Sitka blacktail meat vs moose

[280rem]

Have been wondering how Sitka blacktail compares to moose? Or even dall sheep for that matter. Dall sheep is by far the best meat I’ve had followed by moose closely. I’ve heard that blacktail is excellent. Do blacktail usually have much fat or are they very lean? Is the fat good flavor or like the inedible tallow on a whitetail deer. The fat I’ve had on moose steak has been excellent flavor adding along the lines of beef only better IMO. Thank you

 

[wildwilderness]

I have only tried fresh summer Sitka black tails and it has been superb. Did not try the fat though so can’t say for sure n that. I have also eaten a lot of Dalls sheep; I am not a fan of that mutton taste. Moose is also excellent, so hard to say if black tail is better

 

[AK Troutbum]

I have definitely eaten more moose meat than any of the other two just because a moose fills the freezer, and goes a long way. I’ve also killed quite a few Sitka BT, and as much as I enjoy eating moose, I would much rather have a freezer full of BT meat. Moose is, I think, the leanest red meat there is, that said, it’s been my experience that it tends to dry out easily if you’re not careful when cooking it. BT has a much higher fat content, and IMO just tastes much better. I’m also not a big fan of Dall sheep, I’ve killed them, my son has killed them, and I’ve had sheep meat from friends kills, but I can’t say that I’ve ever been super excited about the taste of it. Although the back straps, tenderloins, and some roasts that I’ve had have been pretty good, for some reason all of the sheep burger that I’ve had, has not been all that good.
As far as fat goes, I tend to try and remove as much of it as possible, at least on the steaks, for all my wild game because I generally don’t enjoy the fat either.

Edit: I should also note that my family (4), all feel the same way regarding these three species.

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[Larry Bartlett]

amen to blacktail meat from Alaska. Hands down a fav second only to muskox.

 

[Raghornjp]

Have been wondering how Sitka blacktail compares to moose? Or even dall sheep for that matter. Dall sheep is by far the best meat I’ve had followed by moose closely. I’ve heard that blacktail is excellent. Do blacktail usually have much fat or are they very lean? Is the fat good flavor or like the inedible tallow on a whitetail deer. The fat I’ve had on moose steak has been excellent flavor adding along the lines of beef only better IMO. Thank you

Backstrap from a approx 160 pound October Sitka.
They can be butterball fat before the rut.
And yes if it’s a early season buck you can eat some of the fat and it’s ok
Sitka is outstanding eating and we eat a lot of it.
Having said that I prefer the taste of moose

 

[280rem]

2 different packages of moose steaks, I just have never seen a marbling like this in other game meat. The meat has been excellent, some of the best ever, then I hear claims of blacktail is better or equal. This bull had quite a layer of fat that I spent time trying to trim off as much as possible in the field. The only other moose I’ve eaten had marbling similar to this as well.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Not to derail your thread, but I thought this was kind of interesting.

15 Wild Game Meats Ranked By Calories, Protein, & Fat

Expand your protein horizons with these lean, wild game meats.

www.builtlean.com

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[jzeblaz]

Could anyone comment on difference between sitka vs. columbia blacktail flavor, if any?

 

[highside74]

I've only eaten Columbia Blacktail and Moose but I'd say the Moose was as close to beef as any wild game I've ever eaten. Way better than any blacktail I've eaten.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Could anyone comment on difference between sitka vs. columbia blacktail flavor, if any?

I ate a fair amount of Columbia BT growing up in California (Santa Rosa of all places), and from what I can remember, there's no comparison IMO, Sitka is much better. I haven't had Columbia BT in close to 40 years though.

 

[jzeblaz]

I ate a fair amount of Columbia BT growing up in California (Santa Rosa of all places), and from what I can remember, there's no comparison IMO, Sitka is much better. I haven't had Columbia BT in close to 40 years though.

How funny! Well, hopefully I can get a side by side comparison, but not headed to Kodiak until 2025. Thanks for sharing though.

 

[LoggerDan]

I rank sitkas over mule deer and whitetail. Better than moose. I’ve never eaten wild sheep.
They Can be awfully fat encased.

 

[Mangata]

Have only had BT from Kodiak, and now is a freezer staple for the past 5 years. Really fantastic, you know if is wild game but is in no way gamey. Utilize burger, roasts, stew, and steak all great!
Have had tacos & stir fry within the last week…

Have had moose as a freezer staple for 20+ years. As others have noted most easily mistaken for beef. I utilize burger, roast, stew, and steak and as with the BT all great.

Really can’t pick a favorite. They are tied as my favorite game meat. As an aside, I felt that my Kodiak goat this year had a really similar flavor profile to Kodiak BT…

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Could anyone comment on difference between sitka vs. columbia blacktail flavor, if any?

Sitka is better overall but coastal blacktail is damn good game meat.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

In my opinion none of the deer meat gets to moose quality. In order of best deer to my tongue on multiple samples…

Sitka Blacktail
Coues Deer
Coastal Blacktail
Northern Whitetail
Mule Deer Hybrids
Mule Deer

 

[Murphy]

I rank dall sheep and whitetail as best I've had. Elk also ranks up there. Moose I thought was good just not as good to me. I didn't care for mule deer. Never had blacktail but hope to try it in the future. Strangely I killed a mouflon ram on lanai and really like it as well. Never heard anyone ever comment on mouflon's although not a real common wild game meat.

 

[LoganWolfe]

I’m all in on the blacktail. Someone mentioned it earlier and the moose I have had was easy to over cook or dry out, however still delicious. I’d agree also with the fact that blacktail is far superior to whitetail.

 

[roosiebull]

Sitka is better overall but coastal blacktail is damn good game meat.

I agree, I have had Sitka bt from pow and Kodiak, and the Kodiak deer reminded me of ag land whitetail, just very moist and tender, almost hard to imagine it came from a wild animal

POW deer I have eaten was very similar to Colombia blacktail on the coast, which is not a bad thing imo, I love eating our coast blacktail and would happily trade all of my elk meat for blacktail

Moose is also incredibly good, but if I could go on a trip and come home with 250# of meat in my choice of Sitka blacktail or moose, I’d pick the blacktail. The beauty of moose is the amount of meat on them. It’s all good.

Pronghorn is my very favorite game meat I have had, but extremely hard to get for me. Any blacktail I have had has been great, but those Kodiak deer are certainly a better version

 

[AK Troutbum]

As an aside, I felt that my Kodiak goat this year had a really similar flavor profile to Kodiak BT…

Best wild game meat there is IMO!

 

[Hayduke541]

Could anyone comment on difference between sitka vs. columbia blacktail flavor, if any?

I have had a lot of both. Sitka BTs always seem more tender. As far as taste I have had really good from both. Sitka seems to be a little milder but I killed a Colombia doe a few years ago that was right up there.

One of my pet theories is that due to the cold most deer killed up there are better preserved and cooled down quickly even if you don't skin them. I also think more often than not most bucks are getting broken down and packed out quickly for fear of bears happening on the carcass.