Mule deer / whitetail difference

[Gr8bawana]

I was just wondering if you guys that get to hunt whitetails and mule deer in the same state can tell me if there is a difference in the way they taste. Just curious.

 

[RUTTIN]

I have only harvested one whitetail (in Montana) and I wish I would have cut every little morsel off him. I cut him up like I do a mule deer (only the choicest cuts, the rest jerky) I would rather eat whitetail than elk. They don't taste anything like a mule deer.


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[Tim McCoy]

I've managed to take and taste both species from WA, OR, MT and SD. While I very much like MD, rutty bucks and be a challenge. All our WT have eaten very well. We put WT up there with a fat Cow Elk and Moose. Just our experience, others may have a different experience/taste.

 

[Hilltop]

There is a difference. I think region plays a role in this but we can tell the difference between whitetail and mule deer back strap. The burger isn't as noticeable.

 

[tdcour]

I would agree that there is a difference. My wife can definitely taste it but it isn't as noticeable to me. I've eaten both from SD and a wt from KS now. Hoping to get a mulie in KS next year to see a difference there. I think the main difference is the food sources. Corn and soybeans add a lot of tasty meat! The wt that eat the same food sources as mulies taste a little better than mulies but not near as noticeable as corn fed

 

[wa-hunter]

we also like whitetail better than mule deer have not gotten a strong tasting one they are always mild. (both whitetails and mule deer have come from idaho)

 

[RICMIC]

White-tails that live off woody browse in NE MN taste pretty much the same as the four mulies that I have gotten in WY and CO. As previously stated, those crop fed deer are bound to be better. Moose eat mostly woody browse, and seem close to mule deer also. My favorite of all is bison, but there aren't any roaming around in the woods here.

 

[Musket Man]

I think it has alot to do with what they are eating. I really like Mule deer from Eastern Montana but the grain fed Whitetail I got here last year was hard to beat!!!

 

[AKaviator]

I haven't eaten either whitetail or mule deer for quite some time, but Sitka Blacktail are one of my favorites for Alaska wildlife.

 

[gonhunting247]

I like them all, but blacktail bucks from home are the best to me. We grew up eating Muleys and blacktail and they all taste awesome. I personally have liked the whitetails too, but I think I like the others just as well or better. All that said, I agree that like any animal it really depends on time of year, condition, how they are taken care of and what they are eating. Deer is my favorite meat of all though, so it's hard to say much bad about any of them

 

[Sfjeeper]

I've eaten my share of blacktail, whitetail and mule deer. I do believe food source does have a major roll in the taste. As does the time of year. A buck in full rut will not taste the same as a buck taken earlier in the season. The manor of the kill will also affect the taste. A deer that runs 200 yards after being shot will pump adrenaline through it's body, whereas a deer dropped on the spot will not. That along with the manor in which the meat is processed all take part in the final outcome. I like all venison, but the quicker the kill, and the faster the meat can get cooled down the better.

 

[go_deep]

Growing up on a farm in Wisconsin all the whitetails we ate were corn, soybean, and alfalfa feed all the mule deer I've gotten in Wyoming have been from areas with large amounts of prairie grass and I can't tell the difference between the two. I would like to get a high mountain mule deer for lots of reasons, but would be interested in how they taste.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I was just wondering if you guys that get to hunt whitetails and mule deer in the same state can tell me if there is a difference in the way they taste. Just curious.

I've eaten a lot of both Mule deer and Whitetails here in Wyoming. Whitetails win the taste test hands down. I also get to test some Wisconsin crop fed whitetail steaks when I visit family there. They are the best tasting of all, no contest. My $0.02.

 

[NDHunter]

After they're ground up and made into sausage, you can't tell any difference at all...

 

[bdan68]

I sure can't tell the difference between whitetail and mule deer (or blacktail deer). It all tastes the same to me. Elk too; I don't understand how people say one tastes different than another. And let's add antelope and bighorn sheep to that list. I simply cannot tell the difference between any of them. I'm talking steaks cooked in nothing but olive oil and seasoned only with salt. I thought maybe it was just me, but my wife and kids agree that it's all the same.

 

[go_deep]

I sure can't tell the difference between whitetail and mule deer (or blacktail deer). It all tastes the same to me. Elk too; I don't understand how people say one tastes different than another. And let's add antelope and bighorn sheep to that list. I simply cannot tell the difference between any of them. I'm talking steaks cooked in nothing but olive oil and seasoned only with salt. I thought maybe it was just me, but my wife and kids agree that it's all the same.

I agree if the meat is taken care of from the minute it hits the ground it all tastes the same to me DELICIOUS!

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[shootbrownelk]

I sure can't tell the difference between whitetail and mule deer (or blacktail deer). It all tastes the same to me. Elk too; I don't understand how people say one tastes different than another. And let's add antelope and bighorn sheep to that list. I simply cannot tell the difference between any of them. I'm talking steaks cooked in nothing but olive oil and seasoned only with salt. I thought maybe it was just me, but my wife and kids agree that it's all the same.

bdan, my wife can tell the difference when the meat is thawing out! Really. She hates antelope. She doesn't eat much meat, but she likes moose and beef the best.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Oh, I forgot. The absolute worst deer meat I ever had was an old Buck Mule Deer that I shot in western Wyoming north of Jackson.
I shot him in the lungs, he dropped on the spot. I got the hide off him within 20 minutes and put him on ice. This was in September, well before the rut. I have no idea what that deer had been eating, but it was the worst tasting and toughest piece of meat I ever took.
It stunk-up the house when you cooked it....not a spoiled smell. Just strong. My dog wouldn't eat it. P.U.

 

[Eberle]

I haven't eaten either whitetail or mule deer for quite some time, but Sitka Blacktail are one of my favorites for Alaska wildlife.

Maybe you need to come stay with me for a while & I'll make Amy cook some up!

 

[Winchester]

I gotta agree with many of the previous posts. Whitetail tastes a little better than Mule Deer to me, and what they've been eating does seem to make a difference, as does age, care of the meat, etc. For example, I took a young moose in Alaska that was great, but I also had a friend take one was very, very old and it was extremely tough.