The Quality of Bear Meat

[Wolfman]

Hey dudes.

I've never gone out for bear before, but I've heard a lot of opinions about the quality of the meat: Some have said they don't like the taste, others have said that it ain't worth the bother because of worms, etc.

Anyway, I was wondering what those guys with experience in this area have to say about it. Is it worth it?

And also - forgive my ignorance here - but somebody told me that in the case of grizzlies there is too high an instance of trichinosis to take the chance with that kind of meat.

Anyway just hoping to learn a few things....

Thanks.


Wolfman

[bigwhiteys]

I am an outcast in the fact that I think bear meat is disgusting... I have tried young and old both tasted like shit. It's already been voted the #1 table fare for several HBC members though.

I'll take deer, elk or moose over a bear anyday.

Carl

[Kirby]

My last bear was the first one I kept roasts and chops off. This year I'll be keeping most of the bear for cooking, it was excellent meat. I'll turn the trimmings into sausage and pepperoni the rest gets cut for chops and roasts. I was really leary about eating bear so I cooked a bunch up and served it to my family without them knowing it was bear, they thought it was deer.

As to Grizzly, I've had it, its good, same as black bear.

Kirby

[tomahawk]

Hey Wolfman

The fact is that Bear meat is good eating. You can get the odd one that is not that great of table fare but you can also get an ungulate that could be the same. As a general statement they are good eating.

Each wild game animal has its own taste and each human has there own taste buds, some don't like deer, most love it, some don't like moose, most love it, more don't like bear than the ungulates but I think that it is not because of the taste.

I believe its a personal preference but I am willing to bet that if you were to cook up some bear, deer, moose, elk, sheep, caribou and some goat and we did a blind taste test that most of those that say they don't like bear would not be able to tell the difference.

In other words I think that most folks don't like it because of some other reason than the taste.

The bear does have a possibility of trichinosis, that is why it must be fully cooked or frozen for an extended period of time, especially when making certain smoked sausages that the internal temp does not allow it to be fully cooked.

Do they have worms? They could, but then again so does any member of the pig family, like the pork you buy at the local meat market.

Never heard about the griz and higher tric.

[bigwhiteys]

I believe its a personal preference but I am willing to bet that if you were to cook up some bear, deer, moose, elk, sheep, caribou and some goat and we did a blind taste test that most of those that say they don't like bear would not be able to tell the difference.

I could tell the difference between each quite easily...

Sheep has a very distinct flavour, as do Moose, Deer and Elk. You'd have to be one hell of a cook to fool me with bear meat.

Carl

[Elkhound]

I have had good bear and bad. The last one my wife liked better than deer

[Gateholio]

Fishy bears are gross, mountain bears are usually pretty good.

Most of mine gets ground or goes into curries.:grin:

This year I will be feed ing the dog wiht some, too.

[tomahawk]

I could tell the difference between each quite easily...

Sheep has a very distinct flavour, as do Moose, Deer and Elk. You'd have to be one hell of a cook to fool me with bear meat.

Carl

I swing a pretty mean flipper so I just might be able to pass it by you! Ha Ha. You never know Carl, you might have had all bad bear but there is no denying it for me that it is good eats.

[Spuddge]

I wasn't going to hunt bear, until I tried the meat for the first time last year. I had some pepperoni and some honey garlic sausage. It was delicious. You bet I'll be going for one or two this year!

[Kody94]

My Dad used to tenderize bear meat with a meat hammer (or whatever the heck those things are called), then bread it and fry it. He told our guests it was veal. I bet I saw him trick two dozen people (most hunters, some not) that way. :)

[Steeleco]

As to Grizzly, I've had it, its good, same as black bear.

Kirby

Thanks Kirby, I've often wondered why two bears eating from the same mountain top would taste that different. Now I need to try some for myself!!


I wasn't going to hunt bear, until I tried the meat for the first time last year. I had some pepperoni and some honey garlic sausage. It was delicious. You bet I'll be going for one or two this year!

That's exactly how I started hunting bears. Never wanted to shoot one just for it's butt! One visit to a friend in PG some 10 years back changed all that.

I find it near the top of my game favorites, and of the near 15 bears myself my buddy and now my kid have shot, NONE have been bad or ever had worms outside the gut pile.

Open offer to all members. If you shoot a bear you don't like, I have a Rottie that does!!!!!

