I have foud that some elk that have the "liverish taste " has to do with what they were doing right previous to the kill. ie, lounging about vs traveling a distance at more than a walk.
Prettty hard to quantify though as no one can shoot that many elk to gain meaningful statsistics.
I do know a big bull I killed in 2009 is lasting a lot longer in the freezer because he is so tough. Old guy 12-13 years.
I have all that meat,about 40 lbs left, in an onion sack in the freezer.I take some out every once in awile and grind a pound or two of steaks in a little Kitchen Aid grinder for that days use. I swear,even the ground meat is tough. Crock pot doesn't help. Might try a pressure cooker some day.
