Traditional Muzzleloading Association

The Center of Camp => Camping Gear and Campfire Cooking => Topic started by: Longhunter on January 15, 2009, 11:43:56 PM

Title: Anybody eat raccoons
Post by: Longhunter on January 15, 2009, 11:43:56 PM: I was raised on all kinds of wild game, Venison, bear, raccoon and porcupine. My grandpa was a hunter and trapper, always kept coon hounds and there was always some kind of wild meat on the table every day. I remember my grandma baked the coons in the oven until they were just about fallin off the bone then she'd put barbecue sauce on em and they were lip smackin good, rich dark meat. You've gotta take out the glands under the legs and trim off all the fat you can.

When I was a kid I had a single shot 22 and a single shot 12 ga shotgun. I spent more time in the woods than I did in school. I sold the coon hides to the fur buyer and nailed the porky skins on the outhouse. when they got too ranchy grandma made me take em down.....Coons...the other dark meat....:~)

The picture is my deer camp in 1959. Two hides from bow killed coons....we ate the rest of em...

(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/deer%20camp%201959.jpg)
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Post by: oomcurt on January 16, 2009, 12:52:39 AM: Hi Ron,

Well...I've eaten possum, which imho is dang good! I've eaten beaver, which to me has the texture and somewhat the flavor of beef. I've eaten woodchuck..now there is some fine eatin also. I've eaten gator, which is really good..sort of a poor man's lobster as far as texture goes...the flavor is not at all bad either, imo. I've eaten moose, which imo is the best of all big game meats. I've eaten elk...which to me is too much on the lean side, in the winter I need animal fat to stay warm. And, of course I've eaten deer meat, which I love also. I also love squirrel. Snake is not bad...but very bland imo.

But, I've never eaten coon....that is something I would love to try.

As far as game birds..I love duck or goose...as well as ruffed grouse. Pheasant....you can keep. Too dry. Pigeon...love it.
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Post by: rollingb on January 16, 2009, 01:50:40 AM: I've ate coon and beaver, in fact I used to provide our local American Legion with coon and beaver (from my trapline) for our yearly BBQ.
Bobcat is another favorite of mine, but Moose is my all time favorite, followed by Buffalo and Elk respectively.
Caribou is good when they ain't in "rut", but I like Black Bear better (espeacialy the ribs) when cooked slowly over an open fire.

When it comes to birds,.... "Creamed" Pheasant over biscuts is another favorite of mine, and so is Bob White Quail (I like both better than Grouse).
I'm not much of a Duck, or, Goose eater, but I've ate some that other people cooked and it' was very good.

Of course over the years, I've probably ate close to a "wagon load" of Bunnies, Squirrels, and Jack Rabbits.
One winter when I was a kid and we had a terrible blizzard that closed the road to town, we lived for almost 2 full weeks on nuthin but Jack Rabbits (and eggs from my mother's chickens ).
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Post by: Three Hawks on January 16, 2009, 05:02:05 AM: I dunno if 'coons are legal game animals here in the People's Republic of Washington, but before I was married, over forty years ago, I was hunting in late Fall and shot a raccoon. I was trying to dress him, her or it, whichever out, but the stench was so overpowering I chucked the carcass into the brush. I've always been kinda ashamed that I didn't at least try to cook and eat it, but, lord almighty, that thing stunk ! !

I've never even spoken harshly about raccoons since.

Three Hawks
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Post by: Longhunter on January 16, 2009, 06:16:15 AM: Quote
I dunno if 'coons are legal game animals here in the People's Republic of Washington, but before I was married, over forty years ago, I was hunting in late Fall and shot a raccoon. I was trying to dress him, her or it, whichever out, but the stench was so overpowering I chucked the carcass into the brush. I've always been kinda ashamed that I didn't at least try to cook and eat it, but, lord almighty, that thing stunk ! !

