Nothing like spending hours on the field scoping out your deer, making the right shot, packing up the meat and then coming home to cook it, only to find it tastes terrible…

The anticipation and excitement of the kill doesn’t quite translate to the dinner table. Doesn’t matter how good you are in the kitchen, if the meat is not right, the meal won’t be either. The reason is almost always that the meat was poorly processed, aged, prepped or cooked. Here are the top reasons your meat is tasting terrible.

1. You’re Not Packing & Aging Properly
Don’t underestimate the packing process. From the moment the game is down on the ground, every move you make effects the quality of the meat. Bacteria, insects and flies are attacking your animal almost instantly and its key to get the meat cleaned and transferred to good quality Game Bags as soon as possible. Clean the blood, urine and dirt from the deer using very clean water. Many hunters don’t even consider getting the meat cooled. The aging process in a cooler is very important and has a huge impact on the taste and tenderness of the meat.

2. You’re Not Processing Right
Processing should be done within hours of taking down the animal. If you’re working with a processor, make sure to schedule appropriately and get the animal to them while they are still working. Nothing worse than making the kill then having to wait until the next day for your butcher to get to it. Don’t let your hard work go to waste because you’re not prepared. If you’re a pro and doing it yourself, make sure you know what you’re doing. Take the time to learn the skills of butchering your own game to avoid having your deer meat taste poorly.

3. You Overcooked It
Sometimes it’s just as simple as this – you’re not cooking it right. Overcooking is very common and leaves your meat with bad texture and taste. If you wait until you think it’s ready, often your meal is over cooker. As a rule of thumb, cooking your venison to around 125 – 130 degrees is best for taste. Sooner is always better when it comes to meat on the grill.

Getting the meat out of your hunt is great, but don’t stop there. If you want better cooked meat you need to commit to taking care of the hunt from the moment it hits the ground. How do you ensure the best quality deer meat?

– Brad Lockwood