the deer are now down to twigs and cedar around here, a far cry from the fall foods that were so abundant earlier. Does this kind of food affect the taste of the meat? Have any of you detected a different taste of venison and concluded that it was based on a particular food scource?

You are what you eat.Ever eat an snowshoe hare b4 winter sets in ....not to bad tasting, eat one that has been eating tree bark after winter sets in ....tastes like the bark it's been eating.

I think some mule deer taste like the sage they eat.

There are definetly differences in taste between deer feeding on differene foods. Mulies that feed on sage and grass have a much different taste than the mulies that live in the mountains that eat alot of berries and grass.
I have also heard of people that will turn vegetarian about one month before hunting season because your body odor has alot to do with what you eat as well. A meat eater will smell different than a vegetarian. I'd like to try that one myself but I just love meat too much.

Without a doubt this makes a difference. I have taken older bucks from cedar swamps.............and loa nd behold they were pretty gamey. Hanging helps. But when I take a younger farm doe from a an area with lots of agricultural food and less pressure from Mother nature, then the meat is often milder and tastier.

OH it sure does!!! give me a corn and grain fed deer anytime

Sure does!! The deer by me eat my apples in July and Augusr I mean 20 to 30 Thousand, I have 90 trees. The early deer in November have a nice sweet apple smell and taste. My wife loves these deer mild and tasty. I hang with one butcher and you can smell the meat in the whole room if he is cutting on a swamp deer, they stink up the place better than no meat but it does pick up that swampy smell if they eat skunk cabbage.

One Shot One Kill Striper Phil

Like everyone else has said it does make a difference

Im with you CD

Definetly a difference in taste,depending on what they eat .