ORIGINAL: Lanse couche couche
Greg,
In my experience, a lot of folks love to shoot deer and hang the racks on their wall, but aren't that enthusiastic about eating it. They might do some backstrap off a young one from time to time. But, anything leaning toward the tough and gamey often goes to waste.
There is some truth to what you say, I too have some friends who are more interested in the hunt and the horns than eating the meat. One of them is one of the most sucessful big buck hunters that I know. He usually gives the meat away. He's taken over 2 dozen P & Ys. Me on the other hand, I just love venison. My GF, son and I have been living on venison for over 18 years. In order of importance,to have tasty venison, 1) where did you shoot it. (no gut or stomach shots). 2) how clean did you field dress it. 3) no band sawing through the bones. and 5) Do Not over cook it. Another thing about big bucks is that they're great for getting your staples such as burger and sausage. As far as tender and tasty goes, I think that the 1 1/2 year old doe is the way to go.