# Awesome Cow Elk Hunt



## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

I've never been able to brag on the big game board. My wife got some elk burger from some family and she loved it. So she convinced me to put in for cow elk for the first time ever. I thought of where my family shot one out of the parking lot when I was a kid maybe 15 years ago. Luckily, I drew! First day I walked through the snow about 2 miles in and found the herd in the bottom of the valley. I picked the biggest one and dropped it. I still had maybe an hour left of daylight. I gutted it and started to drag it. I got maybe 10 feet and realized they're much bigger than deer. After tagging it, I marked the place and buried it in the snow. The next day I went back up with an XL jet sled. The herd was still hanging around the same area. A lot of them were small bulls. 5 hours later, I had it at my truck where two locals helped my throw it in. 

My LEM #8 meat grinder got here and so far I'm 75% done processing this thing. Lots of burger, a few roasts, and some backstrap steaks. It was a fun hunt, but would have been a lot better having someone to go with or a horse. I hope to do it again!


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## turkinator (May 25, 2008)

Awesome job! That will be some good eats!


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

Congrats!

As you now know, dragging an elk is no easy task but usually well worth the effort. This is why I now always pick the smallest one I can find.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I've never been able to brag on the big game board. My wife got some elk burger from some family and she loved it. So she convinced me to put in for cow elk for the first time ever. I thought of where my family shot one out of the parking lot when I was a kid maybe 15 years ago. Luckily, I drew! First day I walked through the snow about 2 miles in and found the herd in the bottom of the valley. I picked the biggest one and dropped it. I still had maybe an hour left of daylight. I gutted it and started to drag it. I got maybe 10 feet and realized they're much bigger than deer. After tagging it, I marked the place and buried it in the snow. The next day I went back up with an XL jet sled. The herd was still hanging around the same area. A lot of them were small bulls. 5 hours later, I had it at my truck where two locals helped my throw it in.
> 
> My LEM #8 meat grinder got here and so far I'm 75% done processing this thing. Lots of burger, a few roasts, and some backstrap steaks. It was a fun hunt, but would have been a lot better having someone to go with or a horse. I hope to do it again!


Going to put the grandson in again next year for youth elk, just out of curiosity how much meat do you get off of one the size you shot. Trying to figure out if I will need to get a new freezer if he gets one


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Way to go, and DIY to boot.


-DallanC


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Dragging out an elk 2 miles? Dang, you're motivated! 

Good job, and congrats. I think elk are the coolest animals around. Seeing your pic in the valley of the small herd just made me happy.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

LostLouisianian said:


> Going to put the grandson in again next year for youth elk, just out of curiosity how much meat do you get off of one the size you shot. Trying to figure out if I will need to get a new freezer if he gets one


So far about 35 pounds of burger, 6 butt roasts, and 28 small butterfly steaks from the backstraps. I'm expecting maybe another 30 pounds of burger from the front half, but it's hard to tell. I'm guessing somewhere between 140-155 pounds.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Vanilla said:


> Dragging out an elk 2 miles? Dang, you're motivated!
> 
> Good job, and congrats. I think elk are the coolest animals around. Seeing your pic in the valley of the small herd just made me happy.


There were about 50 elk in the area. As soon as I shot, they all stood up and walked out of the trees all around me. The picture is of the herd I shot mine out of. And I'm willing to bet that all the others around me were 50% bulls. Small ones though. The biggest was a 4 point.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

LostLouisianian said:


> ... just out of curiosity how much meat do you get off of one the size you shot. Trying to figure out if I will need to get a new freezer if he gets one


I got "5" shelves of meat back from my Bull we took to the butcher. Each bag was 1 shelf. Two freezers filled to the brim. You get alot more meat back from a professional for sure. My bull had a rail weight of 440lbs. Most cows we take in run 280-310lbs rail weight. That gives you a ballpark idea.

-DallanC


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

DallanC said:


> I got "5" shelves of meat back from my Bull we took to the butcher. Each bag was 1 shelf. Two freezers filled to the brim. You get alot more meat back from a professional for sure. My bull had a rail weight of 440lbs. Most cows we take in run 280-310lbs rail weight. That gives you a ballpark idea.
> 
> -DallanC


Can I ask how much that cost you? I convinced my wife that a burger grinder and a set of knives would be worth it after we kill a few. Next year I'll convince her that a big smoker is a must as well!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I'd have to ask my wife what the bill was, I forgot. Elk are just too **** big to process myself. I do all my own deer and pronghorn... but elk, ugh. I did partially cut up a elk this year (we got two), gave away bulk pieces to neighbors, inlaws etc.

