Question for the hunters, buck or doe to eat?

[Burtess]

A question for the hunters here:

 

Assuming the animals of the same age and processed in the same way (and properly), does a buck taste different (ie: worse) than a doe?

 

All the meat that we consume from the butcher is "fixed" if its male, whether it be pork or beef etc. so that it tasted "better". This suggests to me that I would rather eat doe than a buck. I am not a hunter but the times when I have eaten venison I didn't know the sex of the animal to compare the tastes.

 

What are your experiences?

 

Burt

[bukee]

I have had great eating does and bucks and then some "off" meat of both sexes. Unless, it's a really old buck that has been banging and full of testoserone, I don't think sex of the animal is a huge issue. I believe care in cleaning and processing the meat is a much bigger factor in the final product. Another factor is in the way the deer succumbed. If the animal was running and then took a long while to die and find, they say that all the adrenaline that is in the body affects the meat. Aging the meat also has a positive affect on taste. Just my opinions from experience.

[TJQ]

I would say that if it not too old... I wouldn't be able to tell the difference...

 

I did eat an old bull moose once, and even the gravy was tough....

[danbo]

Would ya rather eat Grampa or your dream girl?

[Fisherman]

If the buck is harvested prior to rut, say first couple weeks of October, then it's not too bad, once past that that, they taste like Then again unless you have only ever consumed buck, maybe the tastebuds don't know. Even the smell of the of the cooking odour can knock you off.

[Terry]

Would ya rather eat Grampa or your dream girl?

well

because he said "Assuming are the same age"

you statement scares me...

so your dream girl is the same age as your grampa.....I guess if you set your sights low you won't be disappointed

[outllaw]

either is very good. if needed a good pressure cooker or you can always grind them up. actually wild game is healthier then beef to eat.

[hammercarp]

Generally meat from a doe or fawn is milder than that from a buck. And also the means of the animals demise and treatment of the meat can also affect the taste. I can also attest to the fact that the meat from an old bull moose is practically inedible.

[Bernie]

Years back we dragged deer though the bush for sometimes a mile or two. Then came ATV's and trails and much easier to get deer back to camp. Also we wash out the deer now before hanging in a screened in meathouse.

World of difference. Haven't noticed a problem with any meat in the last 10 years. A grizzeled old buck might be a little tougher but I do those up in a slow cooker.

Best by far is a fawn on opening morning at the camp. MMMmmmmmmm !

[Twocoda]

there are many variables here to consider....age...method of kill (meaning instant or stressed) time of year ( buck in rut or doe lactating)...but for the most part ...a young buck ( stag with only spikes ) compared to a yearling doe ....you would be hard pressed to tell the difference assuming they were hung the same...(only an experienced conaseuir might detect the difference)...by far the BEST you will ever eat is a lactating doe of any age ....second place would go to veal...( before the mussle tissue turns red ) It isnt likely you will ever get the chance to eat a lactating doe or veal due to the time of year in the wild....unless you are unfortunate enough to hit one with your car...

 

For inquiring minds ...i am a hunter and have never taken a deer out of season or illegally ....but in the 90s i used to farm deer and Elk and was subjected to many different type of culls of the herd to support the info i just posted...

 

Hope it helps

 

you are correct...venision is much leaner and healthier

[danbo]

Yo Terry..who luvs ya Baby!

[Canuck2fan]

A question for the hunters here:

 

Assuming the animals of the same age and processed in the same way (and properly), does a buck taste different (ie: worse) than a doe?

 

All the meat that we consume from the butcher is "fixed" if its male, whether it be pork or beef etc. so that it tasted "better". This suggests to me that I would rather eat doe than a buck. I am not a hunter but the times when I have eaten venison I didn't know the sex of the animal to compare the tastes.

 

What are your experiences?

 

Burt

 

I always thought the reason that most animals we eat are fixed is to turn the males off of ass and onto "grass". Basically they eat more and it makes them easier to control?

[irishfield]

Eat a doe or eat a buck .. that's a no brainer for me !

 

Eating venison on the other hand.. don't think you're going to know the difference

[danbo]

[Guest gbfisher]

If harvested properly. NOT GUT SHOT!! and washed....

