Mule Deer Meat Opinions - A Poll

[Nameless Range]

On a recent thread about mule deer, there was a disagreement about mule deer as table fare.

To be clear, I think taste is subjective, but in a population of preferences will also likely represent a semi-normal distribution. There’s no wrong answers here.

The options above follow those often used in scientific studies regarding taste. You can pick two options, but don't have to, because I think folks may waffle between proximal responses. The option I chose was "It's OK".

It's Thursday, so let’s build this histogram!

 

[Mallardsx2]

I would much rather eat mule deer than whitetails. Its more tender IMHO.

 

[hank4elk]

Mule deer that don't eat sage are pretty good table fare.

 

[MThuntr]

I've only had 1 deer that was unapproachable and it was a buck I shot in 2005. I distinctly remember that it made the house smell when I cooked it.

Mule Deer are not my favorite though I think they taste just fine. The mountain mule deer buck I shot in 2020 was really good. Possibly a different diet compared to my last deer.

 

[Caseknife]

Mule deer that don't eat sage are pretty good table fare.

Think that is the defining factor.

 

[rogerthat]

My experience has been there is a window during the November rut where I haven’t had the greatest luck. I would say starting about November 15. The meat was very gamely and tough. Prior to that date no issues even on older age class bucks. However that is based off a small sample size as I just don’t shoot many mule deer. Hunt them a lot but harvest few.

 

[406dn]

I've eaten mule deer from sage brush country and also from high in the mountains. They all tasted the same to me.

I put the taste to be every bit as good as whitetail, not as good as elk or moose.

 

[TheTone]

I’ve ate a bunch of them. Never had a bad one.

 

[Schaaf]

Mine always end up tasting like sausage

 

[MTTW]

I love it and I hate it depending on the deer.

 

[bigsky2]

I'd agree with what was said above - if it's pre-rut, even an old buck tastes good.

One time a friend gave me a pack of deer burger and I made a pasta dish with it. Even after mixing it with sauces and spices, the whole dish tasted like deer piss. Only thing I could think of was they must have got their hands on the tarsal glands before butchering the deer. I could see how that would turn someone away from mule deer meat forever.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I like mule deer almost as much as elk. It's delicious. But I've never hunted mule deer in November. I wonder how many guys who think it's gross dragged their knife through the tarsal gland while they were breaking it down, then continued using the knife. First thing I do with mulies is carefully remove those glands.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I’ve had maybe 3 total. The first two were OK. The one I shot last month I was concerned about marginal taste so I ground the entire deer into burger and mixed with 10% beef fat, except for a small sample (tenderloin). It turned out the meat was delicious even without the fat added.

 

[TOGIE]

the mini mule deer buck i just shot had loins that were surprisingly chewy and tough, taste was superb though.

i'm still convinced everyone that thinks mule deer taste bad could do a blind taste test between white tail, mule deer, pronghorn, cow elk, and bull elk all very well taken care of and cooked the same and would score very low in picking what they thought was what.

i believe what you're told will effect your mental state while eating something. the common saying amongst the greater hunting community is that mule deer and pronghorn taste terrible. i grew up with no one telling me what anything tasted like and i've not experienced either of those tasting remotely bad in general.

i've always assumed there's truth to rinella always saying people just aren't careful enough with those big oily glands on the hinds of a rutting mule deer while field processing, i've found their to hinds just generally be oily and gross even beyond the glands themselves. gets on your hands and knife and then everything you touch after. but i dunno

i've found it interesting that the some of the people i know with the strongest opinions on the flavors of wild game have very little experience shooting, processing, or eating any of em

 

[LuketheDog]

I've never had a bad one, but it's not as good as a good antelope.

 

[Bambistew]

Rutted up bucks can be awful to ok. Early season they are great. I've had a few that were some of the worst meat I've ever tried to choke down. I've also noticed that the meat gets spicier the longer it's in the freezer. My last buck was great initially but the last few packages were almost unpalatable. It was strange. I love MD jerky, it's almost as good as antelope jerky. Something about the meat flavor compliments the jerky spice. I've never gone out of my way to shoot one for the meat. I much prefer whitetails over MD.

 

[406dn]

I've never had a bad one, but it's not as good as a good antelope.

But distinctly better than a bad antelope.

Pronghorns are the most variable flesh in my experience. Some have been great, others quite poor.

 

[HSi-ESi]

We've always removed the tarsal glands first on any deer, whitetail or muley. It's quick and easy to do and the first thing I have taught my kids to do. We mainly shot mulies when I was growing up and never had an off-tasting one. We shoot more WT now, only because that is easily available here.

 

[Nameless Range]

There's lots of threads on comparative protein tastes so I was trying to stay away from that, but here I go anyway.

@TOGIE is probably somewhat right that a blind taste test would likely reveal that the strong assertions folks claim to have are somewhat in their heads. That said, I feel like if you cooked 4 steaks for me from the backstraps of an elk, a WT, a muley, and a pronghorn, I may not be able to tell you which was which, but I feel pretty confident I'd put the elk and pronghorn first on top, and the mule deer on the bottom. The bottom not being bad by any means.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Growing up we rarely ate elk; primarily mule deer, antelope, and the occasional whitetail. Maybe it's becasue I became so accustomed to it, but I love it. My wife and kids do as well. Thinly sliced MD backstrack dredged, seasoned, and seared is their favorite meal. The kids consistently ask for it for their birthdays, along with canned wild meat carnitas style.

No one asked, but since we're BS'ing, our approx. household preferences on "the usuals"...

Steak in any iteration: MD = antelope, WT, elk
Roasts in any iteration: elk, either deer species, antelope, bear
Lean burger for tacos/spaghetti/meatloaf: deer species, elk, antelope, bear
Burgers on the grill: elk, deer species, antelope
Sausage: bear and nothing else is on the radar
Jerky: MD, antelope, elk
Canned: Doesn't matter, it's all amazing

I'm pretty confident in my wife and kids' preferences. I cook a lot of the time, so for them it's usually a blind test of sorts. I wouldn't put money on my abiltiites to perfectly dissect which was which, partially because I might go a year or two+ without eating antelope or MD regularly.