[whyatt]

how many yall think corn fed deer meat taste and smells better than a wild animals taste and smells ?

from what I can tell , they do . that's just based on very few wild deer ever taken by me .in other words . these neighboring deer are all stock piled . so my opinion is not based on much .

how about an apple fed deer ? could a good diet of apples help change the deer flavoring ?

or food plots ? any you guys notice differences in any of these ?

im posting this as a poll for corn fed tastes better only just to get an idea . this poll could be a blow out , but im open to thoughts on other food sources too . or am I just blowing smoke ?

 

[whyatt]

I know the # of wild deer around here is next to none . I hope some of you guys still actually get to hunt a few.
im sure there are some great herds out there .. where they at ?

 

[whyatt]

hmmmm . got me wondering if there are no really wild deer left . guess im blowing smoke to think such a thing exists .

 

[ar1220]

I don't know what the difference but I imagine it has something to with what they eat I know ever deer I have killed in the Midwest or corn belt has a better tatse than the deer I kill here around home...

 

[25ft-up]

Used to hunt a field where the deer would graze across it on their way to a corn field, and deer that fed in oaks on their way to grass fields, deer that fed on browse early season then acorns, briers, and evergreens late season. Some stomachs were more yellow, green, or brown. None seemed to pick just one food source all year or had a daily diet of just one type of food. They all tasted the same to me. I notice a taste difference in a deer that's a quick, clean kill, over a late recovery, gut shot, or improperly taken care of deer. Just the smell will be different.

 

[spike camp]

I have the ultimate taste comparison....

Corn fed Illinois 3.5 - 4.5 year old Whitetail buck compared to a 3.5 - 4.5 year old Colorado scrub browse Muley buck.

Backstraps lightly marinated and grilled to medium rare.

They both taste EXACTLY the same.

 

[hoyt fo life555]

Taste the same' as long as they are handled the same after recovery. And one did not travel for a long time after being shot. I believe adrenalin flow has more to do with it then any thing. ( if you can detect a differance)

 

[KRONIIK]

I think there may be related factors.
For example, deer in Northern Wisconsin swamps will often be somewhat more nutritionally- stressed at this time of year than their Southern Wisconsin "farmland" deer that have access to some corn and other crops.
And I believe that a "fatter' deer generally tastes better and is often more tender than a lean one. (After you trim the excess actual fat, which ironically DOESN'T taste good to most people!)

And I agree with the guys who claim that adrenaline and other "death stresses" such as a fever will affect the flavor.

So yeah, Maybe/ Probably/ It doesn't matter because "It is useless to argue matters of taste". (old Roman proverb).

 

[whyatt]

I think there may be related factors.
For example, deer in Northern Wisconsin swamps will often be somewhat more nutritionally- stressed at this time of year than their Southern Wisconsin "farmland" deer that have access to some corn and other crops.
And I believe that a "fatter' deer generally tastes better and is often more tender than a lean one. (After you trim the excess actual fat, which ironically DOESN'T taste good to most people!)

And I agree with the guys who claim that adrenaline and other "death stresses" such as a fever will affect the flavor.

So yeah, Maybe/ Probably/ It doesn't matter because "It is useless to argue matters of taste". (old Roman proverb).

I like the way youre thinking on this . an undernourished deer per say . or 1 that has an illness . im still not sold on the adrenaline thing . ive killed too many myself to believe that . some instantly , some went 20-40 yrds . normal for a double lung . ive also hit a few deer in the spine . in 1 case I had to go home and get more arrows , but that's not the point . he tasted great and was indeed fighting for his life dragging himself around . for like 45 minutes . ive also made bad gut shots in which it took more than 6 hrs to find the deer . they've tasted good too.

im not trying to contradict what others believe on that type of kill. that's just my belief . ive also double lunged a few when I 1st moved here that had that wild taste and smell. perhaps quite a few had less than optimal diets till I started feeding them yrs ago . now all my neighbors feed them too. I don't believe we will ever know exactly what causes that horrible smell . I know you can rinse the meat in cold water before cooking it . rinse it till you cant smell it on your hands and the meat is fine .

 

[H20fwler]

Of course what the animal eats effects the flavor of the meat, it's the same with any meat domestic or wild. And how the animal is handled after it is killed.

