Moose Meat By Sub-Species

[hunt1up]

My two hunting buddies and I were fortunate enough to bring home a load of tasty Alaska moose meat this past September. We've all agreed that that old bull is by far the best game meat we've eaten. Better than whitetail, antelope, mule deer(no surprise there).

I was curious if the Shiras or Canadian meats are on par with the AK/Yukon moose? About the same? Better or worse?

 

[NUGGET]

The reason why a cut of tastes the way it does has too many variables. There’s really no answer to your question.

 

[justin davis]

Yea. Have had 2 shiras moose here in Colorado. And it’s very fine eating. Very lean. Leaner than other wild game.

 

[Hoot]

Elk is still my favorite, but the front shoulder I had from helping pack out a friends bull was excellent, and the steaks that we had in celebration were so so good.

 

[Jim1187]

No other deer species native to NA I'd rather eat than moose from any part of NA. I've eaten moose from the Yukon, NWT, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and New Brunswick. Age, diet and handling after the shot has been a bigger part than location in taste. New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have been slightly better but that is probably because of rapid recovery, cooling and access to professional butchering set ups.

 

[hunt1up]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. It makes sense that many variables would change the taste, as with any hunting scenario. My bull was shot, quartered, and hanging very quickly. It then hung for one cool day and the next day was at the processor.

I'll likely have a cow Shiras tag in the very near future, hence my curiosity.

 

[Laramie]

Like elk, some moose are better than others. I have had some Shiras that were pretty tough and a bit strong flavored. IMO, we are very good with in field care as well as processing to make sure we have the best meat possible. Some are simply better than others.

Another consideration -An animal's diet impacts the flavor of it's meat. For example, a mule deer harvested from Nebraska tastes different than a high mountain mule deer from Wyoming. I'm sure moose is no different. Alaska forage isn't Wyoming forage so I would expect some difference in taste.

All of that said, I haven't ever had a bad moose. Even the tough ones with a stronger flavor were excellent.

 

[NotsofarOutWest]

The bull my father-in-law took in Alberta last fall is absolutely fantastic. I haven't messed it up yet (and that's saying something)!

 

[Short Track]

My Moose isn't so good. Tough old cow.

 

[Zzyzx]

UT cow shiras was best game meat I've ever had. Every cut. She was older and dry that year.

I have a VT moose tag next month so will hopefully be reporting back soon on how an old eastern bull moose compares.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

My freezer is full of amazing, well butchered and properly cared for moose. Life is good.

 

[Raymond4496]

Moose meat is one of the best wild meat out there.

 

[ao3004]

It definitely varies animal to animal. A non rutting bull moose is excellent meat. We add beef fat to about a 90/10 mix. Musk ox imo is the best game meat I have head though.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

I’ve killed a fair number of Alaskan moose over the past 15 years, from a couple local bow-kill yearling fork-horns, a 3-4 year old paddle bull off the Koyukuk, couple mature bulls from mid-interior, and 5 bulls from far northwest of the state including two that were very old, and on the backside of their glory days. From what I’ve experienced, they are all wonderful table fare of good flavor if properly cared for even as that start into the rut. The youngsters are certainly way more tender, even tougher parts are cuttable with a fork. On the big. Dudes, choice cuts are still tender, which is perfect for our household as we use more stew and burger anyway.

One of these days I’d like to do a late season hunt just for the full rut experience, but curious how welll they taste by mid-October. Even by the end of regular season when they really start running cows, they are pretty bathed up in their own urine, so field care is priority when caring for the meat. Do that right and you’ll be rewarded.

 

[Short Track]

What do you do with the round steaks ?

 

[Wallace]

Moose is my favorite behind elk. I've only had one from NF, so I can't comment about others.

We have moose burgers at least once a week.

 

[Jim1187]

What do you do with the round steaks ?

Either low and slow cooking like you would most other tough cuts or ground and used for burger or sausage.

 

[5MilesBack]

Other than size, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference in the meat between my Shiras and an elk. Looks the same, tastes the same, smells the same, and outside of the tenderloins and backstrap is just as tough as a big bull elk. So I ground most of it.

 

[SaltySailor]

My Moose isn't so good. Tough old cow.

Did you let it hang? I hear some people complain of tough meat from moose, then they inform me they shot it, took it home, and cut it up/dropped at processor immediately. I try to hang meat for at least 5 days if the conditions allow.

 

[Bear7771]

Shiras moose is very tough but not gamey at all. Just have to slow cook it in a crockpot or something like it. FYI I have a home built cooler and hang everything for at least a week before cutting