so how does antelope taste ?

[splattermatic]

if all goes well, myself and friend will be going to wyo. for some doe's.
we know because of the heat to skin em and get em on ice asap.
i had goat some years ago, and as i remember, it didn't taste all that great........

hope it was just a bad experience...
so how does antelope taste ? secret recipes, soaking, marinade, etc ...???

 

[elkthumper]

Well, I'm not the expert on antelope hunting or butchering but I have a close friend has brought over some of the absolute best meat that I have ever had that was speedgoat.
He takes the hide of the meat immediately right in the field, quarters it, and puts it all in meat bags then gets it to the cooler asap. Be real carefull with all the sent glands, I understand the whole white rump area is a scent gland.
My wifes family used to have a ranch in Helena MT and they always had antelope in the freezer and she said the heart was the best part.
Have a good hunt.

 

[zuba]

I would highly recomend quartering, deboning and cooling it off asap. i've noticed iits a lot better when you remove as much of the silver-skin on the meat as you can...

 

[*Prairie Princess*]

Superb!!! Here in ND the antelope we harvest have not fed on sage though.
I have heard some people say that the sage gives it a bad taste. As far as field dressing them, Nate field dresses them and brings them home, hangs them up, skins them, takes out the tenderloins, then quarters them out, washes and rinses them a few times then lets them chill overnight in ice water.
The next day we cut steaks and roast and debone the rest. We put the deboned meat in zip lock bags and put in the freezer for when we grind after all the deer have been processed( we only like to have to clean the meat grinder once a year)

If we had a choice, we would choose antelope over any other meat, period.

The tenderloin is of course our favorite! juicy and can be cut with a fork.
I pan fry them in rice bran oil ( has a very high smoke point and is a healthy oil with hardly a hint of flavor)with Montreal steak seasoning. mmmm I think I'm going to dig out some chops for supper, all this is making my mouth water. (hunt. eat. sleep. repeat )
We never have had a hint of gamey flavor.... so far.

We also enjoy roast & burger. Nate and I bagged two last year and will defiantly try for more this year. Nate is hoping to go to Wyo. this year and is hoping to make one of his longest shots ever on a goat, if the conditions provide.


*Prairie Princess*

 

[esshup]

We hunted Wy. last year and took 2 goats. Here's what we did. We took 2 coolers filled with bagged ice. We didn't shoot any goats that were running fast, although we did take one that was herding does back together. We field dressed the first goat ASAP, then put it in the bed of the P.U. truck, skin on. We then filled the body cavity with ice and went hunting for the 2nd goat. We used a cooler full of ice (about 30# of ice for each goat) on each one. From shooting the first one to butchering them it was about 7 hrs in 80* temps. Both goats tasted great. The biggest thing was 1) don't shoot one that's been running full bore and 2) get them cooled down ASAP. My buddy shot his in the lungs and I took the top of the heart off of mine.

 

[bigngreen]

Goat is great if you get it skinned and cooled of as fast as possible. One of the places I hunt them I shoot, gut and through them in the creek with the hide on and wash them out and get water flowing through them then run to the house skin and cut all in one morning.
I've seen guys fill milk jugs and freeze them and use them inside the goat to get them cooled down.

 

[jmason]

so how does antelope taste ?

Like Chicken! Doesn't everything? Man I can't believe no one else jumped on that one. Good luck on them does!!

 

[Buffalobob]

I normally hunt public land which means the antelope have been feeding on sage brush, cactus and grass. They are not very tasty. The younger ones taste better than the older ones. Try to avoid shooting the old, bony, scrawny, granny does. You will see their ribs and hip bones sticking out and their hair will be real scruffy. Avoid the lead doe also as she didn't get to the top of the ladder by being meek and mild. My preference is a yearling.

My first option is to always give it away. The only people who you can give an antelope to are the nonresidents.

If I cannot give it away then I always debone the entire antelope on the day it is shot and bag it up and put it on ice. I am always a long ways from home so I have no use for hauling bones around and space is always at a premium. The interior of the hams cool down faster if they are deboned.

I carry a lot of 1 mil plastic tarps and freezer bags with me for cutting up animals.

Soaking the blood out of the meat for a couple of hours before cooking will improve the taste and odor. The Montreal steak seasoning is very good and I use peanut oil because it is easier to acquire on the road when far from home. Any Mexican recipe will disguise the taste. Tacos, chili, enchiladas etc are all good bets.

 

[Mr Humble]

I would agree with the suggestions for proper care in the previous posts.
Where I live is probably the largest Antelope migration route in Wyoming.
Oddly enough many of the native locals I know look down on Antelope as a game meat. After observing some of the "hunting" methods I have understood why. The season is in September (warm) and when you chase an animal in a pickup or ATV for several miles, then shoot it, do a rough gutting job, throw it in the back of a pickup unskinned and drive around a few hours in the sun, it is no surprise it may not taste good.
As well as post kill care, the hunting method can have, IMO, an effect on meat quality. Probably 75% of the Antelope I have taken never knew I was there as they were either ambushed or taken by spot and stalk using wind, camo and cover. The long shot is also a rarity. In the last 10 years my longest shot was 352 yards, most under 150 and the last at 40.I use TSX or TTSX and shoot through both shoulders when possible. I'll trade a few pounds of shoulder meat for an instant death with no tracking. This combined with the good fortune of having an excellent public hunting area one mile from my home, a good hunting buddy and his toboggan (works great on Sage) allows us to have the animal gutted, skinned and in the cooler very quickly. While Elk is still top on my tablefare list, I'll take a "lope" over a deer any day.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Grain fed, best meat you can get. Prairie, sage fed, hit and miss. Good field practice helps.

Steve

 

[cinch]

Mark, They aren't the best. Like Jim said, make chili, sausage, salami, or something else that is highly spiced. If you can get one thats been eating alfalfa or good grass, they really aren't bad. They could be within 10 feet of a hayfield and still eat sagebrush. Like everyone says, field care is going to help the most. Shoot it right, skin it, and cool it down. There isn't much meat on one.

 

[UNCLE BILL]

Great!!

MY son and I have hunted Wyoming antelope for 21 of the past 23 years. That equates to 42 buck antelope and many many doe antelope.

After skinning our first two kills on a sheet of plywood we developed the lope rack. a metal frame with 2x4 top rails to hang the critters for skinning, washing and bagging.

Only one time in all those years did we have to hurry our kills to a commercial butcher due to very high temperatures and we were staying over to hunt deer.

We cut up our own animals and have three basic cuts, steaks, roasts and stew. Jr and a helper bring each animal in to the kitchen from our well insulated shop. Jr breaks it down into quarters and back straps, I bone it out, trim off all fat and damaged areas, Gordo is the package man.

FIT FOR A KING!! Antelope back straps cut into "butterfly" shapes. Covered in flower, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc and browned in bacon fat. Topped with sauted onions, green peppers and bits of bacon....FANTASTIC!!

I also make a mean antelope stew," two beer stew", one for the cook and one for the stew! Plus a bean bash with antelope bits and three different kinds of beans..good stuff.

In 2008 our group brought home four bucks and nine doe, almost all are consumed.

Bill

 

[Buffalobob]

Where do you hunt, Bill?

I have a good deal for you!!!!

 

[Mr Humble]

IME best areas are 87, 88, 89 & 90