1.5 year old bull moose

[whitetail Junkie]

Curious if there is much of a difference in the meat quality between a yearling bull and say a 4+ year old bull moose...

[fordtruckin]

Never had moose but have experienced the difference between young bull bison and old bull bison. There was a noticeable difference between a 2 year old bull and a 4-5 year old. Even more of a difference if you compare older bulls than that. Way more gristle and I find you end up with more ground as it would be real chewy otherwise!

[colt45]

A slow cooker solves the problem if the meat is tuff

[Puma]

Originally Posted by whitetail Junkie

Curious if there is much of a difference in the meat quality between a yearling bull and say a 4+ year old bull moose...

Yes

[Greatwest]

I would much rather shoot a yearling bull then a 3+ year old bull. Last one I shot was a 1.5 year old and it was sure tasty and tender. Split the meat with my brother who shot a 50” bull the year prior which we also split the meat on. There is a huge difference we ended up grinding most of his 50” bull into burger and sausage. I sure wouldn’t turn down any moose while out hunting though. A trophy bull would be a nice addition to the trophy room. A guy might just have to change his plans when it comes to butcher time in regards to what cuts to make or whether to grind it all.

[walking buffalo]

Depends on what you mean by "quality"....

I think more youngsters these days should be eating mature rutting bulls.
They could use the testosterone.

[Smoky buck]

One you cut with a fork the other you use a knife

[makemeasammich]

My buddy passed up on a spike bull at 20 yards away last night. When I asked why he didn't shoot he said "his antlers were smaller than his ears..."

He's got a lot to learn. Can't beat a spike bull IMO

[Sooner]

Depends on the rut maybe? My uncle in BC shoot their moose in Aug where their go to zone is. We generally take moose in the rut here in Ab. While our moose taste good, his moose tastes amazing. Cooked the same way. He attributes it to their moose not all rutted up and running their butts off when you shoot them. His have been just walking around feeding.


Were finishing off what's left of my sons 54 bull from 2017, we have him on video all rutted up in sept/oct. Shot Nov 19th and he tastes good, not tough so who knows what the contributing factors are. A 1.5 yr old should always be nice and tender though.

[wildwoods]

I’ve eaten a lot of mature animals and younger animals. If you know how to cook you won’t care much. I prefer mature as you get more meat! If too are eating “tough” ungulate, you’re doing something wrong.
BTW bone in shoulder roasts are quickly becoming a family favourite around here. Any meat is tender if you do it right!

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by whitetail Junkie

Curious if there is much of a difference in the meat quality between a yearling bull and say a 4+ year old bull moose...

I've shot a few of both and prefer a 3-4 year old over a 2 year old bull. You get way more meat, you get a noticeably higher steak to burger ratio, and I've always found the meat to be at least as good.

I did shoot an old bugger once though, pretty much had to do the whole moose in the slow cooker, I haven't really enjoyed roasts quite so much ever since.

[Lefty]

Mostly found that younger tends to be more tender. Sometimes not much difference between them and one a couple years older with more meat can be a good thing. However every now and then an old moose can be terribly tough. One I shot was tough to chew no matter how we cooked it. Even the hamburger was tough. My son took a couple bite out of the first package and said this is like chewing bubble gum. Ended up buying beef and mixing with each package of hamburger we opened. I was very happy when the last package came out of the freezer.

[GMX]

Originally Posted by makemeasammich

My buddy passed up on a spike bull at 20 yards away last night. When I asked why he didn't shoot he said "his antlers were smaller than his ears..."

He's got a lot to learn. Can't beat a spike bull IMO

That’s the measuring stick when there passed his ears he walks for us.

[flyguyd]

1.5 year old is definatley better Wont get as much but it will be high quality

[whitetail Junkie]

Thanks for the insight guys....as u might guess I have a bull moose tag this year.

dad and I will be trying for a big one the first 5 days of the hunt however after that He recommended hunting a yearling bull which sounds great after reading some of the responses on here.

[Badone20]

From the context of the post, as i read it, the guy that passed up the bull with antlers smaller than its ears was a smart move. It's possible he doubted it was a legal bull to shoot. That call is in the eye of the beholder and he made the right choice. I assume in his mind there was some doubt, which is all that matters.

Oh ya, 1.5 year old bull all day long would be my preference for the table, can't eat antlers!!

[Supergrit]

I know a group of older gentleman that go moose hunting together every year their goal is to find a moose small enough to shoot. They pass on the so called trophies said he shot a big one once and wasn’t near as good as small ones.