 

...Then its ALL good stuff. Specially the little ones.

[Daplumma]

As has been said already,if the meat is handled properly there is not much difference.I do know that after the rut has started the bucks have much less fat.I was at my buds butcher shop yesterday and the skinned out bucks had almost no fat but the does were loaded with fat.Down here the season starts in September and continues in one form or another until March.Lactating does...you betcha,without getting graphic gutting them can be an adventure.Good thread.

Joe

[Roy]

I imagine their diet would make a difference too? For example, feeding in an apple orchard as opposed to swampy bush?

[Big Cliff]

How it has been handled, quality of the kill (fast/stressed) what they have been eating, age of the animal, many factors affect the quality of the meat. I enjoy both equally.

[Leecher]

Like others said age is a big factor in the taste of the meat.... the older it gets, the stronger taste it'll be and that goes for either a buck or doe. As for tenderness, the meat must be hung to rest for a while before butchering... we always let our harvested animals hang for a good week if the tempature permits.

 

Another factor also is the way the meat is cut.... I'm no expert in that area but the meat needs to be cut the right way otherwise it'll be tough.

Leechman

[walleyejigger]

ohter than if it's really old, i don't think you'd tell a difference, after it's cooked, if it's taken care of correctly after the kill, a doe and a buck from the same area would be indistinguishable, (wow big word)

 

i've eaten venison from a few differnt parts of ontario and can tell a difference between those, the difference beatween deer from agricultural areas and non agricultural areas is huge, those from agricultural areas were very mild, a deer from manitoulin is easy to distinguish, i've never had one that didn't taste very strong even fawns, folks say it's all the cedar there,

 

on a side note for lactating animals, i know 3 ppl who got cow moose this fall and all said the cows were full of milk, first i've heard of this, our group has gotten cows before and those that had calves with them i had never seen any with milk, everyone i speak too say the same

Edited December 16, 2008 by walleyejigger

[outllaw]

down here in southern ontario we have corn fed deer. its incredibly simply awesome. i have friends that harvest in ohio also. , simply superb, better themn prime rib hands down.

[Hawg Hunter]

How it has been handled, quality of the kill (fast/stressed) what they have been eating, age of the animal, many factors affect the quality of the meat. I enjoy both equally.

 

could not agree more with Big Cliff

 

Hawg Hunter

[ch312]

shot placement, field care, temperature, and aging are the main factors that determine how an animal will taste and how tender the meat is.

 

i just ate tenderloins yesterday from the doe i shot last week and it was super tender and juicy. BUT, it was almost the same as the huge buck my dad shot a few years back in the peak of the rut. that old buck was still tender and tasted great. we hung it for 2 weeks instead of the normal 1 week. the beef we pay big bucks for is aged for at least 30 days...

 

gut shoot an animal and meat will be tainted. the length of time between the shot and recovery will determine how much of the meat is tainted. left over night (which usually happens with gut shot deer) there will be quite a bit of waste.

 

even getting stomach contents, urine of feces on the meat while field dressing will taint some meat. if you dont trim off that meat, someone is going to get a nasty piece of meat at the dinner table.

 

even the scent glands on deer will taint the meat.

 

my family have always been hunters (back to great, great grandfather as far as i know) so my father and grandfather have shot and ate a lot of deer in their day and so have i. i cant even remember eating deer meat that was tough or tasted bad that WE SHOT AND COOKED. an old buck can still taste very good and be as tender as a young doe if you do everything properly.

 

when ya hear about someone eating nasty tough meat, 99.9% of the time something went wrong.

[Fisherman]

Yes, the hanging part is fairly important, I've got one that just went up on the hoist last night, barring any great temperature fluctuation upward, it will stay there for 2 weeks, about 3-5 degrees in the garage, once it starts getting floppy, time to slice & dice.

[ChrisK]

down here in southern ontario we have corn fed deer. its incredibly simply awesome. i have friends that harvest in ohio also. , simply superb, better themn prime rib hands down.

 

Couldn't agree with you more....Last year I shot a big old buck here in the south during black powder and he was tender !!! You would of never known this animal was over five years old. Matter of fact his meat was mixed up with a young doe I also harvested last year during the same hunt and nobody new the better.

 

Cheers !!