Author Topic: Whitetail venison -- Yum or Yecch? (Read 1148 times)

Questor · « **on:** November 30, 2006, 11:12:54 AM »

The corn-fed and soybean-fed whitetails I have been hunting lately are very tasty. It's one of my favorite meats. Going farther north, away from the farms, the meat is utterly wretched -- tastes like it's tainted with bleach.

Reminds me of a study done by Texas A&M University on the table qualities of various exotic game animals, plus whitetail. Taste test opinions of whitetail had the most extreme range of any animal-- ranging from nearly the best to the worst.

How do you like whitetail meat? Is it good or bad? What kind of terrain do you hunt them on?

pills · « **Reply #1 on:** November 30, 2006, 11:33:52 AM »

Love it. Acorn, corn and soybean.

jpsmith1 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 30, 2006, 12:04:57 PM »

The only bad venison that I've ever eaten was hung too long. It was basically rotten, then processed and made into burgers. If processed quickly and cleanly, any venison is possibly the finest eating known to man.

dukkillr · « **Reply #3 on:** November 30, 2006, 12:07:50 PM »

Don't like it. I will eat elk and caribou and give all my venison away. My deer are either Missouri woods deer or Kansas corn field deer. I don't like either. I do make some jerky which is identical to other types of jerky.

powderman · « **Reply #4 on:** November 30, 2006, 03:19:34 PM »

We eat a lot of venison, I work for walmart, can't afford beef. Didn't get any this year. Will post recipes if anyones interested. POWDERMAN.

jh45gun · « **Reply #5 on:** November 30, 2006, 03:23:13 PM »

As I posted on a other post Venison is good eating if cooked properly and taken care of in the field properly. If you do not do either of the above you will ruin a good piece of meat. Who you have process your game makes a huge difference also if you do not do it your self or do it improperly.

jh45gun · « **Reply #6 on:** November 30, 2006, 03:25:12 PM »

Powderman I do not buy that much beef either as I cannot afford it all the time but when I do a lot of times I buy it at Walmart as it is cheaper there than at the local supermarket.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #7 on:** November 30, 2006, 03:26:28 PM »

When it comes to steak, burger, or stew meat all we eat is "goverment beef"....errr venison. I do like pork too, so i buy quite a bit of that... I've got to the point where i wouldn't even shoot a moose anymore!

DM

Cement Man · « **Reply #8 on:** November 30, 2006, 05:28:04 PM »

I don't know where "North" the venison starts tasting bad - I sure haven't found it. In my experience the most important factors in venison delectability are age and condition of the animal, correct field dressing (including cooling/skinning), aging (proper time and temperature), careful butchering (no clots or bruising - and no hair), and knowing how to cook it correctly. I've been eating it for almost 50 years and still love it. We eat more venison than any other meat. We serve it to people and don't tell them what it is and they love it. We have had people who said they wouldn't eat it and loved it after they did, commenting that it didn't have that "wild" taste. I tell them there is no "wild" taste. If you took the finest beef cow in the world and handled it as poorly as I have seen game handled, it would be very unappealing as well. I have taken deer from Alabama to northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, found good eatin' everywhere. Old, maroon meat swamp bucks aren't the good eaters, but I don't shoot racks, I like meat.

ironglow · « **Reply #9 on:** December 02, 2006, 12:36:48 PM »

Many things as has been mentioned, can cause otherwise good meat to go bad. I was surprised quite afew years ago, when I did a "do it yourself" on cutting up beef..there was nothing wrong with the beef..but my lack of experience in meat cutting rather lowered the quality.

One arguable point I have always maintained; Venison that is cleanly shot, "One shot, one kill" with no forewarning is best !

I have tasted venison that was shot..run..and shot and I believe it was not nearly as good. I think that if the adrenaline has kicked in and run throughout the body, it changes the taste ...in a negative way !
That is just one of the reasons (aside from safety) why I don't shoot at running deer.

I could be wrong, but that is my observation.

TNrifleman · « **Reply #10 on:** December 02, 2006, 12:38:29 PM »

I love whitetail venison. I have eaten them taken here in southeast Tennessee and from South Carolina. All have been excellent table fare. Good game care after the kill and good cooking methods are very important.

