Well fattened bucks

[Hem]

Got 2 very old bucks in the garage. I suspect one is a lot lighter than the other.

Bone mass difference?

 

[Nick87]

Same. I should have moved to WY or MT the day I graduated high school

You're still in a better place than most.

 

[MTLabrador]

My well educated guess says about 30 pounds of boneless meat with losing half a shoulder. The entire pack with bone in and skull wasn’t even close to 60.

 

[DFS]

My well educated guess says about 30 pounds of boneless meat with losing half a shoulder. The entire pack with bone in and skull wasn’t even close to 60.

View attachment 419585

Great buck

 

[Point Creep]

Reality here.

2 bucks way bigger than average - my daughter’s 80+ on horns for sure if not so busted, mine 83 gross range. Both ancient- mine super old - will send in teeth but I suspect 7+

My daughter did all her butchering herself (I was not home) so I don’t know what the trim factor was. It was a giant buck we quartered and packed 1.6 miles to truck. Tote is slightly over 1 pound.

Mine (second image) lost almost an entire front shoulder due to where I shot him. Still roughly 28lbs finished weight. Had to be packed roughly 2 miles.

Both bucks were in garage 2-5 days so a little trimming on edges needed but these are real numbers.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Having never killed an antelope before, we were surprised how big they actually were. This buck was pretty dang heavy actually.

We got as much meat off of him as any of our GA whitetails. I would guess 25-30# of clean packaged meat. The meat does have a bit of a taste to it….but it’s edible.

 

[cgasner1]

Reality here.

2 bucks way bigger than average - my daughter’s 80+ on horns for sure if not so busted, mine 83 gross range. Both ancient- mine super old - will send in teeth but I suspect 7+

My daughter did all her butchering herself (I was not home) so I don’t know what the trim factor was. It was a giant buck we quartered and packed 1.6 miles to truck. Tote is slightly over 1 pound.

Mine (second image) lost almost an entire front shoulder due to where I shot him. Still roughly 28lbs finished weight. Had to be packed roughly 2 miles.

Both bucks were in garage 2-5 days so a little trimming on edges needed but these are real numbers.

View attachment 419617
View attachment 419618

Antelope if far from my favorite thing to hunt. That buck is awesome I’d love to find one like that

 

[Straight Arrow]

FWIW, my older brother the avid antelope hunter, taught me to skin, clean, and ice-down meat in a cooler ASAP in order to produce good tasting antelope. My wife, who grew up in Wyoming and hated taste of stinky sagebrush fed antelope her brothers brought home with hides on, now says antelope meat from alfalfa fed antelope I bring home in the iced cooler is her favorite wild game meat. BTW, antelope does not benefit from being hung and aged like other venison such as deer and elk.

Pet peeve is seeing antelope loaded into a pickup and being hauled around during typical October warm weather.

 

[Straight Arrow]

FWIW, my older brother the avid antelope hunter, taught me to skin, clean, and ice-down meat in a cooler ASAP in order to produce good tasting antelope. My wife, who grew up in Wyoming and hated taste of stinky sagebrush fed antelope her brothers brought home with hides on, now says antelope meat from alfalfa fed antelope I bring home in the iced cooler is her favorite wild game meat. BTW, antelope does not benefit from being hung and aged like other venison such as deer and elk.

Pet peeve is seeing antelope loaded into a pickup and being hauled around during typical October warm weather.

 

[cgasner1]

BTW, antelope does not benefit from being hung and aged like other venison such as deer and elk.

I’d be curious your thoughts on that. It takes time for the muscles to loosen back up from the rig

 

[Straight Arrow]

. It takes time for the muscles to loosen back up from the rig

If you say so. I'm a pragmatist ... not an analyst. Having cut up many antelope for table fare, I just know what works for us.
Your tag ... you do what you do.

 

[Straight Arrow]

FWIW, my older brother the avid antelope hunter, taught me to skin, clean, and ice-down meat in a cooler ASAP in order to produce good tasting antelope. My wife, who grew up in Wyoming and hated taste of stinky sagebrush fed antelope her brothers brought home with hides on, now says antelope meat from alfalfa fed antelope I bring home in the iced cooler is her favorite wild game meat. BTW, antelope does not benefit from being hung and aged like other venison such as deer and elk.

Pet peeve is seeing antelope loaded into a pickup and being hauled around during typical October warm weather.

My bad ... 'not sure it was worth repeating.

 

[Wyomufhunter]

FWIW, my older brother the avid antelope hunter, taught me to skin, clean, and ice-down meat in a cooler ASAP in order to produce good tasting antelope.

This is 100% accurate. I get my pronghorn on ice ASAP, it makes a huge difference. Especially when its 90+ outside.

 

[Wes Mantooth]

I’d be curious your thoughts on that. It takes time for the muscles to loosen back up from the rig

Also curious. Every animal benefits from time in the right conditions to break down and allow the natural enzymes to go to work on the muscle fibers and proteins which takes time. Wet aging is also an option. This is just science, not a recipe. If you shot a buck, cut off the backstrap and grilled a steak immediately vs. some aging/time, you will have two totally different experiences, and the first one will not be good.

 

[huntin24/7]

Freezer time seems to help in my experience too. Some of the best most tender backstraps I’ve had have been carefully packaged backstraps that got lost in the freezer and were 1-2 years old and had been processed and frozen a short time after shooting.

 

[Point Creep]

I don't know what is best, but I just get them cooled fast, skinned as soon as possible (same day), and keep as much hair off the meat as possible (which is the biggest obstacle at times). Meat's always excellent.

 

[TOGIE]

pronghorn really aren't special - they don't need to be handled with white gloves to be good, you just have to take good care of it like every other field butchered meat.

if you do take care of it, then it will be special, cause it's great meat.

 

[mtmuley]

pronghorn really aren't special - they don't need to be handled with white gloves to be good, you just have to take good care of it like every other field butchered meat.

if you do take care of it, then it will be special, cause it's great meat.

It's interesting how some hunters are so technical about handling a dead antelope. mtmuley

 

[cgasner1]

pronghorn really aren't special - they don't need to be handled with white gloves to be good, you just have to take good care of it like every other field butchered meat.

if you do take care of it, then it will be special, cause it's great meat.

It’s pretty common around here for guys to go out shoot one knock the guts out then drive around the rest of the day in 60-70 degree weather with it in the back of the truck and wonder why they taste horrible. Put me in the I have a cooler full of ice in the car for a reason camp.

 

[cgasner1]

It's interesting how some hunters are so technical about handling a dead antelope. mtmuley

I handle it all the same hide off and on ice as quick as possible I’ll pack it all to the closets shade spot and hang it while I’m making trips. Getting meat cooled off and on ice is pretty important to me.