Anyone ever eat porcupine, beaver or woodchuck? I was told woodchuck and beaver are good. I know its a random question but I am

[DranDran]

Anyone ever eat porcupine, beaver or woodchuck? I was told woodchuck and beaver are good. I know its a random question but I am wondering about it, woodchuck and porcupine are unprotected in NY. I am by no means a picky eater and will try anything once

[FirstBubba]

I understand that the "free trappers" of the mid 19th century relished beaver tail.
I presume, any herbivore, properly tended and prepared would be "okay" to consume.

[jhjimbo]

Almost all of the younger of a specie are good to eat. I saw a chart on the nutrition value of various species - maybe on youtube. Some of the varmints had more nutrient value than the more common game meat.

[jhjimbo]

Here is a link with a comparison chart:


www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.hunting-game-nutrition-value.html

[Carl Huber]

I had Ground Hog as a youngster. Of course with my background it was in a sweet and sour brown gravy. I was told I enjoyed it, but was unaware of the animal at the time. This served me well in later life. Making me open to more varied cuisines.

[99explorer]

I'm afraid I am a typical American, with an aversion to eating non-domestic and non-game animals, and afraid to try exotic delicacies that are regularly eaten in foreign countries, esp. Asia.
A friend of mine likes to eat guava worms and chocolate-covered ants.
I would have a problem living off the land if I had to eat serpents and insects in the wild.
As a survivalist, I have many shortcomings.

[illinoisburt]

Can only comment on groundhogs. Little musky smelling when cooking, but otherwise taste like greasy beef. Generally boiled the whole carcass and debone, then use in any recipe you like.

[Carl Huber]

99 Never say Never. As a child I was Flounder fishing. The bait we were using was Squid. He mused that it was amazing no one ever cooked this nice little piece of fish. My first thought was "not even if you bought me a Scwinn". Little did he relize that little by would grow up to marry a girl that not only knew how to cook it but would make it for Christmas Eve Dinner.
PS As far as worms go I never saw a person who turns down a free Tequila Shot. I guess it's all context. +1 for honesty

[DranDran]

Thanks for the info. I know it sounds a little weird but when I had hear of people eating them it got me thinking. My uncle and neighbor have both eaten raccoon and my neighbor has eaten woodchuck and beaver.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

I have eaten porcupine and it was awful. Stringy and tasted like turpentine. If you have ever smelled a beaver after skinning and still have the appetite to eat one, I'm guessing you'd find landfill seagulls tasty too.

[Safado]

During the depression my father ate and enjoyed squirrel, rabbit, hares, possum, raccoon, grouse, hogs, wild turkeys and of course deer. They were subsistence hunters and if they could kill it my grandma could prep and cook it. He did tell me that they caught possums alive and fed them rice to "clean" them out. I think it made their meat less gamey. I suspect if they had porcupine and woodchucks they would have eaten them too.

[Gary Devine]

A CB Radio Truck Driver told me that Beaver tasted just like fish.

[DranDran]

Ok, I never said I was going to eat, I was just wondering if anyone had eaten them. I'm going by what I was told mainly, if someone else cooked it I might try it

[DranDran]

Not trying to sound rude by the way. I mainly thought about it because of the reason stated in my question where I said that porcupines and woodchucks are unprotected here in NY. So it was all if I came across one

[Sarge01]

In my neck of the woods growing up groundhogs were a normal fare. People canned them. I have eaten them many times. Just this past spring at the local church's wild game feed I ate barbecue groundhog and it was very tasty. Usually years ago it was boiled until done and then rolled in flour and fried in lard. This is how we ate it then and it was good. Groundhogs eat only plants. Whole lot cleaner than chickens and hogs.