June 14, 2007, 09:19 PM | #1 |
Junior member
Join Date: May 31, 2004
Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A.
Posts: 12,451
|
Eatin' cats?
I have to ask, while on the subject of hunting ethics brought up most recently in the bigfoot thread. I see pics of guys with their pumas; and they hunt them on Versus and The Outdoor Channel. Do they chow down or trophy-hunt only, typically? Or is it a mixed bag?
Pumas are not overpopulated nuisances (unlike coyotes for example); so if you're not eating them, I personally would have an ethical problem hunting them. For the trophy only is not a satisfactory reason to me. In any event, are they tasty? |
June 14, 2007, 09:26 PM | #2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 22, 2005
Location: The Woodlands TX
Posts: 4,679
|
I had a tow truck driver in NO WY tell me the cats are gud et'n. I was just happy to get the high centered rent-a-car off the damn pass.
__________________
la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas! |
June 14, 2007, 10:06 PM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 10, 2002
Posts: 2,108
|
Never had cat....at least that I know of, but we did have a Vietnamese family move in some years ago. After a few months neighbors noticed the strays began disappearing and even some of their house pets. He might know what they taste like....I'll ask him and get back to you.
|
June 14, 2007, 11:52 PM | #4 |
Member
Join Date: April 24, 2007
Posts: 39
|
Can't say as I've heard of anyone eating a cougar. But having said that and having spent lots of time in Asia...I've eaten domestic cat(and dog, monkey, rat and a few things I couldn't quite identify and wasn't about to ask) and in my opinion with enough seasoning anything is pretty much edible.
|
June 14, 2007, 11:58 PM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 18, 2006
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 1,902
|
Some folks eat them. I've never tried it.
Jason |
June 15, 2007, 12:06 AM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 13, 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 15,248
|
Had some years ago at a game dinner in Reno, NV. Wasn't bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat it again.
As for them being scarce, it would depend on who you ask. Ranchers seem to think there are too darn many of them. As for a trophy, they are a trophy. You really have to work to get them. They won't just let you stroll up to them and poke 'em. Be prepared to chase hounds for at least 5 miles from the time they cut a trail. And mountain lions like to run uphill, unlike us hairless apes.
__________________
Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services |
June 15, 2007, 01:08 AM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 9, 2005
Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills.
Posts: 3,779
|
Are mountain lions scarce? I thought they were VERY scarce.
I wouldn't want them to go extinct. They are beautiful animals. I would hate to help extinct a species just to have a trophy. Of course, if they were eating all my sheep it would be a different story. Then again, if I lived were I could help a dying species, I would probably feed some sheep to the mountain lions. LOL Then the moutain lion would thrive and I could hunt it without worry of making it extinct. |
June 15, 2007, 01:22 AM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 23, 2005
Posts: 462
|
Don't know about mountain lions, but lynx are good eating.
|
June 15, 2007, 03:26 AM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 15, 2005
Location: South China, Maine
Posts: 814
|
mrawesome... they are only scarce on the East Coast. Up north (Maine, VT, NH), the state fish and wildlife claim we don't have them at all. (and I know for a fact that is a load of crap! I've seen them in VT and as of last week, in Maine too.)
Out west, they are still quite the problem. WY, last I heard, still considers them a varmint, and puts an open season on them.
__________________
Bushmaster Superlight AR-15 5.56mm / Custom 24" Heavy BBL Varmint AR-15 5.56mm / Ruger M77 .257 Roberts / Ruger MKI 22LR Pistol / EAA Witness 9mm Pistol / Daisy 2202 22LR / Remington Viper 522 22LR / Stevens 200 .223 / Savage 10FP 24" .308 / Mauser 98 Sporter 30-06 |
June 15, 2007, 10:58 AM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 26, 2001
Location: WA
Posts: 183
|
Cats are not scarce out here in the west, trust me. Last time I hunted WY, you needed to draw a tag to hunt them also. Here in WA, you can buy over the counter tags for $5 to hunt lion. No dogs or bait though for most, the liberal idiots of this state took care of that in '96. I have never tried it but I have been told that the meat is outstanding, like very lean pork. Need H&H to chime in here.
|
June 15, 2007, 12:38 PM | #11 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 7, 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 2,238
|
I would say up here in wa state its a mixed bag. Some guys just want the cool pelt hanging on the wall and some do truly enjoy cougar steaks :barf: Personaly I havent ever shot a cougar but if I had the chance I would because the population here has really gone through the roof since they outlawed hound hunting. According to many its why the deer population has dropped recently in some areas. For example on Iron mt. in republic wa they did a study where 18 cougars were found to be enhabiting this small mt. in a group of hundreds of other hills that werent studied. Deer remains were being found at a higher rate than usual. They were finding the death to be caused by cougars.
