# Terrible meat.



## SurfFisher (Aug 31, 2015)

Maybe when you were gutting him out you got urine on them. That bladder and tube when pulling it out can leak into it and cause that. i gut mine, then get it hung and wash it out with water inside. The worst i have ever had the inner loins were super tough like leather. never had that gamey smell or taste. But if you got urine on them and let it sit and didn't wash it out that could attribute to it as it soaked in the meat.


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## buckykm1 (Dec 19, 2011)

Trap Star said:


> I shot it Nov 13th. I took it to a local butcher and he called me the next day. So it was in the freezer packaged within 1r hours of harvest


IMHO, the being processed in 24 hour might be the problem, it needs to be cooled so all the body heat is gone, just like any other meat, it should be aged before processing IMO if the weather allows, mine don't get butchered for 7 days.

Kevin


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## Big Beard (Feb 1, 2017)

Trap Star said:


> I shot it Nov 13th. I took it to a local butcher and he called me the next day. So it was in the freezer packaged within 1r hours of harvest


The speed with which it was processed could be the issue. It is always wise to hang a deer for 3-5 days prior to butchering/processing. It could also have been cross contaminated by another deer. I always process my own to eliminate that possibility. Sorry to hear about your experience.


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## Big Beard (Feb 1, 2017)

Trap Star said:


> No gut shot i saw him drop. Clean shot but I did hunt for another 2 hours before I recovered him.





Trap Star said:


> I shot it Nov 13th. I took it to a local butcher and he called me the next day. So it was in the freezer packaged within 1r hours of harvest


Could also have been the prescence of fat or silverskim on the meat. Those add a very gamey taste.


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## cmonkey (Nov 6, 2004)

If I shoot a buck that I consider rutting...either a swollen neck, he smells prior gutting, or is making a scrape, he goes 100% burger cut with pork. As others have said, the doe is the one for the table unground. Dad always used to say, "shoot one the size of a police dog".


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

I never expect a buck in the rut to be good eating. Some are and some are not. An older doe is prime.


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## Big Beard (Feb 1, 2017)

AntiHuntersLoveMe said:


> This!! If more people did it threads like this wouldn't exist.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Hahaha bucks are great IF handled properly!


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## Piranha man (Apr 11, 2017)

I’ve eaten gut shot deer and elk. I’ve eaten many deer and elk shot in the prime of the rut.I processed and froze the same day of the kill, high temperatures out west. My family hasn’t bought meat from the grocery store in six or seven years and with all the wild game I’ve cooked, I’ve never had a single complaint. My guess is THE BUTCHER! I’ve caped hides for butchers and it’s amazing what some guys bring them. multiple animals with the diaphragms lungs and Hart’s still intact, guts all over the inner loins and the hams, animals never washed out and rarely does a hunter get all his own meat back. Another cause which is more noticeable is a injury to the animal with infection which spreads to the entire carcass overtime


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## Big Beard (Feb 1, 2017)

Stubee said:


> Hard to say what would cause that. I’ve eaten some old big bucks that were fine. Some were more tender than others, but never had a gamey taste on any of ‘em. Same with does young and very old.
> 
> I pull the blood outta most cuts before they hit the grill or whatever, but on loin or tenderloin that’s not really necessary. I’d guess something happened during the processing, or you got somebody else’s bad meat? Bummer either way.
> 
> ...


And the fat, also the connecting tissue/silverskin.


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## Piranha man (Apr 11, 2017)

I harvested a 4.5 yo buck past prime rut and a 6.5+yo buck end of October and both taste fantastic. I believe most people haven’t tried them this age. I processed my self


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

A deer does NOT need to be aged to be edible or not taste terrible. Especially the tenderloins (never heard the external, backstraps, called tenderloins). Tenderloins straight out of the deer and into the frying pan are the best cut of meat out of the deer, IMO, and has NOTHING to do with whether it is a buck or doe or in the rut or Oct 1. A clean kill and a proper field dress has EVERYTHING to do with it. Maybe some don't like the taste of the most tender piece of meat out of a deer so its a matter of personal taste to some extent. Its the same as not liking a beef fillet.

A common theme for venison tasting bad is always either bad shot, messy field dress, a commercial processor or a combination thereof. Maybe throw health of the deer in the mix. If they were infected in a leg or whatever, I would think that could affect the taste of the whole deer.

My guess for the OP is contamination during field dress or someone else's deer. Takes more than 2 hours of letting the deer lay to spoil the inner loins.


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## Big Beard (Feb 1, 2017)

Piranha man said:


> I harvested a 4.5 yo buck past prime rut and a 6.5+yo buck end of October and both taste fantastic. I believe most people haven’t tried them this age. I processed my self


Old deer, handled properly taste great! Kudos


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## JeepJeff (Jun 15, 2015)

Always process our own deer. Days one and two it hangs either in cooler or packed with ice. Next day we skin & debone the entire deer and soak in saltwater overnight. Next day we cut it up, make stew meat, cut jerky, grind/mix up the sausage, (we don't make burger). Last day we cook the jerky, stuff and smoke the sausage and enjoy some loins or steaks with beverage of choice. Never had a bad experience. I would think your meat got contaminated with something either from the butcher or your gutting it out. That's why we always do the overnight soak.


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

The way I was taught to hang a deer is head up and the reason for it was if a buck is in the rut all that piss running down the rear legs will run onto the meat. This is the way I always hang them and then skin them from the head down. The one I spoke about on here I did not cut up as my son did. He said he done it as we always did so. As far as aging the meat we very seldom hang one for a few days many times the deer is cut and into the freezer the same day ot maybe the next day at the most. Before freezers I can remember going into my grand parents barm and there would be deer hanging up to the peak in the barn that my uncles shot and they would cut off them as they used it. If the weather was warm they use tender quick in a big crock to keep the meat from spoiling. Many times my grandmoter would can it. It is not like this is my first deer season as I have been hunting over 50 years


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## kenn1320 (Aug 6, 2004)

Maybe the ones that taste bad had cwd.

