Do you notice any difference in the taste of deer?

[BanjoJohn]

I have a friend (bless his heart) that I don't take venison from because he will gut it but he might not skin it and cut it up for a day or two. If it's cold enough outside he just hangs it from a tree and finishes when he gets around to it.

It's got to be damn cold, less than 30 degrees F, then that would be acceptable.

 

[Laufen]

It's got to be damn cold, less than 30 degrees F, then that would be acceptable.

Nope, slightly above freezing is best. Like hanging them in a meat locker.

 

[biker_bill]

It's got to be damn cold, less than 30 degrees F, then that would be acceptable.

Would be frozen at 30 degrees, I think the beef coolers and such are above freezing but below 40 degrees.

 

[Laufen]

Would be frozen at 30 degrees, I think the beef coolers and such are above freezing but below 40 degrees.

Right at 40 or a degree or two above.

 

[timbgtm]

A lot of the strong taste also comes from how soon after the kill and how clean you clean the meat. Leaving just a little hair on the meat can give it a stronger flavor. I have never understood people just strapping one to the hood and driving home.

I always double skinned mine, take the hide off, put the meat in the freezer for a day or two then take a small layer off the meat and that gets all the hair , also take as much fat off as possible that's where the strong taste comes from, acorn's in the fat and other foods deer eat can give it a bitter taste.

 

[Shutter Monkey]

I shot a decent 8 pointer on the last day of the season last year in the same area as deer form the year before. The flavor is about the same, but the meat is considerably tougher than deer killed earlier in the season.

I'm guessing he was worn out from all the chasing!

 

[Laufen]

This is why some deer will taste differently than others (outside of diet of course).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSE_meat

 

[biker_bill]

The gamy taste these folks complain about is really the taste of the guts staying in the deer too long, or the meat is starting to decompose.
Some folks like that taste, but it's not for me.

I like to be pulling the hide while the muscles are still twitching from the head shot trauma.

Beef wil taste "gamey" if you gut shoot a cow and ride it around in your pickup truck for 6 hours.

I shot one in the heart and was cleaning it within a couple minutes. It stunk like hell and ended up being inedible, it was a big bodied 8 point in full rut. Kind of grossed me out he had so many small ticks between his back legs...

I've shot another that stunk, just not as bad and I shot one that didn't smell bad (that I recall), but it tasted a little gamey.
I've never gut shot a deer and I know what that smells like and it's an entirely different stink.
I've never had a bad doe.

 

[Nate]

Wish I had a meat locker but I don't. I shoot mine, gut and skin them within 2 hours. Then I debone the meat and put it in a cooler on ice for 3-4 days while I let the melted ice drain out and add new ice as needed. What do y'all think of that method?

I have a buddy who does the same but puts his meat in zip lock bags because he says being wet is bad for the meat?

 

[BanjoJohn]

Would be frozen at 30 degrees, I think the beef coolers and such are above freezing but below 40 degrees.

The outside temp is not regulated as a cooler would be. The deer with the hide on it would not freeze, at 30 degrees for quite some time.