antelope

[muzz]

I have an antlerless antelope tag, Is there meat any good? What do i need to do o make sure i take care of it right? I have heard there is certian things to do to make sure tere not ruined.

O--one
B--big
A--ass
M--mistake
A--america

 

[ShowThemToMe]

You sure the HELL Ain't gonna shoot it for the head mount are you?

Carry a couple Big Coolers full of Ice while hunting!

If & When you shoot one,get it gutted,skinned,Quartered,stuffed full of Ice ASAP & then Haul Ass to the meat locker ASAP,You can Tag her later!





[font color=red size=redsize=18"face"]SHOW THEM TO ME![/font]
If You Love Your Country,SHOW THEM TO ME!


I've got Wild Honey Tree's and Crazy Little Weeds growin around my Shack!
These Dusty Roads ain't streets of gold but I'm happy right where I'm at!
All these Perty little Western Belles are a Country Boys Dream!
They ain't got Wings or MM Halo's but they sure look good to me!

 

[Broadside_Shot]

I turn my antelope into breakfast sausage. Very good.

 

[TOPGUN]

This year all but the backstraps on mine are going into salami. A guy near Worland, WY made 13 big sticks for me with last years goat for $50 and I'm on my last one now before heading out there in a few weeks.

 

[Cornhusker]

I eat mainly wild game deer, elk, various birds etc. my favorite of them all is antelope steaks. Just make sure you take care of it depending on the state I shoot one in and the temperature I may have it deboned and packed on ice in the cooler within an hour or two. I'm all out of antelope this year until Sept. 15th.

 

[elkfromabove]

Don't shot one that's been running! Bring an iced cooler. Skin one side with rubber/vinyl/latex gloves and avoid getting the hair on the meat, then quarter and backstrap that side and get the meat in the iced cooler. Then roll her over over and do the other side. DON'T GUT HER. And change gloves often! And get the meat to the butcher (or do it yourself) ASAP.

 

[tailchasers]

Nothing more to add really since everything of real importance has been said except don't drag for very much distance as the hide is rather thin and will taint the meat if broken through. We use a small sled to get them out of the field.

Not long ago I was skeptical about eating antelope too since I was treating them like a deer or elk. I asked around and got some great advise just like these MMers have posted in response and now I feel antelope is excellent table fair and we love the steaks. Just learn to never over cook meat too. Hope you enjoy.

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

 

[muzz]

Thanks guys, my hunt starts the same day as the utah open bull so im hopin its fairly cool. I planned on having a couple coolers ull of ice to put the meat on.
O--one
B--big
A--ass
M--mistake
A--america

 

[oilcan]

TOPGUN 13 sticks for $50 thats a heck of a deal.

 

[TOPGUN]

Yep, and that's why I'm going right back there this season. He also has many different seasonings you can pick from and I had him use a real mild one that turned out perfect for my taste. It was probably that price because I had done all the cutting myself and had all the meat in small enough chunks that all they had to do was toss it in the grinder and on into the casings, and then into the smoker. He put some pork in with it and I had it back and in the freezer at a friend's home out there in like 4 or 5 days. One that a friend had done like that at another place a couple years before that cost well over $100.

 

[chipc]

+1 to most everything thats been said. If you take care of it Antelope is as good as anything that walks !

 

[two7D]

Get the hide off and the meat on ice asap. I hear hunters all the time saying how horrible antelope meat is. They are the same hunters who drive around for hours with a whole antelope in the back of their truck in 90 degree heat. If you take care of the carcass you will have some great meat.

 

[kandrew]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-13-12 AT 07:50AM (MST)[p]+1 to what has been said already- to add... I bring a few extra heavy duty trash bags with me in my pack. I skin and bone out the meat (like it was mentioned before)- then put the meat in the plastic bags. I get to camp/truck as soon as possible and put the meat on ice. A couple of years ago I was stopped by a wyoming fish and game warden and he asked me if I was sage hen hunting- I told him I was antelope hunting and he proceeded to tell me where I could kill a big buck he had seen. I told him I had already killed a buck and he was in the back of my truck. He looked shocked- He said he had never seen a Utah hunter who took care of the meat like that- most put it in the back of the truck with the skin on and head home. I showed him the meat on ice, the cape on ice, and the horns in a plastic sack. He congradulated me on the kill and said he wished others knew how good antelope meat can be.(funny thing, he never checked for my tag or if my rifle was unloaded).
My kids and wife like antelope meat better than elk or deer. It is sweet and delicious and when cooked medium, it is juicy and succulent.

 

[30Hart]

Most important thing is what kind of country you shoot it in. If it lives and eats in and around wheat fields or other grass fields...it'll be some of the best tasting meat. On the other hand if its a desert antelope w/ nothing but sage and very little grasses available you'll need to make it into jerky, sausage or salami. I've found the old truth...you are what you eat applies to the animals we harvest and eat. I've had properly cared for elk steak that wasn't fit to feed the dog, but I've also had antelope that has been as good or better than prime elk steak. I'd say I've found that this really applies to antelope...I've killed over 30 head of them and its held true so far...good luck.

 

[mmwb]

+1 to getting it boned and on ice. Unlike 30hart, I've never had bad antelope, regardless of the forage. It is as good as any meat out there.

 

[littlejoe]

Personally I hate antelope meat unless it is made into jerky. As good as it gets then. Get it on ice as fast as possible is a must. If you can shoot one that has not run all over the world before she hits the ground will help as well from what I am told.

 

[mtmuley]

I've never put one on ice ASAP. Hell, I've killed them and just let them hang hide on till I got home, sometimes 3 or 4 days. (October in Montana is mostly chilly) Getting them cool is the trick. However you do it, get them cool. A buddy of mine once finished off a doe that had two legs shot out, and had run a long ways. We got her cooled down as fast as we could, and the meat was delicious. Just get them cool. mtmuley

 

[mmwb]

I don't know that the ice affects the flavor. I do find that the cooler the meat is and the sooner it makes the freezer, the better the texture. Antelope cooled too slowly or "aged" at all tends to be a bit mushy.