Meat quality & big moose ?

[Upearly]

Just curious. We have taken several 6 point or less bull moose over the years and the meat has always been very tender and great eating. We have also seen 50" spread bulls which we did not take but would have made great wall mounts. Questions to trophy hunters: Is the meat on very large bulls still as good eating? Is there an age or antler size when moose meat begins to deteriorate in quality or become tougher? What have your own personal experiences been with eating large bull moose?

[porcupine]

It all depends on what quality of care you take in processing the animal, butchering, storage and a preparation. We have a trailer with a reffer house built on to it, so when we get the animal right away, it's quartered and cleaned and put into a bear proof refrierated room at just above freezing. It's cooled very quickly even in hot weather. Because of all that, we find all bulls, including a couple of B&C monsters, have been excellent eating, but the younger ones are just a little bit tenderer.
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[Rackmastr]

The key is in meat care and processing. If you take care of the meat, let it age properly, hang it, keep it clean and prepare it properly in the kitchen, a big old moose can be just as good as a younger one.

Overall I find the younger bulls CAN be a bit easier to prepare, but in reality if you take care of the meat and age it properly the old bulls are very good eating...

[moosecaller]

I have had both tough and tender moose of all ages and sex. Calves are always tender. I have had an old bull that had gone past his prime and he was extremely tender, one of the best I have had. I have experienced all through out the years.

[Fisher-Dude]

I've seen an older bull provide some good eats, but I've always found a 2.5 - 3.5 year old to be tender at all times. The older ones have, in my experience, been a bit tougher late in and after the rut. Having said that, I'd sure like a freezer full of rutted out moose meat! :wink:

[tomahawk]

I have had both tough and tender moose of all ages and sex. Calves are always tender. I have had an old bull that had gone past his prime and he was extremely tender, one of the best I have had. I have experienced all through out the years.

Have to agree, they vary somewhat with age as a general rule but if you want the best odds of having good meat pick the younger animals. I am not overly fussy on calves, they are very tender but the meat has not got the full flavour as yet. Really no different then cattle, the young get slaughtered for the market as they are on average better eating.

[steveo32]

All the moose i have guided to up north have been very tender, some are shot in augest like this fella!

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w28/steveo32-hunting/108.jpg

but most are taken in the rut like ths fella!

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w28/steveo32-hunting/218.jpg

I think it has alot ot do with pressure and what htey are feeding on maybe but i am no expert but i have never had a northern bull be tough or rank!

steve

[steveo32]

Or you could always just stick a young tender bull with you bow!

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w28/steveo32-hunting/224-1.jpg


Pretty nice shot and the bull only went 80 feet right into the tree you see in the picture!

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w28/steveo32-hunting/222-1.jpg

[Jonny outdoors]

Two years ago we shot two moose and it took us 16 hours to get them back to camp that night the temp was 22 degrees .The next morning at 5am we got the buggers to the cooler but the meat is definatly a bit gamey but that is why the made ketchup right?

[Jelvis]

For me it's a younger dry cow during any cow but some people say should leave them for calving later, for the local herd. Some say any bull up to 3 and a half good. The best moose meat I ever had was a Prince George moose two and a half year old and it was absolutely heavenly, tender, tasty and mouthwatering, my taste buds were doing a happy dance. I think the cook had something to do with it too. Jel Spike/fork

[tomahawk]

For me it's a younger dry cow during any cow but some people say should leave them for calving later, for the local herd. Some say any bull up to 3 and a half good. The best moose meat I ever had was a Prince George moose two and a half year old and it was absolutely heavenly, tender, tasty and mouthwatering, my taste buds were doing a happy dance. I think the cook had something to do with it too. Jel Spike/fork

Peace River moose are very good eats! I have taken lots of PG moose, never met one I didn't like.

[BCrams]

Calf moose! Hands down!