One mans stink is another mans perfume.... :rotf
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Post by: Roaddog on January 16, 2009, 08:35:26 AM: Yep coon is very good like Longhunter said, Backed and BBQ. There isn't any game I wouldn't eat and I have tried All that has been mentioned except the Bobcat.
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Post by: jbullard1 on January 16, 2009, 09:02:12 AM: I hate to think about the number of years since I ate coon.
I was reared in rural Mississippi and game was an extra meat. only certain game was taken during the summer the male Bob White Quail was one. But come fall rabbit squirrel coon were all fair game
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Post by: Uncle Russ on January 16, 2009, 09:40:53 AM: Quote from: "jbullard1"
I hate to think about the number of years since I ate coon.
I was reared in rural Mississippi and game was an extra meat. only certain game was taken during the summer the male Bob White Quail was one. But come fall rabbit squirrel coon were all fair game

Jerry, I suspect many of us "more senior" folks are in the same boat. When I was growing up, anything other than wild-game was considered a big treat....which includes pen raised stock as that was used for traddin for other staples......

My Grandpa used to say, "Iff'n it's coon meat ya like, jest stay the heck away from them ol' he-coons because they'll burn out ya taster's!".....Gawd, I loved that old man!

I have eaten coon. I know I have.
But, from the minute I first read this, I started thinking about when it was that I last ate coon, and for the life of me I just can't remember when it was, and I can't remember the taste.
It had to been after the depression, back in the 40's.

Uncle Russ...
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Post by: Fletcher on January 16, 2009, 10:20:31 AM: I suppose I might be able to try coon if someone else did the skinning and dressing. Like said above, it is hard to get past the stink. I remember that from many years back night hunting them in eastern Montana.

I think I have had a few things that I did not know for sure what was in the bottom of the pot!
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Post by: butterchurn on January 16, 2009, 10:34:41 AM: I have never eaten anything like that. Stupid question, but I have to ask. What about rabies?
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Post by: david32cal on January 16, 2009, 10:52:24 AM: when i was a kid anything dark meat,coon,whistle pig,mom threw in the crockpot with BBQ sauce.lite meat critters,rabbit,possum,squirrel went in the skillet.never cared that much for coon,like Longhunter said it is a very rich tasting meat.would rather have a squirrel or possum myself,but you ate what was put in front of you.
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Post by: deadfallpaul on January 16, 2009, 11:11:21 AM: Yeah!! Coon roasted in the oven with stuffing, potatoes and carrots and onions!!!
Then you put Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce on the meat!! Yum!!!!

Have eaten most all the above and one that wasn't mentioned.
Muskrat.
Good done up as barbecue.

Favorite is moose then elk.
A buddy of mine makes the best beaver stew you ever ate!
Brings it to our trappers convention I have been going to in Maine for years.

Oops!!
I forgot my other favorite. Squirrel pot pie!!
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Post by: Uncle Russ on January 16, 2009, 11:53:23 AM: Quote
Oops!!
I forgot my other favorite. Squirrel pot pie!!

Don't think for one minute that you've got a monopoly going on Squirrel!
:rotf

I don't want to get off the subject here, but I personally don't think there is any better eatin than the lowly Skwerl!

Pot-Pie, Fried just like Chicken, Skwerll dumplings, or anything else you might dream up, like Skwirl Chili....it's still the little Prince of wildgame!

I envy the heck out of you guys that live where there's good hunting.

Uncle Russ...
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Post by: Fletcher on January 16, 2009, 11:58:31 AM: Deadfall yer a better man than I....

ya lost me at Louisana...

Pure gringo here... just salt and pepper!

I guess I have been spoiled with an abundance of the big critters as well as clean water mountain trout.

So my wild game taste probably would not be considered as wild and wide as so many of you out there.
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Post by: jbullard1 on January 16, 2009, 12:01:19 PM: Unk Russ et all
Come on down to Houlka and join in
We will be after them tree rats in a couple more weeks

My grandmother loved boiled skweril heads; Yep the heads
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Post by: sse on January 16, 2009, 12:56:05 PM: I love reading what all you guys eat or used to eat. I love just about any game meat, but can't say I've had any coon or possum or muskrat.

I think I've said before that I did make a pot of venison and bear stew (using the fire set made by Lightseeker that I won in the RAFFLE!) year ago Thanksgiving for the flatlanders to take in while turkey dinner was going. I invited anyone outside to sample at their pleasure. Surprisingly, a lot of them really liked the bear meat and so did I.

