im wondering this because i just started deer hunting this past shotgun season, my first day out a 8 point buck wondered past my stand and i shot him not were i should have, but i shot him...lol, after hours of tracking and dragging and makin the trip to tag him my father and i skinned it and was about to take it to a butcher when he had the idea that we do it ourselves, so we let it hang for three days then we went to work proccesing it the best we could and suprisingly we did a pretty good job, never having venison before and hearing alot of people talk about the gamey taste and the waxy after taste in your mouth i was kinda nervous about that first steak.....but wow!!!! it was really good no gamey taste, no waxy after taste . have any of you had venison that was "gamey"?

My guess is that most people that think venison has a "gamey" taste have never eaten a deer that was properly taken care of.

I love to hunt and have killed over 160 deer, but I am not overly fond of venison. To me, it is a very bland meat mainly due to the lack of marbling. I raise cattle and have killed a few that I have fed out, and I will take a home raised beef steak over a venison steak any day.

I like beef and my Finlaw raises them so getting it isn't a problem. However venison steakis first choice! The kids like elk best but my favorite is antelope loin steaks followed closely by elk, moose and whitetail. Though when it comes to roasts, beef take it. Beside vension sirloin tip done in the smoker...thats a dern tasty meal.

As to the waxy/gamey flavour like mentioned not taken proper care, removal of fat, silver skin and hair go along way to improving the quality. Not to be forgotten is cooked properly, venison (actually game/fish in general) is over cooked. Venison needs to bemed-rare atleast, though I prefer rare. Igrill it like a beef steak, room temp merinade of soya/olive oil, garlic and pepper for 30 mins, thenseer the outside on high heat, back off the heat tio finishand finish under foil for 10-15mins. I take my venison off just past blue rare, to achieve rare. Where as my beef it gets pulled at rare and finishing under foil to achieve med-rare.

Yes, I have had "gamey" venison but not with Iowa deer since we started processing our own.

You must have done a good job of handling the deer. Congratulations on getting it too.

I have found that promptly field dressing helps to cool the deer quickly. I think the hide helps to keep the deer clean. If it is cold the deer can hang with its hide on for quite a while but 40 degrees or warmer means to butcher as soon as possible. The upper 30's means to get the butchering done fairly fast, at near freezing a deer can hang a week or more.

When butchering we discard every bit of the venison fat and toss any meat that is bruised, dried, or dirty and start with sterile equipment. The fat is often is what has the gamey flavor and it seems to become worse in the freezer. We mix in beef tallow and double grind our venison burger and I find that it looks and tastes like regular hamburger. Beef fat tastes good and does not go rancid readily, that is why a beef steak does taste better than a venison steak. I just ate some back strap today and it was fork tender and tastes just like lean beef. It is really good but not marbled beef steak good.

Like I said, field dress quickly, keep it clean, keep it cold, and age it only if it is cold enough, like in the lower thirties. You will be happy with the meat you make. It sounds like you already know that.

Bob

Edit- "skeeter 7MM" got in ahead of me but what he said is right. Most people over cook venison. If you like beef medium rare you will like your venison medium rare. I know I do.

like others have said a lot is how it is prepared. trim the silver skin and connective tissue away and it willgreatly improve the meat

The gamey taste can come fromseveral different things....

1) where did you shoot it?

A deer shot cleanly through the chest cavity, or any place that doesn't allow the stomach contents or guts to spill into the body cavity will prevent the gamey taste.

2) Field dressing

A clean field dressing is imperitive, do not cut the stomach or guts. (see #1. Flush out, cool down as soon as possible.

3) Processing

Remove all tallow, deer do not have fat. Tallow tastes like crap (gamey). Avoid sawing through bones because the chips and marrow will leach into the meat and cause gamey taste.

4) Cooking preparation

Remove any remaining tallow,blue skin etc. When you cook venison you'll have to go at least 1 down from your beef preference. Ex. If you like Med. well, go to med. for venison. Since there is no fat it will dry out much quicker than beef. Slow cooking works great with venison. Cube some steaks and put into a crock pot with a couple cans of condensed beefy mushroom soup, extra mushrooms and onions. cook slowly!

You were doing good until you drowned the venison taste with mushrooms and onions [8D].

Like has already been said the handling of the deer is most important. I don't mind hanging my deer with skin on in temperatures below 45 degrees and usually average 3 to 5 days. I thoroughly wash the body cavity and remove any fat or dried blood. I never cut with a saw and bone all the meat. Removal of any silver skin or tallow is important and don't over cook. My absolute favorite is elk followed by deer, woodland caribou and then moose. I usually mix my burger with pork fat with a ratio of 10% to achieve meat that holds together.

Ive seen deer mishandled quite badly.Shot and left out overnight with the guts still in early when its warm out still.Drug through mud and water and cattle lots where theres cow crap laying all over the place ...Ive even seen people tie em to the back of 4 wheelers and snowmobiles and drag em out while the deer just flops around behind em on the ground.

These same guys seem to repeat the same actions every year and then complain thier deer doesnt taste right, they just dont get it.They wouldnt tie thier T bone steak behind thier 4 wheeler and drag it around the cattle lot but they have no problem doing it to an entire deer.So they wind up getting 50# of sausage made because the deer tastes funny[&o]

It's been said many times already but I'll throw my support behind it. It all comes down to the way the deer was handled.