[Dannybuoy]

I too was thinking about giving bear hunting a try , this year . I have eaten it on occasion while I was growing up and as I remember it was fine . My Dad was a gov meat inspector for years and always said If you had any concern over tric or anything else for that matter then either cook it well done or freeze it for 30 days min as that would kill just about anything . As far as taste ... I think they are a bit of the ol "you are what you eat " meaning a bear eating garbage or nasty dead salmon probably wont taste all that good

[Phil]

I've eaten the meat from three different bears of different ages and two different locals (did I just say that). I think bear meat tastes fine and have never seen worms yet although I do not deny that they exist. I plan on taking another spring bear if lady luck is on my side.

[c.r.hunter]

Bear can be very good or very bad depending what the critter has been eating. I wouln't even consider shooting a bear feeding on salmon. However, a bear that has eaten nothing but berries all summer is fine table fare. If you do any scouting, watch for the same bear hanging around a berry patch for extended periods. Also, the smaller ones are usually less wormy and better eating that an old trophy. I personally really like it for sausage meat. I havn't really tried steaks or roasts as I usually have lots of moose and deer. I also like to use my moose trim for hamburger so it's nice to have that extra meat for sausage.

[Bow Walker]

I've said for years that I'd never hunt bears because I had no interest in eating them. Getting ed-ja-ma-kated here (a bit) has changed my mind enough that I'm wiling to try it.

I'll be on the prowl this coming season for a nice tender, sweet smelling one.

[Wolfman]

I too was thinking about giving bear hunting a try , this year . I have eaten it on occasion while I was growing up and as I remember it was fine . My Dad was a gov meat inspector for years and always said If you had any concern over tric or anything else for that matter then either cook it well done or freeze it for 30 days min as that would kill just about anything . As far as taste ... I think they are a bit of the ol "you are what you eat " meaning a bear eating garbage or nasty dead salmon probably wont taste all that good

Maybe some of us 'newbies' to bear hunting should get together and convince/bribe/coerce/bother one of the experienced dudes in our area to take 'em out for a go at it ? ;-)

Wolfman

[Scobo]

i have on 2 different occurences cooked, at the same time, in the same pot, moose (small bull)/deer (small early season buck)/bear (big male). once was with friends and another time just my wife and I. Both times the bear was the preferred choice. my wife loves bear roasts. no gamey taste like a buck. they are also good to have the hams smoked and for mince or sausage. coming from ontario i though it was gross to eat bears and never did until here. once you are able to deal with the mental side of it you will enjoy. just shoot them far back in the bush. not 5 miles from the town dump.

[Wolfman]

i have on 2 different occurences cooked, at the same time, in the same pot, moose (small bull)/deer (small early season buck)/bear (big male). once was with friends and another time just my wife and I. Both times the bear was the preferred choice. my wife loves bear roasts. no gamey taste like a buck. they are also good to have the hams smoked and for mince or sausage. coming from ontario i though it was gross to eat bears and never did until here. once you are able to deal with the mental side of it you will enjoy. just shoot them far back in the bush. not 5 miles from the town dump.


Scobo;

Better for us to be eating the bear than for the bear to be eating us, eh?

Yeah, I have heard that a skinned bear looks a lot like a human so some people get kinda grossed out.


Wolfman

[Islandman]

I am a butcher by trade. As far as I am concerned, most bear meat is very similar to pork in flavor, although it still has a wild characteristic. I have made bear hams out of it that you couldn't tell from real hams, and it is just excellent for sausage. This past year we made smokies, pepperoni, garlic coil, and salami out bear for our home use. For eating as table fare, I prefer a younger animal, but I hunt for meat more than I concern myself about trophies. As far as concerns over parasites are concerned, your best bet is to freeze the meat hard for at least a month before you use it, and the rule of thumb is to cook it well done. These simple precautions are all that is needed to insure food safety. As a side note, this year I met a fellow who makes soap, so he took all my fat from the fall bear and made it into lye soap. It was excellent and we are still using that as well. Bear is good no matter what you choose to do with it

[Wolfman]

I am a butcher by trade. As far as I am concerned, most bear meat is very similar to pork in flavor, although it still has a wild characteristic. I have made bear hams out of it that you couldn't tell from real hams, and it is just excellent for sausage. This past year we made smokies, pepperoni, garlic coil, and salami out bear for our home use. For eating as table fare, I prefer a younger animal, but I hunt for meat more than I concern myself about trophies. As far as concerns over parasites are concerned, your best bet is to freeze the meat hard for at least a month before you use it, and the rule of thumb is to cook it well done. These simple precautions are all that is needed to insure food safety. As a side note, this year I met a fellow who makes soap, so he took all my fat from the fall bear and made it into lye soap. It was excellent and we are still using that as well. Bear is good no matter what you choose to do with it


Islandman;

Thanks for that info.

