Quality? Yes indeed there is a difference in quality! My family, and myself have very strong opinions about venison quality. We have very very strong opinions about quality! Back in the 1960's when we were all young and poor, we subsisted on venison. Three of us fella hunted together for meat for our families. When an elk was killed, we worked together , skinning it, packing it out, and cutting it. There are so very many fond memories from those days. Those nights cutting elk, and drinking beer whilst the girls wrapped, will forever be with me. Every year for several, each family ate venison from three different elk. Those were the formative years, and all of us have strong opinions about quality!

Here is what we believe. Bulls taste good, but the only part worth cutting steaks from are the tenderloins, and the chops. The rounds are too tough to chew. This is what we believe. This is our opinion. Cows taste good, and the rounds are worth cutting into steaks. My personal favorite thing to do with Cow tenderloin and chops, is to eat them in a bun. They are so very very tasty, tender, and fat free . Our son and myself avoid killing mature bulls if possible, but neither of us will turn down any elk, if we have an unfilled tag. We have the mature bulls mostly made into burger, and sausage. Spikes eat like cows, and we have them cut into chops, round steaks, roasts, and burger.

When it comes to deer we also have strong opinion. Wife doesn't allow buck deer into the house. The smell of a buck cooking just doesn't get it around here. Years ago us fellas would eat buck deer around the campfire, and they were so so tasty. Something about a campfire, beer, smoke, and buck deer that make a good combination. These days wife and i no longer live in Montana, and eat doe deer. We find doe to be tender and tasty.

Our son still lives in Montana, and kills elk every year. Whenever a pal of his kills a nice bull, our boy tells them to get it ground into burger. The boy tells them the elk will chew like a boot, but the horns sure are pretty. Funny how the boy sounds like his dad. Newcomers can't seem to do that, but by this time of year, they always mention they should have listened to his recommendation to grind that big old tough bull into burger.