But I will say we turn as little into burger as possible. Few roasts but I want everything else turned into steaks. You can always turn steak into burger down the road if you want. But I want as much steak cuts as I can (we thin strip that into jerky as well).


-DallanC


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

DallanC said:


> But I will say we turn as little into burger as possible. Few roasts but I want everything else turned into steaks. You can always turn steak into burger down the road if you want. But I want as much steak cuts as I can (we thin strip that into jerky as well).
> 
> -DallanC


This is an interesting thought, and one that should probably have been obvious to me, but was not. We use burger the most, so I historically have turned most of my elk into burger. But it is true that you can always turn steaks into burger later. I'm going to keep this in mind for next year. Thanks for the tip!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I gave a couple packages of elk meat to a vietnamese coworker as he wanted to try it. 

His wife turned the burger into potstickers, and he brought back a couple dozen for me and my family to try. It was unbelievably good. Its now my #1 most favorite way to eat elk burger.


-DallanC


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

DallanC said:


> But I will say we turn as little into burger as possible. Few roasts but I want everything else turned into steaks. You can always turn steak into burger down the road if you want. But I want as much steak cuts as I can (we thin strip that into jerky as well).
> 
> -DallanC


I do as many roasts as possible. I can always turn roasts into steaks into burger later. But you can't turn a steak into a roast.

We're all a little different.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Great PBH, now some gomer is going to come on here and tell us he leaves his animal whole, since he can always turn his whole carcass into a roast into a steak into burger, but can't turn a roast into a whole carcass...


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I like to just freeze them whole, skin on. I can always burn off the hair and scrape it for a nice crackly skin on roast later, and you never know when you'll need to do a baron roast either. 


But seriously, I usually am in the camp of leaving as many whole muscle cuts as possible and then steaking/grinding the cuts as needed down the road. But if we get enough antlerless tags that I know we can shoot a number of fawns and calves for the roasts and steaks, then I will take adult animals (minus tenders and backstraps of course) in to get ground or grind them myself time depending. Except antelope, I always do my own antelope and always into whole muscle groups. I like those roasts, steaks, and stews too much to have ever tried burgering one.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Congrats junior! Cool pic of the herd after you shot yours. 

FYI, I picked up my late season cow from the butcher yesterday and ended up with 4 roasts, 21 large packs of steaks and 37 packs of burger. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> Can I ask how much that cost you? I convinced my wife that a burger grinder and a set of knives would be worth it after we kill a few. Next year I'll convince her that a big smoker is a must as well!


Most adult elk I have had processed are usually $150-200. But the best argument for doing it yourself is cleanliness, control, and knowing you got your meat back and not somebody else's.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Congratulations Junior. Great job.



DallanC said:


> I got "5" shelves of meat back from my Bull we took to the butcher. Each bag was 1 shelf. Two freezers filled to the brim. You get alot more meat back from a professional for sure. My bull had a rail weight of 440lbs. Most cows we take in run 280-310lbs rail weight. That gives you a ballpark idea.
> 
> -DallanC


Now that's a lot of Bull In the back of that car.


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

Congratulations. Can you tell me more about how you buried it in the snow? Hide on or off? I always heard that an elks hide had to come off immediately. 

I recently took my first cow and quartered it using the the gutless method but left the tender loins for the next day thinking they would keep as the temps were dropping into negative territory over night and day time temps were consistently below 32 and there was 12 inches of snow on the ground. When I returned 24 hours later the tenders were still warm to the touch and I didn't feel comfortable taking them.

Hopefully I can learn something here.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Steve G said:


> Congratulations. Can you tell me more about how you buried it in the snow? Hide on or off? I always heard that an elks hide had to come off immediately.
> 
> I recently took my first cow and quartered it using the the gutless method but left the tender loins for the next day thinking they would keep as the temps were dropping into negative territory over night and day time temps were consistently below 32 and there was 12 inches of snow on the ground. When I returned 24 hours later the tenders were still warm to the touch and I didn't feel comfortable taking them.
> 
> Hopefully I can learn something here.


I honestly just gutted it, stuck it in the snow, and came back the next day. Hardly any of it was frozen. As long as it keeps cool, you'll be fine. We've deer hunted for 3 days before with deer in the tree in warm Octobers. They've always been fine. If the meat were to go bad, I think you'd be able to smell it.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

I've learned that meat taste has a lot to do with quality care of the animal after the shot. None that I've come across is that more true than with antelope. It spoils fast in my book. You have less than 1.5hrs to get it on ice or it tastes like what my do left in the back yard. Elk you have considerably longer but I'd still prefer to either take the hide off and gut or hang quarters. Even the warm bone or dense muscle will spoil the meat on a cool day. I've lost boned out meat that was in cheap bags on a cool day. Not enough air circulating to cool off the meat.

As for cuts, I like a hand full of roasts, backstrap steaks, tenderloins and lots of burger with an elk. Antelope makes good burger, great Italian sausage and excellent backstrap steaks. They're a little high on cholesterol but they sure taste great.

Congrats on your hunt.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Congrats on the cow!


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

Btw, here's mine from this year. Took a while to weed thru all the bulls this late season to find the cows.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

APD said:


> Btw, here's mine from this year. Took a while to weed thru all the bulls this late season to find the cows.


That's pretty awesome. Skied into em eh. Very nice!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

LostLouisianian said:


> Going to put the grandson in again next year for youth elk, just out of curiosity how much meat do you get off of one the size you shot. Trying to figure out if I will need to get a new freezer if he gets one


I have been weighting all my game harvests the last 5 years or so, my weights are for clean deboned meat ready to process. I'm sure I lose a little meat over a butcher shop clean but then again I don't like how butcher shops deal with the meat so I do it all myself.

Cow elk range from 90 to 130 pounds. The 130 pound cow was a big old mature one, I was quite impressed with its size just laying on the ground.

Bull elk range from 100 to 150 pounds, largest being a 6x6 bull and smallest a spike.

On average a leg bone from a quartered elk weights about 8 pounds.

This year I fit a deboned and mostly cleaned cow and bull into my 7 cubic foot chest freezer that I take to hunting camp. Here's a pic of the meat in the freezer and as you can tell theirs still lots of room at the top.








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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

muddydogs said:


> I have been weighting all my game harvests the last 5 years or so, my weights are for clean deboned meat ready to process. I'm sure I lose a little meat over a butcher shop clean but then again I don't like how butcher shops deal with the meat so I do it all myself.
> 
> Cow elk range from 90 to 130 pounds. The 130 pound cow was a big old mature one, I was quite impressed with its size just laying on the ground.
> 
> ...


Very neat! That is good stuff too, but based on those weights I'm guessing the 6x6 bull was a 4-6 year old bull? And are these public land elk, or elk that have regular access to cultivated land?


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

Public land elk that winter on farm ground. Weights were taken off 10 animals that were harvested throughout the state. Some October harvests and a couple January harvests so its a good sample. From taking to others that actually weight there animals from other states as well my weights are right in the ball park for averages. 

There just isn't as much meat on a game animal as one would think by looking at them, heck a deer is only good for about 40 pounds at best and antelope run closer to 30 pounds.


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> I honestly just gutted it, stuck it in the snow, and came back the next day. Hardly any of it was frozen. As long as it keeps cool, you'll be fine. We've deer hunted for 3 days before with deer in the tree in warm Octobers. They've always been fine. If the meat were to go bad, I think you'd be able to smell it.


Perhaps if I had removed the gut to expose the the T-loins to the air I would have had a better result. Lesson learned. Thanks.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

muddydogs said:


> Public land elk that winter on farm ground. Weights were taken off 10 animals that were harvested throughout the state. Some October harvests and a couple January harvests so its a good sample. From taking to others that actually weight there animals from other states as well my weights are right in the ball park for averages.
> 
> There just isn't as much meat on a game animal as one would think by looking at them, heck a deer is only good for about 40 pounds at best and antelope run closer to 30 pounds.