I've been thinking about going out for bear for the first time this year, and all this information is certainly helping ;-)

Thanks


Wolfman

[bckev]

I have been thinking about hunting bear this spring for the first time. I am wondering if spring bear is better than fall bear. I have bear a couple of times, found it to be quite a dense meat. I want to make some bear sausage.

[highcountry88]

We have a big family and we have eaten up to 3 bears per year, both fall and spring bears. The meat has been good but we prefer moose, deer and elk.

I have had a few hams that have tasted great, but not many roasts. Mostly, we put all our bear into sausage so the spices can cover some of the flavor.

My wife likes the flavor of bear smokies but she cant get her head around the idea of eating bear and we have not told her about any worms that we have seen when we are butchering:wink:....besides how much meat can a worm eat?

I know some guys have had spring bears be stronger in flavor (because their system is not flushed out) than fall bears, but I have not run into this yet.

A good recipe and/or a good butcher can make a huge difference in the quality of the sausage, but I feel the key is in the care of the meat before it gets to the butcher.

All the bears that I have taken have been on the long weekend in May or later, so I have run into problems with really hot weather affecting how long we keep the meat in camp. My spring bear hunts are short (3-4 days) because of hot weather and lots of times we leave camp early to get the meat butchered and cooled down. We lost all the meat once (due to heat and flies) from a big bear and this was a real waste....I don't want to do that again.

[MichelD]

here's my post from two years ago:

Bear meat is great.

Cool it right away, cut it and freeze it. I don't select big bears.

I don't think it is gamey. I shot numerous fall bears in salmon streams and they were fine. Their guts were still full of berries.

I took someone from Ontario out one spring though and he shot a bear I didn't want him too, a motheaten toothless old boar who had worn out hip joints. Very old bear, but that so and so shot him 'cause he had a reddish brown coat.

Well that bear had been eating rotten fish all winter, had four to five inches of fat on him, had not hibernated obviously, and tasted like hell.

A good younger bear makes great roasts, stews, and awesome burger. Made to be married with garlic. Baked ribs with onion and tomato sauce is incomparable to anything else!

I didn't get a bear last year, but a buddy just gave me half a bear he had frozen in quarters. Tasty tender beast too!

Well what do you do with one-quarter of a thawed out bear?

Can it.

My wife thawed it out, cut it up into roast sized chunks, browned it and and roasted it in the oven until it was 1/2 done, then cut it up into one-pint portions, put it into jars and canned it.

She took the nicer stew meat and browned and half stewed that too and put it in cans.

Now we have twenty jars of canned bear meat to take camping and hunting.

It is real convenient, you get back to camp at dark exhausted and hungry, and instead of having to worry about taking the time to cook anything that takes a while, put on some rice or pasta, open the jar and heat it in a pan and there 's dinner!

I don't know why guys claim bear meat is gamey. They must **** it up somehow.

__________________

[swamper]

For the last three years I have had friends over on boxing day for a big rib feast. We cook moose, deer and bear ribs from the animals we shot the previous fall. The hands down favorite of everyone including those that are not big wild meat fans were the bear ribs. I simmer all my ribs for about 3 hours and then throw them on the BBQ for a few minutes with different sauces.
Bear makes excellent sausage and pepparoni. The chops and roasts are awesome.
The only thing I don't really care for is bear ham. I find it a bit tough and very salty, although this could just be the butcher that did the job.

[tomahawk]

I am a butcher by trade. As far as I am concerned, most bear meat is very similar to pork in flavor, although it still has a wild characteristic. I have made bear hams out of it that you couldn't tell from real hams, and it is just excellent for sausage. This past year we made smokies, pepperoni, garlic coil, and salami out bear for our home use. For eating as table fare, I prefer a younger animal, but I hunt for meat more than I concern myself about trophies. As far as concerns over parasites are concerned, your best bet is to freeze the meat hard for at least a month before you use it, and the rule of thumb is to cook it well done. These simple precautions are all that is needed to insure food safety. As a side note, this year I met a fellow who makes soap, so he took all my fat from the fall bear and made it into lye soap. It was excellent and we are still using that as well. Bear is good no matter what you choose to do with it

The hams are to die for, I have given a bear ham sandwich to many folks that were not aware that it was bear and they had no idea except one mentioned that it seemed a little drier than normal ( she thought it was pork) I also prefer the younger bear. The 2 hinds go into hams for me without fail each bear I take.

[c.r.hunter]

I have been thinking about hunting bear this spring for the first time. I am wondering if spring bear is better than fall bear. I have bear a couple of times, found it to be quite a dense meat. I want to make some bear sausage.

