Good eating antelope

[Gr8bawana]

I have heard some people say that antelope are inedible which I think is a bunch of bull. I have been lucky enough to draw
3 antelope tags in NV since 1989. I've never had a bad one. My wife and I think they are the best eating. My last one had been feeding in an alfalfa field and that was the best one to date.
Do you guys that get to hunt antelope evey year agree or is it just that it take me so long to draw the tag?

 

[go_deep]

I've gotten one or two antelope every year for the last 4 years the only one that didn't taste great is the one that I didn't get the hide off soon enough, that was my fault though and it did still taste descent. None of the ones I've killed were any where near a field.

 

[lostriverproductions]

I think a lot of it has to do with how it was shot and then how it was immediately handled after the shot. I really enjoy the meat.

 

[ceby7]

I agree that antelope is at the top of my list of delectable table fare, absolutely love it! Anyone that says differently most likely failed somewhere in the meat handling/processing stage.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

I love antelope, it is one of our favorites. Years ago my mom would not touch venison due to a bad experience with a deer years before. We got her to try antelope and she loved it.

I think 90% of bad game comes from how it is handled. I once met a guy antelope hunting, he told me he had killed a doe but was still looking for another one. I looked in the back of his truck and there as a round bloated doe.....ungutted. If someone treated a beef like that it wouldn't be very good eating either. I don't understand that, the only reason you shoot does is for meat, so at least care for the meat.

Since most of our antelope hunts take place in the desert, we take a large ice chest loaded with ice. We gutless field dress, place the pieces in heavy garbage bags and immediately submerge them in ice to get a quick chill on it.

 

[libidilatimmy]

Antelope is one of my favorite wild game table-fare. I agree that it can get screwed up by not taking care of the meat properly after the kill, especially when you consider the temperatures that you encounter during the season. Getting the hide off quickly is a must, as is the initial cool down. I carry a large (120 qt) cooler with ice that the meat will go in immediately.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

It's very obvious that everyone here that's responded knows how to take care of the animal to get some good eating. Don't run them all over the county, get the hide off ASAP and the meat broken down and in a cooler and they are great. Anyone that would put an animal of any sort in the back or a truck and drive around with it before they field dress it should lose their license privileges!

 

[CrossCreeks]

I have killed a dozen Antelope and never had one that did not taste good and I haul them from Wyoming to Tennessee. As already stated it how you handle it after the kill. Any new recipes !

 

[Againstthewind]

Well, I think I have mentioned on here that antelope is not my favorite. I might have to give it another try next year with some of this advise. I had one bad one and the next ones have all been turned into sausage without even thinking about, or sometimes burger for chili which I do like quite a bit. I probably failed in the meat handling, but I don't remember what happened with that bad one. Deer and elk seem to have a little more room for error which is why I seem to like them better. I haven't tried that gutless quartering on an antelope yet, which might help me get it skinned and packed out on ice sooner which would help I am sure. Sometimes I have a what's over the next hill attitude hunting and end up way far from where I wanted. Then it takes me a long time to get the meat on ice, which is going to be my excuse for the meat. I am also pretty spoiled when it comes to meat, and I don't like bacon which means I am weird in general.

 

[JEandAsGuide]

I have been lucky enough to take 5 antelope in the last 2 years. All of which were cared for the same. Hide removed and meat deboned immediately. A couple of them took a little longer to get on ice due to how far I was from my truck while mule deer hunting with a antelope doe tag but never more than 3-4 hrs after the kill and all were in mid October so temps were a little cooler anyway. The first year we cooked some backstrap in camp on a Coleman stove with nothing special just seasoning and it was excellent. Well, the first time my wife cooked some at home it was HORRIBLE! We literally could not finish it. Every bite smelled like a nasty antelope. The next several times we ate it, I did the cooking and it was all good but since then she has cooked it the same way many times and it's always been good. I don't know what happened to that first pack of meat but something was wrong with it so I can definitely see how people develop a dislike for it. Antelope burgers have become our favorite!

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Don't like bacon or antelope! There's something definitely wrong with you boy, LOL!

 

[OldGuy]

The wife says antelope are the best, with elk a close 2nd and whitetail a distant 3rd. But as has been said, the hide needs to come off ASAP from antelope. I've taken them from sage-brush country and crop fields and its always been good eats.

All the best,

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

I am also pretty spoiled when it comes to meat, and I don't like bacon which means I am weird in general.

That IS funny. Bacon..what's life without bacon! Lol.

 

[PlainsHunter]

I'm new to antelope hunting and eating so I'don't have a ton of experience with it. My wife and I have shot 5 in the last 4 years and they all tasted ok. None of them had a really gamey flavor, but even when I grilled the backstrap medium rare it was still sort of tough. I tried this grilling on what I think was an old doe and maybe that was why, or maybe I'm jut not good at grilling them. All of them were gutless method and cooled off in ice within about 2 hours.

The sticks and sausage turned out great. I think the processor added bacon to them to make them awesome.............

 

[missjordan]

I love antelope burger but that's about it. It's amazingly good in spaghetti especially with alfredo sauce. I can never get antelope steaks to taste good so I've given up for now until I find a new recipe of some sorts.

 

[NevadaMuleys]

I was lucky enough to draw a antelope tag the first time i applied and all i can say is wow! I actually prefer the meat over mule deer. The one i got wasn't near a alfalfa field but we did gut him and put him on ice as soon as possible. He was pretty tasty! Can't wait to draw another tag and get some antelope steaks and salami.

 

[Musket Man]

ATW, if you ever had my homemade bacon you would like bacon

 

[gonhunting247]

I've had antelope from OR, WY, NV and MT all were really good, not as good as deer in IMO(deer is my favorite meat), but really good none the less. There is probably a lot of variables that effect the flavor of meat, but I agree that the very most important part is how you take care of your animals after the shot and on through the entire processing phase. I think this by far is really what makes the most difference!

 

[Againstthewind]

lol, I probably would like it. Do you smoke it? Homemade is always better after you get a process figured out. My wife likes to make BLT's and make the house house smell like bacon. Then she over-exaggerates how much she likes it to rub it in, so now I can't even admit to sneaking a piece every now and then because then she wins and I ain't having that. For revenge I make pancakes. For some reason pancakes are her gross out food. Maybe my processor put bacon in my antelope that didn't turn out so good. Probably trying to be nice and it back fired.

 

[Musket Man]

You dont like bacon, she dont like pancakes. What is wrong with you people? HAHA

I dry cure and smoke it. Its awesome. I didnt even like store bacon that much after I made it! lol