Thanks for this great article! I knew that some of the cats could be eaten but did not know about the trichinosis thing. From Canada, populations of mountain lions live all the way to the tip of South America. Over the course of 21 months, Brokenleg consumed 35 badgers compared to only 5 mule deer and 19 elk! To get mountain lion meat you need to go through licensed game processors or . Trichinosis is not just about cat. The adult males have a mass ranging from 53 to 100 kg while the adult females have a mass ranging from 29 to 64 kg. When compared to domestic animals such as cows and chickens, game meats have an average of 4.3% fat while their domesticated competitors typically have a fat content of 25-30%. He gave me a front quarter to try smoking. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. However, while it is possible for mountain lions to attack and eat dogs, it is not a common occurrence in the wild. So if you make a 5-pound batch of salami, as I often do, you will need at least 45grams of salt to be totally safe. Choose any cut of steak such as strip steak, porterhouse steak or fillet strip. For example, his lion steaks come from farms in the Midwest (he said in 2011 that until he started selling . Published Feb 4, 2013 9:25 PM EST. Mountain lion hunters in Colorado are required to take a special education course and check updated lion harvest limit reports the day before hunting in case an area reaches its limits and CPW closes it for hunting. I don't eat top predators, can't comment. Various native people have stories and mythology relating to mountain lions, from the Cherokee to the Incan people. Mountain Lion meat tastes similar to pork. They mark territories with urine and claw scraping, and these territories can vary greatly in size based on food abundance. They are also amongst the top five strongest cats in the world. All these processes going on shouldprevent you from actually getting trichinosis, which is why people have been safely making salami with wild and domesticated pigs for 2000 years. Your email address will not be published. Heres the Mountain LionHunters Mountain Lion Recipe this was served to me one night at a remote cabin in western Montana while mountain lion hunting and its every bit delicious as it is simple. Description of the Mountain Lion. Trippy, eh? Theyre just perpetuating something theyve heard, Hafer said. This past season I harvested a Black Bear in NE Tennessee and was hoping to know if freezing will kill the parasite. Edward: Tennessee is in the region of Trichinella spiralis and Trichinella murrelli. They need meat to survive. (As is mountain lion meat, but only a very few people eat that.). By Hank Shaw on March 2, 2015, Updated February 4, 2021 - 109 Comments. Mountain lions do eat dogs and other domestic animals that are easy prey in their habitat. But this one is Mine! With proper food preparation and cooking temperatures all risk is eliminated. I've never eaten it myself, but I've always had the desire to give it a try. JUDAS PRIEST NO!! Thank you for the article, this was very interesting and informative. All I could say would be that those cuts might have the nativa strain of trich which is not killed by freezing because you are in the north. Heck, even Ted Nugent enjoys cougars every now and then: Vegetarians are cool. The fermentation bacteria produce acid which also lowers the water activity while the acid wrecksthe metabolism of the larvae which, like many living things needs to be close to pH 7 (neutral) to work properly. And it does. Thus, a range can vary from 10 to 370 square miles. 20 Animals in Their Diet. Use common sense. It is impractical to farm mountain lions because they demand so much food in order for them to reach maturity. Elk hunters were among the first in line to object to wolf reintroduction in the Lower 48, but a new study suggests that mountain lion hunters may have had even greater cause for concern. Male Cougar for Sale. These include deer, elk, wild pigs, and rabbits to name a few. Anyone ever smoked any mountain lion meat? What Ever Happened to the Remington ACR Rifle? Its better than pork once you get it tender, if you ask me.. Dan Richards with his legally hunted mountain lion, which anit-hunters and animal "rights" activists crucified him about. Id love to attach a link to your article in my facebook group, and even though I agree with everything in this article, without clear cited references, I wouldnt share it. Mountain lions are predatory animals, which means that they survive by preying on other animals. So its all deduction when it comes to bear charcuterie. The actual temperature that kills the trichinella parasite is 137F, which happens to be medium-rare. Horses were always a source of food. Mountain lion meat tastes exactly like lean pork. I have cougar meat that I am now freezing for a month. That should make it safe but might mess with the texture. Save for Florida, humans have removed them from the vast majority of the eastern United States and Canada. Their most common prey are mule deer but they will take down whatever prey they can. Now Im leaving with just the skin and the skull, and it wasnt very fulfilling at all because the idea of eating the animal is very much a part of what I believed in. Their range stretches from Canada all the way to South America. They usually prey on deer, elk, bighorn sheep, rabbits, turkeys, raccoons, porcupines, and even rodents. For salami, you technically dont have to freeze wild boar, so long as your salt concentration hits 2 1/2 percent and you cure the meat for at least two weeks. And it wasnt very fulfilling. Large males can weigh up to 180 pounds. Donkeys and horses are great work animals but lousy as food. As for me? Bear meat, not pork, is the real problem. Interactions between mountain lions and humans negatively impact both. Find out here. A heavy dose of antibiotics will indeed cure the symptoms diarrhea and nausea, muscle pain, weakness, even nervous system and heart problems the larval cysts (pictured at right) will