Bear meat

[moosemad]

How does bear meat taste compared to other wild game? Do you butcher the whole thing or just certain cuts. Thinking of picking up a tag but wouldn't want to shoot something I wouldn't eat. Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

[sheephunter]

Fall bears are quite fatty and can be strong tasting. I personally prefer spring bear. Back straps and hams are great and the rest makes some great jerky and sausage.

[Jrbiggamehunter]

Shoot him skin him leave him it's a bear why would you eat something that eats meat that's not right.

[sheephunter]

Shoot him skin him leave him it's a bear why would you eat something that eats meat that's not right.

Why is it not right?

[vantheman]

I wouldn't shoot something if I weren't going to eat it, but that's just me...

Personally, I have enjoyed the taste of bear from both seasons. It tastes similar to pork but with a strong, wild bite.

[antlercarver]

I really enjoy a bear roast that has cloves of garlic embedded in it. We prefer a younger animal and one that is not near any landfill. In the fall we pick one where they are doing damage in a oat field. As far as eating meat eating animals, fish like pike and walleye eat only other fish. Bears will eat meat, but probably 95% of their diet is vegetation in the form of young grass, poplar buds, flowers, roots, berries,and foods like insects,eggs, fish. Even carnivores like wolves, coyote or fox have a lot of berries in their scat during the fall, but don"t know of anyone choosing to eat canines. Only the cats are on a meat diet and the older native trappers will eat lynx and cougar. I applaud your attitude of not killing if you are not eating it.

[Jadham]

I wouldn't shoot something if I weren't going to eat it, but that's just me...

Personally, I have enjoyed the taste of bear from both seasons. It tastes similar to pork but with a strong, wild bite.

An apt analogy... natural/feral pigs are omnivorious... just like bears.

[Ryan R]

An apt analogy... natural/feral pigs are omnivorious... just like bears.

Don't forget chickens. They like their protien, too.

[hillbilly1250]

On Sunday we put a 250 to 300 pound cinnamon. My partner took him and he's gonna tax it up as he's in the business. We've decided to split the cost of having the meat done up in sausage and salami at Ryans. Worth a try anyway. I don't have any expreience eating bear but I thought, how bad could it really be.

[paul1964]

I shoot a bear every spring and one in the fall each year . I find that bear Smokey s and peperoni is the best way to go. Don't care much for chops or hams to rich of meat for me. Everyone that try my peperoni and Smokey's love them. I get them made with a medium spice not to hot.

[saintsix]

alot of people dont eat bear, most have just heard there awful without trying. i grew up in b.c and have ate bear that were feeding on berries and bear the were eating salmon both tasted good to me, never shot any around a landfill so i can't say about that. and they were all fall bears. i've fed bear stew to my neighbor without telling him and he loved it ( he hates the taste of bear he tells me...) so i'd say try it honestly don't judge it because some other guy says he dosent like it. and i butcher it as i would a deer. i've eaten alberta bear to... no difference

[vantheman]

Consider donating the meat to a friend if you don't like the taste. Wasting all that meat seems like such a tragedy otherwise.

[Rocks]

A bear carcass doesn't go to waste if you leave it. Other bears, coyotes and ravens gotta eat too!

When we used to have the open sumps behind rig camps we used to get bears swimming around in them eating the turd balls. MMM, human waste. Wonder if anyone ate those bears, lmao.

[chicken]

Any concern or experience regarding trichina?

[recce43]

you just have to make sure you cook bear meat well then there is no worries about trichina

[wsmman]

wife shot her first bear this year she enjoy bear but dislikes deer it does make very good sausage and salami

[Gman]

A bear carcass doesn't go to waste if you leave it. Other bears, coyotes and ravens gotta eat too!

When we used to have the open sumps behind rig camps we used to get bears swimming around in them eating the turd balls. MMM, human waste. Wonder if anyone ate those bears, lmao.


I'm still laughing........lol!

[ducky_hunter]

i just picked up my bear hams. going to try it this weekend will let you know how they taste

[Houndogn]

Even cougar meat is awesome, although when i first thought about it the idea disgusted me, but after looking at the meat.(it is a real pale pink and looks much like young pork) Thought i ought to try it, and found it great, much like veal. And they are a straight meat eater. Although am not much for bear meat, i kinda like to go by the fact that my hounds won't eat it, SO maybe not me either. But they sure love cat meat !

[Torquil]

I wouldn't shoot something if I weren't going to eat it, but that's just me...

Personally, I have enjoyed the taste of bear from both seasons. It tastes similar to pork but with a strong, wild bite.

Good For You
I respect that comment
if I dont eat it I dont shoot it either

Torquil

[Caper28]

Shoot him skin him leave him it's a bear why would you eat something that eats meat that's not right.

To me, shooting a bear for the hide and leaving the meat to rot is no different than shooting a deer and cutting the head and leaving the rest.

Bear meat is really good if not spoiled. Get the hide off quick, clean all the fat off as possible and get it cooled. I don't find any difference from spring or fall bear. Back east we have a lot of old apple orchards and if you kill a bear that's been feeding in one you can get the apple taste from the meat.

As for the trichina, cook properly like pork. The bears that carry it are the ones that eat mostly meat or garbage. Same reason pork can have it.

