10/27/2026
Earlier, I posted two deer the same size, locally harvested. But one, the fat is white, the other one is yellow. What caused this and is the yellow fat deer edible. To answer this, we happen to have two beef hanging with the same characteristics. One cow is grass and grain fed versus the other totally grass fed. On the beef and deer that solely feed on fresh forage the excess nutrients from the plant is
absorbed into the white fat which turns it yellow. So yes, the deer with yellow fat is one hundred percent edible. What's odd is on beef, the fat enhances the flavor whereas deer, the fat gives it strong gamy taste. That's why on deer, we like to trim away most of the fat. Also, the animals with the white fat tend to be more tender and have better flavor Vs the animals with the yellow fat are tougher but more nutritious. There could be other reasons for the yellow fat but the best I could come up with is, you are what you eat.