remain in your muscle tissue meaning that if someone were to eat you, theyd get trich, too. And live free lives until their death. As Hank Shaw put it, cougar-eating [is] a rarity within a rarity. Im interested in looking for a wild game recipe blog soon because a new meat shop recently opened near where I live. Man hunts with our guile and cunning. Rabbit, squirrel, nutria, alligator, shark, turtle, crawfish, ants, crickets, and once a scorpion. Even though may not think you need to, out of an abundance of caution, my advice is to freeze wild boar and bears shot in warm-weather states before starting your salami, and to avoid straight-up salami with bear meat in colder areas unless the meat is cooked somehow. Ribbon snakes love water, but are excellent climbers too. On one hand, the cats will sometimes attack livestock, and even humans. But when I asked long time houndsman Jerry Doyle if he recommended boiling lion meat his reply startedlike this: BOIL IT!? Black Rifle Coffee Podcast: Ep 042 Donnie Vincent. That's around 48 deer-sized animals. I take as much as I can get, the bar owner said. Does the lack of fermentation mean greater risk? I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); ress_js("//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US&adInstanceId=2f49479b-74eb-4e0c-a3f0-b0b1306a8e8d"); Get easy-to-follow, delicious recipes delivered right to your inbox. They said, Oh, its been eating rotten salmon and they have worms and theyre not edible. I fell for it. I am willing to take that risk. Humans have not domesticated mountain lions in any way. Lions are native to Africa and northwest India. I like to sous vide bear at about 145F for an hour or more, which is still a lovely tender and pink piece of meat, and is safe to eat that way. All I did to this lion shoulder was let it age for about 10 days in the fridge, trimmed off the air-dried exterior, covered in Jankey Salt (southern seasoned salt made in Southwest Arkansas) then hickory smoked it for eight hours at 225 degrees. Rather than going out of their way to track and hunt prey, mountain lions are more likely to hide in treetops or other areas with high coverage in order to ambush and kill prey with a lethal bite to the spinal cord. They prefer white tail and mule deer meat over all other food, with deer making up about 80 to 90 percent of their diet. Isnt that what huntings all about (or should be about) working your body and mind hard in the pursuit of a beautiful game animal thats worthy of your respect, taking it out as painlessly as possible and then using its meat for our nutritional benefit? Animals.NET aim to promote interest in nature and animals among children, as well as raise their awareness in conservation and environmental protection. Hunters always eat the meat from elephants that are hunted. All photos used are royalty-free, and credits are included in the Alt tag of each image. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Theyve been frozen for about 3 weeks so its easy to wait one more, but is salt alone enough? Now heres the caveat: While there has been lots of study done on salt curing and T. spiralis, theres been almost nothing done on salts effect on the other species of the parasite. It tastes bad, they say. 2 Dung: 20 min: 1 1 Raw Pork 1 Greater Mountain Lion (Pet) 1: 2 Dung: 20 min: 1 1 Savoury Flesh 1 Greater Mountain Lion (Pet) 1: 2 Dung: 20 min: 1 1 Item is not consumed! It was interesting flavor. Then seared on both sides for about 10 minutes total. While they eat a variety of prey from small rodents to larger predators, it seems that deer, specifically mule deer, are the most common prey of most mountain lions. Note my use of the phrase still-active in that last sentence; its important and I will explain below. 1 large white onion, or more, cut into bite-sized chunks. Even when feeding on adult deer mountain lions will often consume the entire spinal column, both femurs, both humeri and most of the skull (if antlerless). Follow David Maccar: Simmer the quarters in water until the meats falling off the bone, and then chunk it all up and make some sauce. Mountain lion meat is not toxic and it is eaten by humans. Additionally, they receive rabbits, large bones, and parts of carcasses. Though they are powerful predators, they are also an intriguing and important species. It could be the salt, it could be the nitrates, or it could be the enzymes (proteases) that kill the parasite. If you are an individual who loves to eat and explore different cuisines, you might want to try mountain lion meat. cook 4-6 hours, the meat will be "pull" tender, remove and debone, add a dash of worchestershire sauce to the dutch oven drippings and reduce on high for 5 minutes serve with "pot drippings" sauce and cooked onions on the side. You can find these predators in nearly every North American habitat. An individual cat's range depends on food availability. Email: Email Seller. Most hunters tend to hunt mountain lions during winter as they can easily track their paw prints in the snow. Mountain lions are carnivores, which means that they only eat meat. You hear this about a lot of animals that arent prey animals, so to speak, or typical game animals hunted for meat. Name: Roland. We finally get to try eating Mountain Lion for the 1st time! Your email address will not be published. All I eat are vegetarians except for the occasional mountain lion steak.. From: Zbone. If its wild, youll find it here. ATF Drops New Pistol Brace Rule: Its Not Good, Jonathon Blanks Epic Mountain Goat Hunt on Kodiak Island, Live With Courage, Keep Your Word: The Code of the West, 357 Magnum: The OG Magnum Revolver Round Is Still Relevant. However, mountain lions may not be successful hunters all the time. All Rights Reserved. When not working with her own animals and tending her farm, Krishna is helping other animal owners with behavior or management issues and teaching neighboring farmers about Regenerative Agriculture practices. And when it does happen, the cause is usually related to