Does anybody target smaller animals?

[Bustercluck]

I'm sitting here looking at some moose I have left over from 2018 and wondering what I'm going to do with it. This moose was a bit bigger than every other one I've shot and it's tougher and has less flavour than any other. It's not gamy or anything, just hard to chew through. The chuck roasts and stuff were good that I cooked for 4-5 hours, but most of the steaks were too chewy for the family to eat up.

Fast forward to 2019 moose and this one was definitely a mature bull, just not nearly as old and it's better than anything you can buy on a grocery store shelf. Round roasts cook up nice, shitty steaks cook up good on a frying pan or the BBQ, lots of flavour, couldn't be happier.

So im thinking, moving into next year I'll turn down any monsters and go for a smaller one. I know it probably won't happen, because I'd rather have a full freezer of tough meat than eat tag soup all winter. There is a plus side to turning down the first animal you see, you get to spend more days hunting. Lol

who else turns down big animals?

[murph83]

I wish I could turn down the big ones. Like you though, A full freezer means the family has something to chew on during the cold months.

[Rayne]

I’m the same as Murph83. I find younger animals taste better. I’m a meat hunter so the less trips I have make the better. But given the opportunity to shoot a larger animal I won’t turn it down. I just seem to run into all the young ones.

[Pauly]

I’m the same as Murph83. I find younger animals taste better. I’m a meat hunter so the less trips I have make the better. But given the opportunity to shoot a larger animal I won’t turn it down. I just seem to run into all the young ones.
I alternate years this past season was a great one so I’m good I shot all meat animals one 4 point but not a monster. This next season I won’t shoot anything small except maybe one whitetail doe.

[HarryToolips]

I hammer the first legal animal or two I see (unless it's a female with young one(s)) I see to fill the freezer then save my last tag for something special....if the meat is tough or has a bad texture I just turn the whole thing to ground or mix with pork for sausage....

[weatherby_man]

I hammer the first legal animal or two I see (unless it's a female with young one(s)) I see to fill the freezer then save my last tag for something special....if the meat is tough or has a bad texture I just turn the whole thing to ground or mix with pork for sausage....

Same here. I usually dont have enough time to be too choosey so its fill the freezer first and foremost.

[IronNoggin]

Only ever shot one "big" moose. His antlers were 64 inches across, and his meat was like old worn out hunting boots.
Never ever again.
Hunting moose I will pass anything on the larger side in favor of an immature or just mature animal

Hunting out of Province, i am there for the largest I can find, and will pass anything less than what I desire.
Case in point: this year's Alberta Mulie Tag hanging on the Christmas tree.

Here, on The Rock, I also tend to look for a good mature Blacktail.
Extends my time out there, and that, to me, is the most precious of all.

When I make my annual pilgrimage to the OK for the late bow season, I am not overly fussy.
Sure, if a Big Buck wanders within range, i will take him if I can.
But if his much younger brother does first, game over.
Only take dry does though, have a personal thing with harvesting any wet doe of any variety.

Cheers,
Nog

[wildcatter]

I'm sitting here looking at some moose I have left over from 2018 and wondering what I'm going to do with it. This moose was a bit bigger than every other one I've shot and it's tougher and has less flavour than any other. It's not gamy or anything, just hard to chew through. The chuck roasts and stuff were good that I cooked for 4-5 hours, but most of the steaks were too chewy for the family to eat up.

Fast forward to 2019 moose and this one was definitely a mature bull, just not nearly as old and it's better than anything you can buy on a grocery store shelf. Round roasts cook up nice, shitty steaks cook up good on a frying pan or the BBQ, lots of flavour, couldn't be happier.

So im thinking, moving into next year I'll turn down any monsters and go for a smaller one. I know it probably won't happen, because I'd rather have a full freezer of tough meat than eat tag soup all winter. There is a plus side to turning down the first animal you see, you get to spend more days hunting. Lol

who else turns down big animals?

