AustinTomlin

So, your claim is that the quality of venison is determined by "where the deer last was and/or where it grew up." If you're correct, then the quality of venison would differ across the country because deer inhabit all types of different environments that each come with their own unique set of characteristics. Does a deer living in the plains of North Dakota have a different taste than the deer that live in the bottomlands of Virginia or the mountains of Virginia? I don't think so.

You also claim that deer are "constantly harassed by hounds . . . ." This is not true. The dog-hunting season is only 7 weeks long in Virginia. During the off-season most houndsmen train their dogs in fox or coyote pens. Even during the dog-hunting season, with the amount of deer we have in the area, I'm sure there are many deer that never get chased by dogs. We have bucks on camera all summer that we never once see in front of a pack of hounds during dog-season. There is no "constant pressure" on the deer. Just drive around southampton county, Virginia one evening during dog-season. You will see deer everywhere in the fields.

Thanks for your response.

Bocajnala

Yes. Of course. What they're eating makes a huge difference.

That's a conversation totally separate from your topic. But of course taste changes.



-Jake

Phil from Maine

I also believe that taste is different from different parts of the country. When deer are eating soy beans and corn verses what they eat in the woods make a big difference. Even moose eating out of the swamps verses eating out of the broccoli fields up north makes a huge difference.

Back to the subject.. I feel if it’s legal to help get deer out of those southern swamps then it shouldn’t be an issue. We are all sportspeople that enjoy our way of hunting. Here only bears are allowed to be hunted with hounds that’s is other than coons, bobcats, and coyotes. Coyotes here run deer quite often. The only difference that I have noticed is how tough the deer can be when eating it. That includes young or old deer. That toughness comes from being chased around threw out the year and not just from one season. How long a deer is let to hang also plays a factor in taste and toughness as well as taste… But, to each their own. If it’s a legal way of hunting then so be it..

hunters_life

Having hunted all over the country I can tell you with no doubt whatsoever that whitetail and all the other deer family absolutely does have different flavors. They can have different flavors not only from different states but even different counties. What they are feeding on greatly dictates what the flavor of the meat will be. As far as the "gamey" flavor, a deer that has ran hard recently will have a buildup of lactic acid. It isn't the adrenaline as adrenaline has no flavor whatsoever. Lactic acid has to have a little while to work it's way out of the muscle tissue before death. It can't really be "hung out" completely, though if the deer is aged a few days (hung) it will dissipate SOME but not a lot. There are also many other factors to that gamey flavor, in bucks especially, but most of it stems from lactic acid and poor preparation and handling of the deer to begin with. BUT a deer that has been ran very hard with no cool down time before death absolutely does have a different flavor than one dropped in it's tracks. How different would be based on how much lactic acid buildup there was in the animal before death. For example, my dad was a huge bow hunter. He would rather bow hunt than any other weapon choice when it came to deer hunting. We would take deer off the same property, same fields most times, and the deer he would take with bow, 90% of the time, would have a stronger "more gamey" flavor than the deer I would take with a high shoulder shot dropping them right there. I say 90% of the time because there were times his bow kills wouldn't run far enough to build up any lactic acid to do anything.
Hormone release can also give meat a strange flavor. There are some that say fear will have a distinct result on meat flavor especially in lamb some say.

As to hunting over dogs. To each their own. I don't care for it myself. My styles of hunting make it impossible for me to hunt areas where it is practiced. Deer are just too jumpy and I have seen time and time again where so many dog runners of today have absolutely no respect for property lines. That is one of the main reasons the practice is so hated. I know several people that live in a couple of the states that allow it that are always having their hunts interrupted by dogs on their property that the "hunters" sent in to chase the deer off their property pushing the deer to them. It's a despicable thing to do and done all too often.

Mr. Slim

im born and raised i Pa. where hunting deer with dogs are outlawed. may have spoke out of turn but the idea of chasing deer with dogs doesnt fit well with me. as i said my son lives in Va. and when he first moved down there he was very close to the NC border. lot of swamps around that part of the state. i guess using dogs to move the deer out of the swamps is a common thing. between getting stuck in the muck and dealing with snakes the dogs might be a lot of help. as oldtimer said id rather have a deer moving slowly and presenting a good shot rather then running through the brush and woods. another thing that can happen is deer or the dogs can run onto a road and get hit by a car or truck. deer can be killed along with the dogs and the car or truck is damaged. ill stick with the way we hunt deer up here.

TalonGear

Thank you for sharing about your recently published book, "Deer Hunting With Hounds: A Southern Tradition." It's great to see literature exploring niche hunting styles and traditions, shedding light on practices like dog-hunting.

While I personally haven't experienced dog-hunting, your book seems like a valuable resource for those looking to understand this unique approach to whitetail hunting. Exploring the intricacies and concerns surrounding the practice is important for fostering understanding and dialogue within the hunting community.

I wish you the best with your book and hope it enlightens readers about this lesser-known aspect of hunting.