It was Jack O'Conner's favorite game meat FWIW

 

Phrasing! Ok before we suffer too many cougar eating jokes, lets remember that we are a family friendly forum.

Ate it when I was a kid, neighbor bagged one trying to get at the livestock.
Mom fried up some steaks and honestly I didn't know it wasn't beef until someone told me.
She always seasoned pretty heavy so it probably masked any natural flavor.

Lot of the history books about the "Mountain Men" claim that it was their favorite as well.

 

Mom fried up some steaks and honestly I didn't know it wasn't beef until someone told me.
She always seasoned pretty heavy so it probably masked any natural flavor

As a lifelong'cook',that is true with a lot of meat.Breaded,deep fried fish tastes about the same,with a few exceptions.If you don't see it being made,or has a distinct odor,its hard to tell what it is.
Chef Ramsey used to blindfold and plug the nose of contestants,and have them taste foods..a turnip,onion,potato..almost all failed(and other foods).A boiled egg is pretty recognizable,but a scrambled egg in olive oil,not so much.
As a hunter,made chili or spaghetti with ground deer,never said anything,my kids never knew.

Never had cougar,or bobcat,would have no qualms harvesting one legally.Definatley would cook it and try it.Not being judgemental,but not to just feed to my chickens without trying myself first..and for sure would want the pelt.Not sure of the cost for a tag,or a taxi mount,but would at least try to tan it myself.Didn't do many,but with you-tube,did a few coons/rabbits/deer just for the heck of it.

 

CoUUUUGGAAHHHhhh !
Yep.
I said It.

 

Ive eaten a few different cougars . I find its tasteless . You know you're eating meat but it had no real taste that stood out. It was the same as lynx.My friend use to hunt them and would give me some meat from the ones he shot . Had it at a gun club game dinner also but that was cooked in a sauce so you couldnt tell the meat taste.

 

When I was 12 my uncle shot a large wild cat in Venezuela…… When the ranch hands skinned that cat the smell was so bad that I knew immediately that the meat would have to be nasty….. Even the very poor hut dwelling ranch hands threw the skinned carcass to the dogs who subsequently ripped it apart in front of my wide 12 year old eyes.

 

When I lived in WA I always got a black bear and cougar tag with deer and elk. Just in case I ran into one. They're cheaper, or at least used to be cheaper than deer and elk tags.

I've never tried cougar but was told it tastes like pork.

 

The old Mountain Men, Uncle **** Wooton(I dont think anybody ever called him Richard) for one, swore by the stuff…Feline protein is a ways down my source list👀

 

The old Mountain Men, Uncle **** Wooton(I dont think anybody ever called him Richard) for one, swore by the stuff…Feline protein is a ways down my source list👀

I took pictures of his toll gate near Raton a couple decades ago. I wish I could find them.

 

Lessee....so far we have cougar meat tasting like...beef...pork...nothing...

Makes me wonder if it's related to local diet--OR, to the palate of those doing the tasting.

 

Ive eaten lots of game meat and it does vary on areas it lives in influencing the taste. My taste palate is fine. I think some people just use the tastes like chicken analogy to express their view. Cougar and lynx dont taste like chicken and the texture is very different. Its not like pork either. Not as fatty or softer in texture. Its like eating a real bland beef steak is how I would describe it.

 

If you are seeing cougar or lots of track maybe get a license. The deer and elk will thank you. Cook it season it and freeze dry it for tasty snacks when there isn't anything else to eat....

We used to live in a area that had bear deer and cats...there were licenses for 6 cats to be taken right in our area. There were also a lot of deer carcasses up in the hills and steep sided draws.

 

Here in E TX besides the usual big games small black bears they call "sugar bears" and cougar/panthers can also be stumbled on and don't have/require tags. In fact if you call a Game Warden he'll help identify tracks and mack suggestions on taking panthers.

 

Cougars were fully protected most of the 32 yrs I lived and hunted in California, so it was strictly shoot, shovel, and shut up. Never got a chance to try one, but I hear they taste like spotted owl.

 

That's interesting because my grandfather told me that spotted owl tasted a lot like bald eagle.

 

'Racoons"

 

Never tried racoon or squirrel.

 

I have a couple of buddies that have had cat. They all told me that it's not bad and they preferred the backstrap. The common consensus amongst them was it could often times be tough and had a pork-like flavor to it. I don't suppose I would ever really be interested in getting a tag for one as it's just not something I would consider prime game.

 

If I killed one I'd at least harvest the meat and try it.

 

Squirrel is my favorite meat,I do not like racoon at all,I'd. eat it and I have prepared by few different folks,I can choke it down but sure don't want to

 

Squirrel, rabbet, dear and wild pig (~50-150 lbs) are my preferences. I've had bear and liked it but you don't see them around here that often, however if I saw one it would be one dead bear! LOL

 

My dad made squirrel sace piquant that was soooo good. Sadly the recipe died with him. I've tried a bunch of different recipes. But it ain't the same...missing something.

 

No personal experience,but heard it enough,I think coyote is about the only thing I wouldn't at least try.
One of the country clubs I cooked at had a high end wild game dinner,maybe 30 years ago,so maybe times have changed.
We had a catalog from a supplier,you could get just about anything,at a price.Giraffe,elephant,lion,on and on.It was legit,a division of Roland(some of you may know of them)..I'm sure they had a large payroll for legal team to dot "I"s,cross "T"s.

Just popped in my head a movie.Mathew Brodrick?Brando?
World wide criminals/movers shakers putting one on.Main dish was Komodo dragon,that they displayed live on a cart before serving..cut to kitchen,they are plating up chicken.

Looked it up,"the freshman"