I never hunted moose, because I did a lot of solo hunting.
I agree if the big old animals don't taste good, may as well pass.

[Bustercluck]

https://i.imgur.com/yBGUJ7h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FMmOTrr.jpg
2018 moose in question. Not by any means a monster compared to big yukon bulls, but still an old man.
https://i.imgur.com/VDVnQwB.jpg
This years moose for reference

[swampthing]

I posted a story on here once. I recall saying "i aimed for the smallest, tastiest looking one".

[two-feet]

I have had big animals that ate great, and younger ones that didnt. I shoot the first legal animal i see, my kids eat enough that i cant be picky

[Bustercluck]

The other factor is a big moose is a lot of fricken work. Both of those moose were an all day event and then some to get hung up in the garage.

[finngun]

Quality wins over guantity..young tasty deer is my target..best tasting was bambi..20lb meet out if it.

[MichelD]

My wife has a standing order for small to medium-size bars, preferably two or three years old. The one I got last September 11 was in that size range, and the tastiest most tender bear yet in 43 years black bear hunting. Bigger ones are fine, don't get me wrong, but it is just the difference between good and choice. For the size of the bear it provided a large amount of rendered down bear grease for cooking too. Not the nine gallons from my first bear in 1976 but still...

I really try to maximize meat yield out of any animal as well. I save every bone for soup as Mrs. is very fond of bone broth for her daily soup at lunch.

In 2018 I got a medium size blacktail and a mule deer. One wag on here made fun of me for shooting a "small" 4x4.

Well I'll tell you, 15 months later, I still have enough deer meat from those two animals to see me until next October. So much for a small mule deer.

We cut my animals up at home and there is virtually no waste. Like I said, every bone is saved, and one package of venison or bear bones will make a lunch soup for two days running. I save the ribs intact and just cut them into strips with a meat saw. Same with the brisket, I cut that up into two or four pieces, depending on the size of deer for North African-style couscous. Every little piece of useable trim with fat or bloodshot in it is carefully cut off to go in the grind, shanks are saved whole, and roasts and chops are made from the larger pieces as you'd expect.

[wideopenthrottle]

i took out one of my last roasts (actually more like a whole deboned upper leg) from my 2018 WT buck yesterday...gonna trim it up as i tend to leave a bit of trimming for just before cooking/eating (ill freeze it flattened and break bits off so my dog will have some meatcicles for awhile heheh)....

ill make some stewing meat and make some ground (i have never had tough burger before heheheh ) with a choice bit for a roast-my buddy has an industrial grinder for big quantities but i have a little table top one that works great for smaller amounts...i did all my WT buck that needed grinding that year through my little grinder (maybe 20-25 pounds) and as long as you clean out the tendons when it gets loaded up, it works good enough.

When i shot it, it was the smaller of the two bucks i saw (and both were smaller than the doe they were following -doe wasnt open yet) i did have time even at 70 yards to decide between the 2 and i did say to myself "he's big enough" as i pulled the trigger....hard to say if i would have gone for the bigger one if it had presented a better shot as it was facing me while the smaller one was just slightly quartering away...also my family here is small so filling the frezzer is less important than quality table fare and i think we can all agree younger is generally more tender all else equal....

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

You guys need to invest in a slow cooker . Add potatoes, carrots, onions , leave all day . Add mushroom soup or a gravy . you well not pass up horns again !!

[wideopenthrottle]

almost exactly what I made last night (potatoes separate as wifey is on a keto diet)...removed roast from slow cooker (about 6-8 hours cooking time previous night and 4 last night), drained juice, added can of mushroom soup to juice and a few gravy granules sliced up the roast and put it all back into the slow cooker with the drained veggies...served over potatoes and/or cauliflower...was awesome....Wife's comment was I really enjoyed it like this...I would not have enjoyed it as much if it was a steak or other "lump of meat" heheheh


You guys need to invest in a slow cooker . Add potatoes, carrots, onions , leave all day . Add mushroom soup or a gravy . you well not pass up horns again !!