Different types of deer meat

[Pazn25]

This year was my first year getting a Mule deer and the flavor definately taste different then my usual blacktailed deer

[MountainWalk]

Arkansas white-tail is the best venado I have eaten.

[Kola16]

Whitetail, then blacktail very close behind, then way off in the distance spotted with a 80 power spotting scope; muley 

[WonkyWapiti]

I'll tell ya what, the muleys in the area I hunt taste better than elk.  I've had muleys from other areas and can barely stand the taste.

[runamuk]

any deer harvested or handled by a couple specific people....up to them all deer I had ever eaten tasted like crap, gamey and nasty...the first good deer I ever ate was at deer camp with a member here...not gonna call him out without his permission though  think it was muley and then fresh that day white tail.....

and then the deer in my freezer is a deer huntbear killed last year and it is one of the best eating animals ever.....its a blacktail......pretty sure a whole lot has to do with care and cutting....

[SemperFidelis97]

any deer harvested or handled by a couple specific people....up to them all deer I had ever eaten tasted like crap, gamey and nasty...the first good deer I ever ate was at deer camp with a member here...not gonna call him out without his permission though  think it was muley and then fresh that day white tail.....

and then the deer in my freezer is a deer huntbear killed last year and it is one of the best eating animals ever.....its a blacktail......pretty sure a whole lot has to do with care and cutting....

The care of the meat is essential Run could not be more correct.  The deers diet will have an impact, but care of the meat is by far the most important part of having your game meat become good table fair.  I have an uncle who has been butchering for years, and that is one thing he tells me constantly.  Honestly we had to cut our season short this year because we had a few deer down in the family two of them had been dead for nearly five days they were boned out as well as cold, but he called me, and insisted we get them home to him if he was going to have anything to do with them.  They came out fine, but I understood his concern I would rather shorten our camp by a couple days than ruin the very meat we traveled there for.

[lokidog]

any deer harvested or handled by a couple specific people....up to them all deer I had ever eaten tasted like crap, gamey and nasty...the first good deer I ever ate was at deer camp with a member here...not gonna call him out without his permission though  think it was muley and then fresh that day white tail.....

and then the deer in my freezer is a deer huntbear killed last year and it is one of the best eating animals ever.....its a blacktail......pretty sure a whole lot has to do with care and cutting....

Hey, didn't I cook some yummy venison for you?

Apple fed doe BT or WT.  Not sure I've eaten much butchered by someone other than myself, but meat care is definitely important.

[runamuk]

any deer harvested or handled by a couple specific people....up to them all deer I had ever eaten tasted like crap, gamey and nasty...the first good deer I ever ate was at deer camp with a member here...not gonna call him out without his permission though  think it was muley and then fresh that day white tail.....

and then the deer in my freezer is a deer huntbear killed last year and it is one of the best eating animals ever.....its a blacktail......pretty sure a whole lot has to do with care and cutting....

Hey, didn't I cook some yummy venison for you?

Apple fed doe BT or WT.  Not sure I've eaten much butchered by someone other than myself, but meat care is definitely important.

hehehe yes and you cooked some killer caribou...omg that was so good...I had never had caribou....a freezer full would be awesome...

see I knew this would get all ugly....

[lokidog]

any deer harvested or handled by a couple specific people....up to them all deer I had ever eaten tasted like crap, gamey and nasty...the first good deer I ever ate was at deer camp with a member here...not gonna call him out without his permission though  think it was muley and then fresh that day white tail.....

and then the deer in my freezer is a deer huntbear killed last year and it is one of the best eating animals ever.....its a blacktail......pretty sure a whole lot has to do with care and cutting....

Hey, didn't I cook some yummy venison for you?

Apple fed doe BT or WT.  Not sure I've eaten much butchered by someone other than myself, but meat care is definitely important.

hehehe yes and you cooked some killer caribou...omg that was so good...I had never had caribou....a freezer full would be awesome...

see I knew this would get all ugly....

Forgot I still had caribou back then.  Nice that you've got some meat in the freezer even if you couldn't get out.  Sorry to swerve the thread....

[runamuk]

any deer harvested or handled by a couple specific people....up to them all deer I had ever eaten tasted like crap, gamey and nasty...the first good deer I ever ate was at deer camp with a member here...not gonna call him out without his permission though  think it was muley and then fresh that day white tail.....

and then the deer in my freezer is a deer huntbear killed last year and it is one of the best eating animals ever.....its a blacktail......pretty sure a whole lot has to do with care and cutting....

Hey, didn't I cook some yummy venison for you?

