The wild meat choices

By V. Paul Reynolds

Most nutritionists agree that, in general, wild meat or wild game is better for you than the beef you buy wrapped in plastic at the supermarket. Most of us who hunt and take satisfaction in foraging for our food — whether wild mushrooms or wild meat — would probably continue hunting and eating wild game even if there were not a nutritional advantage.

The fact that the fruits of our labor in the deer woods is good for us just makes the successful hunt all that much sweeter.

What is your favorite wild meat? And how would you scale your choices for flavor and tenderness?

For me, the top three are moose, elk, and venison, and in that order of priority.

For my money, properly seasoned and prepared moose meat is as good as it gets in terms of flavor and texture. Of my three choices, moose meat has the lowest fat content. It contains less than 1 percent fat on average. This fact, according to Bugle Magazine, is attributable to the fact that moose burn a lot of calories browsing for high volumes of food to sustain their large bodies.

Elk meat is not only the least gamy, but highly flavorful and extremely high in protein. For example, a quarter pound of elk meat contains an amazing 30 grams of protein as compared with a strip sirloin from your local market. A quarter pound of domestic beef contains only about 19 grams of protein. Elk is much lower in fat than either other wild game or domestic beef!

My most memorable wild game dining experience took place, not at my dining room table, but round a campfire in the Colorado Rockies. On the last day of my elk hunt, after a week of eating instant oatmeal and freeze dried meals in a packet, my hunt mates and I roasted an elk inner loin on a coat hanger over hot coals from a campfire. No meal, either before or after, will ever compare with that soul-satisfying eating experience.

Venison may be third on my list, but it is a close third. Per pound it has 200 more calories than elk or about 500 calories per pound.

Finally, here are some common advantages of all wild meat:

Lower fat content: Wild game tends to have lower fat content compared to domestic beef. Animals in the wild roam freely and therefore generally have leaner bodies. Lower fat content can contribute to a healthier diet, especially for those watching their calorie intake or managing cholesterol levels.

Healthier fats: The fats found in wild game are often higher in omega-3 fatty acids than those in domestic beef. This is because wild animals typically eat a more natural diet composed of varied plants, which influence the fatty acid profile of their meat. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for heart health.

Fewer contaminants and additives: Wild game is less likely to contain antibiotics, hormones, and other pharmaceuticals that are commonly used in conventional cattle farming. Additionally, wild animals are not exposed to the same types of feed, which may include grains and additives not present in their natural diet.

Wild game is also higher in certain beneficial nutrients like iron and vitamin B12.

If you are fortunate enough to have a stash of wild game in your freezer, enjoy it in good health. If not, make friends with a deer hunter, or make plans for next fall’s deer season.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books. Online purchase information is available at www.sportingjournal.com, Outdoor Books.