1865

Lots of things contribute:

Age and sex of the deer
Shot placement(dead right there vs. a 100 yard runner)
Stage of the rut
Field dressing
Handling of the meat from field to freezer


You can't influence #3(except by choosing your hunting times), but the other things you can have an impact on. In my experience bucks and older deer tend more towards a gamey taste. Taking doe and younger deer mitigates this. Shot placement is crucial, as was mentioned here, a deer that has enough life to run has adrenalin coursing through them and that stiffens the muscle fibres. I shoot a high shoulder shot that breaks the shoulders and hits both lungs. I haven't had a deer take a step since I started doing so and have tasted the difference. Field dressing can make or break your deer. I do it quickly and as soon after dropping the animal as possible. We normally are able to start dressing the deer within 15 minutes(or less) of the shot. Be carefull to keep urine, bile, feces or milk(milk seems especially bad for some reason) off the meat. Keep several gallons of water handy and wash the carcase out as soon as you are done, or if you get any of the above mentioned items on your meat. I have a big 5 gallon Culligan water jug with a hose on it that I keep in my truck, it works perfect for this. What to do after field dressing varies in opinion to opinion, I can only tell you mine. The quicker you get your meat to the fridge the better it will be. I don't care for hanging or storing overnight, we go straight to the processor. I'm normally looking at about an hour and a half from the shot to dropping the deer at the processor and out meat never has any gamey taste. If you don't use a processor or can't get to them this quickly I would hang the carcass in a fridge or outdoors if it will be nice and cold. If you are taking a longer drive to a processor I would pack the cavity with ice and place the carcass in a cooler, truck box, etc where it can be kept nice and cool. Good luck and happy hunting!