full rut mule deer for dinner?

[NEEHAMA]

i'm a meat hunter but in the last two years i have started hunting the late nov season for big monster mulies. it has been great and i'm hooked what a rush!. is there any way you can cook this "full rut" deer meat and make it taste like something it's not? any majic recipes? any thing help a bit? i do skin my animals right after shooting them. and i do hang late season deer 12-18 days. or is it pepperoni all the way? any ideas would be very appreciated.

[Tank]

I've recently discovered that even the gamiest meat can be fully saved through a simple salt water marinade over night! It has worked great even on a deer that was so gamey that it almost made your eyes water!

[todbartell]

depends on the deer. some can be quite good.

the worst tasting deer I've ever shot was a small 4x4 taken in late September. thing tasted like it fed on mud and sticks. :o

[BCKID]

I have taken a few big mule deer in the Chilcotin late in the year and they were very tasty. I found the taste much better than the Van Isl deer, I lived and hunted there [Van Isl] for 20 years. What I do after I skin them and a few others on here do the same, is I wash down the whole carcass inside and out with a vinegar water mix. That takes all the blood/hair etc off. I don't hang them as long as you say but I have had very good venison every year. I have been told that their diet will affect the taste. BCKID

[ratherbefishin]

some years back I shot a nice 4 point mule deer in full rut-it was the rankest deer I had ever smelled.Anyway,I came down with the flu and so had to let the buck hang for a week,still unskinned[I normally get the hide off right away]That buck was as nice eating as I ever had,so it changed my mind on thinking deer shot in the rut were no good.

[Fido]

I have heard that if you soak the meat in butter milk it will make it tender and take some of the gamey taste out. It might be wouth a try just my 2cents.

[NEEHAMA]

butter milk? wow anyone try this?

[BCHunter]

www.justgamerecipes.com (http://www.justgamerecipes.com)

[Jager]

NEEHAMMA

are you hanging the deer in a refer or just a shed? Temperature and humidity may play a role. Here on the coast I've hung a small blacktail for a week (shed) and it looked as if it started to get mildew growing on it (very early stages). I gave it a good rub down with a vinegar/water mix and butchered it right away without any ill effects. I have now started to butcher after only a few days depending on the weather.

I like the vinegar/water rub down and I usualy marinate the meat in italian salad dressing overnight before cooking. works for me.

[BCKID]

Hope I'm not sidetracking the post but here is a very interesting article on aging your game.

http://www.uwyo.edu/CES/PUBS/B-513R.htm

[BCHunter]

great article!

[oldtimer]

NEEHAMA... A looooooooong time ago I was fortunate enough to take a huge mulie in full rut. He weighted 294 pounds dressed at the butcher !!! He had a neck that was huge !!! He stunk of piss like you wouldn't believe. I did not treat him any different than any other deer : get him to town, skin him out , clean him thoroughly ( water and vinegar ) took him to the locker. That buck was as good as any other buck I have taken.
I think it all has to do with how he was killed and how clean he was while hanging. I have never had a bad animal. Mike

[NEEHAMA]

wow good info. early season i hang my game in a locker. if it's winter i'll hang in a cold shed but only for a few days. i had one big deer that did indeed need a track down and kill shot and this deer was the one that i was refering to as gamey. it all goes back to shot placement. thanks you guys!

[Walksalot]

I don't care for the taste of rutting mule deer. I find it very strong.

[TinMan]

I have shot horned up, testosterone rank whitetail and I found no difference in taste but then I BBQ all the meat so the fat drips off. I clean and cool asap and skin the deer right away then hang for a few days.

[Thunderstix]

Well, what I do is puncture their bladder (accidently), drag them through the mud and what ever else is on the ground while getting it back to my vehicle etc, clean "most" of the hair and mud off the parts that I have not left the hide on while hanging until the odour tells me to cut them up. I have yet to have a deer that did not taste excellent using this simple method. The leaving the hide part on is not what I do with moose but everything else is the same.

[Red Foreman]

The deer I shot last year was right in the heart of the rut.He tasted just as good as a spiker from the youth hunt.

[Leaseman]

I have shot deer through all parts of the season...The biggest thing I find on deer or moose is the butchering, if you don't take your time and get rid of all the fat and sinew you will have meat that have a game taste which doesn't matter if the animal is young or old....I muscle cut all my animals when butchering and all the meat is excellant...My .02 worth...

[xcaribooer]

I shot a full rut 3x3 blacktail early last nov. peeeyew! I had a lot of product made which was great.The only way we could eat the rest of him was by using a greek marinade on cubed chunks then skewering on the BBQ. I will think twice before I do that again.I was wondering if a young spike buck would be more edible at that time of year?

[Duckshoot]

I live and hunt in the West Chilcotin and in over thirty years I have never had a bad Muley but I can not stand to eat the burger so we get sausage ( pepperoni,garlic rings ect) made from the trim. Last year I shot a buck in early oct. and as it was too warm for outside hanging I took it to a butcher in Anahim Lake to hang and cut up,in passing I mentioned that we did not like burger and also for him to make sure that he trimmed off all the fat and he said he also detested deer fat in burger. As he did not do sausage I said well just add 5 or 10 % pork fat then and we would try it, the burger was the best I have ever had. This buck was living at 6000 Feet in a large slash full of fireweed and clover so perhaps that had something to do with it. I have two hunting partners that hunted a lot in the gang ranch/churn creek area during the glory days (late 50's to 1970) and both have said that a late season large buck there is unedible. Some of the worst tasting deer I have had are late season white tails from the Okanogan and from the Granby River north of Grand forks, the fat seems to stick in the roof of your mouth and has a taste like old mutton. These deer are great in early season.

[Hanrahan]

I also mix all my deer meat with about 5% pork fat when I do burger. I also trim absolutely all the fat and sinew off. I have never had a bad tasting burger. Of course I shoot most of my deer on the Charlottes. The best tasting deer in the world anyway.

[Thunderstix]

I have not added any other animal fat to my burger for about 4 years now. If you want to add something then add some olive oil at the time you are using it....much much healthier.

[rageous]

3 years ago i got a 5x5 blacktail in full rut, i let him hang for about 8 days and butchered it myself, tasted great,.....last year i got a 4pt whitey in full rut and same thing, let him hang for a few days, tasted great,


ps i have never used vinager, or any other substances, i think the best thing you can do is trim the fat and silverskin,

[Crimson Viking]

I would skin the animal right away. I have been told that it will get stronger if hung with the skin on. I would not hang the deer any longer that I need to ( the length of the trip) I have butchered game the next day and it is not tough, gut the longer you hang it the stronger it will get , especially if it is not in ideal temp conditions, ie too warm or freeze/ thaw freeze/thaw.
As to cooking the meat i would avoid leaving large amounts of game fat on your cuts, this will give you a stronger flavour. The next thing would be marinade marinade marinade. Be creative, use your imagination, there is not wrong combination. Using Milk will mellow out the flavour, also strong meat can handle strong marinade. Teryaki, curry, tandoori, jerk rubs, spicy or bbq sc. Use what ever you have in the house, red wine, herbs, brandy, oil, fruit juice (fruit works well with Game), Vinegarette , Fruit jam & cracked chilli's (sweet and spice are also a great combo), Juniper berrier. Cooking is not so much about following recipes and being creative and following your taste buds, using whats on hand and experimenting. That's Chef CV's, cooking tip of the day.

enjoy your game!!