Last Updated on February 4, 2023 by Jeremy

What is wild game meat?

As per the dictionary, it is referred as “meat from any land animal that is hunted for food”.

Our ancestors survived by hunting for 3 million years. They preyed on big game to sustain them over the changing of the seasons by eating the meat and utilizing the hide and furs for warmth as evolution progressed.

With evolution, our hunting techniques too, have evolved to become more strategic – from foraging and using simple tools, it advanced to driving animals off cliffs with spears then progressing many a millennia to hunting and stalking with a bow and arrow until the rifle with a scope was invented.

When a hunter goes out, they’re not going just for the sport like some trophy hunters, they’re goal is to supply their family with food and pending on the animal, a family might turn their haul into many cuts or prepared in other ways with little waste left of the carcass.

Many butcher shops or abattoirs will cut and wrap for a fee of so much per pound. During certain times of the year, like hunting season, they might be busier which might prolong the process.

The packages can contain items like:

• steaks
• roasts
• sausage
• ground meat

Game meat has risen in popularity among consumers because of its flavor and low fat content. This is due to the fact wild animals hunt and forage for their food making the meat richer in flavor and leaner in fat like shown in the picture below:

The meat source comes in all shapes and sizes in the thousands of animals that can be killed and used for game meat. For the sake of our sanity, the list will be significantly shorter and categorized.

According to Britannica, game meat can be classified in 3 groups:

1. Small birds
2. Game proper
3. Big game and other large animals

SMALL BIRDS

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With the many small birds flying around the planet, only a handful can be classified as game birds. A couple of the more notable winged creatures are squab and quail.

Squab

• A young pigeon around 4 weeks old and one of 5 or 6 species categorized as utility pigeons, which are raised for meat
• Prepare similarly to chicken and other fowl with a lesser cooking time
• Comparable to duck or dark meat chicken as it is dark with fatty skin. This allows the meat to be cooked medium-rare to medium-well to ensure tender and moist meat.

Quail

• One of the smallest typically weighing 4 to 6 ounces making it perfect for an appetizer or small entree
• Meat is similar to chicken with a more robust and intense flavor
• The bird is small which reduces the cooking time than that of chicken, but it also increases the chances of overcooking the meat. Basting will maintain moisture.
• In the New World quail can be referred to as partridge.

GAME PROPER

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Game proper can be subcategorized into 2 groups – winged game and ground game.

Winged Game

Pheasant

• Similar to chicken weighing about 2-3 lbs
• This lean meat is full of flavor and makes a great substitution for other fowl
• Can be prepared whole roasted, ground and cased into sausage links or by prepping the breasts and legs separately
• Moisture needs to be added to keep the bird from overcooking and drying out. This can be accomplished by rubbing oil or butter over the bird and basting whilst roasting.

Goose

• In the culinary world, this meat is classified similarly to that of duck. Even though it has the appearance of a red meat, it is actually considered white meat in a scientific meaning.
• The rich flavor is similar to that of rare beef roast
• A common way to prepare goose breasts is dehydrating into jerky
• Most common species are: the Canada goose and the snow goose
• Mostly associated with the changing of the seasons in North America – geese are known as harbingers of the coming spring and the ending of fall

Duck

• Very similar to goose
• Duck raising is usually practiced in small scales with larger farm production in the Netherlands, the United States, and in some areas of the United Kingdom
• There are 17 domesticated breeds divided into 4 categories – heavy, medium, lightweight, and bantam.

Grouse

• Known birds in this family Tetraonidae are prairie chickens (pinnated grouse) and ptarmigan
• Common throughout North America, the UK and Europe

Partridge

• Native to the Old World belonging to the family Phasianidae, they are larger than quail with stronger bills and feet.
• Common partridge in Europe is the gray partridge whilst the Hungarian partridge is common in North America with successful introduction within Alberta happening in 1908-1909.
• Partridges with leg spurs, called francolins, are a prized game bird with 5 Asian species and roughly 35 African species.

Ground Game

The meaning of ground game is for those animals that cannot fly to get away, hence stuck to the ground.

Squirrel

• Edible meat that is on par with rabbit once it is prepared and cooked properly
• Lean, slightly gamey taste with a heavy hint of nuts
• Best to hunt during the winter months to avoid the high number of parasites they tend to carry during the summer months
• Can be cooked: roasted, fried, baked, sauteed, and slow-cooked in a stew.

Beaver

• Flavor is woodsy and similar to elk or bison and is lean and succulent
• Beaver can be prepared in the following ways: braised in stews, smoke it on your Pit Boss smoker, grill it on the Flattop BBQ, for charcuteries, roasted in the oven or pan fried.
• Beavertail is edible and one of the most nutritious parts of the animal, although not a lot of people eat the tail anymore.
• The tail is nothing but fat with different cooking techniques affecting the taste of the meat.
• The tail is mostly used as trapping bait.