Ok seriously speaking I don't like them either. Back straps soaked in Italian dressing to kill the taste are ok. If deer tasted as good as beef, I'd see pot roast on the hoof like the rest of you. The taste makes it real easy to let them walk.


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## Hart (Jan 27, 2008)

Inner loins are, without question, the most prime cut on a deer. Without question. Backstraps are next.
Unfortunately, the inner loins are the most susceptible to contamination from a sloppy field dressing or gut shot. 
A real common way to taint the inner loins is to bust or otherwise empty the bladder into the body cavity during field dressing. Then you have inner loins awash in doe urine and blood. Most of us have smelled doe urine, so................there you go. Doesn't take much of _that_ to mess up the best cut on the deer.
The next best way to mess up deer meat (other than gut shooting it) is to make a bad shot (or a relatively bade shot that may otherwise end up eventually killing the deer). When a deer is shot, they immediately start producing adrenaline and lactic acid that build up in the muscle tissue. The longer they remain alive and continue building up levels of those two chemicals in particular (throw in the rutting hormones from a buck as "icing" on the cake) and you've got deer meat that is saturated with foul-tasting chemicals.
In your situation, I'm guessing you tainted the inner loins from sloppy field dressing. 
The suggestion to rinse the inside of the cavity is a good one, by the way, and something I do with all deer.
Because................inner loins.


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## Swampdog467 (Jul 6, 2017)

Piranha man said:


> I’ve eaten gut shot deer and elk. I’ve eaten many deer and elk shot in the prime of the rut.I processed and froze the same day of the kill, high temperatures out west. My family hasn’t bought meat from the grocery store in six or seven years and with all the wild game I’ve cooked, I’ve never had a single complaint. My guess is THE BUTCHER! I’ve caped hides for butchers and it’s amazing what some guys bring them. multiple animals with the diaphragms lungs and Hart’s still intact, guts all over the inner loins and the hams, animals never washed out and rarely does a hunter get all his own meat back. Another cause which is more noticeable is a injury to the animal with infection which spreads to the entire carcass overtime


My pet peeve is when guys will bring in deer and split the pelvic bone with an axe or splitting maul or whatever the heck it was and then broke the colon and bladder and the whole thing is full of pellets and urine. If you can't split the bone carefully then don't do it at all, let the processor remove it for you. I was taught to split it, was a huge eye opening experience for me when I learned how to cut around the bung with a knife and pull the whole thing out from the inside. Saves a lot of meat by keeping it cleaner and not hacking the inner round all to pieces.


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## cdacker (Jan 10, 2011)

sureshot006 said:


> A deer does NOT need to be aged to be edible or not taste terrible. Especially the tenderloins (never heard the external, backstraps, called tenderloins). Tenderloins straight out of the deer and into the frying pan are the best cut of meat out of the deer


Sooner or later you'll bite into a tenderloin in rigor mortis stage, hours old instead of days old, and your opinion will change.
Taste great, but so tough and rubbery that they are almost impossible to chew and swallow.


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## annmote (Jan 4, 2013)

I feel your pain about guests and bad meat. My suggestion to help tame it is to parboil the remaining meat with carrots, celery and onion, it helps to "clean" the meat of some of the stronger wild game flavors. Finish it off with a fruit glaze in a pan. Take 3 shallots and mice them. Melt even parts of cooking oil (any type but not extra virigin olive oil, it doesn't cook well) sweat shallots until transparent. Add your meat, medallions work best, and pan sear so there's a nice gold brown caramel color on the meat and shallots. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of sweat red wine and 3 tablespoons of jam. I like either current or black berry. It won't totally get rid of the game flavor but it will make it more palatable for all at the table. Good luck.


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## Hart (Jan 27, 2008)

Scout 2 said:


> The way I was taught to hang a deer is head up and the reason for it was if a buck is in the rut all that piss running down the rear legs will run onto the meat.


This is an interesting suggestion, as it appears to defy the laws of physics. Gravity, in particular. 
The hind quarters of a deer are above the tarsal glands. How does their urine run UP into the meat when they're on the hoof? Makes no sense.
On the contrary, I hang my deer head down so the blood drains out of the hind quarters due to............yep. 
Gravity.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

I process my own but I will take one to the butcher only if it is too warm for me to get done in a timely matter. My first thought while reading this thread was that I have never gotten a deer back from a processor in 24 hours, never. If it was in a box and frozen solid, I highly doubt that it was your deer. That leads to why everybody hates to take them to a processor. Stop by and see what hunters bring in. The field dressing jobs are unbelievably bad at times. Not to mention the guy that drove around with the deer in the back of the truck for a couple of days. As far as taste, overcooking leads to a nasty "livery" taste IMO. I have never bought into the buck vs doe taste difference. Properly cared for, nearly impossible to distinguish IMO. The only difference I've ever experienced was my buck last year when the back straps were a little chewy but tasted fine. They were the biggest back straps I have ever cut out of a deer.


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Hart said:


> This is an interesting suggestion, as it appears to defy the laws of physics. Gravity, in particular.
> The hind quarters of a deer are above the tarsal glands. How does their urine run UP into the meat when they're on the hoof? Makes no sense.
> On the contrary, I hang my deer head down so the blood drains out of the hind quarters due to............yep.
> Gravity.


