Giant Moose??

[CanuckShooter]

I've been watching WildTV and some of those moose those fellows get are giants in the moose world. The largest I've ever taken was 53" and he was still good eating. I am wondering if those giant 70" + bulls are still good eating or are they just good for burger and sausage??

Has anyone got a story of a 70+ to relate?

[timberhunter]

Quality of the meat more depends on the stress level of the animal when it is taken. And how the meat is taken care of after the animal is down on the ground.

I do remember a story my hunting partners dad used to say.
"It had great big horns, but when you cooked it even the gravy was tough" :)

[evhunter]

Diet, time of the year, age and condition of the animal (general health) as well as body size (mass) all contribute to the quality of meat, before we even come in to the picture. Young, small, early fall animal will be hard to beat!

[Movingdirt]

Quality of the meat more depends on the stress level of the animal when it is taken. And how the meat is taken care of after the animal is down on the ground.

Wrong!!!!!

[Bighorn hunter]

Quality of the meat more depends on the stress level of the animal when it is taken. And how the meat is taken care of after the animal is down on the ground.

Wrong!!!!!

I gotta question your reasoning here? How you take care of the meat before butchering is a huge factor IMO

[hunter1947]

I gotta question your reasoning here? How you take care of the meat before butchering is a huge factor IMO

I couldn't area more with your post..

[835]

No,, Moving dirt you are wrong. If you dont agree with Timber hunter i would not like to see what you bring home.
Although i think what CS was getting at was how tough are thoes 70" moose.
And Evhunter your right as well. There are many things that contribute to meat quality, but only half we can help with. In my opinion that half the one we do is by far the most important.

Although i think what CS was getting at was how tough are thoes 70" moose.

[srupp]

biggest has been 58" or so..never a 60" but some huge bodied bulls,,,so far nary a tough one....

Steven

[Hunt'n Guide]

Nothing over 70", but lots in the 60-70" that were all good eating. I agree with whoever said diet is important. All of our big bulls spend the summer eating willow and never leave their feeding grounds. No work and good forage equals tasty but not tough big bulls.

[Big Lew]

Shot an above average, large-bodied bull first day of hunting season just north of Bridge Lake just before the rut (it was with another the same size). Gutted it, cut it in half, had a terrible time fitting it into the truck canopy, and then rushed to a private butcher in Lone butte where everyone pitched in to skin it etc. and then into his cooling locker. Of all the moose I've shot, it was the best and tastiest. It had been hanging out in the willow swamps and logging slashes all summer. I can only conclude then, not letting anything contaminate the meat, especially open cuts and wounds, getting it cooled down quickly, and proper cooling temperature and aging before processing makes a huge difference.

[Amphibious]

the more relaxed and unaware the animal is when you shoot it, the better it's going to taste. the quicker the kill, the less stress you put on the animal. the less adrenaline is flowing and the least amount of lactic acid in the muscles is being produced. the quicker you can get to the animal and get it dressed and cooled down is a big factor. all of these things directly affect the taste and quality of the meat.

[Moose72]

I've called in a TON of moose and we do get the odd chewy one. Kinda thinking the adrenaline has a BIG part in the flavor and the quality of meat. (chewy) The same as a Muley buck in the rut, if it's fighting with another buck just let it go cuz ya wont be able to eat it. (stinky)

[IronNoggin]

Not the magical 70" mark, but close at 68+"...

This is going back quite a spell, when I was actually considered a young man (or testosterone fueled Idjut depending on your point of view :mrgreen:)...

Used to hunt the Cumberland Delta back in those days, had one of the highest concentrations of Canada Moose in the country back then (before the folks at Cumberland House discovered M1's and cases of surplus military ammo that is :cry:).

