Why Most Gamey Venison Is a Field Care Problem

Plenty of people say they do not like venison because it tastes gamey. In most cases, the flavor they are tasting is a handling problem.

Graphic of ways to cool game meat fast: skin it, quarter it, ice it and hang it between 34 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit — How to beat warm weather.

Heat

Meat that stays warm for hours after the shot starts to spoil from the inside. In warm weather, that can happen before a hunter ever gets the deer home. Fast field dressing, skinning and cooling make the biggest single difference.

Dirt and gut contents

Hair, dirt and contents from a cut stomach or intestine taint meat quickly. Careful field dressing and clean game bags keep the meat clean.

Fat and silver skin

Deer fat turns waxy and strong-tasting when cooked. Trimming away fat and the thin silver skin over the muscles removes much of the flavor people object to.

Hunter in camouflage kneeling with a harvested deer and his rifle in tall dry grass — Field care decides how the meat will taste.

Overcooking

Lean steaks cooked well past medium turn dry and livery. Hot, fast cooking within safe temperature guidance keeps venison tender.

Handle the meat well and most of the gamey taste disappears. See Field Dressing and Cooling Game for the details.