[Kurt505]

Never shot a moose I didn’t like, some made more sausage and chili than others though. I’m not sure why, but I’ve found that there has been a few elk I’ve shot that we’re delicious but two of the bigger bulls and one rag horned 5x5 that I couldn’t eat. That rag horn was super tender and sweet, I’d venture to say it was too tender.

[Hawkhills]

I find butchering techniques and meat handling have just as much importance to taste as the age of the animal

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

[Lefty-Canuck]

Shot a nice mature elk this year (6-7+, 320”+) cutting him today after 20 days on the hook in the walk in. These steaks were very tender and very tasty, we now know it’s not just a “burger bull”.





LC

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Hawkhills

I find butchering techniques and meat handling have just as much importance to taste as the age of the animal

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

So true

I have found over the years when someone says they don’t like wild meat or says it’s too gamey it’s because the meat was poorly handled. I have never had bad meat I have shot and butchered myself but I have spat out meat from others a few times

There is still a little to with the animal it self. Mature animals still taste good and if you watch your cooking it won’t be tough boot leather but a young animal is usually more tender and more forgiving when it comes to cooking

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by Supergrit

I know a group of older gentleman that go moose hunting together every year their goal is to find a moose small enough to shoot. They pass on the so called trophies said he shot a big one once and wasn’t near as good as small ones.

This is where I’m @ with a 51” monster body bull I shot 5 years ago...the meat tasted good but was abit tough.plan is dad is buying the partner licence and trying to shoot a”Trophy” on the first 4-5 days then after that we will be on the hunt for the Runt...lol

I honestly couldn’t envision another big moose head in my small house is another reason for going the runt route if we can’t find dad the trophybull.

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by Hawkhills

I find butchering techniques and meat handling have just as much importance to taste as the age of the animal

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

^^This^^

Far more a factor than age.
I've had old moose that you can cut with a fork and 1.5 yr old moose that you couldn't chew the burger.
Aging for 3 weeks ( under ideal conditions ) is key

[KegRiver]

Generally speaking, the younger animals are more tender, and milder flavored.

There is a reason for that. The older bulls fight more, eat less and generally run themselves half to death. The younger bulls don't get a lot of action, fighting or otherwise.

But there are no absolutes in meat quality. I've seen young bulls that were best made into sausage and old old bulls that were tender enough for me to eat without teeth.

[Ronaround]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Depends on what you mean by "quality"....

I think more youngsters these days should be eating mature rutting bulls.
They could use the testosterone.

Well said Walking Buffalo!!
did you notice the pink...lol

[whitetail Junkie]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Generally speaking, the younger animals are more tender, and milder flavored.

There is a reason for that. The older bulls fight more, eat less and generally run themselves half to death. The younger bulls don't get a lot of action, fighting or otherwise.

But there are no absolutes in meat quality. I've seen young bulls that were best made into sausage and old old bulls that were tender enough for me to eat without teeth.

Shot a young whitetail buck last fall in a grain field and it was the most gamey deer I’ve ever ate....and it was hot on the heels chaseing a doe...

year before (2017) shot a 180” old buck in the same field that was by himself and it was an awesome eating deer...go figure.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Guys with the heavy hunting pressure on bull moose in Alberta, majority of the bulls shot these days are the 2 year old bulls. My old hunting partner had let a very large bull run and my son wanted to get him. We told him if he shot him he can eat him. Son came up with solution for tough meat, send it to meat processor who will mix his old bull meat with everyone elses young bull meat. Then you will have both nice trophy and portion of your meat will be from other hunters tasty young bulls. PS we let a pair of 40 and 50 inch bulls run last fall.

[The moose]

4+ year old bull 100% of the time. Way more flavour, just as tender if done right. Now I have been known to shoot a younger animal but my family and I prefer a more mature animal. Let a 2.5yr old bull walk first day of season, more bone then meat at that age. Next yr he will be nice.

[coyoteman]

When themoose pop 1st exploded in nfld.We came upon a monster moose 32 points-We had to turn in the jaw bone,so we knew it was 13 yrs old.Late in the season this guy no doubt had his share of the ladies,and was pretty beat up.The meat was full of sinew--just not good to eat no matter what.Never made that mistake again--2-3-4 yr old pre rut bulls after that--Of course at the peak,you had plenty of choices,and could see 15-20 moose on an opening day.

[dfrobert]

Nothing wrong with a 4 year old bull moose. Dressed and hung proper will be awesome tender and tasty. Hang an older bull for longer helps a lot.