giving deer and bear meat to friends and family.

[luger]

Hey, just wondering what your opinions are on giving wild meat to friends and family. I was successful last year with a spring bear and a mulie buck in fall. I enjoy giving small amounts of my treasured meat to friends and family. I know lots of wild game can be filled with worms or tric ( bears). I cook all my bear to 160f. If someone gets sick off improper cooking of the wild meat I gave them, can they sue me or blame me for the problem?
I was thinking of labeling all my bear with cook to 160f.
What do you do? Do you worry about people getting sick, is it safer to just not give meat away?

Thanks for the help

[Carrollizer]

I've never had a problem with people getting sick from not cooking it properly.
If they're your friends and family, who enjoy wild game meat, chances are they know how to cook it.
If you suspect someone that close to you might sue over a tummy ache, I'd keep the meet for someone who isn't so litigious.

[Big Lew]

Just make sure you advise them on how and why to cook the meat properly.
Do you think retail stores are sued if a customer doesn't take proper precautions
when handling and cooking chicken and pork if they become sick from salmonella
poisoning?

[FortBoy]

Ive never had a problem and have opened up quite a few friends to bear meat. i just always explain how i cook it and nobody has seemed to have a problem as of yet.

[Coachman]

If you're worried that someone would sue you for doing something nice for them, I would say they're not THAT close to you.

[835]

If you're worried that someone would sue you for doing something nice for them, I would say they're not THAT close to you.

i was just about to say that... thanks for saving me the extra key strokes

[Trigger Happy]

Illegal? Isn't it?

[GotaGun]

Legal to give away free.

Trickinosis is more than a tummy ache.
No bear meat for my family. Couldn't live with my kids getting trichinosis.
That stays with you for life.

No bear meat for my family.

[Steeleco]

You can give meat away just can't trade it or sell it. I worry more that they well over cook meat and not be able to eat it and thus waste it.
To each their own, but bear meat is favored over all other game at my house.

[caddisguy]

Legal to give away free.

Trickinosis is more than a tummy ache.
No bear meat for my family. Couldn't live with my kids getting trichinosis.
That stays with you for life.

No bear meat for my family.

No risk of trichinosis if you cook it to 160F. Even if you get infected, the majority of cases don't even show symptoms and for the majority of those that do, the symptoms are tummy ache and muscle ache. It becomes dormant after a few weeks and though the cysts can stay in muscles for years, they are not noticable and generally get absorbed.

1% of cases are fatal. I have not looked it up, but I expect e-coli infections are more dangerous.

Fish, vegetables, etc carry parasites that can put more of a hurt on humans. Tapeworms creep me out the most. Cooking meat and washing veggies makes it all good.

[hunter1947]

One problem I don't have to worry about I don't have any bear meat in my freezer but I do give elk and deer meat to the needy and family friends
not to worried about giving the deer family meat to others I have not heard of anyone getting sick on the likes of elk or deer meat..

[Gone_Fishin_]

Ill take some deer meat... these tags aren't too tasty and after eating one last month i only have 2 left..

:)

[Glenny]

I have had very few people come back to me how they liked the meat. I get the feeling it gets tossed into their freezer and 2 years later they pull it out and say..What is this? Then into the rubbish it goes.

[Big Lew]

I've had the opposite experience...without exception, everyone that I've given either venison
or fish to have used it right away and thanked me. Of course, as my wife is quite experienced
at cooking meats, she tapes cooking suggestions to the packaged gift which are usually followed
and this helps the recipients enjoy the fare. I suppose it helps that they know my wife is expecting
feedback as well, lol.

[Jelvis]

In Kamloops town we I mean me and my hunting buds share the meat when we hunt if one of us Bangs a deer. Once people taste how good mule deer is up here in the surrounding grass lands and aspen groves. They want more of that! Haha especially with beef prices so high udderz are taking up hunting in Kamloops and that is great.
One guy bought a new rifle now got his core and license and he's an athlete of age.
Went hunting and got a first buck mule a spike. He says he's hooked and loves every minute of hunting for meat. He's a chef at home and knows specialty table prepartions.
Jelly ( Kamloops ) Has new hunters folks coming up in the world -- we are hunter freindly

[knighthunter]

In Kamloops town we I mean me and my hunting buds share the meat when we hunt if one of us Bangs a deer. Once people taste how good mule deer is up here in the surrounding grass lands and aspen groves. They want more of that! Haha especially with beef prices so high udderz are taking up hunting in Kamloops and that is great.
One guy bought a new rifle now got his core and license and he's an athlete of age.
Went hunting and got a first buck mule a spike. He says he's hooked and loves every minute of hunting for meat. He's a chef at home and knows specialty table prepartions.
Jelly ( Kamloops ) Has new hunters folks coming up in the world -- we are hunter freindly

I'm sure I wouldn't want any deer meat that you or any of your buddies banged.

