[dar512]

I've never made deer jerky, but I've made a number of batches of beef jerky. I generally use

1/2 cup Worchestershire
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1 T of brown sugar
1 t Morton Tender Quick (curing salt)
pinch of black pepper

I always used Tender Quick, no matter what other ingredients were on the list. I love jerky, but it's right on the border of my safety comfort zone. Having some extra preservatives in there made me feel better about things.

I understand that deer can be pretty chewy in any case and turning it into jerky will make it more so. You might want to try cutting it across the grain rather than with the grain (as recommended for beef jerky).