Mule Deer Taste, Is it just me?

[psycho]

I find the better i prepare it the better it tastes. MUST cut off ALL fat, silver skin, fascia, etc. If you have to cut into smaller pieces to get it all off then do that. That's where it seems most of the gamey taste hides. I don't do sausage or deer burger anymore as i can always taste the gameness that way. However regular roasts, steaks and sometimes chirizo is great most of the time. It can even taste close enough to cow that you don't realize its deer. Then again antelope is my favorite,,,, right behind snow goose.

 

[phutch30]

I've never had mule deer that didn't have a gamey taste. I've shot bucks at 9000 feet on MT opener and well before the rut as well as bucks in the peak of the rut....defiantly gets more raunchy as the rut kicks in, but even the alpine bucks were gamey. I've shot mule deer does out of alfalfa fields that they prob never left in their life that weren't bad.. but sure didn't taste like a whitetail doe. I haven't shot a mule deer in 10yrs mostly for this reason. We have a very liberal whitetail doe opportunity here so I take those for the freezer. To be fair I'm not a fan of rutty whitetail buck either, but ive yet to shoot a rutty whitetail that can compare to a rutty mule deer.

Ive come to the conclusion that some people like to eat mule deer and others don't. Im in the don't group. I know in my case all mine were well taken care of and butchered by me personally. No fat left on etc....still just don't like it. Ive tried it in jerky, Italian sausage etc. U can tone it down to the point I can eat it but I wouldn't say u can disguise it.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

My wife's family runs cows in western Colorado and doesn't do any finishing with corn... while fattier, the flavor is the exact same as the deer and elk we take off the ranch. I've had friends say that our beef tastes gamey... no sir that flavor is grass fed.

I think most people just spend their lives eating corn feed beef and then eat something with a natural diet for the first time and think it tastes weird.

 

[1_pointer]

I think most people just spend their lives eating corn feed beef and then eat something with a natural diet for the first time and think it tastes weird.

Agreed! I was told by an old timer it wasn't until off the WWII rations on beef were lifted was corn fed beef widespread. Folks demanded it then and the producers started supplying it. My wife now has a hard time eating store bought hamburger, even the "extra lean".

PS- And I still believe that mule deer taste different. Mine mostly end up as jerky.

 

[CampRipleyLF]

I've never had an issue..... In my opinion its all about how you prepare it, including the preparation from field to table. I feel a lot of the "gamey" taste come from after the shot to the freezer, not saying you miss handled it but from my experience that is where it come from. Like many have said above, it also can come from individual deer. Hopefully your next one wont be the same way or you figure out a different way to cook them to your liking.

 

[----]

Ive come to the conclusion that some people like to eat mule deer and others don't. Im in the don't group. I know in my case all mine were well taken care of and butchered by me personally. No fat left on etc....still just don't like it. Ive tried it in jerky, Italian sausage etc. U can tone it down to the point I can eat it but I wouldn't say u can disguise it.

I've come to the same conclusion- that every person tastes things differently and threads like these are largely pointless.

My wife and I personally love mule deer. The last four deer we've eaten in our house have been 3-5 year old mule deer bucks killed between November 13-17. We thought they were all great.

In the past we've eaten a lot of whitetail that gorged themselves on alfalfa. They were the best deer meat I've had, but honestly not so much better than the mule deer that I'd rather sit in a tree stand then explore the breaks. I also like the fact that I get an extra 10-30% more meat off a mule deer.

Now here's my hot take- I'd take any deer over any elk, and would trade 10 pounds of either for 5 pounds of pronghorn.

 

[Redman]

I shot my first mule deer in the badlands of South Dakota. My good friend Dave told me "You do what you want, but I will tell you those mule deer don't taste good at all." He donated his to some locals that were in need of meat and didn't mind the taste. I always eat the deer I shoot, so I let my deer hang for the rest of the hunt then boned it out the day before we headed home. Grilled some steaks on the open fire for my family and my wife said "You can stop shooting the grain fed whitetails around here and shoot all the mule deer you want!" Needless to say my friend was wrong. I have shot several mule deer from rutty bucks to old does and they have all been excellent. Back when I first started deer hunting I took my whitetails to the processor and they tasted really gamey. It wasn't until I was at cousin Art's in Wisconsin that he grilled some burgers. I asked him if the burgers were from brother Bob's beef and he said "No that is whitetail from behind the house!" Art, a WWII pilot and retired Air force Col., explained to me how to take care of my own deer. "Don't saw through any bone, or leave the bone in. Remove any bit of fat, sinew, and silver skin and you will have excellent meat." I did what he said and have never had a bad tasting animal since. I 100% believe it has to do with the moment you squeeze the trigger until you put the meat on a plate to eat. I even carry a soft sided cooler when small game hunting and dress the animal and put it on ice as soon as I can, I can tell the difference.

 

[joelweb]

Mule deer tastes great to me.

 

[psycho]

Now i understand grass fed. My gal spent a lot of money on a half a beef from Utah, Organic, hormone free, all grass fed bla bla bla and it was gamier than my gamiest mule deer experience. She agreed after that purchase, free range elk and antelope are all we need from now on. Occasional mule deer for jerky an steaks.

 

[Prairie Rambler]

I've had some nasty mule deer and pronghorn in the past that other people have shot but everyone I've ever taken has been great. My rutty, 3 1/2 yr old buck from this year even tastes good with just salt/pepper/oil on the grill. Its 100% about field care! Get them gutted, washed out, hanging or quartered as quickly as possible(depending on weather). In the past 2 yrs I've taken to popping the rear ball joints on bucks like elk hunters do. Normally if its cold enough I like to hang my deer for 3-5 days, but if its above 45 degrees I don't even mess around. They're getting skinned, quartered, and put in a cooler with block ice until I can put them in my garage fridge.

 

[Big Sky]

Mule deer are nick named carp deer, by some, for a reason. Then again, some people eat carp and think it tastes good. I've found a few different ways to make mule deer more edible, but none of it is what I'd call super good. These days I just try to avoid shooting them if I can get a whitetail instead.

 

[Buschy]

I must say I am a mulie fan. The best cuts go to steaks and the rest to sausage and jerky. I think they’re fine eating. Elk are my family’s favorite, but mulies are a staple in our house!

 

[Simeod]

A quick tip for any game that you feel is gamey. Blanch it in buttermilk for a few hours or even overnight while it defrosts, rinse and cook however you like. Really mellows any gamey taste and also seems to help tenderize the meat. If you don't want to spend the money on buttermilk, a salt water soak can also help.