Venison "Veal"
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: APauls
10-May-17
Oh man. yummmmmmmm. I took out a roast from the freezer marked "veal 2011" and so I knew it was a fawn deer that I arrowed (late Nov). Wow, was that roast amazing, and it reminded me how I used to try and take one fawn every year with my antlerless tag. Now I remember why! Hot dang I might have to get into that habit again. It's prob been since 2011 that I killed my last fawn, but 2017 may be different. That's prob the only time I go full blown meat hunter. I remember that deer, I called it in over the coarse of about 10 minutes on the second last day of the season in a couple feet of snow using a couple doe bleats every few minutes. Young deer always seem to be curious, so i used that fact to it's demise...
Anyone else like to harvest the odd fawn crop?
From: elk yinzer
10-May-17
I've taken a couple over the years and personally have not found fawns to be any more or less tender or better eating during hunting season than older deer. Just much less meat yield. Combined with the fact that buttons can be really hard to spot on buck fawns and I hate when people shoot button bucks, I avoid it now and take older does.
From: MT in MO
10-May-17
I don't necessarily try to kill a fawn or a yearling, but I do try to take at least one doe every year. I think they eat better than the bucks. Here in Missouri they changed the deer archery tags where you can only shoot one buck, but they give you two deer tags. So now one is obligated to kill doe...or leave a tag open...
From: PoudreCanyon
10-May-17
I've killed a few young ones too, and I'm with elk yinzer - didn't notice them being any more tender, but the yield was a lot less. I do love corn fed midwestern Whitetail backstraps. My 3rd favorite wild game, behind elk and pronghorn! Poudre
From: Scooby-doo
10-May-17
In NY where I hunt I only shoot doe fawns. I have not shot a doe older then 6-7 months in a long time. Maybe 10 years, probably more. As far as good eating, to me the best is a 1.5 year old buck shot in late sept or early oct. before they start to get randy!! Too bad as I have gotten older I don't shoot them unless they are 3.5 or older. Scooby
From: APauls
10-May-17
Really?! Wow I'm surprised! I hang all my meat and always notice a difference on the fawns. Even the color is different. A yearling however is different.
From: TD
10-May-17
Blue bone we call em.... If you can't tell the difference it texture between that and an older animal you're doing something wrong..... only thing is like veal they have a bit of a "bland" flavor. But these are axis..... even the "bad" ones are pretty good....
From: Scrappy
10-May-17
I always laugh at folks that bring a fawn to the meat pole demanding that it's a yearling and not a fawn. To embarrassed to say they shot a fawn. Ive only shot one fawn and it was definitely more tender as well as a different color meat. Very tasty, but I'm like others not much meat.
From: Zbone
10-May-17
My philosophy has been to try and kill the most mature buck, and the smallest doe fawn so I've killed a few 6-10 month old fawns... Easier drag and tender meat...8^) Although care and preparation of venison is the key...
From: PECO
10-May-17
I have taken 2 button bucks, best venison ever.
From: elk nailer
10-May-17
milk feed, white meat. Tender and tasty
From: petedrummond
10-May-17
They dont butcher beef as three year olds. Old does taste like old bucks. Brought a 135 lb field dressed doe home and wife told me not to shoot any more deer.
From: Joey Ward
10-May-17
If you can tell the difference between a buck, doe, or dawn, you don't know how to process a deer it you can't cook.
Ain't no way any of you Yahoos could tell the age of a deer I prepare.
From: Joey Ward
10-May-17
Sorry. Fawn, or you can't cook.
From: PECO
10-May-17
If both animals are properly field dressed, processed, and prepared for the table, your telling me the 5.5 year old rutting buck has the same texture and flavor as a fawn? Not buying it.
From: LKH
10-May-17
Personally I think fawns lack flavor. I've never had a really tough buck, but a couple does I've eaten had to be thawed and ground.
From: Chris S
11-May-17
Every year it's my goal to get a foe fawn. Hung a few days then processed and vac sealed then wet aged in fridge a week before going to freezer or grill. Absolutely fantastic. I agree if you can't tell the difference you are doing something wrong or taking it to a processor that freezes it right away and may not be giving you all of your own single deer.