The hunt in question took place well post-rut, as we were operating off snow machines (legal back then) to scour the Delta. Already had 2 down and dealt with one late afternoon, when I happened across a set of dinner-platter tracks wandering onto one of the many islands, and not wandering off. Set up the Ambush Arists, and went in slow on this fellow. Got about 150 yards into the bush, when the Biggie rose from his bed at 75 yards. So huge he spooked me, and I immediately took cover putting a tree between us. He wasn't spooked, just had his radar suggest something wasn't quite right, and was peering around sleepily when the 150 grain 270 pill hit him in the neck. Down, and right back up! WTF?? Another into the same spot, and down for the count. Took 4 machines to get him moving out of there after gutting, and 3 to haul him across the ice back to the rigs. Hide was ripped before it froze, quartered and cooled (not tough at minus 25!), then loaded and transported home.

He was unusually tough to butcher, like sawing through leather every step of the process. When we tried some of the "tenderloin" it was anything BUT! Flavor was alright, but you had to chaw forever to break it down. Two years later I was still trying to give away the burger that he was eventually all made into. Turned out OK for sausage - after double grinding that is.

This one was dropped right in his tracks, well looked after, skinned and cooled quickly. And he was the toughest damn animal i've ever had the misfortune to harvest! Kinda turned me off the Big Fellows, and I've never taken another even close in size since.

All of that translates to my humble opinion that sometimes the big old mature bulls can be downright boot leather regardless of how well you do your job.

Cheers,
Nog

[Moose72]

Very very true.

[CanuckShooter]

Not the magical 70" mark, but close at 68+"...

This is going back quite a spell, when I was actually considered a young man (or testosterone fueled Idjut depending on your point of view :mrgreen:)...

Used to hunt the Cumberland Delta back in those days, had one of the highest concentrations of Canada Moose in the country back then (before the folks at Cumberland House discovered M1's and cases of surplus military ammo that is :cry:).

The hunt in question took place well post-rut, as we were operating off snow machines (legal back then) to scour the Delta. Already had 2 down and dealt with one late afternoon, when I happened across a set of dinner-platter tracks wandering onto one of the many islands, and not wandering off. Set up the Ambush Arists, and went in slow on this fellow. Got about 150 yards into the bush, when the Biggie rose from his bed at 75 yards. So huge he spooked me, and I immediately took cover putting a tree between us. He wasn't spooked, just had his radar suggest something wasn't quite right, and was peering around sleepily when the 150 grain 270 pill hit him in the neck. Down, and right back up! WTF?? Another into the same spot, and down for the count. Took 4 machines to get him moving out of there after gutting, and 3 to haul him across the ice back to the rigs. Hide was ripped before it froze, quartered and cooled (not tough at minus 25!), then loaded and transported home.

He was unusually tough to butcher, like sawing through leather every step of the process. When we tried some of the "tenderloin" it was anything BUT! Flavor was alright, but you had to chaw forever to break it down. Two years later I was still trying to give away the burger that he was eventually all made into. Turned out OK for sausage - after double grinding that is.

This one was dropped right in his tracks, well looked after, skinned and cooled quickly. And he was the toughest damn animal i've ever had the misfortune to harvest! Kinda turned me off the Big Fellows, and I've never taken another even close in size since.

All of that translates to my humble opinion that sometimes the big old mature bulls can be downright boot leather regardless of how well you do your job.

Cheers,
Nog


That's what I was wondering.....those BIG OLD bulls over 70" must be tough to pack those huge antlers around. Biggest reported so far is 68" and came in tough!!! My biggest is way smaller than the target, but he was mighty fine eating pre-rut moose. I had a bad moose once years ago...he was all adrenalined up from swimming a lake and he was a fork horn, so I know that can mess up the meat!!

[Big Lew]

"IronNoggin," some of those huge older bulls are constantly fighting and chasing during the rut, which toughens and muscles them up. It would be interesting to know if your animal would have been more eatable if you had shot it well before the rut, or if it was just an ornery, tough old bugger like some of the old heirford range bulls.

[835]

I kinda think once your tough your tough.
I cant see these animals being much different from Aug to october (toughness only not flavor).

If you go to the gym hard for 1 month and then stop it doesnt chance your muscle structure much.
no way to proove it, but my opinion is when a moose is tough its tough and age does that.

my stats on moose 8 killed biggets is 40" none tough, dad whacked a 45 or so last season and it is tough. These moose are PG and Caribou moose not the big norhthern mega bulls.

