Venison flavor vs diet

[Gunnyart]

Another thread got me thinking. (I know dangerous territory when I start thinking)

For those of y'all who have harvested deer from diverse places, does venison have a significantly different flavor based on their available food source?

Piney woods vs West Texas Mesquites for example.

I have a friend who grew up hunting in the U.P. of MI and claimed it tastes horrible compared to down here.

Your experience...?

[AntlerCollector]

I hope to know after this season. I have a lease in East Texas and got on a new one in West Texas also. I will have to try both separate and find out. If you hadn't of asked I would probably just mix all the venison together when it's time for processing.

[Landrover]

The answer is YES! Absolutely YES! It is all about what they have in their diets. I love Midwestern venison as I love grain fed BEEF!!!

[Sparkles]

Venison flavor vs diet

Desert mule deer from where I grew up ate scrub oak and weeds

It's not great


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[J-DUB]

i think its all in how the meat is handled and then prepared, from east Texas to South Texas they are all corn fed deer. I cant tell the difference

[RealTreeHunter]

Does a cow pulled out of a feed lot taste better than a rangy cow that's been running wild on a scrub brush ranch?

A lot of the flavor has to do with diet, age, availability of foods, diversity of foods and stress levels in my opinion. I say yes, they do taste different if you're comparing straight venison to venison, but I'm not a biologist.

[IowaHunter]

The answer is YES! Absolutely YES! It is all about what they have in their diets. I love Midwestern venison as I love grain fed BEEF!!!

I agree - my Iowa venison is astounding and smells amazing when raw. Deep burgundy in color too.

[RealTreeHunter]

i think its all in how the meat is handled and then prepared, from east Texas to South Texas they are all corn fed deer. I cant tell the difference

Corn makes up a tiny portion of a deer's diet.

[Hydestik]

I'm sure its like ducks .. Depends on what they eat.

[Gunnyart]

I hope to know after this season. I have a lease in East Texas and got on a new one in West Texas also. I will have to try both separate and find out. If you hadn't of asked I would probably just mix all the venison together when it's time for processing.

Looking forward to your results. Might help me decide where to look for land.

[Gunnyart]

Of all the deer I've personally killed (which is only about a dozen) I've had one that was distinctively "gamey" I don't know why. Most have come out of West Texas where to look at it you'd think a deer would starve.

[RealTreeHunter]

Of all the deer I've personally killed (which is only about a dozen) I've had one that was distinctively "gamey" I don't know why. Most have come out of West Texas where to look at it you'd think a deer would starve.

Possibly either an old deer or a deer loaded up on testosterone in peak rut just throwing a guess out there.

[Ronnie41]

I agree with the statement "it all about how the meat is handled " I have eaten venison from east Texas to south Texas that I did not like. likewise the same with meat handled properly, it was good. Gut it fast, cool it fast, debone it and let meat drain in refrigerator for about five days, rinse and vacuum pack.

[BigRed323]

Yup. Missouri deer tastes different than south Texas deer.

[Ætheling]

I had only Hill Country, South Texas and East Texas deer up until recently when we got our place near Madisonville in the post oak savannah eco region. The deer here have a great diet of forbs and Post Oak (white oak) acorns and man can I tell a difference. The meat of the hogs and the deer here is phenomenal.