From: Deafbowhunter
11-May-17
The 3 years I participated in urban deer hunting in Council Bluffs, I killed quite lot young doe (under 1 year old). I never noticed any difference in the tasting or tender of the meat, except for small yield of meats (same as what Elk Yinzer said) and very easy to drag out. I personally try to not take button bucks in hoping of having him walk under my stand 5-6 years later or at least finding his sheds. Some people give other people hard time for killing small deer. I don't understand what the problem is with killing young deer. Any deer legally taken is tasty trophy. That is how we should view our hunting purpose. By the way, please excuse me, I need to go outside and check on my deer brats from the little doe I killed last fall.
From: willliamtell
11-May-17
In the old days, they used to saw the antlers off the bucks and bulls to pass them off as does, so the story goes. I absolutely can tell the difference between a young deer and a bow necked buck. I love it all, but an old buck is generally a tougher piece of meat. Old cows can get tough too. Of course, hanging the animal helps tenderize it too.
From: pav
11-May-17
Probably catch some static for this....but I just can't bring myself to shoot a fawn. Won't even shoot an adult doe with a fawn in tow. Six month old deer are so dumb and naive....I figure the longer the fawn remains under mommy's radar, the better the chance for survival. Easy choice to make...as there never seems to a shortage of dry does on the farm.
From: LINK
11-May-17
Joey ward you've obviously never had fawn mignon! I'm talking 50lbs or less, barely rid of its spots. You can't compare meat from something that's living on browse to something that's living on the tit. There's also a difference in an October fawn that's 5 months old and a December fawn. You have to kill one that's actively nursing. Just my 2 cents.
Scrappy is right about not much meat but neither is there on a rabbit. The hide falls right off a fawn and they are easy to process.
From: Halibutman
11-May-17
Anyone that makes the claim "you can't tell the difference" is doing something incorrect. I guess if you grind and tenderize everything, then it becomes a more homogeneous product. Why would you want that? I like to revel in the difference. For me, that's an attractive quality of hunting, killing, and eating my own meat.
From: Fuzzy
11-May-17
yes sir, best meat in the woods.
From: APauls
11-May-17
Door Knob, if the meat is wrapped correctly it last indefinitely. This one was wrapped in shrink wrap. It squeezes the meat so tight it is impossible for air to get in. Any tiny holes (If there are any) get plugged with blood being squeezed from the meat. I've eaten meat as old as 7 years and it's been great. It's like walleye frozen in water in ziplocks. Good indefinitely.
From: Yellowjacket
11-May-17
I once shot an antelope fawn. And once it was down found it had a broken ankle. Talk about tender "veal"!!
I very gently grilled the whole tenderloins and my (now ex) brother in law who was visiting from Iowa said, "I've lived in Iowa all my life and eaten the best Iowa beef, but this is the finest piece of meat I've ever had!"
From: PECO
11-May-17
If you like to eat venison and there is not difference then why target a fawn with only 30 pounds of meat when you can get over twice that with a mature deer? I process my own meat and vacuum seal it. It is all very good, but there is a difference in the young ones. Let's talk environment for a minute, do the deer in northern Michigan woods taste the same as deer in southern Michigan that live off of farm crops? Maybe if you properly process and cook it, but I doubt it. One last thing, I do not shoot button bucks on purpose, I did not know until it was on the ground, still my bad I prefer the real young bucks walk.
From: Will
11-May-17
Over the years I've shot a few. Early in my hunting life, it was semi accidental, and I thought they were actually does. Until I weighed them. The last one I shot was delicious for sure. I'd agree that they seem more tender in general. I almost shot one last year just for giving me so many chances - darn little BB had hung out for about 15' doing the whole "look, here's my vitals while my head is behind this big tree and I'm slightly quartering away" thing over and over. Why do 5.5YO bucks or does never do that... Oh... Self answering question :)
From: Halibutman
11-May-17
I've taste tested antelope from several different states. Generally, everyone likes the New Mexico antelope more than Wyoming/Montana. Where we kill them in New Mexico, there is basically no sage at all. That seems to be the only difference.
Whitetails and mule deer that have been on ag fields taste excellent. That could be because their diet makes them taste more "domesticated".
From: Joey Ward
11-May-17
Well, I eat lots of stuff some folks find repulsive.........deer heart, liver, tongue.....frog legs, turtle, squirrel, rattlesnake, dove......and even raw oysters :-).................so either my taste buds are tainted, or I know what I'm doing wrt to preparing game for the table.
I've eaten lots of backstraps and tenderloins from deer of all ages. When prepped and cooked right, I can tell no difference wrt a deers age. No one that's ever eaten my cooking has said, "bet that came from a fawn", or "that's a rutty old buck".
