I am not talking about the normal taste of venison, I enjoy that, but the real strong gamey taste that some deer have. I used to think that it was the age and the sex of the animal (bucks in rut) and even if it was a farmland deer vs one that wasn't, but now I am not so sure. Last year I harvested a young 8pt not grain fed one week into the season well before the rut and it had a very strong gamey taste (I made lots of sausage) , this year I took a much older 12pt also not a farmland deer during the peak of the rut and it made great table fare. The only difference is the the 12pt dropped in its tracks and the young 8pt ran aways and took me about half an hour to track and take the final kill shot. Which leads me to believe that it maybe adrenaline that causes the strong gamey taste??? I suppose they all have something to do with it, but I was just wondering if anybody else has any other opinions or experinces with this!