Damage Hunt

[robbi]

Anyone else get drawn for the damage hunt south of Great Falls the last couple of weekends?  I killed two cow elk last Saturday.  Meat in the freezer..........!!!

[Raquettedacker]

Welcome to the site Robbi....     Nice to have the freezer full...

[stka]

Welcome to the site robbi. How much meat do you get off a cow elk? You must have a bigger freezer than me  . I've been told from several people that elk taste better than whitetails.

[drobertsinMaryland]

Nice job robbi and welcome to the site.

I've been told from several people that elk taste better than whitetails.

They werent kidding.

[Raquettedacker]

I think Elk and Caribou are a tie for the best tasting meat....

[JayHelfrich]

Nice job.  I'm #36 on the list for south of Ennis.  I hope I get called up when I'm home and not at work in North Dakota.

As for the taste, my wife told me to quit bringing home deer before there was an elk in the freezer.  Elk and Buffalo are the two best wild meats I've had that weren't made into sausage.

Jay

[hooknhunter]

I've been told from several people that elk taste better than whitetails.

To me, they taste about the same.  Just a lot more of it.  They eat the same type of food.  Now Muley's are another matter all together.

[drobertsinMaryland]

Now Muley's are another matter all together.

Wonder if they taste like Sikas.

[JayHelfrich]

Mule deer can range from the best meat ever to the most rank cut of meat out there.  It all depends on the range that they have been feeding on and if they are rutting or not.  A grain or alfalfa field mule deer can be melt in your mouth but a old rutting sage brush and juniper eating buck can be hard to gut let alone bring home and eat.

Jay

[robbi]

Thanks for the welcome guys.........I've found both Ice Shanty and MyFishfinder to be informative and amusing so thought I'd try this one too. 
 
I think I got about 150-180 lbs off each elk.......We butchered one into nothing but roasts and burger and got 30 packages of roast ranging from 3-6 lbs and 20 packages of burger at about 2# each.  Then of course there were about 30 lbs of jerky meat.  All those are WAGS.........The other elk I'm having done at House of Meats in GF.  I don't know what I'm getting back yet, but they did call and say I had 70 lbs of trim for sausage and that I had lost some because I nicked the gut with my shot........

Other than Dall Sheep, Elk is probably the best meat I've had.   Whitetail is at the top of my list, but it doesn't measure up to elk in my book.  Of course many variables come into play, such as diet, was the adrenaline flowing when you pulled the trigger etc.........but overall, elk is wonderful meat and I feel blessed to have had the chance and to get to harvest two cows. 

You're right about mule deer Jay.......I've had both, just like antelope.......can be awesome or make ya hurl..........lol

As for freezer space, I went out and got another at an estate sale when I found out I drew the tag for the hunt.......that makes three I have.  I've got 5 deer tags, my fiance 2 and my daughter at least one......so gonna need some room.......LOL.

[zimmer2]

Anyone else get drawn for the damage hunt south of Great Falls the last couple of weekends?  I killed two cow elk last Saturday.  Meat in the freezer..........!!!

How are the poor wolves gonna survive if you keep taking away their dinner? I am #25 at helmville

[robbi]

LOL........Zim........never thought of the wolves.......how thoughtless of me!!........

[zimmer2]

Welcome to the forum robbi, kinda slow most of the time for Montana but there will be a few on here the next couple months. Good luck in general season!

[aquaassassin]

I would put Elk at the top of my Venison type meat list. I have had plenty of moose and whitetail and a fair amount of Elk and Caribou. Elk was by far my favorite. The one I had almost had like a sweetness to it with no game at all. Maybe just the one I had? Elk has my vote though. Never had Muley or any other white or Blacktail Subspecies....