contamination by the hunter or whomever dresses and processes the meat. Perhaps include the legitimate references at the end of your article to help substantiate the information. Finally, let me address the making of salami and other cured meats with wild boar and bear. Once youre at the tree, killing a cat isnt hard. Anglers have their version of this, too, with so-called trash fish that are used for purposes other than eating. Instagram. As they mature and grow, theyll be able to hunt larger prey until theyre able to easily hunt and kill deer, elk, and other common prey animals. Difficulty matching British water profile. That means zero. Here are the nutrition facts for a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of broiled, ground beef with 10% fat content ( 2 . You can serve the meat as an appetizer or as a main course. Grab Some DeliciousMeats & Cheesesin The Deli. This is an excerpt from the investigation: Interviews revealed that the bear had been legally hunted a few days before the event in a mountainous region in California about 100 miles east of Humboldt County. Mountain Lion: Misunderstood Quarry, Under-Appreciated Cuisine. Mountain lions hunt elegantly with there bodies and instinct. completely terrestrial food chain." . Mountain lions are quite big in size. This is no different then what the mountain lion is doing. Mountain lions are considered to be stealthy predators so mountain lion hunting can be very difficult. They taste quite similar! From what Ive read Alaska moose can, but are unlikely, to be infected by the freeze resistant trich. Required fields are marked *. With its sweet flavor and tender texture, mountain lion meat is a delicious and satisfying option for those looking to try something new. Pathak also imports exotic meats from all over the world to his adventurous costumers. Share. According tothose who have tried it, it tastes just like pork. Some hunters might find it hard to believe that a saucer-shaped depression in a fresh layer of snow can arouse just as much excitement as the sudden appearance of a bugling bull elkunless they were experienced mountain lion hunters. All the best to you. 1 Exquisite Meat 1 Greater Mountain Lion . Mountain lions are solitary creatures, and outside of mating, adults rarely interact. If you do so, the texture will be completely ruined! The same should apply to hunting mountain lions. However, while the majority of the species favors mule deer, Santa Anas Department of Natural Resources found out some surprising information while tracking a mountain lion named Brokenleg, which they shared in this Facebook post. It is a common perception to think that mountain lion meat will have a bad odor or an unpleasant texture. These widespread cats have one of the largest ranges of any terrestrial animal in North and South America. You might end up with dry and rubbery meat. Of those,43were eating wild game. My wife and I were just having a discussion of trich over a meal involving venison meatballs and I googled it, saw this article in the top 5 and thought to myself, I should have known Hank would have covered this subject! Thank again! Its a tough pursuit but well worth the time, energy and effort you put in. They said, Oh, its been eating rotten salmon and they have worms and theyre not edible. I fell for it. The owner had a buddy who was a professional mountain lion hunting guide, and his clients apparently never wanted to bother with the meat other than the backstraps. So I said, Save me some of the meat from it because I will prepare it for dinner. And he saved it. Copyright 2023 Free Range American. Both mountain lion and African lion. It would not make any sense for a farmer as he would have to provide the lions with 10lbs of meat to eat for every 1lb of mountain lion meat he could harvest. The best course is to cook the wild game per Hank Shaw methods. Mule deer are their most common prey, but they are opportunistic and will take whatever comes their way. The Department may authorize permitholders to pursue, capture, temporarily possess . at the shoulder, that's nearly 3 ft. tall! Another thing you must do is wash the knives and utensils thoroughly after cutting, prepping, or cooking the mountain lion meat. It is . Their vast range has made them notoriously feared across various regions. Of course,if you are one of those unlucky few, trichinosis is not to be trifled with. Catfight. You can easily find them in North and South America as well as in the Yukon Territory in Canada. Another big reason mountain-lion hunting isn't popular is most people shy away from the meat. Its been eating rotten fish for the past three months, its been eating things that have tapeworms in it, it very likely has trichinosis in its flesh, but you just have to cook it to a certain temperature and its fine. He told Western Outdoor News that he shot the lion to fulfill a long-held goal, using a . It is no wonder they are known by so many names, as their range is so expansive, from Canada to South America. I think it is good that someone is willing to try and eat the flesh instead of just letting it go to waste. They have round heads, and erect ears, and are blessed with powerful jaws. Thats how it was. It just made sense to me, Vincent said. In North America, they are more concentrated to the western states. The bear he ended up killing was like 15 or 17 years old. Some exceptions apply, and there are sub-par specimens of any species that probably shouldn't be consumed.I have had chicken, beef and pork that are inedible. Bears appear to be heavily infected by the parasite, so much so that you should assume the meat is infected. Conclusion. Yak . We cooked that bear quarter for dinner, and it went so damn fast your head would spin. However, it suggests that it is not the salt that kills the larvae, it is protein-digesting enzymes released by fermentation bacteria. Like all carnivores, mountain lions have large, sharp canines and incisors for shearing and tearing the meat. 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