bushanic

I have thought for years and old deer will have a gamie taste. In the past few years I have been processing my own deer.I debone all of the meat except the neck that I leave bone in i try to remove any fat I find and trim the meat of other stuff. A few years back I harvest a 6years old could have been a 7 I thought the meat was going to tough and a little strong tasting but I was very surprise that I could not tell any difference when we cook the neck and that neck was huge. So I really think its how the deer is taken care of after the harvest and the processing that has the biggest effect on taste. IMOP

Remnard

I would think the older an animal gets the tougher, and stringier the meat would get. Think about how an older person looks vs. a younger one, in relation to muscle mass, body tone, etc.

As far as age, I think a deer that has been in this world less time than an older one, would have less exposure to the toxins found in our environment, and probably be better for you and better tasting by default. All of the state hunting guides I have read so far for the states I have had the pleasure of hunting in, tell you not to eat the heart and liver of older deer, and to limit consumption of all organ meats to less than 1 pound per month, or some variation of that. Seems the heavy metals mercury cadmium etc., build up in the organs, as they are designed to do. Liver, kidneys etc., are just that, filters. What ever gets missed, ends up in the flesh and fat of the animals.

That said, I think any deer that is dressed and cooled quickly and aged properly will taste very good. The aging issue has been kicked around before, but I believe the university of Georgia did an exhaustive survey/experiment and they found that venison should be aged for ten days at 40 degrees farenheit to produce the best tasting flesh. There was a table in there also that explained as the temperature went up or down, length of time increased/ decresaed due to the slowing/speeding up of the bacterial breakdown process. Beef is typically aged 28 days at 38 degrees I believe, so something is different about the animals and the process.

3rexII7

+1 for that. Heard similiar stories. Have had similiar experiences also.

3rexII7

I am at work right now and that sounds MIGHTY good. I haven't been able to tagg anything this year yet, so off to the woods I go after work!

Fresh meat is always the best meat!

hubby11

Here in VA, this seems to be a real possibility given the county I hunt in has private land/antlerless hunting all the way til March 26. I need to consider whether I would pass on a real fat doe that late in the season. I'm sure intra vitro fawn is real tender but don't know if I could go that route.

doetrain

Thanks for all the input everyone. I took a 140 pound Doe friday and was told that after guting it is about the perfect size for the best eating.

Flatfoot

I guess my friend and I have it made when it comes to meat. We hunt a farm in the summer with crop damage permitts and have for last 3 years. We shoot the does and small deer let the bucks walk. We also process deer in season so we have all the equip. needed. We have a prefrence on deer cuts so the young ones get cut to steak and roasts all that we can, and the older deer into burger except for back straps. On the burger we add 10% beef fat that we get from local butcher in town. This makes it sooooo much better.

bhchunting

Try to find one in early bow season that still has spots, real tender, real jucy, yummmy I like to kill one every year not to mention how easy they are to kill. I'll tell you what if you can find a doe in the summer time giving birth thats the best the meat from that few minute old fawn is so tender the meat falls right off the bone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EAT IT UP !!!!!!!!!!!!!