Why Does Deer Meat Taste Gamey

[JEL]

My default reaction when someone complains about wild game meat.

Lol. When I was growing up in the 60s my dad didn’t hunt much. I know now that when he did it was out of necessity. It tasted awful cause mom cooked the chit out of it. I really started enjoying venison once I learned how to properly cook it.

 

[SaskHunter]

Deer don't taste gamey. You're just a picky eater.

 

[Gellar]

I met a guy "Wild Bill" in the wagon wheel in Mesa Colorado heck this had to be 15 years ago he asked for some deer meat as he said he fell on some hard times any way he said he Likes his meat gamey. He then tells me he knows the spot where G&F throws road kills over a bank for disposal and he goes there for the aged meat says its awesome with rice & beans.

That’s probably the guy that sells elk and deer jerky at the top of the pass on Co 91 north of Leadville.

 

[JustinsDad]

I process all mine too. A few of the old animals were gamey and tough but just slow cook em with the right seasoning and they’re great. Wild game is so good we hate this time of year when the freezer gets low and we have to buy regular meat. I hate being in California but one thing I changed my mind about is bird hunting with steel shot instead of lead. I actually like it now. Just had to switch from 8 shot to 6 shot. No big deal. The meat doesn’t get messed up near as bad and quail and even dove come out better than ever.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Put it on ice for a week. That takes 99% of the gamy flavor out of everything.

 

[Sheltowee]

A lot of it has to do with diet— a Midwestern deer fat on corn and soybeans is going to taste milder than a swamp buck from the South. I’ve found an overnight saltwater bath before marinating can help offset some of that.

That said, meat care can make or break an otherwise delicious animal. We’ve all heard old timers say pronghorn aren’t fit for the dog but I had last fall’s pronghorn skinned, quartered and on ice so quickly that the muscle fibers were still twitching. The meat was outstanding.

 

[mdcrossbow]

I hunted whitetails in WVa mountains one time. Killed a young buck. Very gamey. Gamey taste come from what it eats in many locations of whitetail.
I've bowhunted and killed hundreds of deer in my area, mostly back yard deer. And small farms with corn, soy and winter wheat. Very tasty. Blood letting vs shock, my understanding is with a gun shot the deers adrenaline kicks in if the game is not dead instantly vs. an arrow which is said to be more of what a nasty bee sting dose and minamalising the adrenaline rush.

 

[old270hunter]

I've found a few differences in the mule deer I've taken over the years, both processed by me and with a processor. I do think whatever they are eating has a lot to do with it. Best mule deer buck I've ever eaten was shot adjacent to an apple orchard. He was a fat forkie, maybe a couple years old. No gamey taste at all, and was handled by a processor. My worst tasting mulie was an old doe that came from a sage flat, with nothing but sage for miles and miles around. That deer was a bit rough tasting. Could have been an age thing plus only sage to eat for 6-7 years. Every other deer I've taken has come from areas where there is some kind of agriculture nearby, where they have an opportunity to eat something other than sage brush. All of those have been pretty good, either self processed or done by a processor.

 

[smokey24_24]

Diet definitely plays a role. I've also heard of people who thaw the meat in a bowl of milk before cooking. Never done so not sure if an old wives tale or actually works.

 

[JEL]

No gameyness here. And this was a rutting muley buck. Mostly in sagebrush country.

 

[wolfpup]

Different animals taste different. My 2021 deer has a flavor that is more deer like than my 2020 deer. 2020 deer is more comparable to beef. For whatever reason, my wife does not care for the 2021 but 2020 is great. So I eat a lot of 2021 deer on nights she is not home. We alter the type of meat I prepare based upon the flavors. If she doesn't like the flavor, I will tend to make more jerky or preparations that I will pack with my lunches at work. Just the way we do it to ensure all the animal gets eaten before the next year.

 

[88man]

We have been eating elk 3X a week drawing the freezer down as the season approaches. I gotta say how bad beef tastes when I eat it these days.

 

[JEL]

We have been eating elk 3X a week drawing the freezer down as the season approaches. I gotta say how bad beef tastes when I eat it these days.

You should find some better beef.

 

[sureshotshane]

Here you go!

"Papilla is the little bumps that we all have on our tongues. People who have a ton of bumps usually find flavors to be too much and don’t like the taste of things, LIKE ME. We have sensitive tongues so we like things mild and toned down. While people who do not have a lot of bumps on their tongue like spicy things and their tongues can handle foods like that. Another factor in liking different tastes has to do with the tongues taste bud’s ability to detect molecules in the food. Everyone can recognize the 5 tastes, but the different chemicals that we all have can make the range of those tastes differ."

That's interesting. I joke with my wife that I think something is wrong with my tastebuds because spicy food does not effect me like it seems to with many people, and my tolerance has grown significantly in recent time. Also I'll eat practically anything. I never bothered to research if I was really on to something.

 

[sureshotshane]

You should find some better beef.

I will have to agree with 88man. Beef is the meat that tastes different. We almost never eat beef in my household and it was the same way growing up. I found out later that my father never prepared it because it would make him sick. I thought he was BSing me but one day while I was visiting I cooked some fajitas for him. Later that night he was throwing up and sitting on the toilet nearly all night. I told him the next morning that it was beef. I don't think it's the beef itself that makes him sick but there is definitely something in lower end beef that he is reacting with. I have no doubt that beef from cattle raised the right way would be a different story but he probably wouldn't want to experiment to find out.