[Bighorn hunter]

I have never had a tough moose burger yet, whether calf cow or bull

[betteroffishing]

the only moose iv tasted was the immature bull martyonthewater took down 2 years ago in region 8. dad ensured we did a thorough clean on it i was beginning to think he was hallucinating that we were sponge bathing the monster quarters, every little speck . but he quite correctly stressed the importance of that part of the job. it was delicious. but im interested to find out how it stacks up against others so here is what were going to have to do. everyone who has some moose meat in the freezer e mail me with your address and ill come by and sample your specimens{3 pound packages please} ... you want me to shove what??? where???

[Sitkaspruce]

My brother-in-law, who has been cutting meat for 27 years, told me once that the only difference between a 55" bull and a 25" bull is about 100 lbs of hamburger. It is all in how you look after the animal. The tenderloin is still the tenderloin, the round roast is still a round roast, just bigger. I hunt moose for meat, but would not turn down a big one.

[Call of the Wild]

Well guys he's my thing. Like other said you need to take care of the meat. First need to cool it down, age it and butchered it and cook it properly.

This year I started hunting elk and moose. For elk we were 4 guys and one used to be a butcher. he said the worst thing you can do is drag the animal to camp or for long distance. He suggested cutting in quarters or 6 parts and strapping it to the quad. You don’t make bruises on the meat.

After talking about the subject to other hunter, here’s my conclusion for bull moose. Bull taste better and are tenderer when they are shoot in the afternoon. Why they slept all day and the toxins/rut hormones are not very high because he relaxed for some hours. It’s the opposite for morning bull, they go through all the rutting behaviors at night. So a bull shot first thing in the morning would taste stronger and would be less tender.

It makes sense at my eyes, but hey I’m only 23 and moose hunting is new to me of this year. Didn’t get my brother’s September/October moose in Peace River. During white tail season (bush hunting) I had a November tag for bull moose. The night before I shot my moose, we had a small snow storm. I knew that the animals wouldn’t move during the night and would go hide in tight spruce area. I used my climbing stand on the edge of a small clear cut facing a known bedding area. So around 9 am deer started to move. Saw 2 does with fawns and I passed 2 nice bucks, hey I hunt for trophy whitetail. Then at 11 am a spotted something a big dark color in the clear cut at 200 meters. I tough I would have to be a huge whitetail but it was a big moose. I finally took a shot and he did 40 meters.

So here’s the thing. A moose 48 inches wide, very big for the area, it took the whole night to bring him back to camp in -20 C. We cut the bull in 4 parts. We aged the meat, butchered our self and the meat is excellent. I cook some steak at work and no one complained. That moose was not in the rut first and I figure didn’t move for about 15 hours. He came in the clear cut for a lunch but I was there.

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/camp_11.jpg

Anyway my two pennies

Call of the Wild

[kennyj]

We've shot some small ones that were very good and some large ones that were very good.One of the best one's I've had was also the biggest,shot in the Atlin area.We de-bone all our moose right away and get it of the ground on a rack made of branches so it can cool completely the first night.With the bone in the quarters take a long time to cool and in mild weather will sour from the middle.We also age our meat for 7 to 10 days if possible.
Come to think of it,most of our moose have been shot in the afternoon so as '' Call of the Wild '' mentioned in the previous post they might be bettor then?
Ken

[CanuckShooter]

One thing I have noticed is that the early season bulls [August] seem to have more moisture in the meat....than bulls shot in late Oct/Nov...or even Dec like we did in the good old days.

[Jelvis]

If the moose doesn't know you are there and is relaxed, place bullet in the heart area, the boiler room. This will cause the moose to bleed out and when you get the blood out it tastes better. As you know once a moose is on the ground it makes for a lot of grunt work and bleeding out can be difficult.Spill the blood from the animal as much as you can for better taste. Jel drain

[greybark]

:smile: Raised on Moose in N Ontario and harvested moose over most of BC . Without a doubt the moose taken on rivers and lakes in central BC where water plants comprised most of their feed were the mildest and best .

[hunter1947]

It all depends on the age and how hard he has rutted ,as for the time of year you shoot it. I have had excelent eating meat fro a bull moose that had over a 50 inch spread and I shot this bull on the 15 of Aug ,it tasted as good as any animal I have eaten.http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif.