Pronghorn meat processing

[Elkdog36]

I've always butchered my own game meat, with deer I like to hang the quarters in an old fridge for about a week before I cut, package, and freeze. Will this work good for pronghorn meat too? I've heard so many conflicting opinions on 'lope meat that I'm borderline afraid to mess with it. But, I can't imagine shooting one and not eating it. Assuming I get one, I'm just trying to plan ahead. Aged venison is some of the best meat on the planet IMO! I'm hoping with good care antelope might taste just as good.

 

[BTROCKS]

The key to great tasting Antelope is to get it cooled down as fast as possible. With that being done cut, package and freeze as you would any other big game.

 

[Jorgy]

pronghorn taste great, I've never been able to figure out what some people are eating when they complain about them. My thoughts are that they sit in the back of a pickup in the heat for a day or two.

I've always had them boned (or atleast broke down) and on ice in a few hours at the most.

I can tell you though, those speed goats are stinky when you gut them, no other big game animal comes close to the smell in my opinion.

 

[bmack]

Pronghorn is some of the best tasting meat I've had.

Like anything, get it cooled fast, keep it clean in the field and if possible try and kill it with one shot. When they get shot to piss and run forever is when I'd be more concerned about the taste.

Never experienced it myself and rank it as my favorite game meat over elk, deer and bear.

Good luck.

 

[sbhooper]

The key to great tasting Antelope is to get it cooled down as fast as possible. With that being done cut, package and freeze as you would any other big game.

This. Antelope is great meat and I think that it is the most tender of all wild meat. I never age any wild meat. It gets processed and into the freezer it goes. If you want to age it, go for it, but it is so tender that aging is not necessary.

If you want REALLY tender, great meat , then pressure can a bunch of it.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Pronghorn antelope is not venison, but it tastes even better, in my opinion. There is no advantage to aging it, and you will lose meat if aged due to the trimming of dried meat. The trick is to skin, clean, and cool the meat immediately after taking an antelope. I like to cut, wrap, and put it in the freezer the next day, if practical. ( Do NOT drag it out, throw it in the back of the pickup, then hang it in the garage for a warm week. That will likely ruin it.)

My wife, who grew up in Wyoming, hated antelope meat when we first met. After eating antelope skinned, cooled, and treated as described above, now that is her favorite wild game meat.

 

[sbhooper]

Pronghorn antelope is not venison, but it tastes even better, in my opinion. There is no advantage to aging it, and you will lose meat if aged due to the trimming of dried meat. The trick is to skin, clean, and cool the meat immediately after taking an antelope. I like to cut, wrap, and put it in the freezer the next day, if practical. ( Do NOT drag it out, throw it in the back of the pickup, then hang it in the garage for a warm week. That will likely ruin it.)

My wife, who grew up in Wyoming, hated antelope meat when we first met. After eating antelope skinned, cooled, and treated as described above, now that is her favorite wild game meat.

My wife would give away elk meat before antelope. I do have to correct you, though. ALL wild meat is venison-not just deer.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Thanks, Hooper; I stand corrected. It will likely taste even better knowing that.

 

[JohnCushman]

Don't forget about the heart and liver

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

I think that timing with the rut may make it a little more gamey,,,not a lot of choices if you draw the tag,but I think that could make a difference,,,cool asap and youll be ok

 

[ccc23454]

we processed 6 lope on my tailgate over 2 hunting days last year in the middle of nowhere wyoming. meat from shot to cooler was never more than a few hours and turned out great. i will add that lope hair sucks! just get it cool fast you will be ok

C

 

[JohnCushman]

I think that timing with the rut may make it a little more gamey,,,not a lot of choices if you draw the tag,but I think that could make a difference,,,cool asap and youll be ok

I watched a buck mount a doe and put an arrow through his lungs within an hour afterwards. He died quickly and didn't run very far after he was shot. I have a gambrel that slides into my trailer hitch receiver and I had him gutted and hoisted and skinned ASAP. I got him quartered and in coolers on ice as quickly as humanly possible. I got him home and let the backstraps and quarters sit in an extra fridge for about 4 days then rinsed it off again real good and got it all cut up and wrapped and in the freezer. His meat was amazing. Last year the bucks were still fighting over does and mating in September when I was in Wyoming when I shot my buck during rifle season and once again, got him gutted and skinned and on ice as quick as possible after a quick death. I feel that you have to let the meat sit for atleast 24 hours to let the muscles go in and out of rigor and get those amino acids out of the muscles that build up after death. I think that is a partial cause to a gamey taste, as well as improper field care, ie: not getting them gutted and skinned and on ice as quickly as possible. So, I am a big proponent of aging game meat, even if just for a day or two if you can safely do it either with refridgeration or in a cooler.

 

[Rooster52]

I usually get two antelope doe tags for the meat. we cut up and get it cooling ASAP before killing a second one. Great tasting meat when done right.And the small smoked sausage stix are excellent!!

 

[Norcal-Noodler]

Quick Question -

Am I reading correctly that I can break down my antelope into steaks or whatever, vacuum pack them, and bury them in ice or freeze in the back of my truck (Freezer/inverter) and all I need to keep is the tag and the evidence of sex in a zip-lock bag ?

 

[Elkdog36]

I appreciate the advice...looks like if I'm lucky enough to fill my tag I'll treat it the same way I've always done deer in the past. Getting it to a cooler quickly shouldn't be a problem since I only live a few miles from where I'll be hunting. I'll probably age it like I do deer...I'm with John, I just have always noticed a better taste with venison that I've aged at least a few days, but to each his own. Hopefully butchering antelope will be a labor of love we will all be forced to experience this season!

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

I don't know why ,but my antelope I got in Wyoming in 2012 was gamey as heck,,,yes I cooled it immediately and put it in my freezer that I carry in my rig.what ever it was,,,maybe what it was eating,rut,or whatever made that one a hard go..consequently I got a antelope in s e ore in 2007 and it was pretty good.hopefully ill find out how Colorado antelope taste in about a month.

 

[H2OUUP2]

The few I have killed were some of the best wild game I have ever eaten. As the others have said get them skinned and cooled as fast as possible. When I was in a poor college student I went out with the Wy Fish and Game to help tag and collar antelope. Had a doe break a leg after being herded by a helicopter, penned up, and wrestled to the ground by some other college kids. The Bio's let us butcher the doe. We got her gutted, skinned, and boned out very quickly after the leg broke. Had to keep the meat in some snow banks until we were done. Was just as good as any I have ever eaten. Better than some of the elk I have killed. Not aged, but I do prefer to hang most game for a few days at least, even pheasants and chukar are better if you hang them.

 

[emrah1028]

ASIDE from the September heat factor, is antelope meat treated any differently than say a whitetail? I ask because in all of these antelope/meat care types of threads, the suggestions about how urgently you must get it cooled down and on ice is the same. Is there anything different about antelope meat that makes it go bad quicker? Again, I get the heat part of it, but otherwise, is there a difference compared to a deer?

Emrah

 

[1_pointer]

ASIDE from the September heat factor, is antelope meat treated any differently than say a whitetail? I ask because in all of these antelope/meat care types of threads, the suggestions about how urgently you must get it cooled down and on ice is the same. Is there anything different about antelope meat that makes it go bad quicker? Again, I get the heat part of it, but otherwise, is there a difference compared to a deer?

Emrah

IMO, no. It's mostly due to the heat. Once I waited until the end of the day to skin/quarter 2 does and the meat was just as good. However, it was only a high of about 50º that day.

 

[Rooster52]

We take our food saver vacuum packer hunting with us and process our own ASAP.Freeze it on dri ice in our 6 day Coleman cooler.