Growing up we got fed a lot of old world stuff, though: blood sausage, tripes, kidney, pigs knuckle, then some stuff I didn't know what it was and didn't ask neither...!
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Post by: Stryker on January 16, 2009, 01:17:30 PM: Raccoons are actually pretty tasty. It's just time consuming to make. Grandpa used to brine his for 24 to 48 hours. Then boil it for an hour or so, and only then would he Grill, roast, barbeque or smoke it. I liked it. Now Possum is another story, I'd have to be mighty hungry to eat them critters again. Mighty hungry!
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Post by: Fletcher on January 16, 2009, 01:20:23 PM: Now that brine may be the trick! 24 to 48 hours for the critter and some good brine for me for at least a few hours before dinner
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Post by: oomcurt on January 16, 2009, 01:43:01 PM: In regard to what Butterchurn asked about rabies... Funny thing, never ever did I ever worry about that. My own opinion on that is the heat from cooking would eliminate any problems plus, unless one ate the brain I doubt very much that there would be any complications. As long as the rabies thing was brought up...there is something else I would like to address. This CWD thing. Now, from what I've read, there is no evidence as yet that that can be transferred to a human. Also, from what I have read...in advanced stages the critter in question does not look at all healthy nor act normal...so why would anyone wish to take such an animal for food??? Here in Colorado, there are areas where the disease has been found and of course it is recommended that testing be done before one eats it. Well, I know several people that don't bother with that...and yup...they're still kicking. Bottom line...I guess any animal could have some disease but that has never bothered me...as long as when I gutted it things looked normal inside, that is all I care about.
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Post by: Uncle Russ on January 16, 2009, 02:09:12 PM: Quote
Now Possum is another story, I'd have to be mighty hungry to eat them critters again. Mighty hungry!

Stryker, I'm with you!........ A Possum can flat out ugly ya to death...

To me, the 'possum is proof positive that God does indeed have a sense of humor.....

Uncle Russ...
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Post by: Stryker on January 16, 2009, 02:19:34 PM: Quote from: "oomcurt"
In regard to what Butterchurn asked about rabies... Funny thing, never ever did I ever worry about that. My own opinion on that is the heat from cooking would eliminate any problems plus, unless one ate the brain I doubt very much that there would be any complications. As long as the rabies thing was brought up...there is something else I would like to address. This CWD thing. Now, from what I've read, there is no evidence as yet that that can be transferred to a human. Also, from what I have read...in advanced stages the critter in question does not look at all healthy nor act normal...so why would anyone wish to take such an animal for food??? Here in Colorado, there are areas where the disease has been found and of course it is recommended that testing be done before one eats it. Well, I know several people that don't bother with that...and yup...they're still kicking. Bottom line...I guess any animal could have some disease but that has never bothered me...as long as when I gutted it things looked normal inside, that is all I care about.

A state game warden told me that for Raccoons and a few other smaller critters, rabies is only a problem east of the Mississippi. I tought that was interesting. That brings up an obvious point though, you don't want to be eating anything that looks diseased.
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Post by: Stryker on January 16, 2009, 03:04:25 PM: Quote from: "RussB"
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Now Possum is another story, I'd have to be mighty hungry to eat them critters again. Mighty hungry!

Stryker, I'm with you!........ A Possum can flat out ugly ya to death...

Uncle Russ...

Aint that the truth!
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Post by: deadfallpaul on January 16, 2009, 03:35:05 PM: LOL!! :rofl :lt th
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Post by: Fletcher on January 16, 2009, 05:01:35 PM: Uncle Russ - how about Armadillo. That is really Possum on the half shell
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Post by: vermontfreedom on January 16, 2009, 06:17:10 PM: I've had coon only once and enjoyed it. It was ground meat in a chili.

My favorites are venison, squirrel, muskrat, and beaver. NOt necessarily in that order.

I don't trap or hunt furbearers, so it's been a long time since I've had them.

Also long since I've had moose or elk or caribou, but I like it all.

Bear and groundhog are at the bottom of my preference, but I'll eat them if put in something with lots of covering flavor, like chili.

I'll try anything at least once.
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Post by: vermontfreedom on January 16, 2009, 06:27:35 PM: regarding CWD

oomcurt is correct that there is no evidence to suggest humans can contract it from eating meat of animals that have it.

CWD has been known in the western US since the 1960s. I'm betting thousands of muleys, white-tails, elk, and even moose have been eaten that were infected.

