You spend the season putting in hours of work to harvest a deer, likely because you enjoy the sport. The enjoyment can continue long past the point of processing if you begin to realize the benefits of putting wild venison on your plate. You may end up like myself and favor venison over beef when possible. Prior to cattle and hog farming becoming commonplace, venison served as the sole source of red meat for many people. This was for good reason, as eating venison has many advantages.
A Nutritional Comparison
Based on sources like the USDA, it becomes clear venison is a healthier red meat option. The exact numbers will change depending on the cut of meat and health of the animal, but you can generally expect your venison to have double the nutritional efficiency of other red meats: 100 grams of cooked venison has 3.9 grams of saturated fat compared to 6.4 grams in cooked beef. This means wild venison is going to be a more heart-healthy choice than farmed beef. Venison is a great option for those who do not want to cut out red meat entirely from their diet but need healthier ways to incorporate it.
Compared to grain-fed beef, you can expect wild venison to have a better vitamin content. Both Iron and vitamin B6 are higher in venison than beef, in some cases almost double. These higher levels mean you are receiving more nutrients in a smaller piece of meat, and elevated protein levels mean you don’t need to eat as much to feel full. The retention rate of B vitamins after cooking was found to be 95% or more compared to about 70% in beef.
Leave Highly Processed Meat Behind
One of the main reasons I enjoy using venison over other red meat alternatives is the ability to process the game myself and pinpoint exactly where my meat came from. There is an increasing trend in people like me who want to know what is going into their food. Venison serves as a wonderful option, since wild game does not go through treatments with antibiotics or hormones. Industrially produced meat may also contain a low level of additives or preservatives, something most processors will not include when packaging your deer into basic cuts/ground. Eating wild game means you are confident in where the meat is coming from, how it is being processed, and who has handled it by the time it reaches your plate.
Venison is Sustainable
If you are passionate about sustainability and the ethics of hunting, then you will be pleased to find venison earns a gold medal. Wild game is just that – wild. There is no introduction of a large herd of cattle or hogs to a piece of land, and deer can positively improve the landscape if managed correctly. Since you can access the whole carcass, you can also decide how much of it you use besides just the meat!
Measuring the sustainability of a meat source often takes emissions into account. While your small-scale local livestock farms are not responsible for a large amount of pollution, farming equipment and livestock emissions quickly add up. The number of emissions produced when you and your hunting partners carpool to the spot is negligible compared to the fossil fuels it takes to run a large-scale farming operation. The Carbon Reduction Institute found wild deer produce 20 times less emissions compared to farmed livestock, making it an extremely eco-friendly meat choice.
One of the most heartfelt factors is the support of rural communities. Wild deer meat can feed the hungry through donation programs. The community can be economically supported through local small businesses like venison processors – some may also process deer for donations at little to no cost to give back to the less fortunate. Rural communities often have higher numbers of hunters, meaning more deer can be harvested. It is a continued cycle of sustainable and ethical meat production.
Venison Flavor Profile
Wild game is not only a great choice for health, community, and sustainability, but also allows you to experience unique flavors. Venison has a rich flavor, one I would describe as slightly sweet and earthy. There are many great ways to prepare it to enhance the flavors and create unique dishes. Chili or a classic steak are the staples in my home, but NDA has many great recipes on the website if you want to try something new!