Wait for a few weeks to be sure they've cleaned out thier system. They generally eat mostly vegitation this time of year so the meat is usually good. Often the first avaliable food(on the coast anyways) is skunk cabbage. Then they switch to whats avaliable next, grasses, dandilions, fire weed ect...If it were me, I'd watch for one out in the fireweed. Sure makes the deer taste good!!! Again, go out and scout and watch what they are eating. Check out south facing cut blocks as they are usually the first places to "green up" Also, watch for any green areas along the logging roads. Take a quick look for sign in these areas as they often hang around the same area if the feed is good. But....If you don't need the meat now and want the choicest eating bear(IMO) wait for a berry bear in the early fall. I havn't been let down yet. Some of the best eating bears I've had come from a blueberry farm in the L.M. The farmer figures they eat about 50lbs a day! Mmmmmm.......I've had several other good one's from cutblocks as well. One other good point about spring bears is that there's not much fat on them. A fall bear can have seemingly 6-8 inches of fat on their back!!! It melts as you deal with them and your hands get all greasy!!!I don't much like that part, but apperently if rendered, it make the best lard avaliable for pastries ect...or so I've heard.

[Steeleco]

Maybe some of us 'newbies' to bear hunting should get together and convince/bribe/coerce/bother one of the experienced dudes in our area to take 'em out for a go at it ? ;-)

Wolfman

With the coming price of gas, BEARPOOLING may become a new term!!!

[.303]

Maybe some of us 'newbies' to bear hunting should get together and convince/bribe/coerce/bother one of the experienced dudes in our area to take 'em out for a go at it ? ;-)

Wolfman


That sounds like a plan!


The father in law cooked up a BB Roast last year. It was one of the best cuts of meat I have ever tasted. It wasn't dry, and it was pretty tender. I think a lot of it has to do with how it is cooked. We also put into Bavarian/Summer sausage last easter.....good eats!

[MichelD]

We're having Shanghai noodles made with ground black bear meat tonight.

[mcrae]

Just one thing about B. Bears guys they are not related to pigs... I have not seen to many pigs with claws myself:biggrin: Black bears are closely related to dogs,wolves,coyotes, and foxes.. This is a misconception among us hunter types I believe because the flavour is ofter described as "like pork".. I guess that won't help someone sitting on the fence about bear meat but hey its still great even if its "like dog"...

[ryanb]

I've eaten 3 bears. 1 was not bad at all. 2 tasted like absolute CRAP. 1 had worms pretty bad. I stopped bothering with black bear hunting last year. We have a new pup this year and will go out and shoot 1 or 2 for dog food this year because I do enjoy bear hunting, but just think the meat is too much of a gamble if you have to eat it yourself.

[HighCountry]

I have been hunting black bear since the 1990 until now I never have any worms problem yet.All my bears all tasted delicious specially the brownny one.

[livingston]

The bears I've eaten tasted really fishy, these were coastal bears shot on south Vancouver Island in the spring. I got all the meat made into pepperoni and smokies and to me it was pretty much inedible.My dogs got the bulk of it.
I may shoot another bear but I'm not going to waste the $200 on the butcher, I'll just grind it into dogfood myself.

[HighCountry]

The bears I've eaten tasted really fishy, these were coastal bears shot on south Vancouver Island in the spring. I got all the meat made into pepperoni and smokies and to me it was pretty much inedible.My dogs got the bulk of it.
I may shoot another bear but I'm not going to waste the $200 on the butcher, I'll just grind it into dogfood myself.

Most the Island bears that I have eating tasted fishy,but the Cariboo region&region 3 are very good eating and tasted good.

[Steeleco]

Just one thing about B. Bears guys they are not related to pigs...

Well if course I needed to look :wink: and by George your right.
You do learn something everyday!! :roll:


A female bear is called a 'sow' and a male bear is called a 'boar'. Because of this some people think bears are related to pigs, but bears are not related to pigs.

[Archer]

I love it and so does the family. Last springs bear got made into frying sausages and roasts. The roasts were AMAZING, definitely better than any roasts from my fork mulie. My favorite recipe involves a marinade of red wine, olive oil, garlic and carrots, and it never lets me down. None of the "gamey" taste whatsoever with the bear, but the deer still has a slight game flavor. I would rate bear as good if not a bit better than deer (judging from the bears I've eaten). If I can tag one this spring, I may try corning some. I've heard corned bear is delicious.

[kishman]

Maybe some of us 'newbies' to bear hunting should get together and convince/bribe/coerce/bother one of the experienced dudes in our area to take 'em out for a go at it ? ;-)

Wolfman


I'm all for this one, good idea Wolfman. Elkhound???Steeleco???:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[Steeleco]

Hey Kish, those hills in your back yard are crawling with them. Ask Ruger#1 to sit on his porch!!! They come to him LOL

You know, it might just be possible, but I think we'll need a school bus!!!

