mountain lion for dinner

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Ok, I just found out people eat mountain lion...anyone have it?...What is it like?...I hear it is good.

[BILLY D.]

You got to be baggin' me. Is it served with a side dish of COYOTE?

Or is this another "the other white meat jokes". I hope it doesn't taste like chicken.

Where did you ever hear such a preposterous story? I have never in my born days heard of anybody eating mountain lion. Of course there is a first time for everything.

I've heard of consumption of possum and woodchucks and beaver, now, now, watch yourself; being eaten but not mountain lions. As muscular as they are you'd need one heck of a big pressure cooker to put them in. Even jack rabbits are good cooked that way. Not a preffered meal of mine though.

I just got to see the replies to your post. I guess anything can be consummed, after all their is cannibalism.

Best wishes, Bill

[gd357]

I've heard rumors that some of the frontiersmen actually preferred it over other types of meat, but nothing I can substantiate. I'd be interested in hearing about this as well.

gd

[Andy L]

I know of a couple of cat hunters that love mountain lion. When I went huntin for them last year, one told me that the guy I was going with would have the good sense to bring the meat in. I would eat it after talkin to these two. They really brag on it. Lots better than bear.

The fella I was huntin with eats bobcats as well. I know that for a fact cause he keeps the carcasses when we skin em.

Dont try coyote, it cant be eatin. I know a guy that tried and I have seen some stuff he HAS eat. If he gagged, it cant be done.

[Skyline]

I use to guide for cougar in British Columbia and I have eaten it several times. It is quite good. The meat is fairly light in color, fine grained and has a mild flavor. Others I know that have eaten it said the old favorite......."tastes like chicken!" I don't know if I agree to that but it is good.

[Rocky Raab]

I've eaten African lion and good old domestic cat. Both fit the description of fine-grained white meat, and both were tasty. I'd tuck in to a mountain lion steak in a heartbeat.

[BILLY D.]

Well looks like I'm eating crow, which I've never tried. I'm surprised at the answers. I,ve talked to a few ol' timers around here and to my knowledge nobody ate cat meat.

Of course around here cats were scarce until a few years ago. They were protected. Now we have a season on them. Go figure. Other than habitat loss maybe thats why there was a shortage of them, they were good to eat.

I'm not a Feline fan, but I think the big cats are beautiful animals. Unlike the Wolves that sometimes kill just for fun, the cats stick by their kill unless pressured by man, and eat it all. At least so I've been told. But that doesn't explain why a cougar would attack a horse on a ranch close to here. It must have been starving. I can't see a cougar dragging a horse away. It would be a slight size mismatch.

Thanks for all the info everybody, you have enlightened me.

Best wishes, Bill

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Hum. I guess anyone of us that has eaten at the local chinese shop has tried the domestic cat and probably liked it at that....Interesting...suppose if cooked right..be ok...afterall as the gent told me when telling me of hunting and eating them, they don't eat the friskies buffet like domestic cats so taste different...He lives in New Mexico...and is a member of HC but never see him post...think just gettin educated some reading posts...

[Andy L]

Billy, Im no expert, but Im afraid you have been fed some more bad info about cats. From what Im told by some folks that can be considered experts, the opposite is actually true of cats. They will actually hunt for sport. They can be very wasteful.

Like I said, Im not staking big on this, but I sure believe it to be the truth.

Andy

[Skyline]

When game is plentiful cats will kill a lot more game than we think. A biologist out west collared a few cats and there were a couple of toms that averaged 2 or 3 deer PER WEEK. they prefer fresh meat and are not into the really ripe stuff unless forced to eat it when times are tough.

My dad had a cat rip the face off one of his mares. The cat got a couple of claws in just between the eyes and tore the skin from there all off her nose down to the nostrils and it was hanging in a big flap with all the nasal bones exposed. Plus there were several good cuts on the neck and scratches on the back. It looked like the cat was on the mares back and got shook loose, then went over the head tearing the face as it fell off. Took my wife and I a lot of novacane and about 100 stitches to repair everything. It wasn't fun stitching that horse up until 3AM by flashlight let me tell you.

Some friends of ours near a town named Lytton raise paint horses. They always foal their mares out on pasture in May and June. A few years back a cougar move in and it managed to kill every last foal within a two day period (9 foals).

Biologists collared a couple of cats in a California bighorn sheep area in BC to see what kind of damage they were doing to the sheep herd. Mature rams were getting to be hard to find but hunters were on a draw. They found that a couple of the cats specialized in killing the big rams and left the ewes alone. There was some speculation that the cats had learned to use the vision obstruction the horns cause on the big rams to their advantage.

Another friend of ours in central BC had a cougar come in one night and it killed over a dozen sheep in one pen. I guess the big cat got excited by the blood and the sheep were confined so it went on a bit of rampage.

They are fantastic animals, but they do have bad days!

[BILLY D.]

Gee guys thanks. I'm gettin' more edjumacated by each post. I'm not well read on the subject and have NO experience whatsoever. I have only seen one wild cougar and that was out in Montana.

He/she never stopped to introduce themself and I was watching through binocs. That cat was hauling A$$ and beating feet. I know they aren't real socialable.

Thanks again.

Best wishes, Bill

[bigkevmorgan]

can't say i've ate any cat but living in louisiana i've eatin nutra ,coon ,possiunm,rattel snake even have arecipe for cooking crow!!! the things you learn here at hunt chat ,but i wouldn't miss it for the world............

[skeeter@ccia.com]

snake or possum are the two things I know I won't try...but have had lots of other things at the wild game dinners ya wouldn't even dream of eating...none that stick out in my mind right now..but when cooked right...worth a try.

[Rocky Raab]

Skeeter, go ahead and pass on the 'possum. It's awful. Like eating rancid lard.

Rattlesnake, however, is darn fine eatin'. Like good fried fish, without the fishy taste.

My all-time good eating (weird) things include:

Monkey noodle soup (had it twice a week in 'Nam)

Rocky Mountain oysters.

Real oysters (It's been said the first guy to try one of them raw was the bravest man to ever live - or the hungriest!)

Scrambled brains and eggs. Really.

Wild boar.

Fish heads and rice (Nam again)

My #1 favorite specialty meal, though, is cabrito - mesquite cooked baby goat. Oh my God, that's good.

[johnse31]

i am the gent in n.m. that skeeter is talking about here,and yes lion steak is very good!!!also yes mtn.lions are a pretty sight, but when they get over populated they become a real problem to other wild game,domestic animals and people.i had a cat come within 15' of me about a month ago with no fear what so ever and i was told that is when they are most dangerous...since that i have seen two other cats in close distance but not a safe shot so had to let him go,but i will get one and send you a pic and a steak SKEETER!!! later,
CUZ

[Dan Morris]

OK, I've had RM Oysters, regular one, BBQ Armadillo,Cabrito,
the Monkey soup...Rattle Snake, too boney, Turkey Fries, Javalina...
Mountain Lion?????????????why not......
:rolleyes:

[Talon]

Myself I dont care for carnivour meat. (Lion,bear or snake.) Cat meat has a "sweet type" flavour to it that is disagreeable to me.

Yuck.. just thinking about it....

Peace
Talon:cool:

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Johnse31. Glad to see you on HC. Welcome.