OK, this seems to make sense, so I thought I'd share it with you guys and get your feedback!

I was told by a biologist that when a deer (or any game animal I'd guess) is delt a mortal hit, weather by a car, arrow,bullet or other, their body releasesenzymes that starts the decay process causing the meat to break down and release a scent that attracts carrion eaters to clean things up. Left unchecked this enzyme will give the "bad" taste to meat within 24 hours. Things that minimize this would be- cold temps, a quick kill/heart hit (cant pump enzyme in the blood around), and butchering/freezing your game right away. He does his within 24 hours, no "aging" at all. I tried it this year on a 3 year old buck still in the rut and it did seem to make a big difference in the flavor- it was still a buck, but it had much more of a mild taste than I expected.

I'm sure there are lots of other variables in this as well, but it would seem to support the idea of cooling off your deer right away and maybe working up game that didnt "bang/flop" a bit sooner than normal. It seemed to work for me this year anyway!

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you all!