What is the best tasting deer species

[NZTahr]

To comment on this accurately you would have needed to have sampled all species.
Of the several species I have tried Fallow has been the best. Sambar the worst (very grainy).

 

[Muddyboots]

247 dressed what do you figure he was on the hoof? Here a 200 on the hoof only happens a few times a year

Prob legit in 325-350 on hoof. I told him easy to kill a deer that big! Kill zone bigger than whole deer!

 

[scpaul]

If possible I usually head shot because I don't care about racks. I felt like they were good for stirring stew. I do believe that I'd probably have changed my mind about it if I had a rack like that step out. He did have a large kill zone but I'd have had a case of buck fever to match.

 

[Josh06]

It's close between Sika and Axis but I think Sika barely edges it out for the best.

 

[WYO300RUM]

Moose is good unless all it's been eating is willows then the meat taste and smells like willows. I like elk best no matter where they've been feeding .Prefer cow over bull but like both. Love doe antelope. Whitetail doe I like. Depending on where, Muley and Whitetail both feed in fields here. A lot of barley, suger beets, alphalfa, wheat, soybean. Muley's in the mountains during hunting season, Sept., Oct., Nov. don't eat sage. Only if snow covers there food. They browse. The "Muley taste like sage" is bs. There's no Muley season here after mid Nov.. They aren't eating sage. Mountain muley's taste great to me. The whitetail I shoot in Dec. taste good to me also. Especially the doe's. I've had black bear a couple times. I liked it. Can be fatty. Shot one desert bighorn. Didn't care much for it but it ate it. Ok. I'm done

 

[WYO300RUM]

Our Kaibab deer herd in Northern AZ is the best that I've had for mulies.

When you can draw it. I used to bowhunt the Kiabab every year the opener 3rd week of August and last few days end of season in mid September for many years until they went to a draw for Archery there. I liked bowhunting desert muley's in area 21 after that for years.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

My axis from last Feb. Tastes excellent. Looks cool in velvet.

 

[WYO300RUM]

In this area the whitetails are alfalfa fed most of the year with a lot of corn in the fall. I process all my meat and being a bow hunter, we have a refrigerator in the garage and the deer are quartered ant put in the refrigerator immediately. We don't freeze much meat anymore, but we can most of it. Once you eat canned venison you will be hooked. Also as a side benefit if you have a power outage you don't lose any meat . No refrigeration needed. Can be eaten right out of the jar,heated over rice or potatoes, made into stew. Just handy to have around.

I've heard that. I'm going try it. I think Muddy boots and Ole' Red told me can liver and heart also. Yum.

 

[Bob Wright]

When you can draw it. I used to bowhunt the Kiabab every year the opener 3rd week of August and last few days end of season in mid September for many years until they went to a draw for Archery there. I liked bowhunting desert muley's in area 21 after that for years.

The junior hunts we had until the last few years, produced so many small does, then my buck this past year. Incredibly good steak and beef fat burger mix. There is sage in unit 13, but once they move into the high plateau woodlands there is lots of aspen, oak and pine, plus new weed/forbes growth. I've never had a bad deer there.
Pronghorn anywhere in AZ is delicious but for something when skinning that smells like a giant bag of Freetos makes you wonder.
Elk is normally excellent but I've had other hunters stuff that was nasty. Probably not cooled quick enough.

 

[WYO300RUM]

I think the best muley's I ever had were off a ranch in Chugwater , Wy. I hunted for five years in the early to mid 80's. Wheat fed. The whitetail out of river bottom didn't taste very good .

 

[WYO300RUM]

The junior hunts we had until the last few years, produced so many small does, then my buck this past year. Incredibly good steak and beef fat burger mix. There is sage in unit 13, but once they move into the high plateau woodlands there is lots of aspen, oak and pine, plus new weed/forbes growth. I've never had a bad deer there.
Pronghorn anywhere in AZ is delicious but for something when skinning that smells like a giant bag of Freetos makes you wonder.
Elk is normally excellent but I've had other hunters stuff that was nasty. Probably not cooled quick enough.

Even buck lopers taste good. They can be smelly and legs full of cactus thorns. I'm sure your correct about not cooling the elk down. Leaving hides on doesn't help either. I've killed rutting bulls with bow in Sept. and five cow elk in unit 5B Az. I couldn't tell the difference.

 

[WYO300RUM]

Exactly. Cook it and smells like willow.

 

[WYO300RUM]

Some folks have mentioned elk. Yes, the meat is absolutely beautiful but every one I have killed (bulls) have tasted good….however very tough and chewy. Still good though.

Crockpot an elk roast with potatoes, carrots , onions, celery and mushrooms. Brown gravy or cream of mushroom soup. When roast done cut it up and put back in. Throw celery and onions in towards end. Works for beef, moose, elk, deer, lope, bear, etc..
I'm hungry now....

 

[WYO300RUM]

Prob legit in 325-350 on hoof. I told him easy to kill a deer that big! Kill zone bigger than whole deer!

Iowa has the toad whitetail .