Think about it when on the hoof the hoofs are on the ground asnd the piss runs down. I f you shoot a deer that has wet piss on his hind legs and hang it head up that piss will run on the ground. If you hang it hind legs up where does the piss run especially if they are out in the weather. We have always hung them head up and never had any meat ruined by blood.


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## MiketheElder (Jun 23, 2003)

My dad used to say he'd never eat a swamp deer. He's not around anymore to ask why.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Scout 2 said:


> Think about it when on the hoof the hoofs are on the ground asnd the piss runs down. I f you shoot a deer that has wet piss on his hind legs and hang it head up that piss will run on the ground. If you hang it hind legs up where does the piss run especially if they are out in the weather. We have always hung them head up and never had any meat ruined by blood.


I always hang mine in the pole barn skinned and hooves removed. I realize this is not always an option if hanging outside.


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## candyman (Jan 4, 2013)

I process my own and having consumed close to 100 deer I have experienced this with only 2 deer. Both were bucks that had sustained injury the previous season. One clearly had an arrow pass through the back straps the season before. The broadhead shaped scar tissue was easily visible and the entire area though completely healed smelled strong. The rest of the meat smelled nearly as bad. After sampling some of the hind quarter steaks with the same result I switched gears and turned the entire deer into sausage and jerky. Hardly noticeable at that point and a better option than throwing it out.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

cdacker said:


> Sooner or later you'll bite into a tenderloin in rigor mortis stage, hours old instead of days old, and your opinion will change.
> Taste great, but so tough and rubbery that they are almost impossible to chew and swallow.


I have cut them out immediately after gutting and threw them in the frying pan. I'm going to guess about 2 hours after the shot. Sure, they may be slightly more chewy but I would not call it almost impossible to chew/swallow. Not even close.

I think a LOT of guys eat the tenderloins hours after the kill. Usually for that day's dinner. Its the immediate fruits of harvesting that deer. Almost celebratory, I'd say.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

candyman said:


> The rest of the meat smelled nearly as bad. After sampling some of the hind quarter steaks with the same result I switched gears and turned the entire deer into sausage and jerky. Hardly noticeable at that point and a better option than throwing it out.


No offense, but if smells too bad to eat why would grinding it or dehydrating it make it good?


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## cdacker (Jan 10, 2011)

sureshot006 said:


> I have cut them out immediately after gutting and threw them in the frying pan. I'm going to guess about 2 hours after the shot. Sure, they may be slightly more chewy but I would not call it almost impossible to chew/swallow. Not even close.


then you haven't eaten one in full rigor mortis yet .... point is, aging, even with tenderloins, does result in more tender meat.
Certainly agree with you on the other points though ... no difference between the taste of a doe or buck or rutting buck vs. non-rutting buck. The taste difference lies in the space between the ears of the taster.


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## Ski228 (Mar 6, 2011)

Trap Star said:


> Tonight I cooked up the tenderloins off a buck I shot this year. So much wild game flavor we couldn't even eat it. Never tasted anything like it. It tasted like the smell of rutting buck. Not a big deer either. Pic below.
> View attachment 286541


I think the processor may have made an error. Have you tried any of the other meat?


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## trailtrimmer (Nov 22, 2010)

Sharkbait11 said:


> I prefer to gut immediately after the kill and wipe out the cavity with paper towel or damp cloth to get all the "taint" off the meat befoe I skin it...I hose out the inside one at home and its hanging and then again dry it with a towel...could have been the processor as well that would be my first guess...


If I'm not on my private land spot with a hose, I bring ten gallons of water with me to immediately wash the cavity after gutting. Getting all of the contaminants out ASAP is key to keeping it tasty.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

cdacker said:


> then you haven't eaten one in full rigor mortis yet .... point is, aging, even with tenderloins, does result in more tender meat.
> Certainly agree with you on the other points though ... no difference between the taste of a doe or buck or rutting buck vs. non-rutting buck. The taste difference lies in the space between the ears of the taster.


Aging may make a difference in "tenderness", sure, I agree. But not enough for me to really worry about and its not much of a factor for taste (at least it doesn't make that much difference to me, personally).

I think its rare for anyone to eat a deer in full rigor. That stage doesn't last long. I haven't experienced it, but I believe you.


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## Chuck (Sep 24, 2000)

Most Venison that tastes bad is over cooked and not cooked right. I shoot for a internal temp of 130-135 then tent it with foil for 10-15 minutes. A thermometer is a cheap cooking instrument that will change the way you cook.

If you are throwing your inner loins in with the burger send them to me I will send you a self addressed envelope 

This is how it should look, I made this back strap with black garlic and rosemary slow cooked on the grill to inside temp of 130 then rested for 15 minutes. Rubbed a little olive oil on the outside to help with moisture. 

If your venison tastes bad its your fault or and your processors not the deers.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

MiketheElder said:


> My dad used to say he'd never eat a swamp deer. He's not around anymore to ask why.


Eating cedar I would guess. I know some people that don't like them. I also know a few that don't like mule deer that have fed heavily on sage.


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## artykatt (Dec 21, 2009)

Years ago I read an article on deer hunting and handling the kill. It was written by a processor.
The 2 things mentioned that stuck with me was if you shoot a deer and it runs off- it will result in tougher meat due to the amount adrenaline in the deer muscles. 
The second thing was- when you hang the deer, hang it head down. The tissues that hold spinal and brain fluid will deteriorate and release the fluids into the deers body; the drying meat then absorbs this fluid, tainting the flavor of meat.