HOWEVER, there is abundant evidence, some might even say proof, that a form of a disease related to CWD, called Creutzfeld-Jakob (CJD) or variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (vCJD) is contracted by people that eat beef from animals that have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also called "mad cow disease".

CWD in deer, mad cow in cattle, CJD and vCJD in humans, and scrapie in sheep are all similar diseases, so it may well be only a matter of time before epidemiologists determine if humans can get 'sick' by eating CWD-infected deer.

To each his own, but if I was hunting in CWD infected areas, or if it ever gets to PA, I'll be having my deer tested before consuming.

You can protect yourself by deboning all meat, removing lymph nodes (there are some that sit between the muscles of the hams), not using a bone saw to cut through meat and bone when processing, and having the deer tested, but this will cost a few bucks (about $40 or $50 in PA).

And it's always sensible to wear latex or rubber gloves when dressing any game. There are lots of crazy diseases and conditions people can get from gutting and handling wild meat. You ABSOLUTELY could contract rabies this way - a little blood in a cut, a squirt of blood or some other fluid in the eye or mouth. And deer can and do carry rabies, not just bats and coons and skunks and foxes. Any mammal can have rabies. Many diseases have a long incubation period. For example, it can take 6-18 months for an animal with CWD to show symptoms!

I knew personally a biologist who died because he didn't take precautions when dressing (actually performing a necropsy) on a mountain lion in Arizone a couple of years ago. Spend 50 cents on a pair of dressing gloves and wash afterwards - it might just save your life or prevent a rash or feeling really sick!
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Post by: Three Hawks on January 18, 2009, 04:09:12 AM: A half dozen pairs of nitrile gloves is less than $4. I rinse mine in a solution of 1/4 cup of bleach to two gallons of warm water, spread e'm out on an old towel to dry. Not much work, not much expense and a lot of peace of mind.

Queasy ol'

Three Hawks
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Post by: Longhunter on January 20, 2009, 01:25:12 PM: Quote
Bear and groundhog are at the bottom of my preference, but I'll eat them if put in something with lots of covering flavor, like chili.

V F, I'm surprised at that statement...Bear roast is my all time favorite wild game roast. I don't care as much for bear burger or steak but the roast is better than the best beef roast I've ever had.

When I get a bear I put as much of it as possible into roast, it's a fine grain meat with a rich almost sweet taste. I've only had one bad one in my life and that was piece of meat given to me by a friend that didn't take care of the meat properly after he killed it. A bear will sour quickly if not skinned and cooled then cut up as quickly as possible.
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Post by: vermontfreedom on January 20, 2009, 06:12:42 PM: Well, to be honest, LongHunter, I've only had bear 2 or 3 times. The first time I had it it was good.

The second, it was from a friends 200 or 250-pounder and it was gamey and strong.

I ate it, and it was o.k., but not "good".

And he took care of the meat.

But again, only had it a couple of times. I remember getting some venison steaks from a friends' buck a few years back and it was horrible - gamey, strong. Had that been only my 2nd or 3rd experience with venison, I might feel the same way.

Bear season here in PA is only 3 days long, and I have to work 12-18 hour days that week, including working at least half a day on Thanksgiving every year, so I don't get a chance to hunt them. ...Though now we have an extended season (a few days concurrent with rifle deer season) in the management unit I live in, so I might just buy a tag and hope to knock one down.

Rest assured I will save all the meat I can from any bear I shoot. ...Maybe some day.
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Post by: RckyMtn Joe on February 17, 2009, 11:43:54 AM: Hey Ron---I think we grew up under similar circumstances----your childhood sounds remarkably familiar to me! About "coon"---my Dad loved to hunt, we always had coon dogs, and we had coon on a regular basis. My mom cooked them in a pressure cooker to tenderize them and then put them in the oven with the BBQ sauce to simmer for a while.

People who eat processed meat from Kroger's etc. turn up their noses at the kind of tablefare us older country dudes enjoyed. I sure miss a lot of those old times.

Joe
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Post by: Longhunter on February 19, 2009, 02:04:47 AM: Quote
People who eat processed meat from Kroger's etc. turn up their noses at the kind of tablefare us older country dudes enjoyed. I sure miss a lot of those old times.