Interesting. In general I agree with your cow elk weights for public land, but I can remember ~5 cows in the last 20 years in my family that were considerably larger. I think your bull weights are light. Spikes, usually are the size of mature cows but mature bulls I haven't had one yield under 200lbs boneless yet. My public land bull from my LE hunt this year was ~5.5yrs I would guess we'll see when tooth data gets back, and I got a bill from the butcher for 182 lbs of ground burger (10% beef trim), and I took home the backstraps and tenderloins (cooler weighed 37.5lbs at the airport with 2lbs dry ice and a cooler weight of 5lbs). I regret to say I didn't have the time to take neck and rib meat so he was only quarters, straps/tenders. I would have ended up with about 25 additional pounds of burger otherwise I would guess.

In contrast, my wife's LE bull was shot in an area with lots of year round access to cultivated land. It was 4.5 years old and I got just shy of 300lbs boneless cuts out of him--much bigger body than my bull. But that bull was tiny compared to butcher bill on my dad's 2009 bull aged at 12.5 yrs by DWR (same area as my wife's) with a carcass weight over 900lbs at Carson's Meats in AF. He ended up with over 400lbs of burger from that bull. Cows from that area that we've shot are typically 30-50% larger than the ones we shoot from areas of mostly public ground. My dad's bull the mount size is just ridiculous and makes the antlers look much smaller than they are (365" bull with short beams and busted up 5ths). The shoulder circumference on the mount makes my wife's bull look like a deer by comparison, just a massive bull (thank goodness he died close enough to a road we just winched him in!) I think most mature bulls yield between 200-350 lbs of boneless meat, but sub 5 yrs old your weights seem right.

I'll give you your deer weights for does/young bucks but a 3 year old buck I usually get over 50-60lbs from (not that I've killed bucks older than 2.5 personally---I kill the babies and my siblings shoot the big ones!). Goob did a great break down of antelope butchering yields a while back and he squeaks out a few more pounds than my norm but 30-40lbs for adult does is my usual, and about 10lbs for fawns but I don't normally do boneless cuts on them, I like bone in roasts and rack-o-lope rib/loin combos. My cow bison surprised me, she was 4.5 yrs old and I did bone in rib cuts, the rest boneless and only yielded 385lbs. I thought I was going to get quite a bit more from her but the size/weight of those bones on a bison is impressive to say the least!

I always enjoy seeing that I'm not alone in obsessing over weight details on my animals! Helps me prove to my wife that I'm not THAT crazy!


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

Well all I know is what the animal I have butchered weighed, I weight the cleaned boned meat then it gets weighed again once I start mixing in the pork or beef fat or spices for what ever I am making. I know my scales are on as I get the right number of one pound poly bags filled that I should plus or minus a bag depending on how crazy I get with the stuffer crank now and again.

Reason I started weighing my stuff is I couldn't figure out why I was getting such a small amount of meat from my game animals when others are claiming they got 150 out of some deer or 200+ out of an elk. 

Getting a bill from a butcher for whatever amount of meat really means nothing if you didn't weight it yourself as you don't really know if it was all your meat or not. I have heard of butchers adding a few pounds of meat to an order off an animal that was dropped off and never picked up, hunter gets a few more pounds and the butcher doesn't loose money so its a win win deal.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I can see your point, but Carson's processes animal by animal and not in a batch. Plus, we get the hanging weight of the carcass before and the final product weight after. And I weigh the ones I butcher myself as well. Either way, way, at end of the day we are all eating well and the OP gets to enjoy some tasty elk for the upcoming months.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

+1 to Carsons. You get back your animal, they are very good butchers and run a clean operation.

-DallanC


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> So far about 35 pounds of burger, 6 butt roasts, and 28 small butterfly steaks from the backstraps. I'm expecting maybe another 30 pounds of burger from the front half, but it's hard to tell. I'm guessing somewhere between 140-155 pounds.


LOL I guess I got a little excited. I cut everything up that I could manage. I got around 100 or 110 if I count the pork shoulder I ground up. She was a big animal and I cut up every piece of meat I could salvage. The only reason I did this myself is to make it my new hobby, teach my kids this down the road, and save a few bucks as well. I would have loved to take it to a local smokehouse because their stuff is great, but I've always wanted to learn myself.


