Antelope question
 

I'm going on an archery antelope hunt this August. I've heard conflicting reports on the meat from two people I've asked, so I'm asking the HNI gang for their input.

I'm think that the guy who told me "antelopes stink, they have a smell that comes out of their skin and the meat tastes like @$$" didn't take care of it properly. I've seen a few from the road, but have never been around them.

RE: Antelope question
 

I have had some really tasty antelope. I'm certain if you have a clean shot, and take care of the meat, it will taste great.

RE: Antelope question
 

Hunting in late summer it is VERY important to get that meat cooled down ASAP!!!!!! otherwise it will taste like ass!

RE: Antelope question
 

Thanks for the info.

RE: Antelope question
 

If I'm not mistaken, I've heard the reason that some taste off is because they are eating sage. The ones that didn't tasted better.

RE: Antelope question
 

My wife and I have been to WY twice with a group of guys we hunt with, in those two trips we shot 14 lopes. We did not have any problems with the meat because we got the hide off ASAP and got them cooled down. We think it is the best game meat you can get. When you take the hide off you do sacrifice some meat to drying while it hangs but it is better than wasting the whole animal.

Enjoy your trip

In a coupla weeks a group of us are going West for Deer/Elk. One of the fellas has a Goat tag, and NEVER has eaten it before, He asked me if I would cook some while we were out hunting. My reply was as follows:

1. I don't hunt Goats.
2. I don't kill Goats.
3. I don't gut Goats.
4. I don't butcher Goats.
5. I don't cook Goats.
6. Any more questions......

In my opinion, they are the foulest, stinkiest, vermin infected, raunchiest, smelliest critter that God put on this earth. Especially if they have been eating a lot of sage.....
The ONLY way to prepare them is douse them with 5 gallons of used motor oil and place them on a funeral pyre.......... In case you're wondering, I was looking through this forum for a goat recipe so that I could (maybe) prepare a small individual portion for this gentleman............ And it took me 7 pages of recipes on this section of the forum to find anything associated with GOAT.........

Like stated if the antelop was dressed and handled properly and promply processed they are fine table fare. There can be a very faint sage taste with some but it is faint indeed. Inproper handling of game can ruin anything from birds to big game.

I've never had a rank loper, I'm of the same opinion they are among the finest venison one can harvest. I agree 100% the key is cooling. Yes everyone I have field dressed stinks of sage...not unlike mule deer. However get them gutted, skinned and cooling..iced if need be asap and you'll have no problems. Never gut shot one so can't comment to that happening but assume its like anything else rinse immediately.

In terms of receipe treat or prepare the same as with any venison. One of my merinades is posted on this forum under "venison merinade" post. More often then not I just let my venison stand in a little olive oil/soya mixture with chopped garlic and seasoned to my liking for steak for 30 at room temp. (long enough for me to get the pots, veggies and grill going. Maybe a beer or glass of shiraz down my throat..lol).

Enjoy

I have had goat gutted improperly, gut shot, run over by a truck, stored in a sauna, used all the available ice to cool the beer, retrieved critter the following day, skinned immediately, skinned after aging, and just about anything else that a hunter could do with a goat....AND, I stand by my previous post.

IF posters on this subject stand by their opinion that goat tastes good or just as good as venison MUST have had their taste buds shot off in the war..... IMO........

Antelope question (comment) !!!
 

I just re-read my last coupla posts, mainly to see if there was any comment on MY extreme position on goat meat. But, as I read them, it kinda sounded like I intentionally mis-handled caring for the critter. This is NOT the case, I always properly care for ANY critter from trigger pull to the dinner plate.

Hmmmm...I've shot more than 40 antelope over the years up here in Montana, and have never had a bad one. They do stink if you run the beegeezus out of them. Proper field dressing, and a good rinsing when you hang them is paramount. And yes, I'd rather eat antelope than TN whitetails any day...and I've shot a fair amount of them.

I've heard two things when it comes to Goats-
1) IF you shoot them when they're running, they have a bad taste.
2) If you shoot one that's bedded down, not scared, and take care of the meat properly that it can be cooked just fine and has good flavor.

I've never personally had experience. That is from my dad and grandpa who used to hunt wyoming all the time. Good luck!
-Jake

I have shot and eaten many Antelope. If they are from Wyoming they eat sage. I only had 1 serving of Antelope I was sorry I ate. My Wife prefers it to deer meat. I believe the important thing is to keep the hair off the meat. The hair is what has a foul taste. We use rubber gloves when we skin them. If you get hair on the meat the gloves make it easy to get off.

I grew right smack in the middle of Antelope country and can see them everyday if I choose to. There is a huge difference, not that someone from NY would ever know, between antelope that grew up chased about the sage country and antelope that are grain fed and eat primarily farm crops with little disturbance.

We generally try to hunt and ultimately shoot our antelope early. Like they wake up, we find them in the winter wheat and kill them. No running, no chasing, no hot weather. They make decent table fare if taken care of properly.

Chase one around after opening morning in the middle of sage country and they will taste like ass.

The old adage "you are what you eat" applies to antelope.

Ole SKB, your assumption that "a fella from NY" doesn't know about Goat is just WRONG. FYI, I've lived (and hunted) in MOST of the Western states. AND IMO, I still stand by my original statements. I agree with other comments on chased animals, neat/quick kill, proper cleaning and cooling, etc but I'd rather eat the fire ashes after burning a motor oil marinated critter in his funeral pyre. It's MY story and I'm sticking to it !!!!!