Hey guys, Headhunter here.

[buffalocannon]

Brent, I understand, believe me, I do. And antelope is a good eat too, at least from around the Baggs area it is. Good luck in your future hunts.

[Stephen Borud]

I got real lucky this year, I have never been able to draw 2 elks tags in my unit 2 years in a row, it usually every 3 years, the antelope on the other hand is not to hard to draw if your willing to hunt doe's, which I am happy doing, like in the Baggs area, the antelope around Lysite are good eating, I think it has to do with how good the water is they are drinking and of course what they are eating.

Stephen

[Gussy]

I got drawn for a meat hunt. Antlerless Elk, muzz ldr in Dec/Jan. Didn't get the big bull tag and got my second choice on the drawing.

The good part is some fine eating. Haven't had the ML out for several years. Probably will use the .50 Browning mountain rifle.
Gus

[rdnck]

Brent--When it comes to getting out of town and finding greener grass to hunt in, the greenest grass and the tastiest steaks are in Africa, for sure and certain. But then, you already knew that... Shoot straight, rdnck

[Brent]

Yeah, although I'm not so sure that a good pronghorn or elk suffers in comparison to anything in Africa. But I will say, I have not yet had Eland though I have killed one. And warthogs are just plain special, on the hoof or on the table.

Had my heart set on spending a week pickin' and choosin' and playin' around with antelope in Wyoming this year though. Was going to experiment with flagging just for fun and take my time. Most of my pronghorn hunts were of the whack-stack-and-run variety - 2-3 days at most.

It is looking like mulies on the Pine Ridge in Nebraska and that is a good time, cheap and fun too. And I always enjoy chasing mulies.

Brent

[rdnck]

Brent--I have had elk and pronghorn, and prefer the elk by far. Moose backstrap is really good. But my favorite by far is African bushpig followed by kudu as a close second, and gemsbok as a third choice. Like you, I have never tried eland, but everyone in South Africa tells me that it is far and away the best of the plains antelope.

I like wild game, and we eat mostly buffalo here at my house. We prefer it most days to beef. Having said that, I was really surprised at the across the board excellence of the African venison. Shoot straight, rdnck.

[buffalocannon]

I have never tried any African game but I believe I have probably had some of almost everything residing from Central America to Point Barrow. I believe the tastiest game meat for my tongue has been young whitetail deer. A friend up north of here prepares antelope on the grill, it involves bacon, cheese, and some other things, and it is especially tasty. At the annual Tucson Rod & Gun Club wild game banquet each year, when the club still existed, all sorts of stuff would be served, and I remember that one year, to my surprise, the mountain lion they prepared was especially tasty. Also in Tucson, I have had javelina cooked underground by an Hispanic friend and it was good. Back in the day, we used to shoot garfish in the borrow pits with .22s when they surfaced. We didn't eat them but gave them to Black folks in the area, and were told by them that they taste like lobster? Right now, I have a freezer full of wild hog, and it ain't bad either. Moose and elk can be good but I've had both that wasn't that good. We used to eat a bunch of moose, bear, and caribou in Alaska, not to mention salmon. That dried salmon is like eating candy. Bear is not a favorite of mine. I once had a buffalo steak in a restaurant, I think in Montana, and it was some of the best meat I have ever had. I won't eat liver or anything that tastes like liver and to my tongue, dove tastes like liver. Quail are great fare. But, just give me a young, tender piece of whitetail deer and I'm good to go.

[mannyspd1]

I have months to wait as well. The last week of Oct. for mule deer, and the first week in Nov. for elk. A two week trip in South Central Idaho! Camping out this year.

I've done everything from tent camping, travel trailers, motorhomes, motels, lodges, and even rented houses but for some reason, the trips I remember most are the ones where we camp. It is more work, but there is something about getting the outside fire going, stoking the stove inside the tent, and after dinner sitting around the fire with a beverage or two and discussing what needs to be discussed.

Everybody gets assigned chores to share the work, and sometimes you have somebody that goes along on the hunt with no tag that can run camp, do the cooking, etc.

A good sleeping bag and mattress make it very comfortable to sleep, the stove keeps it warm, and you have the smell of wood smoke in the air.

Can't wait.
Manny

[Ken Hartlein]

I've eaten a lot of gar fish. It's good, really good if you know how to clean it.

[Bad Bill]

Hate to think how many gar fish we threw up on the banks of the Wabash as a kid. And carp - they wern't fer white folk Funny thing is that years later I ate carp and it was pure white and flaky and sweet as could be. Had an aunt that wouldn't touch a cooked fish as she had a mortal fear of chocking on a fish bone. She loved to catch fish, however, (but not carp or gar)and was the champ at it in our family. Oh, yeah, she really knew how to fry 'em too

[buffalocannon]

Many decades after my garfish shooting period, I ran into a guy at work who recently transferred in from Florida. I told him my garfish tale and he said, much to my surprise!: " We used to eat a lot of garfish in Florida. They taste like lobster." By the way, if anyone knows what a nutria is, I know folks who consider them a delicacy.

[bobw]

[quote="Brent"]

Had my heart set on spending a week pickin' and choosin' and playin' around with antelope in Wyoming this year though. Was going to experiment with flagging just for fun and take my time. Most of my pronghorn hunts were of the whack-stack-and-run variety - 2-3 days at most.

Brent[/quote

Wish I could paint you a great picture of the upcoming 2009 Antelope season in SD,but I can't. Went up to the NW corner of the state to look around and saw some ,no numbers like last year and the bucks were fairly young. Talked to the locals and ranchers and the story was the same ,Ole Man Winter and Mother Nature hit them pretty darn hard thru the 08-09 winter season. S,eemed like a major storm and blizzard everytime you turned around. Damn tough on the domestick livestock too. Guess it will be herd growing event for the next 3-4 years for SD, hope the GFP backs off on the number of tags cause they need a break. But those guys sure like the revenue for selling lots of tags whether the numbers warrant it or not. bobw

[jdb3]

I'm going after moose this year with the 50 Sharps. We eat a lot of fish here in Southeast Alaska. It is hard to beat winter king salmon on the grill, especially if it is white king. Jim

[ironramrod]

Agree with Bob W., and would add that it may not be a very good year to have an antelope license in a lot of this northern plains country depending on the severity of last winter in your hunting area. Last winter here was brutal, and the big game staff at ND G&F after their aerial surveys indicated pronghorns were down at least 50% here compared to last summer.

Regards

[Tasmanian Rebel]

On the "you would have never guessed it" side, the best tasting wild game I've ever eaten was mountain lion. I had a friend years ago who had gone on a hunt and invited me over after he came back from a successful cougar hunt. Unbelievable how tender and tasty it was-kinda like a tender porkchop. Afterwards had me thinking about a few stray cats we had around for awhile LOL!
Keith Lay