If you ever get the chance to try beaver, it's great! I don't know if there's a special way to cook it, but a guy I work with brought some in a slow cooker that had bbq sauce and was served like pulled pork. It tasted like some of the most tender and flavorful beef that one could imagine. Really great eating. Most people didn't want to eat it, but many came back for a full sandwich once they got the courage to try a little nibble.
A favorite of the old mountain men was beavertail, of the four legged variety! Always been curious to try it, never got the right opportunity. Of course I might look at it or cook it and change my mind! Another favorite, and their all around favorite meat, was mountain lion. Again, I would have to at least try a little. Never tried rattlesnake. A couple of serious desert rat friends of mine skinned one they killed a handful of times but never could bring themselves to eat them.
I have eaten turtle, tree squirrel, a bunch of other things, rabbit and pigeon, memory fails. If a good cook would cook it I would give it a try! One day I had just ate a big plate of spaghetti at my aunt's house, a lady who is an outstanding cook! Went for a walk and there were two uncles out in a yard barbecuing. They called me over to have a piece or two but I was stuffed. As I stood around talking they kept calling people over to try it. Finally after at least a half dozen other people had tried it, JV turned to Buddy, "They like that armadillo pretty good, I guess we can try it!" I didn't join in. A high percentage of armadillos in Louisiana carry leprosy, legacy of being used as lab animals in the Carrville leper colony way back when, about a hundred years ago best I recall. Checking them in Florida a couple of researchers found zero leprosy out of a small sample of dozens. I had researched them and wrote a science report on them when I was in grade school so I knew they were called poor man's pork some places and supposed to be tasty. Never found out for myself! Possum on the half shell.
Hu