Apple fed doe BT or WT.  Not sure I've eaten much butchered by someone other than myself, but meat care is definitely important.

hehehe yes and you cooked some killer caribou...omg that was so good...I had never had caribou....a freezer full would be awesome...

see I knew this would get all ugly....

Forgot I still had caribou back then.  Nice that you've got some meat in the freezer even if you couldn't get out.  Sorry to swerve the thread....

i think its a good swerve....because I truly think care and preparation of the meat is key good meat can be ruined by poor handling....no matter the type of deer....

[huntnnw]

time of year is a huge factor.. a whitetail in early sept is far better than Nov

[PolarBear]

Deer and elk are much like beef cattle.  They taste better when they are on the gain and not having to use their fat reserves for heat and nutrition. 
As far as best tasting deer, I picked whitetails.  To me there is nothing that tastes worse than an old mulie that has been eating sage!

[Deep Forks]

Deer and elk are much like beef cattle.  They taste better when they are on the gain and not having to use their fat reserves for heat and nutrition. 
As far as best tasting deer, I picked whitetails.  To me there is nothing that tastes worse than an old mulie that has been eating sage!

     And fightin boy's and chasing girls.  

[Lunchbox1981]

None of the above.  I love Whitetail and Blacktail but my favorite is Sika followed by Roe deer.  I take my backstraps all the way to the base of the neck.

[Ripper]

It depends on their diet and care, like Run said. Best deer I ever ate was Midwest Whitetails. They eat corn and soybeans and are absolutely delicious!      

[cohoho]

Blacktails from the Olympic Peninsula!     Whitetails I grew up with back East (WV) eat alot of Acorns and taste--- not so good and seriously gamey...

[chad s.]

I've never liked the taste of mountain mulie. Wheat field deer on the other hand are delicious!

[Pazn25]

I like all the responses, meat care is huge for sure.  My uncle has a meat locker in his garage so we are able to take total control of what happens.  The Mule deer I shot was up in some high country and tasted AMAZING!!  The steaks I have eaten have not gamey taste at all.  Very close to tasting like elk.

[Jingles]

Prefer whitetails over mulies but that is what I grew up with as a kid.  Haven't had either  Mulie or WT have that Supposedly Gamie taste as long as it was a good clean vitals kill and the meat was taken care of right away. and all the connecting tissue was cleaned off before freezing.

[singleshot12]

It all depends on what they eat, a deer is a deer and they can all taste great. With that said I voted whitetail because the majority of them eat grain and alfalfa. Blacktail tend to be more browsers but I have eaten farm land blacktail that have grazed on grass,apples and corn most of their life and they've tasted just as good as any grain fed whitetail or mule deer

[lokidog]

It also depends how close to the rut you shoot the bucks.  Last year's buck was rutting hard by the early part of the second week of season and is/was a lot stronger tasting than the doe I shot first week or the buck my wife shot during early archery.

[Johnnyras1624]

I dont find any difference.  I have eaten whitetail and mule deer and if both are taken care of I could not pick one vs the other.  I have eaten iowa whitetails from pre-rut, post rut and everywhere inbetween.  I cant taste a difference, they are all excellent table fare if taken care of properly.

[coachcw]

blacktail fawn ! um yummy !

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

Ive never had a bad or gamey big game animal. I did have a rib eye once from my wifes grandfather that i couldn't eat. It smelled nasty just cooking it.

We get our animals cleaned up and cooled down quick. Always been good eats weather it was a blacktail or a rutted up mule deer. I also take the belly hide and tarsal glands off before i touch any of the meat. Keep that smelly crap off your meat and you will like it a whole lot more.

[hillbillyhunting]

I chose blacktail, but really what came to mind was a fat old pot bellied alpine fed lazy sitka blacktail taken in early August    Their bellies are impressive to say the least.  Lucky bucks up there in August.

[FLIZZ]

All I know is that montana whitetail tastes horrid in comparison to Blacktail. Whitetail is way to gamey.

[lokidog]

All I know is that montana whitetail tastes horrid in comparison to Blacktail. Whitetail is way to gamey.

The whitetail I shot in SK last year was a lot stronger tasting than most of my blacktails and even the doe muley I shot three years ago.  He dropped in his tracks, was hung over night in 30 degree weather, and butchered and frozen the next day, so prep was not an issue.  It was just before the rut though and he was a forest deer not an agricultural one. 

There are so many variables that I think it is pretty hard to say one kind of deer is always better than another.

[mrmoskillz]

In Montana they prefer WT over Mulie and they hung the deer for 2weeks until a green mold was on the meat.  Then they wipe it off or fillet it off.  I thought it was nasty until I tried it and it was very tender and sweet tasting.