Best meat

[summit]

What is the best age for tender venison?  I'm assuming younger, but does it just depend on the deer?  Is the meat better from a buck or doe?

[jhm]

I personally prefere a doe, and alot of the flavor is just like beef it depends on what they eat, if you take a beef out of a grass pasture and have it butchered it will not be as good as if you have it up on grain for several months, the best tasting deer I ever ate was one I got near Posen Mi. off of a ONION farm that deer was driving the farmer nuts he couldnt keep it out of his large onion patch so he asked and I did take it, the best darn deer I ever ate and you knew when we were cooking it also.   Jim

[GRIMJIM]

Those are the ones you want, pre seasoned. If you could get one from a garlic patch,mmmm.

I like does for eating also, though I have had some that were pretty gamey but on the whole I think they are better than bucks.

[charles p]

All venison is best when it is quickly cooled.  Get the hide off and the guts out, rinse the carcass good with a water hose, and hang it in a walk in cooler.  It will be much easier to cut after hanging overnight.  If you plan to grind it into burger or sausage, don't age it beyond a couple of days - as it may become watery and mushy when grinding.  If you are cutting steaks and roast, I like to hang my venison about two weeks in our cooler.  Any longer and the meat starts to get tacky.

[victorcharlie]

What is the best age for tender venison?  I'm assuming younger, but does it just depend on the deer?  Is the meat better from a buck or doe?

I like doe's.  Younger animals are developing muscle, and don't have the fat of an older animal, and to me, fat is what makes the meat tender.

[K.K]

I've always found that shot placement, proper field dressing and proper handling of meat are the most important factors. If you shoot the animal well, clean it and handle it well (dress, skin, cool as soon as possible), then you are well on your way to great tasting table fare. Also, don't overcook! I like mine rare-med rare. I have shot gnarly old bucks that tasted great, since I process all of my venison myself. I think that these factors are more important than whether it was from a buck or doe.

[yooper77]

K.K hit it on the nose!

I always process my own animals, for a couple reasons.  I want to make sure the meat is mine and not someone’s sun baked forgotten animal and I also debone and double wrap all my meat.  I am sure there are lots of meat processors that do a perfect job and make sure you get your animal, but I can’t see paying someone for something I can do myself.

I always immediately gut my animals and remove the hide as fast as I can.  Weather permitting I will let it hang.  On warm weather hunts, my animals are gutted, skinned, quartered and put on ice in less than an hour from being shot.

I have heard people say that running animals taste different then still calm animals, but I cannot give any advice on that, because I always shoot calm standing animals.

yooper77

[mattmillerrx]

A lot of it has to do with what they have been eating.  I too clean my animals as fast as possible, the check station is real close to were I hunt and I can usually have them in the freezer with in a couple of hours after hunting.  I personally prefer the yearlings sized deer but there is not much meat there either.  Does would be my next pick.  The bucks taken out of rut seem to be fine but are very strong if taken during the rut.  I have heard the running/standing think as well and just don't buy that.

[torpedoman]

Yearling elk was the very best meat i ever ate

[elmer]

Amen K.K., though I like the does better than the bucks since we are normally taking them during the rut.

Whatever you do, don't drive it to the processor whole strapped to the hood of your truck.

[30WCF]

K.K. is dead on.