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## Hart (Jan 27, 2008)

Scout 2 said:


> Think about it when on the hoof the hoofs are on the ground asnd the piss runs down. I f you shoot a deer that has wet piss on his hind legs and hang it head up that piss will run on the ground. If you hang it hind legs up where does the piss run especially if they are out in the weather. We have always hung them head up and never had any meat ruined by blood.


Any small amount of residual piss would be confined to the outer hide. Hanging a few days upside down isn't going to allow some large volume of urine to suddenly leach through the hide to the meat. I've yet to shoot a buck in 40 years of hunting that reeked of deer urine (tarsal glands notwithstanding) let alone one whose legs were saturated with an amount of urine that would give me pause for concern about it running anywhere, let alone contaminating meat when hung upside down. 
I'm afraid you were given bad information about a phantom problem that doesn't exist. 
I've never had meat ruined by blood, either. But I've have meat tainted by hormone, adrenaline and lactic acid-filled blood that didn't taste as good as it should have.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Hart said:


> I've never had meat ruined by blood, either. But I've have meat tainted by hormone, adrenaline and lactic acid-filled blood that didn't taste as good as it should have.


Leaving wet blood on the meat can cause it to spoil faster. Its not necessarily the blood, but the fact that its wet and assists in growing bacteria.


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

I have had it happen a couple times on perfect shoulder shots that I processed myself. 

one time after tasting the backstrap was "rutty" I turned the entire deer into sausage thinking it would save it... and the sausage was not edible.


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## Hart (Jan 27, 2008)

annmote said:


> My suggestion to help tame it is to parboil the remaining meat with carrots, celery and onion, it helps to "clean" the meat of some of the stronger wild game flavors.


The gamey taste in venison comes from tallow, fat and connective tissue (and poor field dressing). Or, in a lot of UP deer, their cedar diet, which doesn't make them taste gamey, it makes them taste like..............cedar. That's why mule deer taste like sage. It's what they eat.
And it's why those deer you shoot off corn, hay, clover and soybean fields taste so good. Diet.
The best way to "tame" the flavor of wild game (assuming the field dressing and ensuing care was adequate) is to simply trim off anything white (and silver skin, to the extent possible). All the fat, tallow, gristle, etc gets trimmed off. Do it before packaging the meat for the freezer, because it will continue to flavor the meat as long as it's attached.
You want the best tasting venison? Make sure all the meat in the pan is RED, with an absolute _minimal_ amount of connective tissue or fat. 
And venison is best when cooked the *least.* Anything past medium rare and you're really detracting from the meat. Do it rare and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving, just like a good steak. Unless it's in a soup or stew when _low and slow_ is the preferred method, just like smoking ribs on the smoker. 
You won't be sorry.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

How can anyone pinpoint the off taste of a particular deer, unless it had been gut shot? Could be something you didn't see or consider.


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## Hart (Jan 27, 2008)

Chuck said:


> Most Venison that tastes bad is over cooked and not cooked right. I shoot for a internal temp of 130-135 then tent it with foil for 10-15 minutes. A thermometer is a cheap cooking instrument that will change the way you cook.
> 
> If you are throwing your inner loins in with the burger send them to me I will send you a self addressed envelope
> 
> ...


Couldn't agree more. This venison is perfectly..........._perfectly_.............cooked.
You been spying on our kitchen from across the canal.........? LOL


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## Hart (Jan 27, 2008)

sureshot006 said:


> How can anyone pinpoint the off taste of a particular deer, unless it had been gut shot? Could be something you didn't see or consider.


Deer that eat cedar for several months of the year have a cedar taste to them.
Deer that eat sagebrush have a sage taste.
Deer that eat corn, hay, clover, etc. taste _really _good - closer to beef, as that's what beef eat.
Deer that have been shot and recovered from injury will have a scarred over area with a foul odor from rotted tissue that also taints the meat.
Deer fat, tallow and gristle, when still attached to the meat when cooked, lend the "gamey" taste to the meat.
Deer that were not cleanly killed but lived for a period - only to have elevated levels of adrenaline and lactic acid pumped through their bodies - also taste off due to those chemicals. Deer that were gut shot fall under this category because they can live for days depending on where they're hit.

These are not mysteries, friend. If you eat off-tasting venison, chances are really, really good that it can be explained by one of the above factors.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Hart said:


> Deer that eat cedar for several months of the year have a cedar taste to them.
> Deer that eat sagebrush have a sage taste.
> Deer that eat corn, hay, clover, etc. taste _really _good - closer to beef, as that's what beef eat.
> Deer that have been shot and recovered from injury will have a scarred over area with a foul odor from rotted tissue that also taints the meat.
> ...


Fair enough. Although I've had venison from deer that were alive several hours after the shot and they tasted fine. But that could be in part due to how they're cooked (a steak vs cooked in a stew).


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Honestly until this thread I've never heard complaints about inners. Told a buddy about this thread and he said are they crazy?

Any red meat steak I shoot for 128 on Thermo, let rest 10- 15 minutes and it will rise to 130 135 a perfect medium rare.

A great inexpensive Thermo is the thermoworks therma pop, much faster than Walmart variety.

http://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop


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## Kennybks (Mar 29, 2010)

Ain't it funny how sportsman can have such a widely diverse opinion on something so basic? Cripes, it astounds me some of the statements about bucks vrs doe and edible and what some consider inedible.
So I fall into the category of over 45 years butchering my own deer, and admitantly I have seen a couple that just weren't as good as others. But I've never had to throw out an entire deer.

I've seen a lot of wounded deer and some poorly placed shots. Some my own, some by someone else. I've filled many a tag on someone else's wounded deer.

Two years ago a neighbor gut shot a big old 7 ptr and on exit the bullet broke the hind leg at the hock.

