Spoiled deer will feel moist and viscous to the touch. Good deer will be moist but not slippery to the touch. You can tell that deer meat is spoiled by the touch, smell and appearance of it. Spoiled deer meat will give off a sour, putrid smell while cooking.
The smell will have a strong smell that is distinguished from any fresh smell. If your kitchen is too hot above 50 degrees to 70 degrees F, the meat can also spoil after cooking. The smell is one of the most accurate ways to tell if deer meat is in poor condition or not. Fresh deer has a distinctive, pungent smell.
Spoiled deer has a sour smell similar to fermented grape juice. Fresh venison is red and juicy. The color, however, changes when it goes bad and becomes dark brown. If it has completely broken down, you can change it to green.
It's also more sensitive than normal when it breaks down and stinks. If you accidentally shoot an animal that looks sick, turn it into your local gaming department so they can record and analyze it. Wild venison is a very dense and lean red meat, which when cooked can have a strong mineral smell and this is perfectly normal. Unlike beef, venison or deer meat tastes sweet or earthy, as it feeds on herbs, sedge, tree buds, etc.
After all, deer is a wild game animal and should not smell the same as processed and farm-raised meat.
