I don’t advocate head shots either, there is the problem of shooting it’s jaw off and massive pain and prolonged horrible death as the animal cannot eat and dies of starvation. If the buck is a trophy, obviously you would shoot for a lung shot. I have never had gamey venison except when it was not cleaned and processed properly. I do all that myself so I don’t have to guess.
I dress and process my own also. I’ve only hunted for the last six seasons, but each year I get better at processing and produce less and less waste.