Two days later my group finds the deer bedded, but otherwise fine. We fill a tag on him. No infection, but obviously the buck was in extreme pain.

I butchered the buck with very little waste. Tasted fine. 8.5 yr buck in full swollen neck rut.

BTW I always breakdown hind legs and hang the deer head down. Removing the hide around the tarsel before hanging ensures no hair or fluids.

If temperature allows, I try to age a few days. Otherwise, it gets processed immediately. 

The only part of a deer I wash with water is the inner loins unless some obvious contamination. 

A properly dressed a quickly cooled deer is always perfectly fine.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Kennybks said:


> Ain't it funny how sportsman can have such a widely diverse opinion on something so basic? Cripes, it astounds me some of the statements about bucks vrs doe and edible and what some consider inedible.
> So I fall into the category of over 45 years butchering my own deer, and admitantly I have seen a couple that just weren't as good as others. But I've never had to throw out an entire deer.
> 
> I've seen a lot of wounded deer and some poorly placed shots. Some my own, some by someone else. I've filled many a tag on someone else's wounded deer.
> ...


I honestly think the bad tasting "old rutting buck" is a wives tale.


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## AntiHuntersLoveMe (Apr 18, 2012)

Dish7 said:


> I honestly think the bad tasting "old rutting buck" is a wives tale.


It's Michigan, bucks don't get "old" 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

AntiHuntersLoveMe said:


> It's Michigan, bucks don't get "old"
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Good point.


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## BUCK/PIKE (Oct 24, 2011)

Out of all the deer I've killed and processed myself I've had 1 deer that tasted strong.
Noone in my family complained but every time we ate that doe it tasted off or strong to me.
I didn't gut shoot her and I aged and processed her like every other deer I've done but something was different. 
I date all my vacuum packed venison so I know which deer it came from and that's the only 1 that was ever off or different tasting.
As far as inner loins I love them especially marinated and wrapped in bacon.
I age them in the body if no guts or piss present..
I cut off all the dried dark meat on outside,so yes I lose some meat but there so tastey


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I have only had one that had a strong taste. It was a liver hit, slight gut, that I didn't find until the next morning, it was also an older buck. Used it up in chili, shredded bbq, etc.

I can't say why it was like that, other than it was the only time I have had a bad hit/overnight recovery, as well as less than great venison. So That's suspect. It was a learning experience.


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

Chuck said:


> Most Venison that tastes bad is over cooked and not cooked right. I shoot for a internal temp of 130-135 then tent it with foil for 10-15 minutes. A thermometer is a cheap cooking instrument that will change the way you cook.
> 
> If you are throwing your inner loins in with the burger send them to me I will send you a self addressed envelope
> 
> ...


While that looks delicious, I never slow cook any steaks and rarely do them on the grill anymore. Hot & fast in a cast iron skillet, get a good crust on the outside and cut it diagonally across the grain. It almost falls apart in your mouth.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

this thread kind of reminds me of napoleon dynamite lol

"The cow got into an onion patch"


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

nothbound said:


> When you buy beef, it didn't have nuts. Well maybe if you buy beef at Walmart it did. Steers get castrated because the testosterone affects taste. ......................


I went back a couple pages for this response.
Steers get castrated because...?? Pretty sure you mean bull calves.

That's not why we castrated deacons. We raised both feeder and veal calves. The veal deacons did not get castrated. Why bother and delay weight gain ? All feeder deacons were. The reason: easier and safer to raise. Both for us and the other feeders. Also steers would put on weight easier towards the end and the meat would marble better. At least that was what I was told. We butchered a steer every year, never heard of anyone butchering a bull so I can't say from experience that steers actually did marble better.
I doubt that a single person on this site has had steak or roast from a bull so that they could report that a bull taste different than a steer when raised & butchered in a similar way.
Hamburger--I don't think anyone could taste the difference between the 2.

L & O


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## Swampdog467 (Jul 6, 2017)

I have butchered and eaten two bulls, both of which were under 2 yrs old. Both tasted fine, as for the marbling, I couldn't comment. They were both belted Galloway cattle which are known for their lean meat and it's delicious. I believe an older bull would probably have a strong flavor. 
I have also butchered several male pigs over the years for various reasons, missed castrating one or decided to only use him for a few breedings before butchering. Those were all fine to eat, but I did try two older boars that were not so good. Ok, they were very bad. Both I made almost entirely into sausage, neither of which I cared for. We did have some friends who thought it was great, they had plenty of meat that winter. I would have thrown away the cast iron pan I cooked it in if it hadn't been my favorite. It took many washings and a few months before I didn't detect that odor any more. The only way I can describe it was that it smelled like a urinal at a low class bar that doesn't get cleaned very often. Every once in awhile I get some cheap bacon at the store that reminds me of that boar...
Never had any venison even remotely close to that smell or taste.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

A downer milk cow was lousy. So was the next. No fat compared to other beef.....Too much went into milk production.

Never butchered a sow in heat/ season ,but rumor was her lard would contaminate any it was mixed with with bad smell and flavor.


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## Swampdog467 (Jul 6, 2017)

Butchered plenty of sows, any over two yrs old were sausage, a few a little younger should have been. Adding some fat from a younger pig always helps. They didn't taste bad, just got tough and didn't make good cuts. They usually didn't make good bacon either, too thin on the ribs.


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## beetlebomb (Feb 5, 2014)

Years ago when I was young and dumb and my old hunting buddy was alive we were told about a gut shot spike horn out in the woods nearby. I’ll never forget it!

