Champlain Islander

I have only eaten 2 deer that tasted gamey. My very first buck at age 14 or 15 went down with 1 shot. I had an uncle show me how to field dress it and help me drag it out. We hung that deer at camp and when we went home we hung it another few days. The temps back home weren't ideal and I believe the deer kind of soured. The only other one was a gut shot doe with my bow and I didn't find it until the next day. It had that same gamey taste and I ended up having to throw it out. I just couldn't get past that taste. I have shot somewhere around 100 deer with both gun and bow, some elk and a few woodland caribou and never had that any of them that taste bad. I always butcher my own and am careful to trim it properly and keep it clean. With regard to HL's post I shot a fork horn many years ago at around 7am. The shot wasn't good and the deer ran off but had a good blood trail in the deep snow. I followed that deer for over 5 miles off the mountain top where I was parked and tracked him down into the valley before I finally caught up with him. He kept bedding and I finally could get a good bead on him and finished him off. I was a long ways from my truck and it was around 3:30 and would soon be getting dark. It would have been a tough drag to get him up the mountain and the 5 miles to where I left the truck so I dragged him out along a secondary dirt road and luckily someone with a truck came along and drove me and the buck miles around to where I was parked. That deer certainly didn't have an easy ending and I figured the meat would be trashed. When I butchered it the meat was very dark and not the pink that a fresh deer has after you take off the skin. I was surprised though and he tasted great and was actually very tender. I don't doubt what HL suggested but at least in that 1 case the luck was with me and it was a good eater. I did feel bad that I didn't make the first shot count but as always I did give thanks to the deer for such a great hunt.
I'll add this since it is a cooking and game prep forum. One of the ways I enjoy cooking my deer steaks is to take a nice cut like a back strap about 3/4 inch thick. Heat up a cast iron skillet and put some course ground pepper on the steak and then throw it on the skillet. When the blood starts to show on the back side flip it over and pour a half cup of wine over it then cover and turn off the heat. In a couple minutes it is ready to eat and always very tender and juicy. The wine boils off so no alcohol and it sautes the meat.