What’s the issue with caribou meat after mid September ?

[Leveraction]

Gentlemen,



I see several comments on posts from other members enquiring about Caribou hunting.
several members comment about make sure you take your Caribou ( one member said ) before September 21st other wise they don’t taste so good

could someone elaborate on this please.



G

[blackbart]

They really change with the rut. Much more so than any other animal I have eaten. I shot a bull in early October, herd bull, big trophy. The trophy lost its tarnish every-time I tried to gag back any of that bull. It was putrid! I ate the whole thing and vowed to never ever shoot one even close to the rut.

Do not shoot one after September 21 if you have taste buds, or live with any others that you care about. The gas that it gave me was enough to make my dog run and hide.....

[warnniklz]

People just like their wild game to taste like corn fed beef

[Leveraction]

:lol::lol:

thanks blackbart, I just read your comment to my wife, we both had a good laugh, and Ill bear in mind what you say

cheers

[adriaticum]

They really change with the rut. Much more so than any other animal I have eaten. I shot a bull in early October, herd bull, big trophy. The trophy lost its tarnish every-time I tried to gag back any of that bull. It was putrid! I ate the whole thing and vowed to never ever shoot one even close to the rut.

Do not shoot one after September 21 if you have taste buds, or live with any others that you care about. The gas that it gave me was enough to make my dog run and hide.....

Lol, you should be a writer. Pissed my pants

[Norwestalta]

Don't know what the date has to do with it but I was told that when things are froze they drink their own piss. True or not I can't say.

[LBM]

Have ate a few different bulls taken during the rut and they were fine, actually have not had a bad one. I think as with any thing
can be a bad tasting one in the bunch.

[bighornbob]

We shot a couple bulls on sept 18. The first thing the pilot asked was if we had tried the meat. He was from dease lake so I assume he had eaten a few. On that date it was still good. I have heard two weeks later they are in full rut and dogs won’t eat it.

bhb

[moosinaround]

I have had caribou a few times. Once, it was at a game banquet, and it was aweful!! I figured, I better go get my own, so we did, and that bull, was aweful!! Caribou are safe from me!! I’ll put extra effort in finding moose/elk/deer, never caribou, ever!! Moosin

[TARCHER]

ive shot two caribou. first one early sept was good. secound one was in rut. my whole family did not like it and absolute true story my beagle would leave the house when i cooked any meat

[Everett]

Trick with Caribou is to get the meat processed and cold fast. Gutted and skin off then get the meat off the bone asap then figure out how to cool it quick I usually put it in the lake in dry bags or rubbermaids. To be honest its my favourite meat.

[mod7rem]

All the caribou that we have had is from early to mid sept and has been skinned and deboned on the spot out of necessity to get into a pack. I rank it in my top 3 favorite wild meats with sheep and pronghorn, so it’s really interesting what could change the meat that quickly. Not doubting it, just interesting.

[walks with deer]

Trick with all meat period is to get the meat processed and cold fast. Gutted and skin off with out contaminating then get the meat off the bone asap then figure out how to cool it quick I usually put it in the lake in dry bags or rubbermaids. To be honest its my favourite meat.

Fixed it for you...I have shot two caribou and with my dad when he shot one...my favorite meat aswell.

[BromBones]

Most caribou up to mid-late September is excellent meat, one of my favourites. Get it skinned & cooled down right away. De-boned if it’s warm out, full quarters are fine if you can cool them. I’ve left bone in quarters in a snow pack for a week & then hung for 3-4 days at home before butchering and it was as good any game meat.

Try to eat all your frozen caribou meat within 3-4 months. It does go bad in the freezer eventually, no matter how clean it is. But trimming all the fat before wrapping helps. The burger seems to go bad quicker unless it’s pure clean red meat. Making smoked sausage is a good way to stretch it out.

[IronNoggin]

Don't know what the date has to do with it but I was told that when things are froze they drink their own piss. True or not I can't say.

https://forum.flybc.ca/uploads/reactions/facepalm.gif

Nope.

I have killed literally hundreds of caribou. Was tasked with hunting for the very young, and the older infirm folks in an Inuit Community when we lived up that way. And of course the Lady & I filled our own generous tags each and every year.

Most were among the finest tablefare one can imagine. Especially so the late August early September bulls that were flush with fat. Finger lickin' good in fact!

The few we did not care for were those taken into early October. One bull was so bad that when I got it home, I simply tossed it to the wolf dogs. They buried it - and left it for months. Say no more! I never shot another during the rut again. Period.

Time it right they are excellent.
Time it wrong and you'll be like some on this thread: Never Again! :lol:

Cheers,
Nog

[Rob Chipman]

I never had one taken past mid-September, but taste was great, whether big old bull or just over the 5pt bar.

[xlcc]

Caribou bulls when in the rut drink the piss from cows.
I have seen it many times.
Early season is best for meat when the bulls are in groups before the rut gets under way.

[Sitkaspruce]

Shot all of my caribou between Sept 18 and 30 and have never had a bad one. Shoot, skin and debone, meat bags and then packed back to camp and laid on a stack of logs/brush to cool, change the game bag the next day and good to go.

Fine table fare as far as I am concerned. Just like any other animal, after the shot is the most important part of the hunt.

Cheers

SS

[BCHunterFSJ]

When living in Quebec, I hunted caribou several times. The ones taken in late August where always the best / delicious.
I shot one here in BC middle of October and was not impressed...

[IronNoggin]

Caribou bulls when in the rut drink the piss from cows.


If you say so...

I lived among them for a hell of a long time.
And as a consequence, I saw them daily for many many years.
And although I watched them through the rut countless times, I never even once saw what you suggest.
Ever.

Must be a BC thing I guess...

Nog

[Cordillera]

After much research I have learned a bit more about this. A dominant bull in the rut will eat the urine of cows. That Uric acid turns the meat quite fowl. So yes a big bull after about September 20 has a good chance to taste awful. But a small subdominant bull will not do this. I’ve shot a big but not dominant bull on Sept 21 and no issues. This last year I shot a medium bull on Sept 27. He was with a single cow and was not showing rut behaviour. He was excellent. My partner then found a nice big bull with a herd of about sixteen animals. He was pawing and huffing and mad. We took him home....and he tasted awful..... even a strong curry can’t mask the uric acid..

My lesson is definitely avoid big or dominant bulls late. A small bull a little later might be OK.