Question for the hunters, buck or doe to eat?

[porkpie]

imho, aging only matters for older animals. any younger animals that we harvest only get hung if we are late getting to the butcher, otherwise they get processed quick, and we have hung the younger ones before, truthfully I can't tell a difference. I can tell a difference between a southern deer, and a bush deer though.

[waterwolf]

best deer i've ever tasted was this years doe . 160lb , corn fed animal . dropped in her tracks . diet , post- trigger stress and quality butchering are big issues when talking table turkey.

Edited December 18, 2008 by waterwolf

[Zubris21]

Having moved to Northern B.C. recently I have been exposed to more hunting than ever before. All of the local natives absolutely flat out refuse to shoot a bull moose or caribou once the rut has begun. They state (and Im not sure I believe all of it) that the bull moose roll around in their urine which soaks through their coat and ruins their meat. The caribou then one up them and drink their own urine which ruins their meat. Now I have no doubt that either animal rolls around in it to attract the ladies, but I doubt very much that it penetrates their hide. Without a doubt the testosterone in these rutting males would affect the meat to a certain degree, to the point where they are not worth harvesting? I don't know. In any case I'm sure male Deer experience the same physiological changes and during rut times, a doe would probably be more palatable (I've never tasted venison that wasn't delicious and at no point have I known the sex of the animal).

[Zubris21]

Having moved to Northern B.C. recently I have been exposed to more hunting than ever before. All of the local natives absolutely flat out refuse to shoot a bull moose or caribou once the rut has begun. They state (and Im not sure I believe all of it) that the bull moose roll around in their urine which soaks through their coat and ruins their meat. The caribou then one up them and drink their own urine which ruins their meat. Now I have no doubt that either animal rolls around in it to attract the ladies, but I doubt very much that it penetrates their hide. Without a doubt the testosterone in these rutting males would affect the meat to a certain degree, to the point where they are not worth harvesting? I don't know. In any case I'm sure male Deer experience the same physiological changes and during rut times, a doe would probably be more palatable (I've never tasted venison that wasn't delicious and at no point have I known the sex of the animal).

[Fisherman]

If you have the chance or opportunity, take a sniff of the neck meat on a doe and buck, there is a marked difference, and that's the hormones.

[ch312]

moose and deer do not roll around in their own urine. they use the scent glands on their hind legs, urine, and bucks or bulls rub trees with their antlers to spread the scent from their glands on their heads. none of these should be touched before dressing or processing an animal.

[profisher25]

BOTH!!!!! I personally think that doe taste better, i dunno why, but it has less of a gamey taste, however, both are good... i think the real question should be,, young deer or old deer, the younger the deer, the more tender it is, the older the deer gets, the tougher the meat, though, the best and tastiest solution to tough meat is to sauté it in wine for a day. Trust me, it taste good. If you have the stew meat, then... well its very self explanatory, any kind of deer meat in a stew taste good!

Hope that helps ya out!

[misfish]

BIG DIF between the northern deer and the ones around here.

I find the pepperettes taste the same.

[Potsie225]

You can have a tough if its older, be it buck or doe. If it is tough slow cook in crock pot. As far as burger or sausage goes, I have never had tough grind. The game taste goes from the bone and fat of the deer. I grind all venison with pork butts, for burger I add a third pork to the venison. For sausage I go 50/50. Pork butts this year were 99 cents a pound. I do process deer and thats the way I suggest doing it for my customers

[boatman]

I grew up near Kingston and I hunt Manitoulin Island. I find the Manitoulin deer to be very mild and delicious. However, I've never eaten an old deer from there. Also, not much cedar on the 400 acres I hunt.

 

I only ever ate bucks growing up and I can say that at the very least bucks from north of Kingston are gamier than young bucks and does I've had from Manitoulin. However, all were very good.