Urban hunter - next meal scampering by...

[Guest HvyMtl]

This is a video article on a fellow in Detroit using hunting skills...

To urban hunter, next meal is scampering by | detnews.com | The Detroit News

A bit humorous, but it does show a possible shtf meat source...

[Tango down]

ROFL! Racoon is a bit greasy, but definately eatable if the shtf.

[Shorty]

I have a squirrel highway in my backyard (power lines) should an alternate meat source be needed. Raccoon has never been high on my "I want to eat" list

[Tango down]

I am going to rely on the dove that roost in my backyard. I have one now for the second year has set up nest on my back porch on a bench, behind some pots. I keep telling her that I hunt your kind but she's not listening!

[Guest BEARMAN]

Coon meat is probably way better than "possum innards and mustard greens"! IMO....

[323ssplt]

Since I now live a little out in the country, and have horse farms on three sides of me, I know what my meals will consist of, if need be.

[MCSCOTT]

I've had some BBQ coon that was fairly good.

In a SHTF situation, since laws and hunting regulations wouldn't come into play, I would say I can survive for quite some time between the coons, squirrels, turkeys, doves, deer, rabbits, and several other wild animals that I see on a regular basis. As for horses, I met a guy from New Mexico a long time ago that told me he had a party before and one horse fed lots of folks there, and it was pretty good. If the situation is bad enough, and food becomes very scarce, I'm not past cooking and eating just about any animal out there.

[JAB]

I don't care much for squirrel meat - tastes kind of bitter, to me. I'd much rather see the furry little fellah's scampering about than on a plate.

I have only eaten raccoon once. Caught the b*st*rd in one of my chicken coops the day after my bantams were killed (they had lived in the coop where I caught the 'coon.) Well, I figured he had something to do with killing and eating my bantams (which, unlike my other chickens, I thought of almost as pets) so I'd return the favor. Shot it in the head, cleaned it, skinned it, broke down the carcass, boiled it a little while so it wouldn't be greasy (with just a little vinegar in the water) then took it out of the pot, dried it off and put it on the smoker. When it was done on the smoker, I pulled the meat. With a home-made barbecue sauce I cooked up for the occasion, it tasted just about like barbecue beef. It was a big ol' healthy (and I think fairly young) boar 'coon and there was quite a bit of meat on it. Tasted ten times better than any squirrel I've had, IMO. My wife said she thought it smelled good and would have tried it but she made the mistake of coming to check on my progress before I had finished butchering it (had removed the head and skinned and cleaned it but hadn't cut the paws off or cut the carcass up, yet) so she couldn't bring herself to eat it.

I'm probably not going to actively seek them out/hunt them as a meat source as things stand but if things got bad, I'd eat the heck out of them. I figure that in a 'lean times' situation the eggs my chickens lay would be even more important to us. Killing off predators that would eat my chickens while getting good meat sounds like a win/win to me!

Edited April 12, 2010 by JAB

[Bocephus]

Cleaning the coon correctly is the key to good taste. There are glands that need to be removed where the legs meet the body.

[JAB]

Cleaning the coon correctly is the key to good taste. There are glands that need to be removed where the legs meet the body.

I didn't know to remove any glands in that area in the one I cleaned. I was aware of the ones that are located along the sides of the spine and was careful with them but those came away with the skin when I skinned it. I guess maybe I got lucky and the ones at it's legs did, too because it tasted pretty good. Thanks for mentioning the others - I'll know to specifically look for those, too, next time!

[memphismason]

The Masonic Lodge in Somerville TN has a "Coon Super" every year where an out of state degree teams comes in and puts on a Master Mason's Degree. The Lodge serves Bar-B-Q Coon for all that wants to try it. They also serve regular ole Pork Bar-B-Q-. I tried the coon once, and wasn't a fan, but if I was starving I would eat it.

[Guest BJEC1248]

I've had BBQ coon & it was OK but not near as good as the time I had coon, goat & squirrel stew cooked in a 55-gal. oil drum (the guy liked to make a lot of stew). hard to beat squirrel brains 'n' eggs, tho....

[robin48]

Coon meat is probably way better than "possum innards and mustard greens"! IMO....

mmmmm goood

[Dolomite_supafly]

Racoon isn't that bad at all, I've had it a few times. What I actually really like is ground hog. It almost tastes like roast beef when it is roasted in the oven. I have probably tried almost any animal at some point in my life.

I haven't had any wild game in nearly a decade. I quite hunting for sport in 2001 and other than the occassional nuisance animal haven't killed since then either. I don't look down on hunters or anything like that, it just became something I don't like to personally do anymore because if I don't need to kill it I don't.

Dolomite

[Oh Shoot]

...What I actually really like is ground hog. It almost tastes like roast beef when it is roasted in the oven.

Agree totally.

Whistle Pig is certainly as good or better than squirrel or rabbit, plus there's more of it.

- OS

[Guest guardlobo]

I'm more a steak and potatoes guy myself, but coons might work in a pinch.