A big chunk of the deer’s guts were outside the deer and were black from exposure! My hunting buddy who came from a butcher family (and told me stories about eating “ducks on high”)..... anybody else know what that term means? 

Anyway....he gets down, cuts away some of the hide on the back, takes a good up close whiff....and says this deer is still good! I was dumbfounded but I trusted him like he was my father. When we gutted the deer there was a bight green area on one side of the rib cage, you don’t forget stuff like that! My buddy says not to worry about it since we don’t eat the rib meat any way. 

We butchered the deer ourselves, we always split any deer we got in half.....and to my amazement that deer tasted just fine!

Ever since I’ve learned one thing.....if it smells bad (not the gut area but up near the loin area...... it’s probably bad). 

I say “probably” because I have read if you wipe meat like that down with cheese cloth soaked in vinegar you can save it.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

^ sure, you can save it. In a jar of formaldehyde. Yick... If it stinks, throw it out. No sense in trying to salvage tainted meat.


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## Piranha man (Apr 11, 2017)

Liver and Onions said:


> I went back a couple pages for this response.
> Steers get castrated because...?? Pretty sure you mean bull calves.
> 
> That's not why we castrated deacons. We raised both feeder and veal calves. The veal deacons did not get castrated. Why bother and delay weight gain ? All feeder deacons were. The reason: easier and safer to raise. Both for us and the other feeders. Also steers would put on weight easier towards the end and the meat would marble better. At least that was what I was told. We butchered a steer every year, never heard of anyone butchering a bull so I can't say from experience that steers actually did marble better.
> ...


This 7.5yo bull tasted just fine. FTI full rut!!


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## deerjohn (Feb 14, 2009)

Piranha man said:


> View attachment 286859
> View attachment 286858
> 
> This 7.5yo bull tasted just fine. FTI full rut!!


Lots of terms used on this post for inner and outer loins??? I've been hunting deer for 65 years, and butchering mine and my friends deer since in the 60's. I've always called the inner loins the back straps, and the outer the tenderloins! The tenderloins set on top of the ribs and against the spine. what do you guys think the true terminology is for the 2 sets of loins?? Have always fried up the back straps and heart within a few hours of dressing out the deer!! Nothing better!!! I latter on cut the frozen tenderloins into 1/4" slices and toss them into a cast iron frying pan with a pile of sauteed onions. Pull the tenderloin chips out of the pan when they are still very pink!! ( about 4 minutes) OH, OH, OH!!!!


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## dogjaw (Nov 8, 2000)

JBIV said:


> My guess, and its just a guess, is that someone didn't wash their hands after skinning the buck. Tarsal gland contamination.
> 
> I shot a buck last year on Nov,4th, clean lung shot, gutted him in under 2 hours from shot on a frosty morning. He was so lathered up from chasing his forehead was extremely oily, tarsal glands very dark and stinky. I could smell him before I walked up to him. I knew I had to be careful when processing it. Wore gloves when skinning, was carful not to touch the meat. Washed my hands, and knife after skinning and made sure the cutting boards were not contaminated during the skinning process. It didn't matter. Somewhere I screwed up or he was just marinating in his own juices, the meat is unfit for eating. Tasted like I took a butter knife and spread tarsal gland juice over each bite. My family is huge venison eaters, the kids and wife picked up on it right away. Tried the burger first, POW! Thought I must have put a bad piece of meat in the grind. Then tried a roast, and then some back strap, same damn flavor.
> 
> I have heard and read these kinds of complaints before and always figured it was operator error, gut shot, poor care of the meat before processing, drove the deer around in the back of the truck during hot weather for two days showing it off to the buddys..... First time ever running into that for me. I still have the meat, cant bring myself to throw it out. I am going to try canning, jerky, or sausage to see if it can be salvaged.


Bingo. JBIV is right and could be your problem. First thing to come to my mind. When it comes to those back legs, I whack them off at the knee joint and don't go anywhere near those glands. There's also one on the inside of the front legs that I always cut around. I disagree with buck vs doe vs young vs old vs corn fed etc. as I've found no difference in taste. The difference is how the animal is handled afterwards. Get them hung by the head, chest cavity spread open with a stick, and wash it out with plenty of cold water. I may have missed it in a post, but what is the rest of the meat like?


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## cdacker (Jan 10, 2011)

Trap Star said:


> I've got the back straps off the same deer thawing out now. I'm going to cook these up maybe tonight and see how they taste. Praying that the contamination was isolated to the inner loins.


I bet they'll be fine.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

I'm guessing it'll be fine. As long as its your own deer... You'll never really know.


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## Trap Star (Jan 15, 2015)

I'm still debating on the seasoning. I'm out of my good local made stuff. I think Ive got some lawrys although I'm not the biggest fan.


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Trap Star said:


> I'm still debating on the seasoning. I'm out of my good local made stuff. I think Ive got some lawrys although I'm not the biggest fan.


Morton's Nature's Seasoning is my go to.


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## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

Trap Star said:


> I'm still debating on the seasoning. I'm out of my good local made stuff. I think Ive got some lawrys although I'm not the biggest fan.


Lawrey's makes a lemon pepper liquid marinade (Meijers carries it, makes a great stir fry sauce too). If you slice your steaks and soak them in a bag of said marinade for 24 hours it might help. It helped with a 4.5 yr old gleaming eyed rutting buck I killed rather poorly by hitting it too far back a few years ago in way warm weather. If I could only have two spices it would be the Lawrey's dry lemon pepper and salt, so take this as a thought, not instructions. :lol: The liquid version is a bit potent for some (not me), so just coat it enough to say you did it. 

