate good coon and was tricked into eating a possum one time, but dang was it good! lol.  

One of the things I have always heard is that a big catfish is not as good of eating as a smaller one, which I will agree to, but it can be better than what other guys do if they would take the time to prepare it properly.  You have to remove ALL of the red meat and silver lining on it, marinate in milk, batter well, and dont drop in the grease until it is at least 350*.  If you do these small steps, you wont know the difference.  

My point being is you have to take the time to prepare your game properly.  I'd bet any of those would taste good, if prepared properly.

[Msbow]

Softshell turtle hands down the greatest tasting critter in my neck of the woods.

[Roger Norris]

The only wild game I have had that was "bad" or strong was game handled and prepared by others.

The 1 1/2 old farm doe I shot Saturday was handled correctly, and in the freezer within 24 hours. Each piece was cut and washed off BY ME. She will eat excellent.

I have some elk in the freezer that someone gave me....I will probably mix it in with some sausage. I don't trust how it was handled. It doesn't look spoiled, but I wasn't there...

Oddly enough, my one and only mule deer was AWESOME, and it was from a sage flat. BUT, Mike Vines and I had killed deer the same evening, we had them taken apart and on ice within 2 hours.

[VA Elite]

so do most of you age your meat a few days say in the fridge or does it go directly to the freezer?

[Ray Hammond]

venison in the fridge for five days-sometimes six or seven.

[30coupe]

I agree with Doc that how any game animal is taken, cleaned, and prepared makes a huge difference, as does what it has been eating. Since I live in Iowa and I'm getting too old an poor to wander about the country, my staples are whitetails, turkeys and small game, all of which are excellent if you do things right. If I had to survive on a diet of Iowa whitetail meat, I could happily do so for the rest of my days.

I have had elk, and it was excellent. Never tried moose, but have heard it is great as well. The only time I had black bear, it was taken and prepared by my buddy Tom Young (aka saltwatertom) from Homer, Alaska. Based on that meal, I would rank bear right up there with the best game meat out there. Even my wife, who turns up her nose at wild game, had seconds!

It is interesting to see the varied answers here. I've eaten just about everything that walks, swims, or flies here in Iowa, and the only thing I wasn't fond of was racoon. I skinned out a possum once when I was a kid, and after that slimy, stinking experience, I wouldn't touch the stuff!

Interesting thread!

[Cory Mattson]

Always age meat - 5 to 7 days is about right - I work mine directly IN ice and have outstanding results.

worst animal we ever ate was an 8 point I kilt 8am and had it skinned - cut - wrapped - and into the freezer by noon - a complete disaster

[Roger Norris]

Aging is tricky. Beef is aged in a temperature controlled environment. I don't have a walk in cooler. I prefer to cut and package within 24 hours, quicker if it's warmer than 35. You can thaw it out in the fridge for a few days, that seems to age it just fine.

We have shot deer in the UP, had them hang for quite a while, with temp's fluctuating between freezing and the high 50's. The venison has always been great, but we are pretty good about cleaning and cooling quickly.

[rlc1959]

Yukon Moose Back Strap was Great. ( 10 years ago)
Fresh Elk Backstraps (Last Week ) a close second
Whitetails from the mid west are close third
Home State of PA Whitetails are good eating also
Had a Old Bull Elk from New Mexico several years back that was not fit to eat.
Animal Age along with the their diet makes a big difference along with the proper care and preparation of the meat.

[Walt Francis]

Doc stated it better than I can:

 

Originally posted by 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...

All things being equal regarding the care of the animal, my favorites of what I have had are, in order:
 
Big Horn
Bison
Pronghorn Antelope off an alfalfa field
Elk/Moose
Mountain Lion
Whitetail/Mule deer
Black Bear
Mountain Goat

[Mint]

I usually like it all but the best I've had was at the Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi and that was Camel. It tasted just like veal to me. I always joke that I must have got a piece of the hump since it was so juicy and tasty.

[indianalongbowshooter]

Rabbit if fixed right
Same for squirrel
Deer
Turtle
Frog legs
Groundhog/Raccoon prepared right
young wild pigeon is very good
my Dad said muskrat fixed by a older southern lady when he was a kid was the best meat he ever ate..I could never bring myself to eat them when I trapped as they always smelled like wild onions.
 Had Bear and Moose 35 yrs. ago but cant remember the taste..

[wingnut]

Best is Moose followed closely by wildebeest.

Mike