Bear Meat?

[jmcs]

Excuse my African ignorance BUT ..... what do you guys do with your bears after they have expired? Can you eat them or is it strictly trophy stuff? Tanned and mounted bears look very nice and I wouldn't mind having a go but is there any other use. Are the bears a nuisance and need thinning out? Please educate an ignorant African. I would love to come hunt the States one day - magic country!
Dave

 

[philny1]

bear

Browns and Grizzlies are not considered edible. Their pelts and skulls are taken as the trophy. In most circumstances the carcasses are left in the field and the meat is not salvaged. Black bears are valued by many as great table fare. In many areas bears are a nuisance, usually black bears. They have adapted so well at living in and near populated areas. Hunting usually controlls them.

 

[Buffalobob]

The more southern bears are known to have trichinosis and it is important to cook the meat well just as you would for wild/feral hogs.

 

[Bigcat_hunter]

I thought it was the more northern bears have Trichinosis. I have heard that something like 70% of black bears in Alaska have Trich and that its not very common down here.

 

[300rum]

Excuse my African ignorance BUT ..... what do you guys do with your bears after they have expired? Can you eat them or is it strictly trophy stuff? Tanned and mounted bears look very nice and I wouldn't mind having a go but is there any other use. Are the bears a nuisance and need thinning out? Please educate an ignorant African. I would love to come hunt the States one day - magic country!
Dave

Yup!!! They taste awesome. You have to try eating bear meat, before putting a label. They taste GREAT.
The meat fiber is like Beef and the taste is like pork. Try to imagined mixing beef with porc, and having a wild game flavor.

Chris

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I never ate black bear but some of my friends do. They cut all the meat into chunks and place it in standard ball jars, adding a pinch of salt. The jars are placed into a pot of boiling water where they cook for a couple of hours. The jars are then sealed tight just like canning tomatoes. The bear meat can now be put on a shelf and requires no refrigeration.

When they want to use the meat they usually simmer up some peppers and onions in a large frying pan and toss in the meat which is already cooked. Give it all a few minutes on the stove and its good to go. These guys love bear meat prepared this way.

 

[DONTSTROKEME]

Bear meat is fine to eat, you use the normal roast parts ofr roasts, and cook them like pork roasts. The rest ( at least up here) is generally used in peperonni or lanyeger....maybe jerky.



Joe Oakes

 

[jmcs]

bunny huggers

Do you also have the bunny huggers who oppose roast bear meat? How far do you shoot these bears and what is minimum caliber and how big is the average bear (species???)? What are general laws regarding hunts for things like Elk? how do you get a permit etc?
Dave

 

[mikenc]

Here in North Carolina, the black bears that are taken are generally eaten. I have eaten bear and if properly prepared it's good.

 

[Stormrider]

...what is minimum caliber and how big is the average bear (species???)? What are general laws regarding hunts for things like Elk? how do you get a permit etc?
Dave

Dave,
The minimum caliber is set by each state in their game regulations. Generally it's a 23 caliber minimum, but some states allow any centerfire. For big game hunting each state sets it's own seasons, bag limits, methods and how the licenses are distributed. Some are over the counter (meaning you buy them from commercial establishments), some are distributed by drawings (lotteries, if you will), and some are issued to landowners. As far as the bear goes, I can't really help you. I think that the average size is somewhere around 110 kg. But that is just a guess.

 

[Fulldraw™]

Tthe more you chew bear meat the bigger it gets!

 

[blygy]

If you got a bear cub and fed it on grain and veggies from weaning it would probably be OK to eat..

But bears are scavangers and eat ANYTHING they find..Imagine the worst pus you can and they will eat it..

I worked as a guide here in Alberta for many years and never found myself hungry enough to eat bear meat..

I should add that my experiences are with Black Bears and I can't really comment on the other species myself. However my family has been in the outfitting business for years and no one has ever eaten bear meat..

Eat moose .. 10,000 wolves can't be wrong

 

[philny1]

crock pot

Black bears are also grazers, love berries, raise hell with a farmers corn lot, apples. So unless ya get one that just came off a dead horse they ain't bad. I've always used a crock pot, idiot proof, makes a decent meal. Plus most everbody likes to say they've had a bear supper.

 

[Ridge Runner]

the average sized bear are from 150-200 pounds, but most commercial bear outfitters generaly have a few big ones around. Personaly I've taken 6, the largest was 207, this is hunting on public land.
Bear meat can be decent eating but for the most part, its something you can't cook alone and make it really good, cook a hindquarter with lots of taters, onions, and carrots, mix in some ranch dressing and onion soup mix, and its surprisingly good. lil greasy but still good.
RR