 

[thirdhandman]

45 years ago I killed the first deer I ever killed. It was a big beautiful 10 point. I was so proud of him after butchering him ... I mean field dressing him, I strapped him to the roof. Took him to the check in station for a couple hours, then paraded him around town. Oh did I mention it was on the warm side also. lol My wife at the time was not much of a cook and her family had never hunted so she had no experience in cooking deer. It was so bad I didn't even want to give it to our dog. ukey:lol

Have killed many deer over the years and all have tasted great since then. I really believe the most important thing is how the deer is taken care of once it is killed. Field dressed properly and refrigerated immediately then cooked properly and most deer taste the same to me.:wink:

 

[John316]

I’ve taken deer from mountain property and from farm property the only difference I could tell is there is more meat on the farm deer meaning because of their diet they tend to grow larger. As far as taste goes as already stated if cared for properly they taste the same.


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[dgballweg]

Some deer just taste bad. I killed a doe in September that I let sit for 3 hours because of a marginal shot and she tastes excellent. The buck I killed in November was a double lung shot that died in 50 yards. I ground that deer myself and mixed with pork (which I have done with at least a dozen deer) and it tastes awful and I’m not sure why? I’m in the process of turning all that burger into jerky because I just can’t eat it in anything. All my deer are southern WI farmland deer

 

[rmscustom]

I have the ultimate taste comparison....

Corn fed Illinois 3.5 - 4.5 year old Whitetail buck compared to a 3.5 - 4.5 year old Colorado scrub browse Muley buck.

Backstraps lightly marinated and grilled to medium rare.

They both taste EXACTLY the same.

Agree completely.

Taste will change with how quick the kill is. My sausage guy that’s been doing it forever and who’s father did it forever before him strongly recommends not to bring him meat from a gut shot deer.

 

[whyatt]

Of course what the animal eats effects the flavor of the meat, it's the same with any meat domestic or wild. And how the animal is handled after it is killed.

too what extent ? does its diet have enough effect on the meat to ruin its taste ? just for the record . ive never mishandled the meat . soon as its down and found , its ground . in the northern states . its plenty cold enough to keep the meat from spoiling for a few days . ive never done this , but its not likely relevant to the taste . ill bet hunters of yester year , have lost , then much later found deer in the cold , still delicious , even not yet gutted . but I wouldn't really know about that . some of them were likely partially destroyed by predators . ill bet that didn't matter to some of them , especially when their family was hungry .

some , I know , have found deer on the side of the road , myself included . in my example , large 9 pointer . don't know what hr he was hit , but at least 3 hrs till we butchered him . his guts were busted wide open . still great back straps and no bad smell to the meat .

all kinds of examples here that contradict the quick preparation theory . and im sure lots here have gut shot deer with no issues as to the meats taste .
these contradictions are why I lean towards the diet playing a major role .. I do , as mentioned , still like the ill deer theory . we may never actually know .

 

[wi_drenxl]

I hunt 2 areas of Wisconsin. One being what I would call the big timber area of northern WI and the other the more southern agricultural area and I can tell you deer and turkeys that have been eating from farm fields (corn, soy bean, alfalfa, and winter wheat) taste a lot different that the ones we shoot up north that eat natural browse (wild berries, acorns, moss, grasses..)



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[whyatt]

I hunt 2 areas of Wisconsin. One being what I would call the big timber area of northern WI and the other the more southern agricultural area and I can tell you deer and turkeys that have been eating from farm fields (corn, soy bean, alfalfa, and winter wheat) taste a lot different that the ones we shoot up north that eat natural browse (wild berries, acorns, moss, grasses..)



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ill bet they do !

 

[SWIFFY]

I have the ultimate taste comparison....

Corn fed Illinois 3.5 - 4.5 year old Whitetail buck compared to a 3.5 - 4.5 year old Colorado scrub browse Muley buck.

Backstraps lightly marinated and grilled to medium rare.

They both taste EXACTLY the same.

I agree. Treated and prepared the same, it tastes the same to me. Delicious!

 

[CANDRUS]

I hunt wild game because I like the taste of wild game meat.

A animals deit will change the taste of the meat don't belive that is true, go buy you two young calfs raise one on hay and natural browse and raise one on bag feed and corn.

Bet one will taste gamey and the other will taste like you went too Wal-Mart and bought the meat.