Tasty.

[Stephenbuck2489]

Good Evening everyone.

This will definitely duffer to everyone's taste buds.
Other than (shop bought) venison. Which i can only assume to be farmed Red deer.
Ive not eaten allot of other species.

So just wondering which would you guys say to be the tastiest deer to eat. I know its qll on prefrence. But i was wondering if it varys in similar ways to diffrent cattle breeds?

 

[Mike1979]

Age and cooking will have more of an impact then species to my mind. The nicest, best shot deer will be ruined if its cooked badly

I havent eaten all of the species but out of Fallow, Roe and Sika I would go with Sika. If im shooting one for home consumption I always try for a youngster

 

[spurs14]

You will get six different answers on that question , my tuppence would be for cwd

 

[DevonRifle]

I’ve only eaten Roe (a lot that I’ve shot myself), Red (I used to buy carcasses off a friend) and a bit of Fallow that I was offered to try. The one I like the most? Roe, and that’s purely because it tastes so much better when you’ve stalked, shot, skinned, butchered and cooked it yourself.

 

[Stephenbuck2489]

I’ve only eaten Roe (a lot that I’ve shot myself), Red (I used to buy carcasses off a friend) and a bit of Fallow that I was offered to try. The one I like the most? Roe, and that’s purely because it tastes so much better when you’ve stalked, shot, skinned, butchered and cooked it yourself.

Experience makes it taste so much rewarding then!? Somthing im yet to do.

 

[VSS]

Fallow top of the list (I'm biased!),
Roe and muntjac jostling each other for 2nd place,
Sika next, then red.
CWD bottom of the list.

 

[Mike1979]

Experience makes it taste so much rewarding then!? Somthing im yet to do.

Depends on how well you butcher it and cook it

Its not rewarding when you make a hash of it and spend a long time doing it. However, I find the butchery side of things interesting and the more you do the better you get. I doubt I will ever get to the standard of guys like VSS but I dont shoot many deer and dont do it as a "living" (or part of one at least).

 

[Stephenbuck2489]

Fallow top of the list (I'm biased!),
Roe and muntjac jostling each other for 2nd place,
Sika next, then red.
CWD bottom of the list.

Thanks for the reply. As i say.
I know there are many members on here who like yourself will have tasted all 6.
And i bet there are so many variations due to individual prefrebce. I was just wondering if there was any stand out winner in the taste test

 

[Nimrod1960]

Before some Sika steaks last night I would have gone.
Muntjac
Fallow Roe
Red.

Now !
Muntjac Sika (Although very different)
Fallow Roe
Red
Never tried Chinese (Deer that is )

 

[Mungo]

Good Evening everyone.

This will definitely duffer to everyone's taste buds.
Other than (shop bought) venison. Which i can only assume to be farmed Red deer.
Ive not eaten allot of other species.

So just wondering which would you guys say to be the tastiest deer to eat. I know its qll on prefrence. But i was wondering if it varys in similar ways to diffrent cattle breeds?

Sika - finest meat there is. Either sex.

Then fallow doe, red hind, roe doe, roe buck, fallow buck and a long way last red stag.

I may have eaten too much roe of late, and increasingly find it quite uninspiring.

 

[DevonRifle]

Depends on how well you butcher it and cook it

Its not rewarding when you make a hash of it and spend a long time doing it. However, I find the butchery side of things interesting and the more you do the better you get. I doubt I will ever get to the standard of guys like VSS but I dont shoot many deer and dont do it as a "living" (or part of one at least).

When you’ve been through the learning process and made your mistakes the successes taste sweeter!

 

[Mike1979]

When you’ve been through the learning process and made your mistakes the successes taste sweeter!

All about the journey not the destination

To be fair I do agree...I reckon we have venison 3 to 4 times a week at the moment ...getting better and quicker each time we butcher an animanl...by the time next season comes (dont have Roe around us yet) I ll have probably forgotten most of it

 

[DevonRifle]

All about the journey not the destination

To be fair I do agree...I reckon we have venison 3 to 4 times a week at the moment ...getting better and quicker each time we butcher an animanl...by the time next season comes (dont have Roe around us yet) I ll have probably forgotten most of it

What species do you have in Wales?

 

[Mike1979]

What species do you have in Wales?

Sorry for the delay.

Its a bit mixed depending on area. Im in mid wales and very sparse for most species. Some Reds and Fallow with the odd Roe and occasional Muntjac. The reds and fallow are "overspill" from some of the estates that had/have deer parks.

I shoot with a friend near Exeter so tends to be roe and fallow that come home with me.

 

[DevonRifle]

Sorry for the delay.

Its a bit mixed depending on area. Im in mid wales and very sparse for most species. Some Reds and Fallow with the odd Roe and occasional Muntjac. The reds and fallow are "overspill" from some of the estates that had/have deer parks.

I shoot with a friend near Exeter so tends to be roe and fallow that come home with me.

You shoot locally to me then. All my permissions are Roe but I’m not far from Fallow, Reds and Muntjac.

 

[Mike1979]

You shoot locally to me then. All my permissions are Roe but I’m not far from Fallow, Reds and Muntjac.

Just the bottom side of Exeter so lots of fallow, then lots of Roe on the ground closer to Exeter.

My mate has lived there all his life so lots of different ground and lots of deer...unlike at home where I have lots of ground and not a lot of deer. To be fair its a nice excuse to go and see him...just the 5 hour drive that makes it a pain

 

[User00056]

I predominantly shoot roe, so naturally that's what we eat most of. I also shoot the occasional sika and red though, and out me these three I have to say I prefer roe, with sika a close second. I don't really rate red deer venison all that highly, if I'm being truthful

 

[JockStalk]

Roe all the way for me.

 

[Stephenbuck2489]

I predominantly shoot roe, so naturally that's what we eat most of. I also shoot the occasional sika and red though, and out me these three I have to say I prefer roe, with sika a close second. I don't really rate red deer venison all that highly, if I'm being truthful

Reading this. Along with others. It becomes apparent that Red is always lower down the list of wild deer.

But. As far as im aware. The breed usually captive reared for food production is Red. So would this be a true assumption that the majority of Venison you see in supermarkets is Red?

 

[VSS]

Reading this. Along with others. It becomes apparent that Red is always lower down the list of wild deer.

But. As far as im aware. The breed usually captive reared for food production is Red. So would this be a true assumption that the majority of Venison you see in supermarkets is Red?

Yes.
And it often means that people's first ever experience of eating venison is not the best.
Which is why those of us who sell venison from other species often have to put a bit of effort into educating potential customers to the difference in order to encourage them to try it.

(That's not to say there isn't some really good quality red deer venison out there. There is. But all the imported stuff is also red. And that's the bulk of what's on the supermarket shelves).