I was wondering if Mule Deer's meat tastes different than a whitetail's.
Is it better or worse?
My dad and his brothers grew up in northwestern Nebraska, and they had both whitetail and mule deer up where they lived near Chadron. Myuncle saidhe thought deer meat tasted horrible until he moved to Tennessee,where they only have whitetails,and tried it there, he started to love it.
Could it have been mule deer meat he didn't like?

In my experiences with mule deer it depends on what they are eating. I have taken mules off of farmland, grain/alfalfa are pretty good eating. However the ones i have taken in coulees, willow, sage brush areas have tasted just like sage brush. Even the does stink at least they did in the area i hunted, was pretty weird.

I agree with the above post. I have always thought that they taste better killed early from the high country. Later and killed down low takes like sage.

IMO mule deer taste better before rut, after that it has been hit or miss.

2 words............Breakfast sausage. I save the elk steaks for the grill and use mulie meat for sausage!!!!!

Our grain fed Mule deer are fantastic. Just as good as elk and better than moose.

I shot a small 3x3 mulie a couple years ago just to fill my tag on the last weekend. I had also taken a 5x5 whitetail the previous year within 300 yards from where I had gotten the mulie and they where both eating the same vegetation The mulie was so much stronger in taste, not bad eating, but being in the same area as an older whitetail I shot, it was much stronger in taste to that of an older whitetail Igot in the same vacinity.A mule deer is on the bottom of my food chain list, but if Mr. Right comes along,.......... he's SOL.

Bobby

Thanks alot guys! I'll keep this in mind.
You guys also like elk and moose it seems, I thought moose was nasty. I never shot one, but I ate some at a resaurant in the Czech Republic. Aghh!! They cooked it with capers!!!![:'(]
I don't have anything against moose, but I won't be getting it anywhere that's far away from the place that it's hunted, or raised.

It tastes as good as cook prepares it. Marinate is the key.

I'm withELK Crazy8
Antelope is breakfast sausage and the mule deer are salami and pepperoni sticks.Save the elk for the grill.
BBJ