I had red stag steak one time.. that was good.. of course it tasted like venison steak..

 

Bear is the best. Followed by caribou, moose, elk and whitetail. I've had mule deer and antelope but it was ages ago. I remember them being gamey, but I have no idea how they were handled. Or how frozen they stayed when my dad and his buddies drove cross-country.

I ate a lot of pheasant and didn't think it was that great...prefer chicken. Never had grouse but hear it's awesome. Goose = terrible. Duck = very good. Dove = take it or leave it. Rabbit = awesome.

 

Antelope is the best eating I've ever had. Followed by Caribou, Elk, Black bear and Moose. I can tell each one from the others so there is definitely differences. I've shot four Pronghorn and I wish it was more like 40. I'd love to have a couple of them in the freezer every year. All this talk about antelope being stinky is from mishandling in the field. No animal I've found will field sour quicker than a Pronghorn. My Butcher (they hate being called that because out west they are meat processors) tells me to get my Antelope to him within an hour. I always have.

 

I've eaten just about everything that walks or flies and if properly taken care of never had anything that wasn't good! True, some is better than others! My favs are moose, elk, and then whitetail.

 

Elk, Moose, Whitetail. I absolutely detest Caribou and bear is so so. I agree about pheasant, not my favorite. Dove is AMAZING wrapped in bacon and cooked in a light oil.

 

The only constant is everyone is different.

My family can't scarf down elk meat fast enough to their liking, and they're fond of whitetail...but put elk in front of them and get your fingers out of the way fast!

I've had excellent caribou, too.

Bear seems to be love/hate. People seem to love or hate it. I've not had it.

But I can say I do like elk a bit better than whitetail, but I'll not turn up whitetail. Unless there's elk right next to it.

 

Elk, Mulie then whitetail

 

I think elk is one of the finest game meats. Of course I have no problem with whitetails either. I've never had a pheasant that I didn't like, but I usually do them up in some sort of marinade. I think I have eaten moose and bear in the past but I can't honestly remember anything specificly good or bad. I have heard that coastal bears that eat stanky salmon half the year can taste pretty bad. I like eating rabbits frequently.

I think geese are one of the worst game meats that I've ever had, I've only had it prepared 1 way that was even borderline acceptable and that involved an extensive process of soaking in coca-cola and then crock pot with bbq sauce for several hours.

I've heard the same Good/Bad thing about pronghorn but I cannot say that I have eaten any. From what I have read, and as others have said, it seems to be something with proper handling/processing.

 

The only good wild goose I've had was smoked. Those were delicious.

 

Deer is the most widely eaten game for me. I did have the opportunity to eat caribou last summer and liked it a lot. My good buddy will always say when asked if likes this or that : "depends how hungry I am", lol. Wise man he is, I'd say.

 

My opinion only:

A younger bear (under 200 lbs) properly cared for is the best wild meat. Second is wild pork from an under 200lb sow. Out of the deer family, moose is by far the best, followed by elk. Caribou is very similar to but slightly better than whitetail. Never have tasted mule deer or antelope other than sausage and such.

 

I've eaten just about every kind of game on the continent and I think it's all great as long as the proper recipe is used to cook it, but field dressing is where I have a problem. I can go right in up to my eyeballs in a big game body cavity and it doesnt bother me one bit, but as far as I'm concerned bird innards just plain stink. even there though, once they're cooked properly I got no problem with birds.
There are a few critters that I wont eat.
I've had Possum and it wasnt bad at all, but I can't get past the fact that he's a garbage eater. I also can't get past that thing about him eating hundreds of disease infested ticks every day.
A Groundhog is a fine animal that eats the same things a rabbit eats so there's no real reason we shouldn't be eating old Chuck, but I don't know anybody that goes to the trouble of putting a cooler full of ice in the pickup before they go Groundhog hunting on a ninety degree Summer day, so I'll pass on Mr. Groundhog.
A Merganser is a fish eating bird, and even the best gourmet chef in the world can only make him taste like dollar store brand canned cat food.

 

Never shoot or eat a rutting Caribou, process the meat as quickly as possible on a Pronghorn , age a whitetail if possible, and don't let bear meat get old in the freezer because the fat turns rancid. Four rules I live by and therefore these are four of my favorites as far as table fare goes.

 

I've tried woodcock a few different ways and it's the only game I'll never kill again.

I haven't experienced a whole spectrum of wild game meats. I actually prefer whitetail slightly over elk. Only had bear a couple times prepared for me, it was ok. If I ever shoot one I look forward to doing some different things with it.

Wild turkey and grouse are excellent. Braised turkey legs are one of my favorite game dinners, it's hard to believe people leave them to rot. Pheasant I thought was so-so. Rabbit is one of my favorite meals, period. I look forward to squirrels but I braise the heck out of them.

Someday hope to try mule deer, moose, and pronghorn. Porcupine is a weird local one I always wanted to try. Always wanted to try groundhog too just have never got around to shooting one in cold weather.

 

Far as small game is concerned:

My mom made the best fried rabbit (made like liver and onions, fried, then stewed in gravy and onions) that was absolutely to die for. My first wife was from Maryland and had kin in West Virginia that were racoon hunters. They made a dish I had at picnics that was racoon baked in a casserole with veggies and tomato sauce that was out of this world.

Far as game birds (upland), all I've ever tasted were fine except for being too dry (talking baked). I'm sure there are cooks that can dress them up pretty good. Mom just fried ringnecks (breaded and fried like chicken), which was OK, but not as good as her rabbit.

 

Moose, elk, whitetail.

 

I spent a few winters hard up where I ended up living off Moose that I had in the freezer. I think that's why Moose isn't higher on my list than it is. I got good and tired of it a few times.

 

Moose is close to angus in my opinion. Had the oppertunity to shoot two in my hunting years. Best meat ever. That being said, I have eaten a lot of whitetails over the years.

 

Over the years, I've eaten a variety of game. Moose, elk, pheasant, raccoon, etc. All were good. I think that it has a lot to do with how the meat was treated after the kill, but most importantly the recipe used. There are so many ways you can cook venison. Fried, roasted, smoked, dried. It's the same animal just done a different way.

Best recipe I found this year was for dove. Marinated in Italian dressing, stuffed with a jalapeño pepper, wrapped in bacon, smoked in a smoker, topped with cream cheese. I can almost guarantee the dove haters will change their mind if they tasted that. I've done the same recipe with 1/4 slices of venison back strap.

Anyway, I think the recipe used can play a big part in how game tastes.

 

I never ate pronghorn or Mule deer so I can't comment on them. I have eaten Elk and Moose several times and both are delicious. In my opinion moose is the best of the wild deer I have eaten, tastes more like domestic beef but not the same as whitetail, and elk is a close second and does not taste like whitetail. I guess what I am trying to say is they all have their own flavors, which is what makes it interesting to eat the various big game. One thing I can say with certainty is, none of them taste like chicken!:grin2:

 

Maybe it was the way my mom cooked them when I was young, but I enjoyed pheasant and rabbit.

 

I?ve eaten lots of pheasants, rabbits, grouse, squirrels and yes groundhogs. Squirrel and groundhog pot pie is my favorite.Tomorrow I?ll be making rabbit stew in the crockpot. Never had bear elk or moose. I do love deer meat. I don?t know if I could bring myself to eat raccoon or possum.

 

I notice that two restaurants in Pa that sold wild game folded! Use to be one in Mount Holly Springs Pa and Lickdske Pa that went out of business. Quail, rattlesnake, Alligator, crickets, grubs, and scorpions too.
Restaurant I frequent in VA has Red Stag. That is good.