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> LOL I guess I got a little excited. I cut everything up that I could manage. I got around 100 or 110 if I count the pork shoulder I ground up. She was a big animal and I cut up every piece of meat I could salvage. The only reason I did this myself is to make it my new hobby, teach my kids this down the road, and save a few bucks as well. I would have loved to take it to a local smokehouse because their stuff is great, but I've always wanted to learn myself.


Save a few bucks? Ya right it's kind of like reloading on the savings. Once you get a grinder, stuffer, smoker, vac sealer, vac bags, sausage casings and everything else that's cool there's very little savings but it sure is fun making different stuff and eating it.

I just finished up the last of this seasons meat a couple weeks ago, it was a fun 3 months messing around with turning the meat into stuff to eat. I also got into smoking cheese, butter, salt and nuts this fall to go along with the elk and deer products.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Congrats Junior! Nothing like elk roast, steak, and burger to make a person smile in the morning...especially if you did the processing yourself.

I use the 1/3 rule on the animals that I process. I figure a 100 lbs animal will yield roughly 30 pounds of processed meat...maybe a little more. For a 400-lbs mature cow, you-re in the 120-130 lbs range. As others have said, I prefer to leave as many roasts and steaks as possible as they can alway be turned into burger or jerk later.

I agree with Dallas though...processing a whole elk is a chore. I love the work, but I don't love the 3-4 nights with two people working until 1 or 2 in the morning to get it done! I figure it's about about 24 hours total to break them down and get'em wrapped for a mature animal. Of course calves take significantly less time (and are more tasty!).


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

As hard as I try I just can't do wild game steaks or roasts anymore and the 3 guys I hunt with feel the same. I've cooked elk and deer steaks every which way and there always tough and chewy to some extent, not so much that they can't be eaten but if I want a steak I want a good steak and nothing beats a good quality beef steak. The last 5 years or so I make ground burger and breakfast sausage as a staple and once I get enough of that I use the rest to make bratwurst, link dinner sausages and salami. Against my better judgment I cut about 15 pounds of steaks off the cow I shot this year and had a couple meals of tough steak, I'll probably end up thawing the rest of the steak and grinding it up to make something here soon.


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

MWScott72 said:


> I agree with Dallas though...processing a whole elk is a chore. I love the work, but I don't love the 3-4 nights with two people working until 1 or 2 in the morning to get it done! I figure it's about about 24 hours total to break them down and get'em wrapped for a mature animal. Of course calves take significantly less time (and are more tasty!).


Took me about 3 12 hour days to get two elk in the freezer this year. Luckily I had scheduled the rest of the week off for hunting so instead of work I spent the time cutting and grinding.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

muddydogs said:


> I've cooked elk and deer steaks every which way and there always tough and chewy to some extent, not so much that they can't be eaten but if I want a steak I want a good steak and nothing beats a good quality beef steak.


Cook them hot and fast searing both sides and no more than medium ( but medium rare is better). No doubt an old cow will be tougher, but if you get a 2nd year cow or calf, the meat will literally melt in your mouth. Antelope or sheep even more so.

I used to think nothing beat a good beef steak, but I have seen the light in the past 10 years or so!


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

MWScott72 said:


> Cook them hot and fast searing both sides and no more than medium ( but medium rare is better). No doubt an old cow will be tougher, but if you get a 2nd year cow or calf, the meat will literally melt in your mouth. Antelope or sheep even more so.
> 
> I used to think nothing beat a good beef steak, but I have seen the light in the past 10 years or so!


Any tips for seasonings or marinades? Or a roast?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

muddydogs said:


> I've cooked elk and deer steaks every which way and there always tough and chewy to some extent, not so much that they can't be eaten but if I want a steak I want a good steak and nothing beats a good quality beef steak.


Make sure you cut the steaks against the grain when processing. Also, beef gets aged at 37 degrees for a few weeks which lets the meat break down internally. Most people don't age their wild game.

-DallanC


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I use a reverse sear method for my wild game steaks. I started cooking my steaks this way after seeing this youtube video. I will never cook a steak another way again. My elk back straps literally melt in my mouth when I follow this process. Top sirloin steaks off the elk this way has been pretty fantastic as well, almost as good as the back straps.






I don't go fancy on seasonings. I use an Alpine Touch seasoning that is pretty basic. Use whatever seasoning you like best, but for crying out loud, *DO NOT* go and ruin a good steak by covering it in steak sauce!!!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Vanilla said:


> *DO NOT* go and ruin a good steak by covering it in steak sauce!!!


