Bear no good!

[djwinthehouse]

Just got back from clearwater. Skunked .. saw lots of quads.. met some young guys that almost got skunked as well. They shot a bear last day of their hunt but it turned out to be crawling with tapeworms.. right up into the backstraps..wonder how that happens

[338win mag]

It could be related to some of the stuff they eat as I have seen them with garbage bags hanging outa their ass.

[Bustercluck]

Lol.

I don’t eat bear. Worms. Trichenosis(I’m sure it’s spelled wrong). That and I haven’t had a good piece of bear meat yet.

[djwinthehouse]

What about pan fried tapeworms.. cooked in bacon fat... mmmmm

[djwinthehouse]

Guess I’m gonna eat beans this winter

[338win mag]

Just sausage it, and when you eat it think of something else

[Ride Red]

Just sausage it, and when you eat it think of something else

Lol......... :)

[mpotzold]

Just got back from clearwater. Skunked .. saw lots of quads.. met some young guys that almost got skunked as well. They shot a bear last day of their hunt but it turned out to be crawling with tapeworms.. right up into the backstraps..wonder how that happens

Heard the story countless times starting from the 60's from many other hunters we met. The bear/their meat, also may stink to high heaven.
They say the worst tasting ones fed on fish.

I would think that any bear feeding on old rotten carrion would qualify as not edible/horrible tasting.
Had a few chances over the years to taste bear meat but for the obvious reasons refused.

A bear with tapeworms.



https://www.redditstatic.com/desktop2x/img/renderTimingPixel.png

https://i.redd.it/tu7s8hy23im31.jpg (https://i.redd.it/tu7s8hy23im31.jpg)

[RyoTHC]

I don’t know where everyone finds these bears that apparently taste bad or are full of worms, myself my better half and the guy I do all my hunting with have tagged and eaten 11 bears and helped with 3 others and each has tasted great, smelt better than any deer we have processed and never saw a worm or anything like that in any of them and we do a lot of the work processing our own animals...

wondering if location plays a big role, and since we hunt pretty high elevation we get good meat ? Would be interesting to know the difference, I dread the day I have to waste an animal because the meat is spoiled.

[IslandWanderer]

Likely just filarial worms- harmless. They sometimes come crawling out of the neck, etc a while after it's been skinned.

I say man-up and wipe them off the carcass and eat the ones that remain.

[Kill-da-wabbit]

I don’t know where everyone finds these bears that apparently taste bad or are full of worms, myself my better half and the guy I do all my hunting with have tagged and eaten 11 bears and helped with 3 others and each has tasted great, smelt better than any deer we have processed and never saw a worm or anything like that in any of them and we do a lot of the work processing our own animals...

wondering if location plays a big role, and since we hunt pretty high elevation we get good meat ? Would be interesting to know the difference, I dread the day I have to waste an animal because the meat is spoiled.
Same here. The last bear I shot was delicious and made a convert out of a few people on game meat. Shot a long ways away from any dump or salmon stream, processed properly, kept clean and cool. The fat rendered out beautifully. It seems the worms are a more of a problem towards the salmon streams and people population, but I'm no microbiologicalismist....

[tigrr]

The 5 I have shot in the last 7 years are all great tasting. Mine eat mountain grass, rose hips and berries.
The alpine deer taste better than the lower open plains deer as well.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Likely just filarial worms- harmless. They sometimes come crawling out of the neck, etc a while after it's been skinned.

I say man-up and wipe them off the carcass and eat the ones that remain.

This...

Have shot and consumed 15 or so bears. Only one had filarial worms. While a bit gross, they are harmless.
And of course the meat will be completely cooked to proper temperature so they can rest their minds.
Plus, that’s what the grinder is for.

SSS

[Ride Red]