Cement Man · « **Reply #11 on:** December 02, 2006, 02:30:33 PM »

Ironglow,
I think there is some truth to that - regarding animals that are agitated and running hard. That is partially what I referred to as "condition". On many heart shots, though, when you take the heart out of a calm one, they frequently blast off and pile up within 75 yards +/-; and under those circumstances I have not discerned any significant degradation of the table quality. Maybe with no pump functioning, the blood doesn't get into the muscles as much. One other thing is, one of my best friends was a professional butcher for a career. He bones and cuts all of my meat, double wraps it, and just does a superb job. This is his winter "cash" income and he has quite a reputation - does a lot of work during the hunting seasons. He will not accept animals that are stinky, have the hides froze on, or are neglected in any way. He takes a lot of pride in his work and looks after every detail. The few I have cut up myself have not turned out as well either.
Anything my friend cuts up you can take it out of the paper, put it in the pan, and be proud to serve it to anybody.

tscott · « **Reply #12 on:** December 03, 2006, 06:18:15 AM »

Shoot the deer (don't gut it)
Drag it through dirt, mud, water = water promotes bacteria fast (guts still in it)
Throw on ATV, over exhaust (guts still there)
Parade around town in back of pickup, with sun out
continue to leave guts in, cause that makes a 110lb deer 150+ at country store / food mart buck contest
more parading, in afternoon sun.
Throw on fermenting heap at meat processing plant, maybe they'll get around to gutting it today
= gamey meat
or...
Take a whole mess of pics at the spot of kill (less chance for the General Lee in the background)
gut within 15 minutes of kill
filet to backpack
take heart and liver, in separate bag
at home put fileted meat in refrigerator immediately!!!!!!!
take a couple of days to fine butcher, and double wrap to freezer
share pics
= fine meat (watch Emerill he's right: "It's all about preparation")!!!

rockbilly · « **Reply #13 on:** December 03, 2006, 08:26:30 AM »

I hunt West Texas where the natural feed for deer leaves a lot to be desired. Many years ago, I condditioned my thought process to only shoot those things that I plan to eat. (Varmits excluded) I usuall take two-three deer each year off my place. I do my own processing and we eat the meat. I have had some bad venison, but it was from exceptionally old bucks that I should have left in the feild, but even those are editable if treated properly.

The most important thing for insuring the meat will make good table fair is how the deer is treated immediately after killing and how quickly it is hung and cooled. I like to feild dress quickly, since most of our season the weather is hot (60 degrees and above) I carry several bags of ice in a cooler. After feild dressing, I place the deer on an old quilt in the back of my truck, I put two 25 pound bags of ice in the cavity, cover it, and get to the locker as quickly as possible.

Most folks, after killing a deer have to take it for a "show and tell session," fail to provide for proper cooling, don't protect from flies and dust/dirt, then complain because the meat taste bad. I try to treat my game animals like we use to treat the stock butchered for the family. When we killed a caalf or pig, everything was in place to make it possible to process and cool immediately. The calf didn't hang in a tree for three-four days when the tempeture was above about 34-35 degrees.

ironglow · « **Reply #14 on:** December 06, 2006, 11:45:10 AM »

After harvesting a buck this morning, stopped by the local gathering place for the " good old boys " and had a cup of Joe.

Our local, long experienced veterinarian was there, so I asked him about the adrernaline theory.

He said that the adrenaline rush would make a large difference..saying that the best way to harvest venison would top catch it as it wakes up and is in no way excited..

ibfestus · « **Reply #15 on:** December 06, 2006, 02:14:32 PM »

You can ruin venison just like you can ruin a prime beef fillet mignon. Really, all you have to do is hang the deer head down. "Ring" the legs and cut the skin down to the belly. Loosen the hide at the vital areas then using a nylon line, a rock, and your 4 wheeler... skin the animal down to the head.

Now you gut it and remove the head. A carpenters hand saw will split the back bone from the neck to the tail. A few slices with a sharp knife will give you a quartered deer that can be cooled however you choose. In the hotter climes, I typically shoot the deer and then have the quarters cooling in less than 1 hour. If under 45 degrees ambient temperature, I will take my time and won't care if 2 -3 hours pass before I get the deer skinned and gutted.

