I have been given some elk ground from NM that Kubys processed and it was the best meat in the world. Had some from another state and processed up there and it was not good in burger or tacos. It made decent chili though.

Never killed a elk late, always early morning and I was a youngster and the older guys said to get hide off asap, that they would hold heat even in 20 degree nights. Skinned and bagged them and hung in shade. Have heard that their hair is hollow for better insulation, but don't know if it is true

Find a brine you like and let your steak etc sit in it for a couple days before cooking. If you shoot an old bull like I did in 2016 make your cuts thin then use a tenderizing hammer before cooking. On old bull can be like boot leather and one that stays warm over night darn near inedible. Elk in the back country have to be broken down almost regardless of temp IMO. You can leave the hide on the quarters but you have to get the quarters to themselves either hanging in a tree or hide side down on ground. Breaking an elk down by your self in Grizz country at night is exciting, but the walk back in the dark smelling like a bleeding elk is another level.

If a bear finds your elk it does not matter what you have done they are going to eat their fill and you are going to loose meat.

This is what I do with mule deer bucks and they are very good to eat. Getting them skinned and on ice quickly along with aging on ice and allowing the blood to really drain completely out of the meat. I agree with huntwest on them probably grinding some of the fat into the meat. Never good on any type of deer species.

Have had a lot of elk meat over the years, you can tell a slightly different odor when cooking, but it isn't a soured smell IMO (or taste for that matter),.

When alone and leaving one as you did late evening (only when temps are cold as you had) I will always get him off the ground as best I can to facilitate cooling, I have even packed snow in a cavity if it was available.

I always keep the neck meat separate when I do break it down after overnight, that is one place that is harder to cool with all the thick skin and hair, similar but far lest thickness to a buffalo. The one time I recall a semi "rancid" taste/odor was from ground mixed with trimmings and neck meat. Old guide and almost step dad, told me that was probably what tainted the whole ground batch. This assumes you had a clean removal of the gut, bile track and bladder.

Several times while alone, I have had to work late into the night breaking one down due to temps that made me nervous.

For reference, I once helped a guy that had gut shot a bull, 3 shots total. I went to help him the following am and you could smell the "rank" from 15' away approaching. He didn't consider the gut fluids that had entered the esophagus and sat there overnight, dont want to see or smell that again.

Sounds like it did not cool fast enough.........Really need to get the hide off an Elk.

Western you are spot on regarding the esophagus, always always cut it out regardless of temp or shot placement.

As a New Mexican for my first four decades, I have killed or be in on the killing of dozens of elk. Field care is paramount. The animal should be broken down as quickly as possible. Imagine going out to a ranch and buying beef. The rancher walks out to the pasture and shoots a steer. He walks over and guts it, and then leaves it in the pasture saying that he will be back in the morning to get it. We would be pissed, yet people do that to their game animals and then wonder why they are gamey.

Second, I process my own. Elk tallow and fat should always be trimmed from the grindings. We mix in a fatty brisket to bring the fat content up. Add up both scenarios and you probably have the answer to your question.

If game meat is handled properly from the get-go, there is absolutely no need to soak it and remove its flavor. The best tasting game meat one can have is the field fresh meat of a just-killed animal - whether over an open fire, grill, or stove. What a lot of folks call a “gamey” taste is simply the real taste of wild meat - we are just used to the often flavorless cellophane wrapped variety.

99% of issues with game meat are due to some misstep along the way in handling.

It does often show up in ground meat because a little bad from one part “infects” all the rest.

Wife made a stew and used chunk elk meat....ran a little short and had a 1 lb. if ground thawed and against my better judgement let her throw it in there

Stew came out delicious.

Some bites of meat ( both ground and stew)had a gamier taste to it but most had a sweet mild flavor


I'm still scratching my head at this one



Btw she browned it all in a skillet on the stove and none of it stunk in the slightest

eat beef and leave the stinky elk to us

My son's cow elk from NM last year is some of the best meat we have ever eaten. My wife said she would be willing to finance another hunt when we run out, so that's a win win situation for me

I agree with others that you need to get the hide off ASAP because they are so well insulated and hold heat. But if this can't be done in a timely manner slit the hide down the back as well as opening up the rib cage to let the meat cool. This will only help if it is cold weather. I carry game bags with me so we can quarter and hang in a tree if it has to be packed out.