[1899]

Just because an animal has a 70" rack doesn't mean itis old, it is probably in its prime. The older ones will start to regress with their antler size. I agree with the general statements regarding care of shot/kill and post kill actions, and how that affects meat quality.

[proguide66]

I'm not sure if width effects taste er not,haha...:razz:
I honestly do not know how many moose I have been responsible for being harvested but can tell you 95% of em were very large and rutting like crazy. I have fed off 1 er 2 of em every year for YEARS and havent had a bad one.
Moose fur is very thick in places as well the hide. Moose left over night for next day recovery can spoil and fur slip VERY easily.
EVERY animal I harvest has the hide off and quartered within an hr of the recovery and has resulted in good eats every time.
Every time I see a pic of a moose whole in a truck or quarters hanging or halves hanging with fur on I cringe as its the #1 reason you get a nasty one!

[Foxton Gundogs]

No,, Moving dirt you are wrong. If you dont agree with Timber hunter i would not like to see what you bring home.
Although i think what CS was getting at was how tough are thoes 70" moose.
And Evhunter your right as well. There are many things that contribute to meat quality, but only half we can help with. In my opinion that half the one we do is by far the most important.

Although i think what CS was getting at was how tough are thoes 70" moose.

Years ago "cow" season used to be the last few weeks of the season. My Grandfather was a meet hunter and he always waited till then to take his moose. I was about 10 or so and we were hunting out near Grassy Plains. Gramps spies a nice big cow in some willow about 250 yards up comes the '06, down goes the moose. We could smell it before we got to where it had died dead in its trcks never knew what hit it. BIG OLD STINKY bull 1 antler was missing completely the offside one was broke off near the thick base.. Dad Gramps and my Uncle dressed the beast out processed the meat and after the appropriate hanging time turned the whole thing into burger and stew( I learned to hate hamburger that winter). All except for 1 huge roast they donated to a wild game banquet. I was to young but the family adults attended that banquet and all said the roast from the old bull was a fine tender peace of meat. Hence I must believe that lack of stress and proper handeling goes a long way and Have always tried to be sure of both in my kills.

[835]

Ya Foxton, Sometimes you just get the wrong animal! That is why i say "Your part" in the handeling of the animal is the most important, It is the only one you can change after you pull the trigger.

I have grown up on moose, like many here. I just dont remember too many or any bad ones. Dad always did his best with the meat, leaving early if needed and all that. So my thoughts are You cant change the enviornment the moose lives in or how it lived but you can keep it clean and cool it down.

[835]

I'm not sure if width effects taste er not,haha...:razz:
I honestly do not know how many moose I have been responsible for being harvested but can tell you 95% of em were very large and rutting like crazy. I have fed off 1 er 2 of em every year for YEARS and havent had a bad one.
Moose fur is very thick in places as well the hide. Moose left over night for next day recovery can spoil and fur slip VERY easily.
EVERY animal I harvest has the hide off and quartered within an hr of the recovery and has resulted in good eats every time.
Every time I see a pic of a moose whole in a truck or quarters hanging or halves hanging with fur on I cringe as its the #1 reason you get a nasty one!


Its interesting PG that you havent mentioned a tough one. Im sure in your line of work you have partook in a few big moose!

[THE BEAST]

if found that it doesn't mater how old or young the animal is it matershow long you or your butcher hangs it for.



THE BEAST

[quadrakid]

I,ve yet to find a moose that is tough after spending the day in the slow cooker.

[bear buster]

Shot second last day of season, at about 80 yards...bang----flop. with a quick follow up to the noggen. He stunk something fierce! Me and dad had a tough time with just the 2 of us, dad was never a antler hunter, meat hunter only, he was so pissed when we were skinning and gutting ol stinky, moose was still in cooler inside of 3 hours, shot 25 min from town!...but ya know what it was just as good as a august bull. I do must like the august hunt and get them smaller2 or 3 year olds that have been eating canola for 2 months. It all comes down to the quick clean kills, good clean gut, skin jobs, and quick cooling...here is the big guy, just a touch over 64..
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/263130_10150295297934673_774369672_8997542_8031462 _n.jpg

[Ltbullken]

The health of the animal is really important. Usually a big animal with great antlers and big blocky body is 'on the mend', rancher talk for healthy. Therefore, good eatin'. I've never really had bad moose. Most important is how you handle it in the field. The sooner you dress it, skin it and cool it the better. Cleaning it of dirt and hair is also critical. Get it hanging quick and cleaned up and your moose should be fine. If it's warm out, you really want to get it in a cooler asap. Though I gotta admit, my immature bull last season was probably the BEST wild game I've ever had!

