Tags drawn so far
05-18-2012, 10:53 AM
#12
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
05-19-2012, 03:37 AM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Kerrville, Tx. USA
Posts: 2,722
The toughest elk I ever ate was a big cow. Since I have NEVER killed a really MATURE bull (lol), can't speak for that, but the bulls I have killed are OK to eat. What I found is aging is VERY important for elk. The cow that was so tough, I killed one day and it was cut, packaged and frozen the next day. I learned to let them hang at least 3 days (4-5 is better) and it makes a world of difference in toughness. Marinading overnight makes a difference too.
05-19-2012, 05:12 AM
#15
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
05-19-2012, 06:29 AM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732
In our house venison has hung for days, weeks, a month. The meat was no more tender than venison hung only 3 days. Of course this depends on the critter too................but in general venison needs to be aged three days.
We use/have no special recipe for cooking our venison or fish. We just throw them into the pan for a bit, and then eat. Some salt, pepper, or 'perfect' hot sauce may be applied, or lemon on fish. We aren't fussy about recipe or marinade, but are sorta fussy about the critter. We like to 'bleed' our fish. We are fussy about which specie of fish we eat. We like to eat spike, or cow elk, and doe. We haven't eaten a buck deer for many many year.
One of the deer we remember as being so very good to eat was a 4 point young mule deer. He was unbelievably tasty, and tender. When i gutted him, i didn't notice anything unusual, but whilst eating him i always wondered if he had testicles. It seems he was normally hung. Years later now, i still wonder about that deer.
05-20-2012, 06:12 PM
#19
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 588
One of my friend's son shot a calf last year while another kid in the group shot the cow. That calf was still nursing and is like eating veal. Best elk meat I've ever had. The meat is pink and not dark red. Very tender too. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a calf after eating some of that one.
05-21-2012, 07:27 AM
#20
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
I shot a small bull elk (I mean it did not have the massive horns you see a lot of them have. But the guide told me to shoot it) many years ago. And the guides (him and his two boys) skinned it and quartered it. Then froze it for the ride home. Back home we butchered that elk and I have to admit.. it was some of the best eating meat I ever had. I remember one evening we threw a elk roast in a dutch oven with a couple sticks of margarine, some carrots and onions.. and I added some seasonings. One in particular we liked is called Kitchen Bouquet. Its a liquid. You pour that all over the meat and while it cooks it makes its own gravy. To this day, I never seen a roast disappear that fast. Even people that "were not real fond of venison" ate like pigs. I've always threatened to go back west some year and shoot another elk. With a muzzleloader this time. Only because of the memories of the meat.
Another great animal to eat is a moose. Not a swamp moose mind you, but a good woods, clear lake moose. We used to hunt them in Canada. Great hunting up there. That makes a beef steer in a taste test just look pathetic.
And while a lot of people will tell you Bear meat is terrible.. I have one thing to say.. learn how to cook it. If cooked right, bear meat is fantastic. If made wrong.. it will make you almost gag.
I ate antelope twice. Once was not bad. Once was horrible. And even deer in Wisconsin taste according to what they eat. You shoot a deer in the south of the state where it feeds on hay, corn, soy beans, and oats.. there is nothing better. But shoot one up in the pine swamps, and that will make the dog leave the house when you cook it.
Another great animal to eat is a moose. Not a swamp moose mind you, but a good woods, clear lake moose. We used to hunt them in Canada. Great hunting up there. That makes a beef steer in a taste test just look pathetic.
And while a lot of people will tell you Bear meat is terrible.. I have one thing to say.. learn how to cook it. If cooked right, bear meat is fantastic. If made wrong.. it will make you almost gag.
I ate antelope twice. Once was not bad. Once was horrible. And even deer in Wisconsin taste according to what they eat. You shoot a deer in the south of the state where it feeds on hay, corn, soy beans, and oats.. there is nothing better. But shoot one up in the pine swamps, and that will make the dog leave the house when you cook it.