Do deer and elk taste worse if taken during the rut, all other factors being the same? If so, why? Some ol' timers swear up one side and down the other that is so but I'm curious if that's just an old myth or based in actual fact?
One year, I shot a buck that was well into the rut. A few days earlier, my dad shot a younger one that was not. Mine actually tasted better than his did. I have also shot deer that have been pumped on adrenaline that tasted fine, as well as does that weren't so good. I think it all has to depend on the diet of each peticular deer more than anything.
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I have eaten just about any kind of huntable animal from Missouri thanks to either my grandpa or uncle. Some have been "gamey" and some not. My uncle will not, absolutely refuses, to eat wild game, to include fish, that has not been frozen for at least a year. He claims it makes it taste better, but I don't taste the difference.
I have taken deer and elk both during the rut and have never found any unusual taste as compared to game taken outside the rut , but what they have been feeding on can make a difference in how they taste .
Kind of what I was thinking. I've never hunted during the rut (it's later than rifle season) so I can't say from experience. However, I have had gamey meat before but I think it has to do with how the animal was kept clean and what diet the animal was eating.
I saw a paper from a biologist that stated that the only animal that actually sees a change in the flavor of the meat during the rut is caribou. They actually become permeated inside and outside with uric acid, and they smell and taste like pee. All other deer its just on the outside, and they may smell bad, but taste okay. Remember that their hide will be soaked with urine, which means you need to be extra careful that you don't get a lot of hair on the meat, and that you get the hide off as quick as possible. I bet poor meat care explains a lot of bad tasting meat from the rut.
Taste of game taken during rut...
