I've always been amused at people that try venison, then say they didn't like it because it didn't taste anything like beef....
I say..."news flash..... it's NOT beef. You don't expect a pig to taste like beef, do you? You aren't eating a cow"..
Harvested deer should be field dressed and skinned immediately after taking them. Cooling down the carcass is essential to having good meat. Get it down to at least 50 degrees, preferably lower as soon as humanly possible.
Trim all fat, sinew, and silverskin off the meat. Boning it out is the best way to do it. NEVER saw steaks out of it... the bone meal that is produced will kill the flavor.... Cook it to no more than medium-medium rare. The flavor will amaze you.
Elk is even better than deer, and I've heard that if you ever eat moose, you'll never eat beef again. All three are in the "venison" family.
Wild pig is good, too, as long as you take young ones.... maybe up to 150 lbs or so. The meat is somehow sweeter than domestic hogs, and leaner, as well. Pretty tasty... and venison/wild hog sausage is marvelous....
I even though aoudad was pretty tasty, cooked "swiss" style...
Never had squirrel, though. I've heard it makes a good stew.