Had a couple Taxidermists say the same thing around here. They think that antlerless only season needs to be WAY earlier before the deer start dropping antlers. No one has admitted to them they did it on purpose but it has happened.

Old animal in general is going to have less fat %, coarser muscle fibers from older age/not growing anymore, and more impact of hormones on quality of meat. There is a reason people in this country eat Lamb (which by definition is under 12 months of age although the best is generally considered cornfed at 5-6 months of age), and steers at 12-18 months are the only ones that can grade prime. Even chicken/turkey genetics have been changed to increase growth rate in order to reach harvest quicker. This is economic but it is also societal. A yearling doe/buck is going to taste much more mild than a 5 year old. About nothing nastier as far as strong flavor than a buck, boar, bull or ram taken in the middle of breeding season. Fat reserves way down and hormones way up... Not a good combo.