[ratherbefishin]

I don't know but with beef you wouldn't pick out the biggest, oldest bull if you wanted prime steaks and roasts.My father used to make meat pies-and he deliberately bought ''bully beef''-for the flavour ,but he pressure cooked it all first before making it into meat pies.Seems to me if you wanted a prime bull for the table a 3 or 4 year old ,with a nice black coat would be a good choice.Put him right down,gut and get the hide off,keep the carcass clean and cooled down asap and hang for a couple of weeks and I think that would be about the best you could do.I know I'm very happy with our bull we got last October-couldn't be better

[west250]

I'm not sure if width effects taste er not,haha...:razz:
I honestly do not know how many moose I have been responsible for being harvested but can tell you 95% of em were very large and rutting like crazy. I have fed off 1 er 2 of em every year for YEARS and havent had a bad one.
Moose fur is very thick in places as well the hide. Moose left over night for next day recovery can spoil and fur slip VERY easily.
EVERY animal I harvest has the hide off and quartered within an hr of the recovery and has resulted in good eats every time.
Every time I see a pic of a moose whole in a truck or quarters hanging or halves hanging with fur on I cringe as its the #1 reason you get a nasty one!

Had 2 in the truck 2 years ago (whole) that were shot at last light the previous evening, cleaned out and propped open before leaving. Brought them back to camp whole and it took a day and a half (took get them out of the bush, back to camp, skinned out and hung). Meat was excellent! It was pretty cold out which was most important...

I think the care of the meat and the age of the animal are the big factors. Think nice young steer compared to a dried up dairy cow: one's butchered up into tasty bits, while the other one's ground into burger.

[Ltbullken]

There have been numerous threads about hanging of wildgame and affect on taste. Some say hang it long, some say hang just long enough to cool internal temp and into the freezer. I am of the later group. I have had 2 meatcutters tell me that wildgame dries out quicker than domestic because domestic is covered with a good layer of fat that keeps it from drying out too fast. If the game dries out, it takes on gamey taste, looses volume and the dried covering needs to be trimmed. That dried surface adds gamey taste. I have had no issues with flavour or tenderness when cooled and into the freezer within, say, 4 or 5 days. This is a thread unto itself!!

[Ltbullken]

I'm not sure if width effects taste er not,haha...:razz:
I honestly do not know how many moose I have been responsible for being harvested but can tell you 95% of em were very large and rutting like crazy. I have fed off 1 er 2 of em every year for YEARS and havent had a bad one.
Moose fur is very thick in places as well the hide. Moose left over night for next day recovery can spoil and fur slip VERY easily.
EVERY animal I harvest has the hide off and quartered within an hr of the recovery and has resulted in good eats every time.
Every time I see a pic of a moose whole in a truck or quarters hanging or halves hanging with fur on I cringe as its the #1 reason you get a nasty one!

Time is critical! I shot a moose last year at 0930. He was gutted and propped open by 1015. Back to camp for breaky, link up with hunt partner, back out to the carcass, cleared path and had moose dragged out by quad and into the truck bed by 1200. Skinned, cleaned and quartered in the cooler by 1415. Back to camp, 6 beers down range by 1900!! :D

[TheProvider]

You gotta think also. Hunters shooting monster bulls for shows or movies aren't worried about the meat. They want the giants antlers and "records". Most the meat I beleive is donated to local villages and food banks. That being said it does depend on the stress level, its diet, how you care for the meat. Many factors. I've bumped into hunters who don't even care about steaks or roasts. Turn there whole animal into pepporni's and sausage so to them it doesn't matter. I have an unle who prefers tougher meat, likes to chew it lots says you get more flavor that way.

