The Myth of the Corn Fed Deer as Good Eats

[Speedy]

You guys have a secret.  I'm a big fan of cooking wild game, especially for those who have never had it before or had a bad experience in the past.   It's (mostly) all about meat care and prep, and cooking properly.  A rutting buck is the exception, and is why I don't shoot bucks back home unless they are a wall hanger, then I generally turn the meat into sausage.   My favorite is a yearling (small) doe which can be unbelievable table fare. 

If you read my recent adventure in the AZ forum I finally got my first coues.  A nice mature rutting buck with the odor you'd expect from one.  I was concerned with how it tastes given that it's #1 a buck and #2 they eat who knows what.  But now your secret is out.  This deer is phenomenal despite the age and rut status. The deer police may come for me after saying this but it's probably the best deer ever!  The myth of the corn (or soybean, alfalfa, etc.) fed Midwestern deer is just that.   

It's definitely leaner than MW deer, but most fat on whitetails is external.  It hardly tastes like deer at all, it almost has a nutty flavor?  And it's tender too.  Whatever I'll shoot another one just to eat it!  I can't imagine what a doe would be like if they were legal to shoot.  

One big tip is to allow the meat to cool slowly, the worst thing you can do it throw it straight into an ice filled cooler.  I killed this deer in the mid morning and let the quarters hang in the shade until dark even though the high was 60F.  It was cool to the touch at that point (evaporative cooling helps with low humidity too).   Then I put it into a cooler with ice.  Anyway don't let anyone tell you that MW farm country deer are better table fare, or better yet don't tell anyone coues are delicious!

[10Turkeys]

Usually if you hunt an area with scrub oak that has an acorn crop that year, I've found that Deer are extra tasty after eating those acorns.

[rossislider]

Coues is fantastic meat. My favorite of all the game species I have tried.

[bigorange]

Please delete this post and don’t tell anyone. Coues are terribly gamey from all the desert crap they eat...

[Curtis Reed]

I’ve had some pretty phenomenal medium rare corn fed midwestern tenderloins straight from the animal to the grill within a few hours!

[Bucks&bulls]

What big orange said!

I would add that if you share with anyone, tell them you hunted Alaska, no deer in the lower 48 tastes like this...

[rcdinaz]

I feel the same about bears!  I was told my whole life they were no good.  I finally shot one a few years back and it was fantastic!  

This year's coues tenderloin was awesome. I also trimmed up a roast like brisket and smoked it.  I was told it would get too dry so I wrapped some bacon around it and it turned out great.

Being a crappy cook and it not tasting good are two different issues!

[jdown]

I've shot plenty of deer in Wi, Mo and Iowa and they do not hold a candle to our desert deer (mule and coues and of course pronghorn being the absolute best) for taste.  Those deer also gunk up a grinder as well (just a fattier meat).  We are meticulous about all of our game meat so that is fairly consistent and while midwestern deer taste ok but these jojoba and desert plant and scrub oak eating desert deer taste infinitely better to me and have since day one. But as mentioned for God sake don't tell anyone about that or our 6-9 months of pretty darn good weather.  

[firstcoueswas80]

"Dont tell anyone"...

 

Makes a post to tell us all

 

😂😂😂😂

[jdown]

 

7 minutes ago, firstcoueswas80 said:

"Dont tell anyone"...

 

Makes a post to tell us all

 

😂😂😂😂

shhhhhh

[PRDATR]

To me Pronghorn are milder than deer. My theory is they are all gamey tasting because when we buy beef they knock them out, string them up and bleed them out while their heat pumps out most of the blood and while we can't do that with game the blood stays into the meat and makes it stronger tasting.

[Eastcoast'n AZ]

My 2 cents is its about meat prep and the time it takes for them to die.  The deer that had a 30 sec heartshot/double lung sprint tasted great.  Anything that suffered(i.e. stressed) tasted pretty shitty.  

[CatfishKev]

2 hours ago, PRDATR said:

To me Pronghorn are milder than deer. My theory is they are all gamey tasting because when we buy beef they knock them out, string them up and bleed them out while their heat pumps out most of the blood and while we can't do that with game the blood stays into the meat and makes it stronger tasting.

I think you are spot on here.  

[QCwtAddict]

2 hours ago, PRDATR said:

To me Pronghorn are milder than deer. My theory is they are all gamey tasting because when we buy beef they knock them out, string them up and bleed them out while their heat pumps out most of the blood and while we can't do that with game the blood stays into the meat and makes it stronger tasting.

I've tried two pronghorn, one was the best game meat I've ever ate the other was the worst. Most likely because of how it was taken care of after the kill. 

[Speedy]

Pronghorn is one of my favorites too.  Moose tops my list though.  

This Meateater podcast interviewing a meat scientist is a good one and dispels a few myths (like bleeding).

https://www.themeateater.com/listen/meateater/ep-227-red-cutter