Question for all those elk hunters out there

[almostthere]

I purchased a pkg of elk patties yesterday, and want to make sure I cook them up right. The only info I have been able to find on them is to make sure I dont cook them too long or they will dry out. Its a 4pk of patties, hamburger style. We are planning a trip to my sister's in AZ, and her dh will be taking my dh hunting, said in thier area hunting is good. So I hope to get a good supply of recipes before my freezer gets full. Do you use elk in place of just any meat, interchangeable? That is how we use our deer meat. Where my dh hunts the deer are corn fed and never taste gamey so I have never had to do anything extra to it. Thats probably why I have lost my taste for ground beef, LOL. Thanks in advance!!!

[goatlady]

Cook elk just like venison, less time than beef. Depemding on how much fat was added to the patties you may need to add a little butter to the fry pan so thay won't stick.

[Oregonsparkie]

To keep it from drying out by frying .... cook until medium rare or medium

[pumpkinlady]

Elk meat doesn't taste as gamey as deer meat. Deer are browsers whereas elk are grazers like cows. You will find the meat to be leaner than beef and it will cook faster than beef. I am sure you will enjoy the taste.

I've never had the privilage of hunting elk but I have had the privilage of eating a elk roast dinner with taters, carrots, and gravy made from the juices and it was deeeeelicious. I liked it a whole lot better than beef roast. So if your dh catches a elk make sure they give you plenty of roast to cook.

[almostthere]

I made them yesterday. They would have tasted better on the grill IMHO, but they were ok. I did read about how healthy they were. I hope my little store gets more. And I can't wait to go to Arizona, to hunt on my sister's land.

[gmm41]

I just had elk for the forst time this past week. I liked it better than the venison we have at home (whitetail). I also had mule deer steaks this week and liked it better than the whitetail. I suppose there are variables to consider also. The venison in my freezer I believe is an older buck.

[TexasMom]

I love elk meat; doesn't taste at all like deer. My brother in law goes elk hunting most every year, and my sister was passing almost all of the ground meat on to me - thinking it would taste like deer meat, which she doesn't care for. I kept telling her how good it was, til she finally tried it. Now I've lost my source of elk meat - she uses it herself!

Make sure you've got a tag for that elk. Even if it's on private land in AZ, you must have a tag. The hunting season is short (usually about two weeks), and you must put in for a lottery, with a slim chance of being drawn, several months in advance.

Poaching is taken real, real seriously in this state. As far as I know, it's a felony. I couldn't tell from your post if you knew you needed a tag or not and I've talked to plenty of people who assume that if it's on their land, they can hunt it, which isn't true. And believe me, people will tattle if they know you're poaching. There's a four-figure bounty on poachers.

They are tasty. I'm putting in for a tag this year -- the $75 or so for a tag is a lot less than a freezer full of beef and it's better meat. (And they're bigger than a cow, for that matter.)

Leva

Thanks for the info about the lottery, didn't know about that. But dh always makes sure he's legal, no matter what he's doing or where he's at. we'll have to look into that. Thanks again.

----Almostthere

Here's a link to Game and Fish:

http://www.azgfd.com/

However, here's something else people don't know (unrelated to hunting but something I plug whenever I get a chance) -- need firewood by any chance? If you are coming to AZ, from about april thru mid dec you can cut wood for cheap from the forest service land, though sometimes there are restrictions due to fire danger.

If you talk to the local ranger station, they can give you a permit. Last year juniper and oak was $25 for up to four cords, and ponderosa was free. Most folks in the high country heat with wood because it's so cheap, and four cords will do you for a winter ... because you're cutting dead standing wood, it also doesn't weigh much.

For that matter, there's nothing to stop you from taking home a pickup truck load of ponderosa logs for whatever construction project you might have in mind.

If you're driving out in a pickup, easy enough to take a pickup load home ... sure beats buying it.

And it really helps the environment; we've got a major problem with dead "bug" trees killed by bark beetles.

Oh, funny elk calling story -- my dad has an elk call and was sitting one evening on the porch of his cabin, calling elk in for fun. He kept getting a response, for quite some time. Finally figured out the neighbor had an elk call too and they were talking to each other!

Leva

Oh thats a funny story, dh and I got a kick out of it. Thanks for the link too, and the info on firewood. We are actually planning a trip this fall, if we can schedule it. I am really looking forward to it, I think he more than I. He asked me to look up some info on hunting restrictions and such so that should keep me busy for a bit, LOL.