So I would shoot one but I cant say that I would eat it. I would however not waste the meat. i would give it away to someone who wanted it. The pelt i would keep. |
June 15, 2007, 01:09 PM | #12 |
Junior member
Join Date: November 25, 2002
Location: In my own little weird world in Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 14,172
|
Ive eaten broiled cockroaches in soy and deep fried scorpions trying to impress a Thai girl.
I draw the line at kitty cat. WildandprobablybowsertoobutihearthatstastyAlaska |
June 15, 2007, 04:09 PM | #13 |
Junior member
Join Date: May 31, 2004
Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A.
Posts: 12,451
|
You won't eat a cat, but you will a COCKROACH?!? I could see vice versa maybe...
|
June 15, 2007, 11:19 PM | #14 |
Staff in Memoriam
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
|
A buddy of mine killed a young lion of some sixty pounds. He barbecued the hams. Absolutely wonderful meat. IMO, those old mountain men were correct in their stated view that lion meat was the best of all.
In Texas there are no controls on lions. Legally, they're the same as coyotes. In my area, we're bum-deep in lion poop, although the population varies as they eat their way from one place to another. Resident females remain in the area, so the occasional Handsome Stranger wanders through to ensure another generation. I see tracks around here pretty regularly. Art |
June 16, 2007, 12:18 AM | #15 |
Junior member
Join Date: April 21, 2006
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 2,450
|
I've never had the chance to try it, but I'll eat anything, the weirder the better.
I ate the scorpions too, but prefer the fermented fish-paste. You can't find it in the US... stupid FDA. |
June 16, 2007, 12:24 AM | #16 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 9, 2005
Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills.
Posts: 3,779
|
Wish we had them here in Ohio.
Biggest wild cat I've seen around here was a bobcat that I called in while coyote hunting with my father this past February. And that was only the second bobcat I've seen in my life. I called the sighting in to the ODNR like your're supposed to and they were very rude to me. You'd think they would be polite since I was going out of my way to help them, but ehh. Maybe I'll go start a new thread about that. |
June 16, 2007, 06:57 AM | #17 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 7, 2006
Location: mid west Georgia
Posts: 102
|
It all depends on how hungry you are. What the heck, if God didn't want us to eat them why did he make em out of meat?
|
June 16, 2007, 12:24 PM | #18 |
Member
Join Date: December 15, 2006
Posts: 32
|
Obviously it's edible, but I would say majority of people who hunt them don't hunt it for food. Perhaps some people eat a bit of it so that they are not "trophy hunting" or make themselves feel better, but it's bit of a stretch.
|
June 16, 2007, 08:39 PM | #19 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 18, 2005
Posts: 1,276
|
Mr. Awesome- The Ventura County govenment in So Cal just closed two hiking paths because of mountain lion sightings...Lions and bears in Southern California come into neighborhoods bordering hill country quite often...
|
June 16, 2007, 10:32 PM | #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 27, 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 229
|
An outfitter that I went with in Wyoming said that Mountain Lion was the best meat he'd eaten. I thought he was pulling my leg, but he swore to it.
|
June 16, 2007, 11:03 PM | #21 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 1, 2000
Location: near Flagstaff, AZ
Posts: 790
|
I've eaten mountain lion. It's delicious. It's like really lean pork chops.
|
June 17, 2007, 09:14 PM | #22 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 14, 2006
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 885
|
Plenty of cats here in Wyo. I have a friend who hunts them. Had some he made into ham...tasty.
elkman |
June 18, 2007, 12:13 AM | #23 |
Junior member
Join Date: March 3, 2007
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 1,637
|
Dog
Had a stew in the Philippines and again in Saudi Arabia with some Flipper truck drivers, turned out to be dog. Stringy. Cat I haven't had but now I am intrigued!
Almost any animal can be eaten, if prepared carefully and cooked properly. I have had some odd dishes in and out of the service and I found a few things I though I wouldn't like to be quite good; deep fried grasshoppers in Peru, grilled tarantula in Mexico (which had a very interesting preparation method), snake soup in Hong Kong and chipmunk (no kidding!) at a buddy's place in New Hampshire. My grandmother always said, "Fatigue softens the mattress, hunger flavors the stew!" and as usual, she was right |
June 18, 2007, 03:17 PM | #24 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 31, 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,775
|
I know a guy who has eaten it and he says its just like lean pork. I would be willing to try it but there is something about eating a carnivore that seems like it would be odd. The animals I eat are usually grass fed.
People can say what they want about kitties but my favourite meat is Beef or Deer and I think it'll likely stay that way.
__________________
I love the smell of fresh shotgun in the morning. |
June 19, 2007, 11:56 AM | #25 |
Junior member
Join Date: March 2, 2006
Posts: 421
|
I have never eaten lion either though we don't have them in this state or so DNR says we don't. We have a lot of sightings but nothing official.
I see nothing wrong with trophy hunting as long as there is a healthy enough population of the animal to justify hunting them. Hunting is a sport (to me at least) and man is the ultimate predator. |
|
|