Antelope questions

[Robb]

My son and I have taken a number of antelope in Pawnee and have always thought the meat and flavor was excellent, a delicacy really. I prefer a good antelope steak over almost anything else.

This year we went outside Laramie WY, my son took a doe. She was up on a rise and he walked below, crawled up and she had been laying in the grass. He took her after she stood up and dropped her immediately. We grilled up the loin the other day like we usually do and it was terrible! It doesn't compare to the bucks we've taken in Pawnee at all.
We deboned it and cooled it immediately, the carcass was properly taken care of...
The WY terrain looks nicer than Pawnee with more grass, but the flavor of the meat from the WYO doe does not compare at all. Night and day difference. I'm disappointed.
Anyone else here hunt Pawnee and WY for antelope? Can you explain to me what going on?
What gives?

[newracer]

If the handling of the meat was the same it has to be what they eat. Was there a lot of sage in WY? Sage can make the meat very strong.

[trlcavscout]

Yes sage throws it off. My wy antelope was from east of Cheyenne and man the straps and stuff were awesome.

[Robb]

I can't say I noticed any sage. Just more grass and less cactus than Pawnee, but still lots of cactus.

[newracer]

There could be sage nearby also, they cover a lot of territory.

[Hummer]

We love antelope, too, had some last night.

Since they're grazers and shrubs like sage usually comprise a small part of their diet there should be little difference in the meat between individuals. Although, you might wonder if there could be some difference based on "terroir" just as soil affects characteristics of wine, cheese and other foods.

Assuming quick and proper care, a possible cause of unpleasant flavor could be that your knife may have nicked a scent gland and transferred acrid pheromone to some pieces of meat. Hope the rest turns out well....

Btw, great photo, Robb. Congrats.

[Robb]

Could be alot of things I suppose. It's at the bottom of the freezer now with a fair amount of last years two antelope and deer on top of it. Probably won't get to another piece in awhile, but I sure hope the rest turns out well and it's better than the steak we had the other day. I was so disappointed.

Hummer, how's that Leupold 1-4 working out for you?

[Hummer]

Could be alot of things I suppose. It's at the bottom of the freezer now with a fair amount of last years two antelope and deer on top of it. Probably won't get to another piece in awhile, but I sure hope the rest turns out well and it's better than the steak we had the other day. I was so disappointed.

Hummer, how's that Leupold 1-4 working out for you?

Don't have a rifle to mount it on yet but plan to get a new Daniel Defense M4V7 by the end of the year. Can't wait to use it, the Leupold Mark AR is a beauty.

[CO Hugh]

From what I have heard I go with the sage. I hear antelope from the Northern part of the state, like Craig don't taste good. However, my friend has taken them in the SE section near farmland and they are great tasting.

If they taste bad make summer sausage out of it, that seems to redeem everything including bear.

[Robb]

I know, I heard of people turning antelope into sausage and always thought "what a waste". Now I see why they do it.