I am guessing you did not get your buck from the processor by reading this whole thread...just my take on the matter and why I process all of my own deer myself. The day I have to pay someone to process my deer is the day I quit killing deer. Just one man's opinion.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Trap Star said:


> I'm still debating on the seasoning. I'm out of my good local made stuff. I think Ive got some lawrys although I'm not the biggest fan.


My favorite seasoning for any red meat deer or beef is A1 Original it's awesome more pepper based than salt


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## Kennybks (Mar 29, 2010)

DEDGOOSE said:


> My favorite seasoning for any red meat deer or beef is A1 Original it's awesome more pepper based than salt


A1 I will 2nd! Always been a steak sauce guy though. I like 57 as well. 

We consume enough we but it in 114 amounts! 

I've really enjoyed two Asian spices on venison. One is Oyster sauce. It compliments venison very well. Fish too.

A chili sauce called Sambal Olek is a bit spicy from some folk, but I consume great amounts. I mix it into other sauces and use it profusely while cooking.


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## beetlebomb (Feb 5, 2014)

I’ve always been curious why some deer bloat overnight and some don’t. The gas build up ruins the meat for sure.


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## fishnpbr (Dec 2, 2007)

Trap Star said:


> I'm still debating on the seasoning. I'm out of my good local made stuff. I think Ive got some lawrys although I'm not the biggest fan.


I prefer Montreal Steak Seasoning on my grilled venison. It's basically coarse salt, red and black pepper, garlic, and paprika. Rub some olive oil on those tenderloins, sprinkle on some Montreal then let em just barely kiss a hot fire.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

fishnpbr said:


> I prefer Montreal Steak Seasoning on my grilled venison. It's basically coarse salt, red and black pepper, garlic, and paprika. Rub some olive oil on those tenderloins, sprinkle on some Montreal then let em just barely kiss a hot fire.


My go to seasoning also.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

If ya need steak sauce you hate steak! Except if your steak tastes like rotten meat I suppose lol


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## Trap Star (Jan 15, 2015)

My straps were not thawed out so I wasn't able to cook them up and try them. I did roll up some non casing summer sausage.


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## Trap Star (Jan 15, 2015)

beetlebomb said:


> I’ve always been curious why some deer bloat overnight and some don’t. The gas build up ruins the meat for sure.


Gotta be the air temp. I would think.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Kennybks said:


> A1 I will 2nd! Always been a steak sauce guy though. I like 57 as well.
> 
> We consume enough we but it in 114 amounts!
> 
> ...


No I am talking their dry rubs. The original is awesome on red meat and their garlic and herb is fantastic on grilled or sauteed veggies. Blows anything from McCormick or Weber away.

Never used oyster on venison but regularly marinate pork steak and thin boneless chops for a few days. Will have to try chili, all I've used is sweet chili and love it.


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## Grouse Hunter (Jan 23, 2000)

The worst tasting deer I ever had was a doe that I shot and processed within a couple hours. In my opinion even hanging for at least 24 hours in the cooler is critical. This allows the chemicals that cause rigor mortis to break down.


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## Trunkslammer (May 22, 2013)

Butchered my first batch of meat chickens a few years ago. Had nearly the hole family over for dinner the next evening. Did 2 beer butt chickens on the grill which i had done many times. Everyone sits down for dinner and the crap is so tuff you could barely eat it. Everyone kinda struggled threw that dinner haha. I was hoping the rest of the batch of 30 chickens wouldn’t be the same. Next time we tried them they were tender and delicious. I was telling this to my fishing buddy and he said well heck they probably had rigor still. Duh the thought never even crossed my mind. We now wait atleast 48 hours after butchering to eat the chicken.


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## Swampdog467 (Jul 6, 2017)

This is true about chickens, they will be tough if you eat them the same day unless you boiled them. We know this but always eat a little that day regardless, usually some boneless breast, still tough. Gluttons for punishment i guess. It's actually recommended to wait at least 24 hours after killing to cut and package them for more tender meat. Gonna try it sometime and see if it makes a difference.


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## Old lund (Apr 20, 2016)

We do meat chickens too , and always wait at least a day to eat any , but it’s because the wife says she can’t eat it the same day after slaughtering 50 birds lol


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## Corey K (Dec 11, 2009)

Grouse Hunter said:


> The worst tasting deer I ever had was a doe that I shot and processed within a couple hours. In my opinion even hanging for at least 24 hours in the cooler is critical. This allows the chemicals that cause rigor mortis to break down.


I wasn't able to hang 2 of the deer I shot this year due to temps. I did quarter and cool the meat within a couple hours. I like to let the meat sit in the fridge for a couple days before packaging. I put some paper towel in the bottom of the bowls to wick some blood, and change a couple times a day. Seems to work for me. I also picked some anti microbial game bags up this year, those seemed to work real well for transporting. I just need to get some white contractor bags now to keep in my pack. Just to make a waterproof barrier in the cooler if I have to use bags of ice and I can't continually drain the cooler.


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## JBIV (Jan 29, 2004)

dogjaw said:


> Bingo. JBIV is right


 
I like the sounds of this. I'm printing it off and showing it to my wife tonight!!!


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## dpweurding (Nov 9, 2009)

fishnpbr said:


> I prefer Montreal Steak Seasoning on my grilled venison. It's basically coarse salt, red and black pepper, garlic, and paprika. Rub some olive oil on those tenderloins, sprinkle on some Montreal then let em just barely kiss a hot fire.


I do this as well, but I sprinkle just a gentle amount of cinnamon on there too. For some reason cinnamon and venison are good buddies.


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## beetlebomb (Feb 5, 2014)

Trap Star said:


> Gotta be the air temp. I would think.


