Late September Meat Quality

[AKBC]

How late in September have you taken mature bulls and found the meat to be good? Or to ask the other way, what date did take a mature bull and found the meat to be rutty?

I have seen on SM several nice bulls taken from the Forty Mile herd recently and some claim the meat will be bad and yet the hunters said it is fine. The best tasting caribou I have eaten was a mature bull taken on September 21 a few years ago from the Nelchina herd.

 

[505Wapiti]

Never killed a caribou but have had bull elk early through late season. The bull I killed during peak of rut that stunk to high Heaven standing over him breaking him down to pack out because he was covered head to toe in piss mud, was one on the tastier ones. Hasn’t made a difference to me but again not sure it applies to caribou.

 

[AKBC]

Never killed a caribou but have had bull elk early through late season. The bull I killed during peak of rut that stunk to high Heaven standing over him breaking him down to pack out because he was covered head to toe in piss mud, was one on the tastier ones. Hasn’t made a difference to me but again not sure it applies to caribou.

Many people say that meat from a rutting bull caribou is completely inedible and dogs wont even eat it. They literally consume gallons of piss and basically poison themselves.

 

[505Wapiti]

Many people say that meat from a rutting bull caribou is completely inedible and dogs wont even eat it. They literally consume gallons of piss and basically poison themselves.

That’s interesting… had no idea. Some people hate pronghorn that have killed them here in NM and It’s one of my favorites. I think there could be something to that, but there certainly is something to be said for the way it is handled and processed after the kill.

 

[HuntHarder]

in 2019 I shot one on Sept. 22. Nice mature bull and the meat was great. This was southern Brooks range.

 

[Short Track]

Caribou are known to drink piss during the rut. My guide told me to come before or after the rut... or just go trophy hunting.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Many people say that meat from a rutting bull caribou is completely inedible and dogs wont even eat it. They literally consume gallons of piss and basically poison themselves.

^^^This. I’ve never actually tried to eat a rutting caribou, but I’ve smelled fresh meat from bulls killed in October, and that was almost enough to make me wanna puke. I’ve never killed caribou any later than early September, so I have no experience with late September meat, but I would think that a person would be getting not so great of quality table fair that time of year.


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[Nick Muche]

It’ll be fine

 

[Chumsnagger]

Just watch the different bulls in the herd and how they are acting. Not too difficult to tell the difference between a rutting bull and one in the same herd that is not.

 

[AKHUNTER]

On 9-19-11, I harvested a big herd bull that was with a lot of cows and the meat was a little gamey and unlike early Sept. bulls I had taken previously and since. In 2004, my hunting buddies and I took some bulls around Oct. 5 on the North slope and the meat was extremely gamey and terrible. We have shot many bulls in early and mid Sept. and the meat was great. That's what I know. Some people deny that bull caribou can get to the point of being un-edible during the rut. They are wrong.

 

[Sourdough]

Used to just harvest the calves. Taste great.

 

[Bambistew]

I spent a number of hours one time looking to find any sort of documented evidence of reindeer or caribou drinking piss during the rut. I've heard this happening countless times. Yet everyone that's said it, I've asked if they've actually seen it happen. Zero people that I asked have seen it. Zero.. I turned up nothing in my brief research and there is a ton of information about farming reindeer,BTW. I think its just hormones/lactic acid that makes them rank. The will go days without eating, and run until exhaustion. Mule deer bucks can be downright terrible as well. They aren't know for drinking piss. I've watched a lot of caribou rutting and have never seen one run up to the drinking fountain. If it happens so often I would think you'd see it, and with youtube there'd be a video. Maybe I'm all wrong, but I'd love to hear someone that actually saw it happen. Not just sniffing, but actually drinking it. I think its 100% myth.

I've been around a few that were shot the end of September. One was gross, the others smelled fine, but tasted a bit off compared to August or early September bulls. I've eaten some mid September that were a bit flavorful as well. I've never eaten one taken between oct 1-20th I've eaten a bunch shot after or later of October, all were good, but had zero fat and a lot less meat. I shot a bull a few years ago, that I got maybe 70lbs of meat off him. Pre rut, it would have been 2x as much. the back straps were 1.5" thick. He tasted fine, just not much of him.

 

[Short Track]

How about this. Go Caribou trophy hunting during the rut, and let us know what happens. Worst case it becomes bear food.

 

[amateurhourhunter]

Just eat that shit! Just like patches o hoihan said “is it necessary to drink caribou piss in the morning no, but I like it and it’s sterile”