Gotta disagree about the generic muley statement Knick...

Rutting or mountain mule deer, then yes (mule deer comes in a distant 3rd out of 3).

General season deer harvested in Central/Eastern Wa, taken on CRP/cultivated ground or Shrub Steppe Habitat taste the same whether they're Whitetail or Mule deer, IMO. A older/larger buck's meat can be "tougher" than that of a younger buck (of course), and that texture can be construed as less desireable by some folks. Of course the many variables of after-harvest care contribute greatly to the overall finished product.

On 3 occasions I've been a part of a "blind taste meal" when the whitey/muley samples were killed on the same weekend, on the same dirt, and processed/prepared by the same folks. Excluding the size of the critters (toughness), the sampling party was just guessing at the origin of the meat samples, with no significant results indicating that whitetails tasted any better than mule deer for the habitat mentioned above, pre-rut. (pan-fried samples, HOT and fast!..how venison should be eaten IMO)