I've heard cougar was good, and if I ever get a chance to take one it'll be in my freezer for sure.

As for eating bear because it's a meet eater, that's the the craziest excuse ever. I hope you don't eat lobster or crab, LOL.

[Izzie]

I have heard stories about them having worms in the fall bears. I personally wouldnt eat them. There the only animal you dont have to take the meat from. I think thats a good enough saying that somethings wrong with them. In saying that I have tried bear ham before and it wasnt bad. Ill hunt them for conservation reasons. As I was born and raised in Saskatchewan where these are somewhat become over populated in northern Saskatchewan I know the importance of conservation as well as food. I have actually given a few bears to the natives in the area. They boil and render there fat down and it is some of the best lotion you will ever use.

[Alberta Bigbore]

http://i895.photobucket.com/albums/ac153/mojobass/Jesus-Resurrection-Pictures-09.jpg


this thread was resurrected:)



I always wondered why the meat of a bear was allowed to spoil and be let behind.

[kirbstomps]

[QUOTE=Alberta Bigbore;961279]http://i895.photobucket.com/albums/ac153/mojobass/Jesus-Resurrection-Pictures-09.jpg


this thread was resurrected:)

QUOTE]



haha good stuff!

[moose maniac]

Fall bears are quite fatty and can be strong tasting. I personally prefer spring bear. Back straps and hams are great and the rest makes some great jerky and sausage.

opposite for me if i am eating a bear it will be a big fat oat fed bear in the fall:)

[Big Racks]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the reason you can leave a bear carcass behind is due to it being regarded as a fur bearing animal? You can leave the carcass, but you MUST take the hide.

ie: coyote and/or wolf.

Not stirring the pot but just curious if the folks who have issues with leaving the carcass behind also won't shoot a canine?

[bluetick]

Bear meat is rich and flavourful,it must be cooked well ,just like cougar for trichanosis. A parasite known to be in pork in the past.
The very far gone past!
Pork has been so regulated and inspected that the well done cooking of pork is no longer required and has been that way for over a couple of Decades.
Do not ruin a good pork loin roast by cooking the crap out of it.

This is no different than cooking moose meat well done because of the 100 % existance of tapeworm in the meat.
Though it does not link to human after consumption <who wants to eat under cooked tape worm?
That meat is tainted and we do not waste that <<< so why waste a good edible bear?
I made a bear stew a year ago ,fed itto the family and had mother in law over for dinner (I did not know she was coming) She helped herself to a bowl ,and went back for seconds .She asked what cut of beef I used as it was tender and tasty.
As I pointed to the bear hide on the wall and iggled ,she said she wanted some to take home for lunch for the next day.

[curtisb]

Guys;
This has been a really informative thread.
Not taking the meat has really been what has held me back from bear hunting. Every spring I get the urge, and it's continually getting stronger. Now the more I think about it; a lot of the comments in this thread put a lot of things into prospective. I will try it, and most likely enjoy it. Hence prompting me to continue with Bear hunting. *I haven't shot a dog in a few years, but wouldn't bat an eye about throwing away the carcass. So i need not feel bad about doing the same with a bear.
The part about the moose meat having tape worm kinda bothered me; because i eat my moose steaks medium rare, probably won't change this habit either. Haha. Eat almost everything wild or domestic medium to medium rare, including Hamburger (other than Canadians - the rest of the modern free world eats it this way, lol). Prefer to cook chicken though!

Thanks guys.

[Squeeker]

Good info! I enjoy trying new things, but eating bear has always kinda concerned me. After reading this, I will definately keep a bear tag in my pack this year! Is that true about worms in moose meat? I have never heard of that.

[simplify]

Good info! I enjoy trying new things, but eating bear has always kinda concerned me. After reading this, I will definately keep a bear tag in my pack this year! Is that true about worms in moose meat? I have never heard of that.

this is my first year hunting AB, so will let you know if the moose i get has worms ;)
but have see a two back home that had them; both where from the same area, so its possible.
Hoping that AB animals dont have issues. There isnt a real health issue with it, meat still eatable if cooked well, just a bit gross. :thinking-006:

[Squeeker]

Mmmmm spaghetti meat!! Yummmy lol. Whitefish have critters in em too, and that doesn't stop me from eating them... But med. rare whitefish isn't as appealing to me as a moose steak done the same way.

[KI-UTE]

Do you take your coyotes home and eat them? What about fox and badgers? Yuk.

I was very skeptical about eating bear meat, but we shot some in the oat fields and took good care of them, getting them into a cooler quickly and I was pleasantly surprised. My wife trimmed all the fat off tho and when cooked tasted like a well done roast beef. Far better eating than any rutted up muley buck, that's for sure. Next time we'll leave more fat on the meat, and I do believe it will cook up even better and end up tasting more like a tender pork roast.

We cooked a Thanksgiving bear roast for my non-hunting family, large family, and they were well aware that it was bear, and to be kind we cooked a whitetail or beef roast on the side. Everybody was very impressed with the bear and ate it as readily as the beef/venison. Note... when I prepare venison roast it is nearly as good as a beef roast.

When all is said and done, I prefer corn fed whitetail and beef over bear, but it is an unfair comparison as the venison and beef are cooked medium rare and the bear cannot be done in such fashion and must exceed 165 degrees F core temp.