Buddy at work brought in some fresh venison steaks for me. It was the most delicious meat I have ever tasted (he does salt water baths to remove the gamey flavor). So tender. So wonderful.
Now it is gone and I only want bacon (because it’s bacon) and have tried to cook leg of lamb, different beef steaks, a few chicken recipes and I’m not satisfied! It all tastes like crap compared to that deer meat.
How can I get venison as a non-hunting gal? Can I?
I luv deer meat, so tasty and yummy!
Some Farmers meat shops (butchers) take-in wild game from hunters, check around where ever you live, some times you may have to drive way out to get it!
Wild game is a special delicacy, for sure. Ask your hunting buddy where he gets his meat processed, & if they sell any commercially. I know there are some places you can order on line, but it will be pretty pricey, especially with special shipping requirements. Where do you live?
KY. There are probably three in my back yard right now, but I’m in the city so there’s no hunting here.
He processes them himself. He’s going again this weekend so finger’s crossed. Meanwhile, I have a venison rump roast in the fridge thawing for something awesome tomorrow during food prep day.
I told him, it’s like I can taste their natural diet v the corn and feed cows are fed.
Make sure you grill him about his prep methods and/or read up on line; salt and milk are two of several treatments I’ve heard of to get ride of the “gamey” taste. If you have any of this free weekly papers around, advertise that you’d like to buy venison. You may find yourself with enough to stock your freezer!
PS if you get ground venison, mix it with some ground pork or fatty ground beef. It’s so lean, it won’t stay together for patties or loaves. 
Got it! He uses salt water baths and puts them in one after the other until the water isn’t bloody. He also gives me lots of cooking advice. Nice guy!
For your own sake, don’t try elk or caribou.
They’ll do to venison what venison did to beef for you.
Also - in the meantime - you may discover a whole new world by only quick-frying lamb chops/steaks (on a quite hot cast iron skillet ideally) in ghee with sea salt and eating them very rare. So flavorful!!! Esp when one adds a dash of red wine to the pan…
I’m talking only a minute on each side, on a very hot ghee-y skillet.
I tend to not show pics of some of my grilled meats on the food thread- I’m afraid I might horrify people.
We just ate prime grade tri-tip strip steaks, seared well and moo-ing faintly. 
Tons of indigenous and aboriginal peoples traditional ways involve fresh hunted meat, eaten raw - esp organ meat ofc. So, quickly grilled is a nice adaptation for those of us far from the nomadic life.
The exception is pig and wild boar - Polynesians and some south Asians take great pride in slow pit roasting of it, which also wards off some parasites particular to pig.
Sadly it’s closed now, but Portland Oregon there was a restaurant that served an elk heart tartare… It was amazing.
^^^^^ This, so this. Once I had elk, venison was meh. Caribou is delicious but you have to move to Alaska or Canado to source it.
Your lucky your in KY. Around here and WI, the wild deer eat corn.
I love venison as well, gamey or not. We use to get ours from my husbands parents in MI. I miss it. 
Venison is good, but in all honesty it’s probably the salt soak that you’re enjoying. NO ONE can seem to properly season a steak. Try dry brining a steak and see how you feel. I HEAVILY salt my steaks and let them sit on a rack, in the fridge uncovered for 48 hours. Then I either sous vide them and grill or just go straight to the grill. The flavor is incredible when the salt penetrates deep into the meat.
I think you may be right. I used soy sauce to marinade them in for a day and I think I will try this with beef too!