Some people believe that the only way to prepare venison for storage is to bone it.The theory is that the bone imparts a flavour to the meat. I've never done it that way and the taste seems fine to me .I think if you run the deer for a couple of miles befor it is shot or the meat is not properly cared for would have more effect on flavour. What are your thoughts?

We don't take the bone out of some deer that we freeze and I can't tell any difference . I guess everyone has thier own ideas about that though .If the deer isn't taken care of properly it makes a big difference in the taste .What they have been eating also will change the flavor .

I have heard that if a deer is shot and runs it wont taste as good due to the release of adrenaline into the system. So a quick clean kill makes the meat taste better. Thats just a theory, I but I guess there is some sense to it.

--Jim

Hucklburry Almost every deer I have shot thru the lungs has run and I never noticed any bad taste from it. Maybe if they were run over a long distance but I don't think a short run would hurt them .

I still hunt and run deer with dogs.I prosscess all my meat the same,debone,slice and vacumeseal it all and I can not tell the difference from one pack to another.
I think it is how you take care of the deer when it is killed.that is the main thing.


I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

Hucklburry,
I think you mean lactic acid. It's the stuff that tires your muscles and makes them sore the next day after a workout. The reason of drinking lots of water is not only to replace sweat but to rinse the acid away.
Adrenalin speeds up the heart to pump more calories to the muscles and while they work the acid is a by-product like waste.

I've eaten deer that have run hundreds of yards and some that drop on the spot but they were put in a cooler @ 34 degrees within the hour and couldn't tell them apart so the jury is still out on that one, for me anyway.

None of us have Commercial Freezers at home where the temp of things kept is much lower.
According to my Food Bibles: Spoileage begins around the bone deep in meats.
Fatty tissue around the bone will never freeze and that is where foul bacterial action goes to work.
With that in mine it is advised to debone and meats can be kept frozen for a much longer period of time safely.

I agree with others, I can't tell any real flavor difference if deboned or not.
Then again, if you shoot that big ol' trophy (any critter), they are a lot more GAMIER tasting when eating.
Pass the garlic, Pluuuuuuuuese.
nohunt



Snug down real good on that stock and shoot straight

I butcher all mine ASAP. I tried aging them but never had much success with it. I might not have been doing it right. I don't know. I debone the hams and slice them. I leave the bone in the shoulders on smaller ones and do a roast with a Justin Wilson recipe I found in one of pappaw's old cookbooks. Excellant. I've heard about running before but can't remember if there was a difference. I don't hunt with dogs anymore. I did kill a fairly good size 7 pt a few years ago in full rut. He was chasing does and I watched for 15-20 mins. before I could get a shot. HE was running the whole time and he smelled like onions. I assume he was eating them. When cooked he tasted so much like onions you couldn't eat him. Good Luck. Capt Brad.

i butcher all my own meat with a bandsaw and leave the bone in all the round steaks. i do however remove the bone and all tallow before cooking and i cant tell the backstaps from the rounds. i have found that a gut shot deer even if it is gutted and hung quickly will taste gamier then a clean kill

There are a lot of factors that go into how you venison will taste, most of which have been mentioned. How you care for the deer after the kill is the most important one and this is where most people have their
problems. You need to field dress and cool the carcuss as quickly as possible and then be able to hang it below 40 degrees for a few days or process it imediately if you cant keep it cool. Of course, the age of the deer, a buck in full rut and what they are eating all have some affect on meat flavor.
Leaving the bone in the meat wont have much of an affect on the meat but the fat will. I like to debone most all of my venison to save on freezer space and to get rid of the fat and tallow (silver skin)so when I defrost some meat for dinner its ready to cook.