The majority of people frequently have questions regarding deer meat. It might be challenging to distinguish between deer that are edible and those that are not. People generally have qualms about eating wild deer.
So, Is mule deer good to eat?
Yes, mule deer are good to eat. But they don’t taste as good as firm deer because of their food habit. Mule deer can be found in the mountain area and for that reason, deer eat grass and different types of leaves. And for this food habit mule deer don’t taste like farm deer that eat corn and grains.
This is just an overview of the whole deer meat edibility factor. Continue reading this article to learn about every significant facet of this topic.
Is Mule Deer Edible?
It’s a misunderstanding among the people that mule deer are not edible just because they can be found in the mountains. But mule deer meat is actually edible.
Before going to a brief discussion on this topic let’s have a look at the nutrient table.
This table stands for 100 grams of mule deer.
| Nutrients | Amount |
| Calcium | 5.071 |
| Iron | 3.429 |
| Magnesium | 23.286 |
| Phosphorus | 204.536 |
| Potassium | 321.964 |
| Selenium | 9.821 |
| Sodium | 51.643 |
| Fat | 2.429 |
| Saturated Fatty Acids | 0.929 |
| Vitamin B 12 | 6.393 |
As you can see that there are a number of healthy nutrients in mule deer meat you can eat without any major health risk.
But if you have any cardiovascular disease then you need to eat this meat in moderation. Because mule deer contains fat and saturated fatty acids and that’s bad for the heart and kidneys.
If you just consider the taste then mule deer meat is very good to eat. You can try different recipes to make them more delicious.
What Parts of a Mule Deer Should You Not Eat?
As you know mule deer are edible and it’s good to eat but some parts of them are not edible. They have some potential side effects and the taste is not good.
Let’s see which parts of mule deer aren’t edible and why.
Sick Mule Deer As a Whole:
Sick mule deer are not safe for your health. Deer often get sick with Adenovirus Hemorrhagic Disease (AHD). And if you eat a deer that is sick with this disease then you may also get sick as well.
That’s because the AHD virus doesn’t die from cooking. If you eat sick deer, there is a high possibility of getting infected by this virus.
However, you can cut and preserve the deer hooves even if it’s sick.
Eye:
The mule deer eye is not edible. It tastes bad and gets stiff by cooking. That’s why you can’t eat deer eye.
Brain:
You shouldn’t eat deer brain, because it can cause prion disease in the human body. People often find it delicious but it’s not healthy.
Spinal Cord:
Eating the spinal cord of deer is very risky for the human body. There is a possibility to have CWD ( A progressive fatal disease) in the spinal cord of the deer. By eating the spinal cord you also can get infected by it.
What’s the Best Meat on a Deer?
The inner loin of the deer is the best-tasting part of a deer. And this is tenderized deer meat. There are different deer meat portions that are very delicious to eat.
Let’s have a look at the list of the best parts of deer meat to eat.
- Inner Loin
- Tenderloin
- Rump
- Knuckle
- Strip loin
These all are tenderized deer meat parts and they are most delicious to eat.
What Happens If You Eat Mule Deer?
Generally, there is no potential side effect of eating deer meat. It’s healthy and good to eat.
Deer meat is a rich source of protein and calcium. It can help you build strong and healthy bones.
At the same time, there are also many possibilities of getting sick by eating deer meat. That’s because if you don’t cook deer meat properly.
So, if you eat properly cooked deer meat then it can be handy for your health.
Which Is Better Mule Deer or Whitetail?
As a similar type of meat people often try whitetail as an alternative to deer meat. But which one is better deer or whitetail?
Let’s compare and find out which one is better.
| Comparing Fact | Mule Deer | Whitetail Deer |
| Flavor | Distinct flavor | Unique flavor (More delicious than a mule) |
| Health benefit | Optimize metabolism and lower the risk of a heart attack | Reduces the threat of heart attack and stroke |
| Possible side effects | Q fever, chlamydiosis, cryptosporidiosis, and giardiasis | Q fever, chlamydiosis, cryptosporidiosis, and giardiasis |
| Availability | Available in mountain area (Low availability) | Available both in mountain and desert are ( More Available than mule deer) |
Most of the people often consider mule deer meat less delicious than the whitetail. Deer in the desert area are more delicious to eat. Whitetail can be found in the desert area, while mule deer are only available in the mountain area.
The health benefits and possible side effects are almost identical for whitetail and mule deer.
If you only consider the taste factor, the whitetail is better than mule deer. However, deer that don’t eat corn are considered less delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Is Deer Meat The Best Meat?
Yes, deer meat is one of the best meats. Deer meat is very delicious to eat and at the same time, deer meat is very highly nutritious. Deer meat is a rich source of protein, calcium, and iron. These nutrients are essential for metabolism. Deer meat also contains a rich amount of important vitamin B12.
What Age Of Deer Is Best To Eat?
One to two years old deer is best to eat. The ideal age for deer to eat is one and a half years. From one to two years old deer you can get the best tender version of deer meat. That’s why it can be cooked perfectly. You’ll get the perfect flavor from this aged deer as well.
Is Deer Better Than Pork?
Yes, deer is far better than pork. Deer contain low fat and high protein and calcium. On the other hand, pork is very high in fat. Cooked pork contains saturated fat that is bad for diabetes, heart, and kidney disease. Eating deer meat is not risky for this type of disease.
Conclusion
Well, hopefully now you know is mule deer good to eat or not. Deer meat is always delicious. But there are some differences in the taste among the deer meat.
Mule deer meat can be delicious to eat if you cook it perfectly. Now it’s all up to you whether you want to eat deer meat or not.
Thanks for being careful before eating mule deer.
