After you've shot a deer does running affect it's taste?

Question

I'm not really an expert on this and on a previous question, another poster contradicted my answer about this portion of the question and was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences. I've gotten 7 deer in about 20 years of hunting in Washington state, 3 with bow, the largest being a 6 pointer. I noticed that the bow hunt deer (mule deer) tasted much different than rifle shot deer, more bitter. All were taken within a 100 mile distance in the Mount Spokane area so I don't think it had to do with what they were feeding on and they were within 50lbs of each other so I don't think age/size was a factor either.

I was told by some old hunters that the more the deer runs, the adrenalin gets in the blood and affects the taste of the meat. I was also told that it's because it took longer to field dress the deer since it took awhile to get to them. Or is it just because of the different years they were taken? Any thoughts?

I dressed all the deer the same way, I used a winch to hang them from a tree by the rear feet, gutted them, let them hang for the remainder of the hunting day until about 2:00 - 7:00 (all were taken in the early morning around 6:00 to 9:00) and when my hunting partners were done, we got all the deer and threw them in the back of a pickup and hauled them home and hung them in the garage. Next day, skinned, boned, cut into sections and froze them in butchers paper covered with wax paper. I can't think of anyway that I could have gotten any of the internals on the meat. One of them was a gut shot :( (should not have taken that shot!!!) , but the other two were clean lung shots.

Answer 1

Adrenalin has absolutely nothing to do with any bitter taste you have experienced with Deer.....Nor does the distance they run after being hit have anything to do with it either...

The Deer's own Adrenal Gland produces Adrenalin, and it is pumped by the heart directly into the bloodstream as a stress hormone. This chemical gives the Deer and almost instant boost of energy, as it increses the Deers blood glucose (sugar) level in it's bloodstream...The Adrenalin is confined to the blood stream,arteries and veins only and is excreated (Expelled) thru the kidneys in the Deer'
s own urine. It does not nor is it possible for the Adrenanlin to leech into ANY of the meat. Even if some meat were exposed it would not have any effect on the taste of the venison.....

I would suggest that the culprit that is making your venison bitter is the fact that the Deer carcass isn't completely "cooled out" before you are cutting it up to freeze. This is the most common reason I've seen this happen. It applies to Mule Deer and Whitetail's too....The second biggest problem that affects venison taste is urine or feces and stomach contents leaking onto the exposed meat surfaces while field dressing. Nothing will ruin meat faster than exposure to waste from a Deers internal organs..

A simple step that will avoid these taste issues is to "cool out" the Deer carcass by hanging it up on a tree limb if it is cold outside or hanging it in a walk in cooler for at least a day before buthchering it to freeze. If you need to hang it outside there are inexpensive netting products that you can buy to wrap the carcass in to avoid any insects. Prop the chest cavity open with a 12" stick or wood to allow air into the cavity as well......

Answer 2

Actually, it's Lactic acid that forms in the muscle tissue, not adrenalin, which is in the blood stream. Yes, a combination of things is responsible for your venison having a bitter taste, one, the build up of lactic acid will affect the taste, and two, a deer that is not field dressed very quickly so it can cool will have a more "gamey taste" to it. There are a few things that will help, one, after you make your shot, don't push after the animal right away. A wounded deer usually will go a short distance and then lay down and bleed out, but if you start tracking too quickly, the deer will continue to move. Secondly, of course, field dress it and get it cooled as quickly as possible. Heat is the worst enemy of fresh game. Third, if you suspect the meat will be stronger for any of the above reasons, you can quarter it and let it soak in a bathtub full of cold water with a little baking soda in it overnight. Then, hang it in a cool garage or meat locker for a couple of days, if the temps are below 40 degrees F. Again, keep it cool. Then rinse it down and butcher it as you normally would.
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Age, sex, size even diet all affect taste in venison as does field dressing techniques. Most of my deer have dropped on the spot. A couple dropped but I had to finish them off with a second shot due to using a .223 (NEVER again) and a .243 rather than my usual .25-06 Remington or .270. All have been killed in South Texas (same ranch) except for one that was killed about a hundred miles further northeast (different forage) on a different ranch.

One deer actually ran a hundred ten yards before dropping and literally bled out (heart shot only, completely missed the lungs as I believe it must have exhaled at that moment). There was no difference in taste except for the one killed where the forage was different and it was only a mild difference that could have easily been due to the fact that it was an older deer. Of course, in Texas deer are often grain/corn fattened as hunters throw tons of corn or grain year round to attract game to their hunting lease.

Best.

H

Answer 4

Running has no affect on the taste of the meat, it could have had to do with the diet the deer had if they were harvested in different areas, i know we dont have much problem with that here in the midwest,,, nice corn fed deer!! were the deer field dressed and washed out immediatly. this is the biggest ruiner of meat, i also like to let mine hang and cool. another tip i personaly have is remove the fat from the meat when butchering, the fat has a bitter taste to me and i remove it since i do not care for the fat

Answer 5

Running doesnt matter.


Here is what may have caused the bitter deer

If you didnt gut it right and got intrails on the meat
If you waited too long before cleaning
If you didnt chill the meat fast enough
A deers diet can greatly effect the taste of the meat

Answer 6

It absolutly does not affect the taste --- I don't care what people say.

What affects taste after the fact is getting guts/urine/hockscent/etc on the meat or heat spoiling.

But a deer running? Nope

Answer 7

Sorry wouldn't know. You bring up a good point with adrenalin, but I.D.K., the venison I had just tasted the same to me. Differences on taste is a question, but my Father killed this deer via a gun.

Answer 8

Why would you want to run around after shooting a Deer?
LOL jus joking