[Jelvis]

Try it sir night you might like it -- Mikey liked it.
Jelly ( The Chosen) One

[tadpole]

What about testing the bear meat for trichinosis in a lab? They do it in Europe for every wild boar harvested.

[Steeleco]

What about testing the bear meat for trichinosis in a lab? They do it in Europe for every wild boar harvested.There is or was a lab in Abbotsford but as mentioned prior, cut it right and you've nothing to worry about.

[nature girl]

Last year I gave my dad some bear roasts that my bf shot and my dad just loved it. I told him to make sure he cooks it good. And this is a guy I thought would never try wild game meat especially bear meat.

[Daybreak]

I'm selective in who I share game meat with, particularly bear. Despite taking great care in the handling, processing, packaging and storage of game meat I would feel somewhat responsible if someone became ill as a result of it.

Regarding bear meat; I am obligated to advise any recipients to cook it to an internal temperature minimum of 74C or 165F to ensure food safe practices including trichinosis. You can tell right away that when some people hear this they are unlikely to eat the product and it will find the dogs bowl or the garbage. For that reason I prefer to share with people that know the cooking requirements, why they exist and already appreciate bear meat. I really can't be bothered trying to convince some one that doesn't understand the process.

Deer, moose and elk products etc are less likely to be shunned by recipients and can be gifted with less chance of waste.

I will not share bear sausage like pepperoni with ANYONE unless I am confident I have processed it to the correct temperature. I use the Canadian Government Food Safe site as my guideline for correct temps.

[Daybreak]

According to my research there are some incorrect cooking temperatures being shared in this thread.

As I posted in the above, Health Canada recommends 74C or 165F minimums for bear meat to avoid illness. See the link attached.

http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/healthy-eating-saine-alimentation/safety-salubrite/tips-conseils/cook-temperatures-cuisson-eng.php

The figures if 160F are being suggested as safe and I don't think they are.

[caddisguy]

According to my research there are some incorrect cooking temperatures being shared in this thread.

As I posted in the above, Health Canada recommends 74C or 165F minimums for bear meat to avoid illness. See the link attached.

http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/healthy-eating-saine-alimentation/safety-salubrite/tips-conseils/cook-temperatures-cuisson-eng.php

The figures if 160F are being suggested as safe and I don't think they are.

I just did a google search and found the vast majority of the recommendations for killing trich in bear cite 160F. Note that that is pretty much instant death for trich. It is likely that an internal temperature of 145F for a few minutes would be just fine. Not worth risking IMHO but I am confident with 160F! :)

"USDA recommends attaining an internal temperature of at least 160° F."

http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b2000_18.htm

[Daybreak]

You are correct Caddisguy. USDA lists 160 F and even says trich is killed as low as 137. Thanks for the heads up.

On a side note, how do you make that degree symbol behind the 160 ? My keyboard does not seem to have that symbol.

[caddisguy]

You are correct Caddisguy. USDA lists 160 F and even says trich is killed as low as 137. Thanks for the heads up.

On a side note, how do you make that degree symbol behind the 160 ? My keyboard does not seem to have that symbol.

That is a darn good question. I am actually not sure how to make the symbol... it came over with the copy and paste

Good thread too about giving away bear meat and possible implications. I have shared a fair bit of cooked bear meat, but only gave frozen/uncooked meat to my brother. Warned him about the trichinosis which I believe the bear had. I just made sure he understood and wasn't going to brush off the warning, which he probably would have if I didn't repeat it in "serious talk" mode.

Even I have blown it myself a couple of times... often I'll take a piece of bear and throw it in the fridge to cook the next day. It's not always thawed all the way through. I cut it up into little "steak bite" size chunks and throw it in the frying pan with a bunch of hot mustard, some liquid hickory smoke, etc. It's not consistent (some pieces still a little frozen and some not at all) but I just let it fry until I'm pretty darn sure it all hit 160 or above. I have a tiny meat thermometer I'll use on a couple bigger chunks of I'm less than confident. I often cut into some too and make sure its grey (not a 100% safe indicator but a good sign) All that said, I once bit into a piece that was "too good" ... melted in my mouth like piece of medium rare steak from the Keg. Doh! Spit it out and it looked like it might have been a bit pink in there. I also caught myself licking the spoon I used to stir it once lol

Another thing about trichinosis though, is the level of infection generally depends on how many cysts are consumed. An infection from a little pink in the middle of a burger, or in the middle of a "steak bite" size chunk is unlikely to be a very symptomatic infection (certainly "could" but unlikely from my understanding) Eat a huge rare bear steak on the other hand and it could be serious.

One thing for sure is that I love bear meat, so I am pretty stingy about giving out large amounts. We have been eating it at least twice a week since May and it looks like we'll have just enough to last us until May or June this year. Just in time! Low in cholesterol too... keeping me healthy :D

[Rob Chipman]

Me and my buddies share meat back and forth, especially with moose. It helps with getting otehr guys to help with packing, butchering, etc.