*Beaver needs to be prepared a certain way as it may contain parasites, one known to cause “beaver fever“*

Hares

• Even though these animals are larger than rabbits, they have very low fat content which makes them a poor choice for a survival food source
• Preparation can be the same as rabbits with the most common way to be roasted or separated, breaded and fried.
• Countries like Germany, Greece, Malta and Egypt have traditional dishes that use hare (or rabbit) meat.

Rabbits

• Most rabbit meat is bred and raised on farms as livestock.
• Wild rabbits have double the amount of cholesterol when compared to that of domesticated rabbit meat.
• Rabbit is classified as Poultry, like chicken, and the meat is categorized under “white meat” instead of “red meat”.

BIG GAME

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Ruminants – animals that have a 4-chambered stomach and two-toed feet

There are over 200 species of ruminants, suborder Ruminantia, both domestic and wild, with cattle rounding out number one as the top domesticated animal, followed closely by sheep and goats.

With there being so many species, this suborder is divided into 6 families:

1. Tragulidae – Mouse-deer (chevrotains)
2. Giraffidae – Giraffe, okapi, etc. in sub-Saharan Africa
3. Antilocapridae – Pronghorn antelope native to North American is the only living species of its family
4. Moschidae – Family of 7 species of Musk deer
5. *Cervidae – Deer, also called True deer, include elk, caribou, deer, and moose
6. *Bovidae – Cattle, bison, buffalo (water buffalo), antelopes, and caprines

*Families Cervidae and Bovidae are most hunted or domesticated*

• Some ruminants are called ungulates, for example deer and moose
• Deer are found throughout the world except in Australia and Antarctica
• Caribou, also referred to as reindeer, are found in the northern parts of Canada, Greenland, Russia, Scandinavia, and Alaska where they migrate in giant herds for thousands of miles
• Moose is the largest species of deer and is common in the northern parts of North America and Europe/Asia
• Elk, or wapiti, are the second largest with average males weighing 380 kg (840 lbs) and exceptional males being even heavier at 500 kg (1,100 lbs)
• Elk are found in North America and in the high mountains of Central Asia.
• Most bovid species will be found in Africa, with the rest scattered in Europe, Asia and North America

Venison – the meat from a wild antlered ungulates

• Venison meat can be prepared in cuts like steaks, tenderloins and roasts, as well as ground to make hamburgers or sausage or dried into jerky. The meat can also be smoked, grilled, slow-cooked, or roasted, but with it being a leaner meat, moisture from basting will ensure meat tenderness.
• The taste is similar to beef and mutton (sheep) but is less fatty.

Other Game Meat

Wild boar

• Oldest known species of swine that has been around since before the Ice Age
• A relative to the pig, its meat is leaner and darker than that of pork because it’s diet consists of fruit, nuts, and natural foraging giving it has a sweeter taste
• Best slow-cooked on low to be careful not to overcook
• If using a dry method of cooking like roasting in an oven, basting frequently will ensure moisture
• Can be substituted for any pork
• Can be found almost worldwide living in many environments, but is mostly found in forest regions

Bear

• Highly nutritious containing more protein than beef and is leaner than pork with a sweet, gamey taste
• Meat is similar to venison as it’s dark red which can be prepared in many ways
• Bear meat can be cut into chops, steaks or roasts, smoked, turned into smokies, but is best cooked low and slow which causes the fat to melt off and allows its natural juices to come out
• Can be found throughout North America in mountainous areas like the Kootenay Region

Alligator

• Known as the “chicken of the swamp” in the bayou of Louisiana and other southern states
• Described to have a taste similar to chicken, with hint of fish, along with a slightly chewy, but firm texture
• It is considered white meat like chicken or other poultry

Kangaroo

• The meat is exported from Australia to over 60 markets overseas
• Kangaroo is high in protein with only 2% fat
• Contains high concentration of conjugated linoleic acid, which has been attributed to have anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetes properties
• Slow-cooking is the best option for cooking or quick stir-frying

Final Thoughts

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With the abundant number of species on our planet comes with it an abundance of edible, lean meat. As listed above, there are loads of animals that fill our freezers to sustain ourselves throughout the harsh winter months.

Before any hunting can commence, there are rules to follow and equipment to buy before a foot is stepped into a forest.

Canada, for example, has a hunting season for deer and moose, etc. which requires each registered hunter to draw for a tag that corresponds with a specific region. You cannot hunt without a tag otherwise you would be poaching, which is illegal.

It’s best to research online through a government website or contact any Conservation or Fish and Wildlife office for more information.

Feel free to comment below your favorite game meat or recipe to share.

Earth is Heart!