What is the best tasting critter?

[BlackICE]

To me coons taste like pork. There is a gland that looks like a kidney bean in both front arm pits you cut out and trim the fat. Then I boil them till the meat is failing off the bone. Scrap the meat off into a bowl and mix in our favorite barbecue sauce then in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes to thicken it up then on hamburger buns with a dill pickle. It is like the most tender melt in your mouth pulled pork sandwich you ever ate.

Gland removal.

 

[Chief55]

The best of every game I have had was when I was stationed in Oregon. I liked the elk better than deer. But the spring time black bears tasted the best. Like they were marinated in black berries and raspberries, a bit chewy but oh so sweet. I also love squirrel but I would rather clean a rabbit. A lot of game depends on what part of the country you get it from, and because of that, what it normally is eating. I am sure that the meat and fat takes on some flavor from what they have been eating. Like jack rabbits have a strong taste of sage so they are good to grind up with some pork to make a breakfast sausage and just do not add any sage to it. Any meat can be made to taste good by turning it into sausage. I believe a lot of the game in Northern states taste better than say what is found in Florida because of being corn fed and the white oaks are sweeter and the water is better. Most of the water in the south has a lot of tannin in it and possibly some sulfur and the water oak acorns are full of tannin. It makes a difference to me.

 

[bowwild]

Not on the list, but great:

1. walleye
2. crappie
3. bluegill

 

[Chuck-in-Ohio]

Muskrats and Woodchucks.

Often overlooked, but the young ones are very tasty.

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

Can't speak to most of these, but squirrels that hang around walnut trees are awfully tasty. Any way you cook them.

 

[rcs9250]

Cooked/roasted rabbit, ducks and geese, and boar for osso buco, bacon and sausages. ah yes the goat...
I don't eat deer way to dry, but moose is fine.

Venison backstrap or tenderloin. As good as any steak you could ever eat. Prepared via sous vide immersion cooker.
Perfection. My deer from a couple weeks ago.

 

[frankie]

How many chipmunks does it take to make a meal? I mean is each one a single bite? That's a lot of skinning and cleaning............

Chipmunk nuggets

 

[Chuck-in-Ohio]

Best use of a chipper would be as a garnish.
Maybe throw one in the stew pot, like a bay leaf?

 

[maxtrouble]

Rabbit. Tastes a lot like chicken. Easy to hunt once there is snow on the ground. Yell really loud and you can slay a rabbit. Unless it has sharp, pointy teeth. Then 'ware the animal unless you have a Holy Hand Grenade.

 

[beerthief]

I guess it depends upon which animal(s) you’re asking. I don’t think humans eat some of those. For me, none of the above. Moose meat was the best to me. Hands down. A cut of moose steak, grilled over a wood embers. And where’s venison? How did deer not make the list?

pests were the subject i think

 

[JimD]

The only rabbit I've taken with an air rifle weighed 3 lbs and got cooked like I cook squirrel. An hour steamed in the pressure pot. It came out tougher than the squirrel. It was probably overcooked. I cook dove with the squirrel too and it's a little tough coming out too. But squirrels need the hour steamed. Then I pluck the meat off the bone and put on bbq sauce. I will be having some for dinner tonight. With mac and cheese and some brocolli. Front legs on a squirrel are hardly worth the effort to clean or eat but back legs and back are definitely worth it. I only keep the legs and back part of the back.

I've had rabbit, elk, wild boar chilli, and deep fat fried rattle snake in resteraunts but I don't think it's the same as wild game. The snakes might have been wild but I suspect others were made fatter like they do cattle right before they are harvested. Wild game is leaner. Deep fat fried rattle snake tasted a bit like lobster.

 

[AmosBurton]

I've only had squirrel and rabbit off that list.

I prefer squirrel, at least here, because they are mostly eating acorns and hickory nuts before/during the hunting season.
That being said, they are a pain to take off the bone. I think I need to try them fried and eat them like chicken wings.

I've never shot a raccoon. Jury's still out on that taste test for me....

I just can't bring myself to shoot a crow, for me they are too smart to kill, let alone eat. Did you know they can mimic like a parrot? Once saw a crow that said Hello. My friend told me about it and I thought it was complete but it was true.

I've never even seen a Magpie.

Chipmunks are just too small to even consider and it would take forever for me to get enough for a meal. Maybe they'd be good as meat on a stick appetizers?

Gopher is another animal I've never seen. I bet it tastes a little like squirrel?

I've also never had boar. I suppose that will change when they make it up this far in IL. I can and can't wait on that one...

 

[Motorhead]

ELK ... SQUAB / Dove ... Grouse / Chuckar

 

[Northwoods22]

I'm up in Northern Maine. My favorites are venison, moose, and partridge.

 

[MountainGhost]

Panty Fish, nuff said.

 

[BigVitamin]

I’ve definitely eaten crow many times in my life, Just not the bird.

 

[Privateer]

Panty Fish, nuff said.

Not a good idea to choot that with an AirGun.

 

[Airgun561]

I wanted to try one of the squirrels running around in the back yard the other day but i saw a youtube video saying some could carry disease etc..How can you tell if its safe to eat?

 

[Ezana4CE]

I wanted to try one of the squirrels running around in the back yard the other day but i saw a youtube video saying some could carry disease etc..How can you tell if its safe to eat?

@Airgun561 Just about any animal can carry some sort of disease. Ground squirrels are said to carry the bubonic plague. I've eaten my fair share of tree squirrels without issue. I look at the overall appearance of the animal (fur, eyes, the way it moves or acts), then once I've killed it, I inspect the organs when gutting the animal (mainly the liver and kidneys). of course you want to be on the lookout for worms or parasites. When viewing the organs if there are strange spots or if the color is off (liver and kidneys should be a deep uniformed red color almost purplish red) I'd refrain from eating that animal. It's helpful to look up storage findings online to learn more about the animals so you'll have abetter idea of what's what if you encounter something on more than one occasion. If hunting and the animal is behaving strangely, I won't shoot it unless it appears to be suffering. Just some tips.

 

[AmosBurton]

Tree squirrels can have tularemia, which is no more dangerous than trichinosis or salmonella.
Trichinosis is worse than tularemia, bad example, it's just well known.

Edit: As with any cooking, proper handling and cooking should take care of any issues