Buck vs doe

[Spikebuck]

I agree with Fred that the deer's food supply has more to do with taste of their meat than any other factor (assuming good care after the kill).

I hunt primarily in agricultural areas where the deer feed on corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, along with acorns and the many other plants they like. Over more than four decades I have taken everything from fawns to large bucks in rut. My buck last year was cementum tooth aged at 7.5 years old and is as tender and good tasting as any younger deer I've killed.

I have had deer meat that is not from areas that provide such great forage for the herd, and I can certainly taste a difference in that meat.

I also believe meat care is a big factor. Mine are always gutted immediately, then washed out with cold water to cool the carcass, drained, then processed as quickly as possible. I never age deer meat.

BTW..."trophy" hunters are "meat" hunters too. The bigger the deer, the more meat is on them! :v

 

[larry wv]

This is corn and alfalfa country around here. About anything that was taken care of and not scared to death before dying is good eating.

Larry

 

[stinkyfeet]

How the meat is processed matters too. I cut all my own deer, and hang the quarters in am old double door soda cooler like the stores use converted to deer use. By letting your meat hang in a controlled cool environment it allows the muscles and tendons to break down tenderizing the meat. This is also referred to as aging the meat commonly down in high dollar steak houses.

 

[bendjoseph]

I'm a first come, first serve type of hunter. I am out there for meat.

 

[Vaino]

Venison doesn't age like beef....nor enough internal fat {marbling}. As an offspring of a whole line of poachers, we never hung the meat and it was always tasty and delicious.

Then later on, I read an article that really didn't reinforce our practice of not hanging deer and this was due to the fact that we didn't know any better except that the way we quickly processed deer always yielded top notch venison.

Judging from the "smells" in deer processing shops, these "smells" to put it mildly, were not only from lousy "gut jobs" but also from rancid meat that hung in an attempt to "age" meat that doesn't age.

Hanging a deer for a very short while will dry out the meat if it's skinned and this can be OK, but really doesn't add to the quality of the venison.

Years ago, "aged beef" was a lot more common than nowadays, mainly because of economics due to "time and waste"....aging requires controlled temperature and humidity for extended periods and the aging produces meat that needs a lot of trimming of inedible exterior surfaces. A properly "aged steak" is indeed a gourmet's delight and I've had my share and always relished this "rare" treat.

Hanging venison in the garage, some shed or basement doesn't satisfy the requirements of "controlled temperature and humidity".....besides the fact that venison doesn't age......Fred

 

[Tony Turner]

Sorry, I didn't read every reply.
My findings on taste is what they feed on. I have shot deer in every corner of ND and found that the ones that feed off of corn and sunflowers seem to be better tasting than the ones that mainly feed off of grass, small saplings and sage. I also think that deer that have been stressed before shooting releases something in the meat that makes it taste different.
I like to use the 36 hour rule for hanging my deer if the outside temp is in the mid to low 30 deg temp. My reasoning is the rigormotis leaves the muscle after that length of time. Not necessarily an aging process.

 

[robinsroost]

No one has mentioned the glands, found on buck deer. Particularly the ones on their back legs. They have a scent that is not mistakable. The bucks urinate on their glands in a scrape to leave their scent for the does and as a sort of warning to other bucks. If you get this stuff on the meat during skinning you won't be able to eat the meat.........Robin :wink:

 

[elkslayer]

The only difference I have noticed in deer meat is between older and younger animals. A few years ago I killed an old buck in early October and then a spike buck in mid November. The flavor was identical but the older buck was noticeably tougher when compared side by side.

I have not noticed any difference in flavor or texture between males and females of the same age.

Then 2 years ago I killed a spike whitetail and a sspike mule deer just a month apart. I decided a blind taste test was in order comparing backstrap steaks from the two deer as well as my spike elk from that same year. (I guess I have a thing for spikes) Each steak was cooked to the same internal temperature and I had my wife wear a blindfold and try to identify the meat; afterwards I wore the blindfold and did the same.

The result was that we could both identify the elk meat but could not tell the difference between the mule deer and whitetail.

The whitetail had been killed in a forested and mountainous area, I don't think there is any agriculture within 30 miles. The mule deer was killed a few hundred miles away also in a mountainous area but dominated by sagebrush and aspen also miles from any agriculture. The elk came from the same area as the whitetail.

My take-away is that the most important factor in producing good meat is not sex or feed but proper field care of the meat. Age seems to only affect texture however I am basing this on a single animal although I did kill an old cow elk once that was tough also. I butcher my own animals typically after letting them hang only long enough for rigor mortis to end, usually 2-3 days.