If you've got friends/family who might not know how to cook it or are not comfortable with the "wild" part, get a bunch of people over and cook a few different things (especially if your buddies are in on it). We just did that with a muley roast, some moose shank, sausages made that day and smoked, a little bear, some duck and a moose stew.

Worked well with introducing the wives of a couple of the newer hunters to one of the upsides of hunting, which, in turn, is going to make it easier to get their husbands out next fall, which means more help to pack that moose out!

[panhead]

Once you make game meat into sausage ... there's a line-up for it. Best to be picking out your good friends before you make it ...

I’m going to “marinate a few ice cubes”

[Jelvis]

Good post Rob, that is exactly the way to go brah, puuurfect post.
Jelly I'm going to remember that post thanx Rob Chipman.

[Glenny]

What about testing the bear meat for trichinosis in a lab? They do it in Europe for every wild boar harvested.


Thats why I give it to my friends. No wonder I hardly hear back from them.

[caddisguy]

What about testing the bear meat for trichinosis in a lab? They do it in Europe for every wild boar harvested.

Pretty sure a large percentage of bears have trich, so it's best to just assume. If I tested a bear and it had trich, I would still eat it. If the test was negative, I would still cook it to 160 because of other parasites like tape worms. Most bears have tape worms. You see the segments (usually little white chunks) in the scat. With that in mind, testing seems pointless unless you plan to throw out any bear with trich (probably 1/3rd?) meanwhile the negative test doesn't mean it's safe to undercook anyway :)

[IslandWanderer]

Should deer steaks be cooked to well done? I hear different opinions about this. Finally got some deer, and it's been 15 years since I've cooked it.

[dmaxtech]

Never, it's already been killed once. No need to kill it again. Okay to cook it to rare.

[wideopenthrottle]

I always go med rare with deer
just did up a backstrap the other day...
marinated in rum and montreal steak spice with a couple of bay leaves and thyme from the garden for the morning. threw in the oven for 1/2 hour at 325 to get it warm then BBQed it on high heat to sear the outside-still mostly rare inside....sliced it into thin rounds and put on platter...kept on low heat (warming element) until perfect med rare

[russm]

Should deer steaks be cooked to well done? I hear different opinions about this. Finally got some deer, and it's been 15 years since I've cooked it.

Hell no, salt/pepper and a couple minutes preside and it’s perfect.

[whognu]

ditto what has been said

never ever ever cook it past medium

medium rare seems best for most

past medium and it becomes tough and the flavour seems to change in a meaningful way

30 years ago one of my hunting buddies served up his first ever buck "well done" (muley backstraps) to his family

to this day they do not eat venison.........which is actually very good for me and my family

[IslandWanderer]

Thanks for the help everyone. After being marinated its currently being slowly fried in butter. I was worried about foodsafe but sounds like its safe to eat medium rare. We recently picked up 3 on the charlottes.

[RackStar]

Nice score!!

got any pics from the charolettes?

[IslandWanderer]

Nice score!!

got any pics from the charolettes?

Sure do. We had a great trip.

https://ibb.co/jvG9SQ4
https://ibb.co/ZzJr9kR
https://ibb.co/Kzpw9wy
https://ibb.co/2W295R9
https://ibb.co/HBWMwML
https://ibb.co/wMPrSvV
https://ibb.co/3NKQfpP
https://ibb.co/DrVsppH

[quadrakid]

It has been my experience that most people that don,t hunt are really not too interested in getting venison or bear meat as a gift.

[RackStar]

It has been my experience that most people that don,t hunt are really not too interested in getting venison or bear meat as a gift.

People will take it with a awkward smile like your trying to feed them some raccoon you hit with your car the night before and wrapped it in paper.

Ill gladly hoard all my hard earned meat, I will share with people who really appreciate it though.

[RackStar]

Congrats IW looks like a fun trip, how many days did you hunt for?

[Wild one]

It has been my experience that most people that don,t hunt are really not too interested in getting venison or bear meat as a gift.

I have found the complete opposite many non hunters are curious and want to try. I also know some who love wild meat and just can’t see themselves being able to pull the trigger so they don’t hunt

The % that straight up says no or has no interest I find very small but it could be we associate with very different people

[IslandWanderer]

Congrats IW looks like a fun trip, how many days did you hunt for?

Hunted for four days. Only saw deer the first 2 days,then saw lots of bears.

We plan to go next year too.

[dougan]

Illegal? Isn't it?
Yikes!!! How do people not know this stuff..

[tigrr]

My neighbours got some deer and moose meat from a friend. I seen it go into the garbage. No one ate it and it got a little freezer burn on it and out it went. I hate it when meat it wasted. Especially when someone worked so hard for it.
If I knew the recipients did in fact eat it, then I would give them some. But to see it get chucked burns my britches.
I met someone that won't eat meat unless it comes on a Styrofoam tray. I kid you not.

[Ubertuber]

Yup, I only give away to people I know will eat it.
I don't believe in sin, but if ever there was a sin, throwing out meat is surely it.