Venison ages just fine in the deep freeze... HTH Just my $.02

Mannlicher · « **Reply #16 on:** December 06, 2006, 04:54:32 PM »

North Florida Whitetails are good eating. I believe that the secret to good venison is not shooting a deer that has been run hard, and of course, correctly handling the carcass after harvest.
I feed my family to a large extent, on the venison, and wild hogs I kill. We also enjoy birds, and small game, such as rabbits and squirrell

dw06 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 08, 2006, 07:46:29 AM »

Yum!!I love deer meat.Like everyone has said,it is all in taking care of it and getting it cooled as quick as you can.I butcher my own so have total control over the the whole process,and it is good eating!

beemanbeme · « **Reply #18 on:** December 10, 2006, 10:02:56 AM »

"government beef"

ROFLMAO. been a lot of years since I heard that.

Invited an English lady to our house for supper. She "didn't do Bambi". I fed her chicken fried mule deer steaks and mashed potatoes with lotsa pan gravy. When she was elbow deep in her second plate full, I told her what she was eating. As she heaped another fork full with steak and potatoes, she replied, "I say, this isn't at all like I've been told."

Cement Man · « **Reply #19 on:** December 10, 2006, 11:44:50 AM »

Last February we celebrated the 200th anniversary of Lewis & Clark passing through this area on their journey up the Mississippi River - I figure almost to the day, according to their journal. Anyway, we had a big dinner - lots of friends, and we served venison loins and frog legs that I had gigged in the sloughs near here the previous summer. I dubbed it "Upper Mississippi Turf & Surf". Everyone loved it.

rockbilly · « **Reply #20 on:** December 11, 2006, 06:07:21 AM »

Yum.

Several tenderized steaks, a cup of Buttermilk, flour, salt, pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, a little grease and a skillet.

Soak the venison in the buttermilk for 30-45 minutes, Put about a ciup and half of flower in a plastic bag, add the salt pepper, and garlic powder. Remove the meat from the buttermilk, allow the excess buttermilk to drain off, dreop the steak in the bag of flower and shake, continue this process untill all of the meat is covered with flower. Heat skillet with about 1/4 -1/2 inch of oil (I used olive oil) place the meat in skillet and brown each side, drain on a paper towel.

After the meat has cooked, remove most of the left opver grease, add the remaining flower, you may have to add additional flower, brown the flower, In a large measuring cup, add 1 cup of fresh milk, and a cup of tap water. when the flower is brown pour the milk/water mixture into the skillet, continue to stir, cook down or let thicken, add more milk or water until the gravey is the right consisstency.

Before doing this, put three cups of water in a large pot, add 1 -1/2 cups of rice and let cook while cooking the meat and gravy. Cook veggies of choice, or make salad and you are ready to eat.

A piece of meat, big spoon full of rice topped with gravey, and veggies or salad and you are ready for a tum meal.....................

S.S. · « **Reply #21 on:** December 11, 2006, 09:18:05 AM »

Not really sure what the difference is around here. If the deer is more than a couple of years old,
It really is not that good to eat? I have a young Buck and a Young Doe in the freezer right now that are excellent Though. I think there may be something in the ground water or something that builds up in the meat. Some type of mineral or something ! There are literally Hundreds of water oak and white oak trees on my property and I think accorns are full of tannic acid. That may be it.
The Adrenaline theory sounds pretty convincing too... I would bet it would make the meat tougher to chew
if nothing else.

Sourdough · « **Reply #22 on:** December 11, 2006, 10:30:13 PM »

Whitetail, Mulie, Elk, Moose, or Caribou, taste depends on proper care in the field. Now there is times when the meat is too gamy, and those animals need to be avoided. Like during the rut. We have all seen a buck following a doe around, well one thing I have learned is that when a doe, or cow, is in heat, a buck, or bull, follows her around with his nose against her constantly. When she urinates, he licks the urine, and often times drinks it, for the extrogen it contains. I have helped a federal biologist kill, and examine, a bull moose during the rut. We found his stomack full of urine. That accounts for the bad smell and taste of the meat during the rut. And it takes several months for his system to cleanse itself of this toxin.

There is also an account is this occurance written in the book, "Alaska's Wolf Man". Frank Glaser tells of his observing the same behavoir in Moose and Caribou.