what does mule deer taste like?

[Maverick351]

Saw the post about coues so I'm curious about mule deer as it's what I'm trying for with my bow.

[Pine Donkey]

Carp

[AntlerObsession]

Mule Deer tastes like what it eats. In the sage, it tastes like sage. In the junipers, it tastes like juniper. I can tell you there was a Huge taste difference in the buck I shot at 4,000' and the one I shot at 12,000'. Different diet, lifestyle, water quality/quantity. The 12000' buck was the best tenderloin I have EVER had.

[muledeerarea33?]

It does depend on edibles. I've never had a bad one (as long as the meat was cared for properly) every one I've ever had has been from the 4500-7500 elevation if it matters? I've eaten coues and muley from the same hillside in unit 27 and I'll be damned if the both tasted.... Well, like deer meat! If its cooked right and prepared right it tasted good no matter what the "meat product" you use is. I've fed all kinds of meat to people who had no idea what they just ate and were drooling with stains on their shirts before I told them its... Muley,coues,rabbit,lion, etc.

[azhunter85]

goodness no matter where it comes from if prepared right, strip buck from last year all rutted up..... yum

[wildwoody]

taste a lot like bald eagle! LOL

[sjvcon]

Little slice of Heaven ....

[ajohunter]

Tastes like victory!

[reganranch]

Bald Eagle Comment is funny WildWoddy.

[tjhunt2]

Carp

That was going to be my answer Pine Donkey. You beat me to it.

 

TJ

[CouesWhitetail]

not as good as Coues!

[Gr8 White Jr]

not as good as Coues!

 

That is for sure!!!

[Willyhunts2]

Ajohunter took the words right out of my mouth.

[bhuntin]

I get the QUESTION all the time,how can you kill and eat those poor animals...I just tell them it tastes like baby seal..the mulie i killed in 9 out on the flats a couple of years ago was probably the tastiest animal ive ever eaten...as far as i could tell dirt and rocks were the only thing around to eat..probably was the cattle infested water tank water he was drinkin that gave him his flavor...his meat was also super tender...was a 3x

[Coach]

While I agree, most game animals tend to taste like what they've been eating, most of that flavor - be it sage, or whatever, is stored in the fat and membranes. The key to home processing any game is to strip off all fat and anything white. I've done this with cow elk, rutting bull elk that smelled like musk, pee and mud, mule deer, coues deer, javi's.

 

It takes a lot of time and work, but properly cleaned, all will produce extremely lean, tasty meat. And I agree with Ajohunter, it tastes like victory.

 

FWIW, I avoid the neck and brisket on rutting bulls. That meat is oozing with musky oils and hard to do much with, aside from soaking in a water/salt solution to pull the musky/gamey flavor out, and you tend to end up with tough meat as it has been already partially cured by the salt.