There's 4 things that help or hinder the taste of venison:
1) What the deer was eating (corn/beans or browse)
2) The condition of it when it was shot (running or calmly grazing).
3) Was it a bang flop or did it take a while to expire
4) How well was the deer taken care of after the kill

Ken, look at Lem Products. They have a high temp cheese.

Sprkplug, no, if deer is just flopped on the grill next to a piece of beef, it won't taste the same, or as good. Deer don't have fat marbled thru the meat, so it's very lean and dry. I hated deer when Mom cooked it - all she knew to do is cook meats well done. It was like eating a piece of shoe leather that was dipped in balsam/hemlock. Dry and not too tasty. Dad hunted deer in the North woods and they didn't eat so well, and tasted like what they were eating. I've since learned that those deer either end up as all sausage, or I give them to relatives who live in that area and know how to cook them.

The deer here are much better tasting, and you cook them medium rare.

I don't have the time to butcher my own deer for the table, so after a long search I found a processor that is 10 miles away. He fills up fast, so if I don't have a deer or 2 to take to him during early archery season, I talk to him and find out when he's got an opening, and then shoot one. (doe) I'll cut up my own deer to take to another guy who only makes sausage and hams, you have to take him deboned/cleaned meat. If you take him meat that is bloodshot, full of hair or has fat on it, he refuses to take it and won't take ANY meat that you bring him after that - you're cut off as a customer. He only works from Oct 1 thru Jan 15th., and he's good at what he does.

I'll either aim for a heart/lung shot that bleeds them out pretty quickly, or a neck/high shoulder shot that drops them right there. I'll field dress them as soon as I can, being very careful not to make a hole in anything that I'm not supposed to, and wash them out quick. The tenderloin and backstraps are for the table, the hindquarters are for hams and the rest is for sausage/deer sticks.

I believe in having respect for the animals that we hunt, and that includes being a proficient marksman to ensure a quick, humane kill.

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