[mrak]

here is one for ya shot a good size bull 100 mile area day before going out of town hung in shop over night after clean up got up early wrapped in shinkwrap into freezer with boards between the quarters got back 8 weeks later thawed out then cut and wrap. um um um it was tender .

[pappy]

I had a moose hanging for a couple of days in average northern sept temps and drove back to the island with the quarters on ice under a 12 foot boat. Total time before hanging at the butchers was four days. It turned out really good as we quartered it, skinned it and washed the stray fur and dirt off the meat as soon as possible. Measured just over 41"

[BigBear.338]

i got a 60" last fall,best moose ever. north of fort nelson area,it was a big alaskan 1500 lbs ,thing about moose, that people some times over look is futher south the moose take alot longer to reach maturity.my moose i know for a fact was around 4 .5 yrs old. food and vegetatian play a big role in body size,up north they have a lot of willow,southern area's not as much.check my avatar thats the monster from last year,it makes me look small and im 6'6 300+lbs.also lots of people mention adrenaline,faster dead,better meat.i always try to put two shoots in.this is just what i know ,and i have taken several others.:-D

[ratherbefishin]

One of the reasons I don't hunt the early moose season is being on the island I'm a long way from home and without a refrigeration trailer the logistics of cooling meat and getting it to the butcher are just too big a risk of losing the meat.By October, the weather has generally turned cooler,and the chances of putting quality meat on the table are better

[proguide66]

i got a 60" last fall,best moose ever. north of fort nelson area,it was a big alaskan 1500 lbs ,thing about moose, that people some times over look is futher south the moose take alot longer to reach maturity.my moose i know for a fact was around 4 .5 yrs old. food and vegetatian play a big role in body size,up north they have a lot of willow,southern area's not as much.check my avatar thats the monster from last year,it makes me look small and im 6'6 300+lbs.also lots of people mention adrenaline,faster dead,better meat.i always try to put two shoots in.this is just what i know ,and i have taken several others.:-D
Free piece of freindly knowledge:-D , A very knowlegable wildlife bio who has passed on now shared much learned knowledge with me handfull of years back.
He told me of a biological term called ' Bergmans Law' wich is the relation to body mass wich is proportionate to the more northern hemisphere.Proven- the farther north you go the larger the body mass in ungulates as they need this mass to survive the harsh cold. The farther south you go,the same ungulates have a much smaller body size.
Example , northern whitetail and mule deer tipping the scales to at times 400lbs. as opposed to a large mature whitey in southern Texas tipping scales at 140lbs.
Northern alaskan moose regularly weighing in over 2 grand , southern Shiras moose around 800lbs ect ect...
Southern US elk hunters are as well comonly in awe at our northern elk body mass as opposed to their regular sized elk down south ( even though our northern elk antlers are on the small size.
:mrgreen:

[1899]

Free piece of freindly knowledge:-D , A very knowlegable wildlife bio who has passed on now shared much learned knowledge with me handfull of years back.
He told me of a biological term called ' Bergmans Law' wich is the relation to body mass wich is proportionate to the more northern hemisphere.Proven- the farther north you go the larger the body mass in ungulates as they need this mass to survive the harsh cold. The farther south you go,the same ungulates have a much smaller body size.
Example , northern whitetail and mule deer tipping the scales to at times 400lbs. as opposed to a large mature whitey in southern Texas tipping scales at 140lbs.
Northern alaskan moose regularly weighing in over 2 grand , southern Shiras moose around 800lbs ect ect...
Southern US elk hunters are as well comonly in awe at our northern elk body mass as opposed to their regular sized elk down south ( even though our northern elk antlers are on the small size.
:mrgreen:

True - and the reason is pretty neat too - The larger the mass of the animal, the smaller the surface area per unit of mass. So the smaller southern animals are better able to dissipate the heat, while the larger northern animals are better able to retain heat. Both are obviously advantages with respect to climate.

[ytlogger]

Yep, Alaska-Yukon Moose will be younger-for-size than other sub-species. Other than that the same factors apply when it comes to meat quality, as with any other critter.