I hear ya Joe...some folks don't know whats good for em. :rotf

I like this qoute, "I didn't claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables"

Having said that, I always have room for vegetables on my plate....right next to that big ole hunk a meat....
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Post by: macNnc on March 26, 2009, 05:52:49 PM: never had a possum..and never even seen armadillo..but i've had most of the other game you fellows have mentioned...beaver, muskrat, squirrel and raccoon. Never had elk or moose come to think of it. Bear though..yes..might be worth remembering that in the Colonial days, 'bar" meat was valued higher than that of deer.
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Post by: Stryker on March 27, 2009, 10:27:28 AM: Quote from: "Longhunter"
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.......Did ya ever notice how pale vegetarians are?....... :lol:
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Post by: pathfinder on March 27, 2009, 07:06:03 PM: I had a Coon as a pet for thirteen years,got her before her eye's where open and raised her with the other critters in the house. One of the best friends I've had. Never caged her and would use a leash only in town. Don't think I could eat one.
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Post by: snake eyes on April 14, 2009, 07:53:28 AM: There was a time in a country far,far away that I ate things
that would gag a maggot.But,I draw the line at opossum.It is
from a childhood experience.
snake-eyes
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Post by: Spotted Bull on April 14, 2009, 07:59:15 AM: When we were in Iquitos, Peru for 3 weeks, we had to live off the local economy. One of our favorite restuarants was a Korean place...the menu was written on a big chalk board...None of us spoke the language, so we just pointed at a number and ordered that way...

Not really sure what I ate there but it was very good...and kinda odd hearing Spanish spoken with a Korean accent.
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Post by: Gordon H.Kemp on April 14, 2009, 04:23:01 PM: Like Russ and others it's been a long time since I've had coon or wood chuck. Another meat that makes a good stew is muskrat. We ate alot of Rat as my father made us use allm the meat off the trapline. I never thought coon to be all that bad smelling unless it was a real old boar.One of my favorites was woodchuck liver deep fried.
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Post by: Three Hawks on April 15, 2009, 08:46:10 PM: RE: Meat from animals with neural diseases. I have a buddy who is a county extension agent, he tells me to stay shy of brain and nerve tissue, cook the meat well and you'll be fine. He's fond of the use of hot water and soap, too.

It seems to be the Red Blooded Macho Hunter raw meat eater types who contract these ailments while us woosie surgical glove and soap types don't.

Sissy old (and gettin' older) ol'

Three Hawks
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Post by: Longhunter on April 16, 2009, 12:32:24 AM: Since it's been warmin up a little lately the ground grizzles (wood chucks) have been out. I'm thinkin about gettin Ole Fancy Pants, my .54 flinter down off the pegs and take her out after the makins for a good stew.

Did I ever tell you about the time me and a buddy went on a weekend scout with a couple other guys. We set up our two camps across from each other. I got a woodchuck right off the bat and I had brought the fixins for a stew...potatoes, carrots and onions. I had a big cast iron kettle and I got the stew started on our fire. Then my bud and I went back out huntin. When we got back in camp the other two guys had shot a coon and had it skinned and ready for their fire.

Our stew got done first so we invited them to try some. They said, "no thanks, we'll wait till our stew is done"

My buddy and I ate on that woodchuck stew all weekend and every time we ask the other guys to try it they refused. When it came time to pack up and go home I dumped out the last of the woodchuck stew in our kettle. Out dropped a big hind foot of the other guys coon...complete with hair, hide and toenails. :rotf
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Post by: R.M. on April 16, 2009, 01:26:15 AM: With friends like that, who needs enemies!!!
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Post by: Roaddog on April 16, 2009, 06:17:22 AM: Yep it's always good to remember that someone will get there evens.
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Post by: Longhunter on April 16, 2009, 08:49:40 AM: Quote
Yep it's always good to remember that someone will get there evens.

" I don't get mad, I get even"

" Paybacks are Hell"...:lol:
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Post by: Geezer in NH on September 19, 2014, 07:59:58 PM: Quote from: "butterchurn"
I have never eaten anything like that. Stupid question, but I have to ask. What about rabies?
You are kidding or from the city. Rabies can be caught in any mammal.

By the way my son and I are trappers and he has an animal control licensed business. We have Rabies vaccines do to his business.

We do not eat any type of animal that "acts strange".