+1000

If its a "good" steak it doesnt need any sauce, period.

-DallanC


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Yeah...if your wild game is tough, something isn't going right. The only reason I enjoy a beef steak from time to time is I love the fat, and game doesn't always come through on that! I'd put my average elk, deer, antelope backstrap up against a choice tenderloin any day for tenderness.


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

In the 30 some years I have been eating wild game I have had numerous people tell me there game meat melted in there mouth and I have to say not one of them ever got it right when I eat there steaks. I'm not saying its bad mind you I'm just saying I think there are better ways to use game meat then steaks and roasts. I really like to make sausages and salami's out of it as well as my spicy breakfast sausage.

I was thinking about trying some steak cooked with the sous vide method but haven't yet.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

My wife and I ate at Flemings the year before last for our anniversary. It was my first (and last) night out at a high priced steak joint. We spent $160 plus tip that night when it was all said and done. 

While I readily admit not every single steak I cook comes out to perfection, that is mostly due to operator error and over-cooking it. They usually come out pretty darn good, though. And I've cooked elk back straps that are every bit as tender and good as the $60 filet mignon I bought at Flemings. 

Definitely nothing wrong with processing the meat the way you like to eat it. To each their own. I might have my wife take some steaks out of the freezer right now, since we're talking about this...


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

It is simple to age backstraps in your fridge. Simply clean off the backstrap, and place it on a wire rack with a cookie sheet under it. I usually like to place it silver side down. Then take a lint-free dish towel and place it over the straps. Then put it in your fridge for 8-14 days (depending on the fridge). Trim the outer dry edges, and cut into steaks. Easy to leave the steaks attached to the silver and then cut them off all at once. I've helped a number of people do this and everyone has said the steaks are even better.

We raise our own beef and lambs also. They are so much better than store bought or even restaurant prepped. And cheaper too..... Wild game or domestic-- all good if prepared well.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Most of our wild game is aged, and cooked slow in a crock pot.

8-10 lb roasts at a time, left overs make lunch meat that is to DIE for!

Wild game is the meat on our table 3, sometimes 4 days a week.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Hey Junior, you know you can quarter those things right? It makes it a lot easier for packing out.  Just giving you crap man. Congrats on a successful hunt.


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

Congratulations!


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

JuniorPre 360 said:


> Any tips for seasonings or marinades? Or a roast?


For backstraps, my favorite is marinading the steaks in italian dressing for a minimum 4 hours (overnight is even better though). If you like a sweeter taste, you can add half a can of Sprite or Mtn Dew to the dressing. The carbonation helps tenderize the meat too. Heat your grill to high and sear the steaks on one side. Flip steak and generously shake Montreal Steak Seasoning on it. Cook to medium rare, then pull off and eat it hot.

Don't season the steaks with any sort of dry seasoning before grilling. Doing so does not allow the meat to sear (seal in the juices) and you will get a dryer, tougher steak. Only season with dry seasonings after searing which will allow the juices to remain locked in the meat instead of being incinerated in the grill as they leak out.


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

Fowlmouth said:


> Hey Junior, you know you can quarter those things right? It makes it a lot easier for packing out.  Just giving you crap man. Congrats on a successful hunt.


I'm going to learn how now that I caught elk fever. I'm getting me a general bull tag now.


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## tander123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Congrats on the success! What area did you draw?


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## JuniorPre 360 (Feb 22, 2012)

I had to come back and share this. We use this marinade on a lot of cow steaks, so we thought we'd give it a try on the elk backstrap steaks. Follow the directions on the back and it makes an amazing tasting steak. It's found in the gravy section at Walmart. 
http://www.mccormick.com/grill-mates/flavors/marinades/grill-mates-brazilian-steakhouse-marinade


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## Pinetree (Sep 25, 2012)

DallanC said:


> I gave a couple packages of elk meat to a vietnamese coworker as he wanted to try it.
> 
> His wife turned the burger into potstickers, and he brought back a couple dozen for me and my family to try. It was unbelievably good. Its now my #1 most favorite way to eat elk burger.
> 
> -DallanC


Can you post the recipe?

Thanks


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