I’m thinking about a spike horn my nephew shot in his first year of hunting with a 410 slug. There was about an inch of old snow. He didn’t’t know if he hit it and apparently my brother in law didn’t look too careful for blood and thought he missed it. The next day we did a drive and stumbled on the deer. My nephew recognized it from one horn being barely an inch and the other barely 3”. Besides, it was obvious the deer hadn’t been dead too long. 

The deer was so bloated it released gas in a blast of air when my brother in law (carefully) stuck it with his knife. I’ve wondered if the entrance and exit holes clot up sometimes and the gas can’t get out?


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## jfishbones (Aug 12, 2009)

A couple years ago I shot a nice doe for the freezer, it got real cold and froze it over night. Butcher said it may take a day or 2 longer as they needed to thaw it out. Then he called the next morning which I thought was strange. I am surrounded by AG so my deer always taste great but this one was terrible, so bad I through it all out. I personally think the butcher switched deer on me but could not prove it.


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## Old lund (Apr 20, 2016)

Well I got some tenderloins cooking right now all I can say is mmmm


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## Trap Star (Jan 15, 2015)

I just thought of something that may have contributed to the poor taste. This buck was quartering hard towards me. I put my pin just in front of his left shoulder. If it were a pass through the arrow would have exited towards the opposite hind quarter. IT WAS NOT A PASS THROUGH. My arrow penetrated roughly 12" destroying the vitals busting no gut. Considering I left the deer sit for 2 hours, with only the entry wound (just left of the neck), I would assume the cavity filled with blood. I do not particularly recall an overly blood filled cavity however I wasn't necessarily looking. I would make the assumption that this deer filled with blood. Could this cause the poor tasting inners?


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

No. Chest cavity full of blood would not cause the meat to taste bad.

Besides that, if you didn't break through the diaphragm you wouldn't have a lot of blood in the abdomen where the tenderloins are.


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## Big Beard (Feb 1, 2017)

sureshot006 said:


> A deer does NOT need to be aged to be edible or not taste terrible. Especially the tenderloins (never heard the external, backstraps, called tenderloins). Tenderloins straight out of the deer and into the frying pan are the best cut of meat out of the deer, IMO, and has NOTHING to do with whether it is a buck or doe or in the rut or Oct 1. A clean kill and a proper field dress has EVERYTHING to do with it. Maybe some don't like the taste of the most tender piece of meat out of a deer so its a matter of personal taste to some extent. Its the same as not liking a beef fillet.
> 
> A common theme for venison tasting bad is always either bad shot, messy field dress, a commercial processor or a combination thereof. Maybe throw health of the deer in the mix. If they were infected in a leg or whatever, I would think that could affect the taste of the whole deer.
> 
> My guess for the OP is contamination during field dress or someone else's deer. Takes more than 2 hours of letting the deer lay to spoil the inner loins.


Could be a previous injury too


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## ryan-b (Sep 18, 2009)

nothbound said:


> When you buy beef, it didn't have nuts. Well maybe if you buy beef at Walmart it did. Steers get castrated because the testosterone affects taste. Dehorned for safety.
> 
> I think that pride of the kill clouds people's taste buds. It's great to be proud of the hunt but I think many people are turned off of venison because they where fed a animal that just wasn't a good candidate for venison meals. Some venison is better left to sausage.
> 
> ...


Most guys know wayyyy more then any butcher will ever know on here! They read a outdoor life article once


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

If you get any contaminants in the cavity then the tender loins should be removed right after dressing the deer and washed thoroughly in cold water. The entire cavity should also be hosed out if it is at all dirty or contaminated. I use a bucket of cold water at camp to wash out the cavity. Some deer though, when gut shot, and left to lay for a long time, will have some taint to the meet that is in contact with those juices.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

IMO, the fact it’s the first you didn’t do yourself speaks volumes . No one will ever care as much about the cleanliness and care of your deer than you will.

You have no idea if you got your deer back or Clyde’s deer from down the road who gut shot it, half gutted it, drove it around in the pickup for 24 hours and then let it hang in 50 degree weather.

I started doing my own years ago so I could be assured I knew every minute of that carcasses history. Going to be 50 that night, up skinning and boning till 1am. Nicked guts, washed out with hose . Etc... no butcher or other hunter will ever care as much as you do.


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## ryan-b (Sep 18, 2009)

I’m not sure where you guys take your deer to but I’ve cut deer for different processors and my self. It’s very clean, other then burger you get your deer back, and as someone implied earlier there is no way in hell a processor is putting anything with hair in one of his refrigerators. Only hair I’ve ever seen in one is after it’s caped in a garbage bag.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

So the best case is 30lbs of meat you are eating is from the Clyde down the road that mishandled it.


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## BarryPatch (Jul 21, 2004)

I've eaten poorly prepared venison that did not taste good. Blame the cook, the hunter or the terroir (UP). I know the first and last were poor. 

My own deer are all shot on my own land in SW Michigan and I have never had a bad one. The only conclusion I've drawn over the years is the more fat on the meet the less well it keeps. Does have a lot of fat on them and require a lot more trimming. I don't use some trim on does because it is just too fatty - even for sausage. 

No issue with bucks ever and I've shot some pretty big ones. Fine lean meat young and old. 2 including the largest were shot in rut chasing does.


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## Trap Star (Jan 15, 2015)

I'd like to give an update. 

I never was able to cook the back straps off the deer with the tainted inner loins...family stuff/holidays came up and I put them back in the freezer. I did however cook up 2 lb of the burger tonight from the deer for spaghetti. I tasted it before making sauce and adding. It was just fine. Tasted great. Im hoping this was an isolated issue with just the inners. Thanks for all the input.


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