Bear Filarial Worm
(Dirofilaria ursi)
https://www.michigan.gov/images/bearworm_19985_7.jpg
DESCRIPTIONThe bear filarial worm (Dirofilaria ursi) was first described in an Asiatic black bear in Japan in 1941. The North American black bear harbors two developmental forms; the microfilaria stage which circulate in the blood stream and are extremely small, measuring 185 to 292 microns in length, and the long, white, slender adults which reside in the subcutaneous space of the neck and groin, and in the connective tissues around the aorta, kidneys, and rectum. The adult worms differ in length according to their sex, with males measuring 51 to 86 mm and the females 117 to 224 mm in length.
DISTRIBUTIONSince 1941 the worm has been identified in black bears in Alaska, Canada, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. Adult bears and cubs, at least 10 months of age, can harbor adult or subadult D. ursi. The rate of infection in bears ranges from nearly 100% in Minnesota and Ontario to nearly 0 % in Alberta and the southeastern United States. Eighty-nine blood smears from bears in the Houghton Lake area were negative for D. ursimicrofilaria in a 1978-1980 study. Though the actual rate may be higher, only an occasional bear is reported with a D. ursi infection in Michigan.
TRANSMISSION AND DEVELOPMENTD. ursi adult females produce motile microfilaria which make their way to the blood stream. They do not develop further until ingested by a blackfly. Following a 2-week developmental period in the fly, D. ursi larvae are infective to the bear. When the fly feeds again on a bear, the larvae leave the fly's mouthparts and enter the bear's body. The larvae migrate to the preferred sites mentioned above, mature, and mate. A 7-month period of time is required for the female worms to produce microfilaria and thereby complete the life cycle.
PATHOLOGYD. ursi microfilaria, subadults, and adults do not appear to be pathogenic to the black bear.
DIAGNOSISD. ursi infections can be diagnosed either by blood smears (microfilaria) or by finding the adults in the preferred subcutaneous and visceral locations.
Because microfilaria of other filarids may be present, identifying the adult worms as D. ursi is the most accurate method of diagnosis.
TREATMENT AND CONTROLThere are no current treatment or control measures for this parasite and, as it is quite insignificant in black bears in Michigan, these measures are not necessary.
SIGNIFICANCEThe primary significance of this parasite is its being found by the hunter during the skinning of a bear. The microfilarial stage and the subadult and adult stages do not affect the edibility of the meat nor are the worms of public health significance. It is unlikely that the bite of a blackfly containing microfilaria would cause any adverse reaction in a human.

[willyqbc]

Between myself and several of my long time hunting partners, we have killed and butchered in excess of 50 bears, quite possibly closer to 100 than 50. Mostly region 5 and 7. We turn everything to burger, so if there were ANY worms, we would see them....ive not encountered this yet. Gotta think if this is common in some areas it must be a regional thing, as it does not appear to be very common where I've been hunting? Or weve just been lucky??

[Pioneerman]

I have taken at least 15 bears myself and not one had any worms or tasted bad. I even had two of my friends wives that hunt try a bear roast I had in a slow cooker and they liked it better than any other wild game they have had. It is all a personal perception when it comes to flavor . I had a neighbor I once gave a couple moose steaks to and never heard how he liked them and he said he threw them out as they were rotten, becasue he did not like the smell, needless to say he never got anything again after that

[waserwolf]

Shot 2 Bears in Trout Lk area, both had Filarial Worms. They can be easily removed in their Adult stage. I've not experienced any issues from eating said Bear Meat.

[IronNoggin]

That and I haven’t had a good piece of bear meat yet.

You are missing out:

https://i.imgur.com/tBBycP8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0sYwjmE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/o0zAv6H.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/lpbtMGd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yEB5vki.jpg

Cheers,
Nog

[Foxton Gundogs]

you got it Nog. MMMMMMM

[RyoTHC]

You are missing out:

https://i.imgur.com/tBBycP8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0sYwjmE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/o0zAv6H.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/lpbtMGd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yEB5vki.jpg

Cheers,
Nog

could not agree more bear is definitely top 3 game meats for me. White tail bear and elk.. could be a toss up between moose and bear.

[caddisguy]

Wow awesome pics Noggin! Looks great!!

We have harvested and consumed 6 bears and have only had one that didn't taste "great". It was perfectly edible, but had a bit of a hint of "wet dog" smell / after taste to it. It wasn't bad any means. A little extra garlic or other spices/flavors made it better. Anyway, 5 great bears and one mediocre one is a pretty decent track record.

I suspect bad tasting deer is a heck of a lot more common than bad tasting bear.

And I prefer deer, because I can eat steaks, steak bites, etc rare... I love tender rare meat. Cant do that with bear, but I'll take ground bear over ground beef any day. We use it for burgers, tacos, burritos, sloppy joes, speghetti sauce etc... great for whatever you would do with ground beef. It can make great roasts or sausages as others mention.

[boilerroom]

could not agree more bear is definitely top 3 game meats for me. White tail bear and elk.. could be a toss up between moose and bear.

ok, I think you have me sold! Always curious about bear - never had it and don't want to shoot something I won't eat... I've heard fall vs spring bear, fall better if they're away from Salmon rivers and the dump. Do I have that right?

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Shot 2 Bears in Trout Lk area, both had Filarial Worms. They can be easily removed in their Adult stage. I've not experienced any issues from eating said Bear Meat.

Oddly that’s the area where the only bear that had filarial worms came from as well.