Just my opinion guys. :-)
From: APauls
11-May-17
Just to clarify, a fawn is a deer born the same year you shoot it - that is the deer I am talking about. A yearling is a deer in it's second fall - not the type of deer I am talking about. Fawn's are different. Maybe it's cause they haven't gone through the stress of a winter yet?
From: Huntcell
11-May-17
I have a napkin in my field bucther kit so I can wipe the milk of off there lips for the hero photos.
From: TD
11-May-17
One ranch we have permission to hunt, the rancher wants the deer out. He scolds us if we start passing deer waiting for a buck. Makes it clear with his statement that on his place you go by "The Titanic Rules..... women and children first....." So we wind up shooting a good many does and fawns, it's our "job". No matter..... they all have spots..... and taste great.
From: GF
11-May-17
The worst thing about shooting a fawn is if you live in an area where the herd is over-sized to begin with, it does next-to-nothing to help achieve the population reduction that the deer managers are looking for.
Best thing about shooting a fawn is the Eats!
And FWIW, a calf Elk is still one damn big deer!
From: Fuzzy
11-May-17
Joey, I eat all that stuff and worse. And I can make 5 yo buck tasted DAMNED good. Even AS good as a fawn. What I can't do is make it taste the SAME.
Unless I over season them both, that is.
From: Joey Ward
11-May-17
Fuzzy, I've never eaten canned deer.......so I concede. :-)
From: LINK
11-May-17
You fry them after marinating and sure they taste about the same. Put a 5 year old buck and a 5 month old that was still sucking momma on the grill with just a little salt and pepper and tell me there's not a difference. ;)
From: Sage Buffalo
11-May-17
I shoot one or two fawns a year. They are unbeatable on the table. I know how to cook and cook very well.
Anyone who can't tell the difference between a fawn steak and a big'ol buck steak I want to take fishing because they won't know the difference between a 10" fish and a 25" fish.
From: BOX CALL
12-May-17
Huntcell,yea buddy,sandwich size.spots add character, lol
From: Scooby-doo
12-May-17
LOL, I have killed 50 fawns or more and none older then 7 months, not ashamed to admit it one bit. I get a kick out of the folks complaining they are seeing no deer but then shoot the first big doe that walks in front of them!! Fawns definitely eat well but as has been said not as much flavor. Again a 1.5 year old buck before the rut kicks in is a great eating deer but I stopped shooting them a long time ago. Scooby
From: fubar racin
12-May-17
I shot a calf elk one year in the 4th rifle season that still had spots I felt i did her a favor as small as she was she could barely get through the snow I doubt she would have survived anyway. Sure was tastey!
From: sundaynwv
19-May-17
Cuber a and meat tenderizer cleavers make all venison the same. I would rather supply my family with 40 pounds of meat instead of less than 20.
From: LINK
19-May-17
Sunday in Oklahoma you can shoot something like 7 deer a year and more in many other states. One year when I was in jr high my family had 11 deer in the freezer, a couple were fawns with a live weight of 65#. Nothing wrong with adding some veal, that you don't have to beat the crap out of and marinade it, to the freezer.
Now days there's elk, homegrown pork and beef in the freezer, if I shoot a doe I want it to be a young one or two.;)
From: capsmith
19-May-17
Anyone have trouble , picking a spot when shooting a fawn.
From: HerdManager
19-May-17
Fawns are definitely the best eating deer. No comparison.
From: Fuzzy
19-May-17
capsmith, not really, they're mostly faded by October.
From: Scooby-doo
19-May-17
As I said I am not ashamed to say I have killed a ton of doe fawns. There is no doubt the meat is quite a bit different even from a yearling. It is lighter in color, not much if any grain to the meat and always tender. Usually here in NY a big fawn will weigh only about 75#s and many smaller then that depending if ya shoot them in early Oct. or late Dec. It also matters what they have been eating. Some of the best venison I have ever had has come from big bucks I have killed in the mid west. Corn fed plus some milo and soybeans mixed in as well as alfalfa and some clover. My 2015 buck dressed 233 pounds and he ate great. Scooby
From: Bou'bound
19-May-17
Leave the youngsters alone
From: Fuzzy
22-May-17
I had a doe fawn shoulder blade roast with red potatoes for lunch Saturday...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... that's what hunting is to me, good eats
