I spent some time today at the hospital, not me, I'm fine, but with the ex. As we were leaving, a nurse came in and her and the ex were talking about healthy eating, what meat is good and what is bad. After a few minutes of listening, I figured she was a borderline vegan. Not full blown but dang close. The subject of deer meat being a healthy red meat was brought up and of course the "Gamey" taste. I told her if it tasted gamey it wasn't cooked or butchered correctly. Her way of cooking was to rinse the blood off then boil the meat. After it was cooked, drain the water and then rinse again. Then add it to chili or whatever. I thought why don't you just boil a turd and give the meat to someone that appreciates it. I've been hunting and eating deer meat for close to 50 years and I don't seem to notice a gamey taste. Just finished off a roast tonite and had venison stew last week. Dang good even if I do say so myself!!

Most people who aren't use to eating venison seem to think that it must be gamey since it doesn't taste like beef.
Can't speak for whitetail since I've never had any, only mule deer.
But i agree with what you are saying.
I worked with a yankee that swore up and down he couldn't eat venison due to taste.
I made him a sandwich with some bottled venison and he sat and argued with me and swearing that i gave him a roast beef sandwich. I did the same with my cousin and his kids. They all loved it. Even my cousin who swears he can't stand venison.

I'll take a mature mule deer buck everytime for sheer volume over most whitetails, or blacktails.
For quality of meat I will take a whitail doe first.
I will take elk over all three.
Recently cooked fresh whitetail for several couples and they still think they were dining at a five star restaurant.

On another scary side I have seen guys transport muley's home multi state, hide on, wrapped in a sleeping bag on top of the vehicle during the fall.
This proves to me they probably aren't going to really eat the meat.
Maybe it's a way for people with shot taste buds to build some kind of immunity.

The first thing I learned when I started hunting big game. Get the hide off and cool that meat down. Following this, I have never had a bad piece of wild game.

NRA Benefactor

I grew up thinking this was gospel for processing.
Apparently a bunch of guys missed that part.
I've seen guys transport a whole elk to the butcher, I mean whole, as if they didn't even own a knife.

Those who take their whole animal to the butcher are the kind of folks who don't appreciate game meat for what it is, IMO. They probably get the whole thing made into meat sticks and jerky so they never taste the real meat.

I love butchering my own meat and preparing delicious meals from chunks of raw muscle. There is nothing more satisfying.

As far as how meat tastes, I've eaten beef that tastes like a feedlot smells - disgusting. I have never experienced that with wild meat.

I made stew the other day using deer steak, taters and carrots. I'd put it up against any Dinty Moore on the shelf. Only problem was I should have made more but I have a freezer full so I can make more. I think the nurse was eating deer meat that wasn't prepared correctly. Like you all have said, getting it processed correctly makes a bunch of difference in how it tastes when it hits the table. I have to pay to have mine processed. I just don't have the means to do it myself but the butcher I use has been doing it a long time and does a great job as well. They are honest and fast and their cost is reasonable. Plus they are really nice folks.

You could take the finest piece of beef you can buy/butcher and if you cook it wrong it's going taste poorly. Same with anything (although I agree many people don't properly handle game). Knowing what cut of meat needs to be prepared what way is important.

I really think its like beef.... It needs to hang a bit and thats how I grew up. We processed our own but I can tell you we let it hang head down after gutting and skinning not head up so all that blood pools in the hams and hind quarters. Let all that darn blood drain. That to me makes a big difference. I take my gutted and usually skinned deer to a local guy that has a huge cooler and he lets em hang at least a week for me. Then cuts em the way I want em and that means mixing the ground meat with pork and some beef. Makes great ground meat.

The next ting is cooking. Wife and I like rare meat and deer is included...

I had my first deer processed when i was young. Wasnt happy with what i got back from the butcher. Been processing my own since then. The meat is de-boned and trimmed. We grind the burger at a 4:1 ratio with bacon. Make our own sausage,summer sausage,sticks,etc. Never hear any complaints about what hits the table be it grilled,roast,chili,cube steaks,etc.

Here is a great recipe from a wonderful black lady that was the cook at a plantation I did some consulting work for....

Venison roast sliced thin... think 3/8 or 1/4 thick. Work it over just a bit with a "meat hammer" and then soak a while in butter milk.

Mix up some flour and your fave seasoning. Using new butter milk mixed with an egg. Flour the the meat in the dry flour mix and then dip it in the egg and buttermilk and then flour it again.

Place meat in skillet with hot lard, bacon fat or cooking oil of your choice. Oil should be "spankin hot" Turn once at 30 to 45 seconds and go another 30-45 then remove from pan.

This should still leave the center at least pink and man its like eating pancakes..... We serve it with mashed taters and white gravy along with sweet/sour red cabbage. For those of you not from the South, dont be afraid to use just a bit of Tiger Sauce or Louisiana Hot sauce to treat you meat with. Just a bit....