[WWBC]

Bear is near top of the list for my family. Makes awesome sausage, way better than deer for sure.
I always target bears that are well away from town that are eating primarily greens and/or berries.

Never had one that smelled bad or was wormy.

[luckofthedraw]

Nog, that ham looks amazing. I'm punching the bear tag for sure after seeing that.

[djwinthehouse]

You are probably right...didn’t see myself but read up on it on the bccdc.

[RyoTHC]

ok, I think you have me sold! Always curious about bear - never had it and don't want to shoot something I won't eat... I've heard fall vs spring bear, fall better if they're away from Salmon rivers and the dump. Do I have that right?


you are absolutely correct, up high in the fall when they are feeding on berries they are amazing, best tasting meat and I’ve only harvested large boars and it’s them that taste good so I can only imagine a younger bear !

if you find the fall meat too greasy like I hear the odd person say, then spring hunt them up high at the snow line, the meat is noticeably less greasy.

[two-feet]

Other fatty meats like pork are referred to as fatty or rich, not greasy. The whole greasy bear meat thing needs re branding. I love fatty meat and fall bear is delicious.

[RyoTHC]

Other fatty meats like pork are referred to as fatty or rich, not greasy. The whole greasy bear meat thing needs re branding. I love fatty meat and fall bear is delicious.


I agree you with completely, just relaying what others tend to say and one way to rectify it if it’s something you don’t like.

[wideopenthrottle]

oh the white "spirit worms"...heheheheh someone should protect them!!!heheheh


This...

Have shot and consumed 15 or so bears. Only one had filarial worms. While a bit gross, they are harmless.
And of course the meat will be completely cooked to proper temperature so they can rest their minds.
Plus, that’s what the grinder is for.

SSS

[hawk-i]

I normally take 1 bear every spring for eating...and we think it is some the best game meat you can get!

Also we prefer a younger animal in the 150 lb size and not from a drainage that gets rotten from spawned out salmon...:)

[Huntingtyler123]

Spring bear is the best meat. No problems here , I prefer it over deer myself

[RyoTHC]

Nice to see so many people realizing this.. seemed like all the good ol boys were dead set against bear meat when I started hunting a few years ago.. everyone I told it was delicious looked at me like I was cock eyed, now a large percent agree... maybe the bear numbers will level out and the ungulates will bounce back !

[Hugh Mann]

I politely request to know how you did that roast as it looks bloody delicious.

All my bears, 5-6 of them have all been worm free and taste delicious, spring or fall. The key is to get as far away from towns and salmon streams as possible. All mine have died with bellies stuffed with berries or fresh greens

[IronNoggin]

I politely request to know how you did that roast as it looks bloody delicious.


It was turned into a cured & smoked ham by Pete from Pete's Mountain Meats in Port Alberni.
Used to do my own, but he excels at this and is relatively inexpensive.

Then slow cooked in a clay baker for a spell.
T'was marvelous!!

Just for the record, I only shoot fall bears, and those a LONG ways away from any town and well up the hill from any fish bearing water.
Never had a bad one.

Nog

[albravo2]

Nog, that looks fantastic. Do you make your own pepperoni and sausage or send that out too?

[two-feet]

My bear spot is approximately 10 square kilometres of saskatoon bushes, it is typical to see 10 or so bears a day while the berries are ripe. The 2 that were taken out of there this year are great eating, even my picky wife enjoyed the slow cooked ribs. If i can find another before snow flies i want to try a standing rib roast. Makes me hungry just thinking about it

[hawk-i]

Young bear ribs in the pressure cooker (instapot) for 25 minutes and then in the bbq to cook in the bbq sauce is better than any tony roma ribs....:)

[twoSevenO]

Curious why guys are so pro-cougar on here when cougar will eat almost anything a bear would.

Are cougars not prone to worms and trichinosis? As in, has there ever been any ACTUAL testing?

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Curious why guys are so pro-cougar on here when cougar will eat almost anything a bear would.

Are cougars not prone to worms and trichinosis? As in, has there ever been any ACTUAL testing?

Any carnivore/omnivore is prone to trich. Cougar meat should be fully cooked or cured just as you would bear or pork.
Not sure if cats get filarial worms or not?

SSS

[RyoTHC]

Curious why guys are so pro-cougar on here when cougar will eat almost anything a bear would.

Are cougars not prone to worms and trichinosis? As in, has there ever been any ACTUAL testing?

Im not a species elitist lmao, id happily fill my cougar tags each year as well, add to the variety of meat and save upwards of 100 deer.. but, I don’t have the prowess or hunting experience to do so.. yet at least!