Last night while browning 2 pounds of venison burger for tacos, I tried to remember the last time I bought beef in a grocery store. It’s been at least 25 years, and maybe 30 or more. I really don’t recall.

I’m fortunate enough to kill at least one whitetail — sometimes two or three — every fall in South Dakota or Wisconsin, so my freezer is typically stocked with venison, including burger, steaks, hot dogs, Polish sausage, brats, ring bologna, deer sticks and jerky. Full disclosure: I have a trusted local meat market that produces burgers, hot dogs and similar products from boneless venison I bring to them, and these items contain added beef fat or pork fat.

The focus of this article, however, is steaks, which I cut myself during the butchering process on a whitetail. By “steaks” I’m specifically talking about backstraps and tenderloins. Through the years, I’ve also had the chance to feast on a wide variety of other big game steaks, and in order below, from No. 6 to No. 1, are my favorites.

Important note: The taste of big game steaks will definitely vary depending on various factors, including an animal’s diet, age and how they are prepared. Proper handling — keep it clean and cool! — and cooking techniques — don’t overcook it! — are essential to bring out the best flavors in these steaks.

No. 6: Pronghorns

Pronghorn meat, when cared for properly, has a mild and delicate flavor. It's lean and tender, making it a good option for steaks — provided you were prepared to deal with the meat properly, which can be a challenge during hot-weather early season pronghorn hunts.

Many years ago on a buddy archery trip to Montana, our group was thrilled to feast on grilled pronghorn backstraps. I think we all thought the meat would have a strong sagebrush taste, which it didn’t.

No. 5: Axis Deer

I’m sure my friends in Texas will feel slighted by this No. 4 ranking, but I have to call it the way I taste it. Prior to my first axis deer hunt in Texas a few years ago, I was told that axis was the best-tasting big game on the planet. Is it good? Absolutely. The best? In my opinion, no.

Like other big game, axis backstraps are tender with little to no fat. Compared to other big game, axis deer meat is a bit more pale in color. I don’t rank axis steaks higher because without a decent amount of seasoning, the meat lacked flavor. It’s better than pronghorn, but not in the same class as my top four. Again, just one man’s opinion.

No. 4: Caribou

I’ve killed mountain caribou (in British Columbia), central barren ground caribou (Northwest Territories) and Quebec/Labrador caribou (Quebec). We ate caribou backstraps on each of these hunts.

The best-tasting of the three was during the BC trip, where our Indigenous guides grilled/seared the steaks to medium-rare on an open fire (fire grate placed just above the short flames, which were anchored by a hot bed of coals). Caribou backstraps have a fine grain and almost no fat. 

Interestingly, I remember our guides not sharing in our feast. They thought caribou meat was suitable only for their dogs — something about “empty calories” as I recall. I couldn’t disagree more; it was outstanding!

No. 3: Whitetails

Confession: As a kid, I didn’t like venison. The reason is I was eating old, leathery whitetail bucks that my dad and his brothers shot in the swamps of northern Minnesota (no agriculture, no acorns). It didn’t help that Mom disliked cooking (and eating) venison; the pan fried steaks were overcooked, hard to chew, and gamey tasting. In a word — yuck!

Thankfully, my eyes and taste buds were opened as a teenager when I started bowhunting Wisconsin with family and friends. These whitetails lived on alfalfa, clover, soybeans, corn, acorns and various woody browse and other natural vegetation. The flavor of these farmland deer was better than the swamp monsters I remember eating as a kid by a factor of at least 100.

The whitetails my friends, family and I kill annually in South Dakota or Wisconsin are outstanding table fare. The backstraps are lean but flavorful, provided you don’t overcook them. I’ve also learned that it pays to take time removing all fat (including silver skin) before cooking; this is the source of any gamey flavor. Click here to read my story, “7 Steps for Grilling the Perfect Venison Steak,” where I reveal my favorite seasoning for whitetail backstraps.

No. 2: Moose

I killed a Canada moose on the same trip to northern British Columbia where I shot my mountain caribou, which was detailed in “No. 4 Caribou” above. During this 14-day backcountry hunt, traveling by horseback, my dad, brother and I were successful in tagging three bull moose and three bull caribou. Amazing adventure!

Midway through the hunt, Dad and I were spike camping with two guides while my brother was off with another guide; we were forced to leave base camp (also tents) and split up into two parties due to animal location/movement. Dad and I shot our moose on consecutive days, then killed our caribou on a successful shoulder-to-shoulder stalk the following day. I mention this timing because we dined on moose backstraps exactly 1 day prior to eating the caribou.

Compared to caribou, moose backstraps have a longer grain, and the cooked meat has a “bigger” flavor. While our Indigenous guides weren’t interested in eating caribou steaks, they sat down beside my dad and me at the fire to devour moose steaks. And this must be said: The size of a bull moose backstrap steak is breathtaking.

No. 1: Elk

Elk meat is often compared to high-quality beef, but with a slightly sweeter and leaner taste. It's known for its tenderness, fine grain and rich color, too.

I’ve shot only one elk, a small-racked 5x5 bull in northwest Colorado. Even though this rifle hunt was 25 years ago, I haven’t forgotten the crazy-good meat the elk provided for my family — and there was a lot of it, too! 

I know I’m not alone in proclaiming that elk is the finest big game meat in North America. Of course, like whitetails and the other big game animals detailed in my list, proper game care is needed for best results on the dinner table.

One final comment about elk meat: An elk backstrap on the grill, cooked to medium rare, is as good as it gets in wild game table fare. That said, there’s something about elk meat that also results in the best burger, too. Each year my hunting buddies and I get together for a wild game feed, and of everything we cook — including elk and whitetail backstraps on the grill — my absolute favorite is elk burgers. Note: A local meat market adds 15 percent beef fat to our boneless elk trimmings when making our elk burger.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it — my top six best-tasting big game animals. Thankfully, my freezer still has some whitetail venison left over from 2022 harvests (backstraps have been long gone for many months), but it’s time to tag another deer soon. There’s simply no way I’m going to purchase beef at the grocery store. I’m a hunter — and a provider. It’s time to provide.