[Wild_Dog]

I love bear....but have you ever noticed that when it's skinned out it looks like a human.....weird~!

[Mr. Dean]

steak/chops I've done up tasted like beef... regardless, thems good eats. Go git one!

[hunter1947]

I have tasted bear meat ,I have tasted at all different times of the season when shot. I don't like the meat and I'm not a fussy eater ,it tastes to much like game fat ,thats why I never hunt them ,I have been a firm believer that what I shot I eat ,or I won't shoot it. That's why I have only shot 3 bear in my life time After eating 3 of them over a span of about 10 years I had enough of that.http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon13.gif.

[Scobo]

as far as spring bear vs fall bear the main consideration is the fat. i like spring bears because you don't have to slop your way through 6" of fat. it makes a greasy mess. but they still taste really good when you are done with that. my mom used to boil it down and jar it for lard. one late fall bear will give you enough lard to last a lifetime. also if you are shooting for "trophy weight" a mature fall bear can have an additional 100-150lbs so that makes it a bit harder to pack out too.

[Mr. Dean]

Wayne I don't get it... I've sampled at least 5 different Bears and they all had the least 'gamey' flavour af any game I've eaten. I do my own cutting and am anal about trimming all the white stuff out. Maybe that has something to do with it???

I'm dumping 2 this spring. The fronts will be sausaged and the hinds will be steaked. Its THAT good!

[wolverine]

I have never had a bad bear yet. I'm pretty picky about where I hunt though too. All bears will eat carion if they happen across it but most bears don't get a steady diet of it. If you are hunting in an area where there is a logging camp or other source of garbage and you know the bears will be feeding in there you are going to get some pretty crappy tasting bear. Lucky if you get through the skinning process:shock: Same as fall bears feeding predominantly on fish, going to get one stinky fishy bear. I always hunt areas that are dump free and it's always worked for me. Last fall I was lucky enough to find what was left of an old orchard that had some apple trees left. I not only got my deer out of there but later got my bear. Never had a better one. I double smoke the hams and make sausage out of the rest and it's the best. Slice some sausage up for a spahgetti sauce and it's absolutely the best. I have had Grizzly and it was fine. I know that there is always the trichonosis warning but to date I haven't heard of a single issue with bear meat in this province. Also I am not a trophy hunter. I don't care about the size of the skull or the square of the hide. It all stays in the bush anyway. For me a shooter is a younger bear. As with anything I imagine the older it gets the quality of the meat can suffer too. To me, a season isn't a complete success without having a bear in the freezer.

[hunter1947]

Wayne I don't get it... I've sampled at least 5 different Bears and they all had the least 'gamey' flavour af any game I've eaten. I do my own cutting and am anal about trimming all the white stuff out. Maybe that has something to do with it???

I'm dumping 2 this spring. The fronts will be sausaged and the hinds will be steaked. Its THAT good!
Mr Dean I do my butchering of the bears I had shot. I carve all the fat off them as well when butchering them. Maybe the 3 bear I shot were bad tasting bears ???. I will taste some bear meat this spring and see ,will let you know what I think about it later on this year. :roll:.

[mainland hunter]

The first bear I ever tried was terrible and had a hard time wanting to try it again. The last 5 or 6 have been great. Some bears are just gross and unfortunately you cant tell until after you've shot but from my experience and others I've talked to nice white fat = good bear yellowy fat = gross bear
the one gross bear I had was from the island and tasted really fishy, tried sausage, jerky and steaks and it was all terrible

[tomahawk]

the one gross bear I had was from the island and tasted really fishy, tried sausage, jerky and steaks and it was all terrible

I've found that as well that the bears that are near spawning waters are not worth shooting if you want good meat, but love a bear that has been eating good food. My favourite burger by a country mile is bear that I add 8% beef fat to when I grind it.

[TIKA 300]

Maybe some of us 'newbies' to bear hunting should get together and convince/bribe/coerce/bother one of the experienced dudes in our area to take 'em out for a go at it ? ;-)

Wolfman


Either that or,convince someone to create some of that fine table fair for all to try !!!!!!!! :biggrin::idea::smile:

[oldtimer]

In my opinion bear burger is the best there is for any recipe that calls for burger. As stated by Swamper the bear ribs at Rib Fest go down pretty quick and then some of greedy guys take some home as well.
Cariboo Bear >>>> YUMMY..., Mike

[Will]

Some folks hate Brussel sprouts....some love em.

I could tell you all day long how great they taste but until you get one and try it you won't know will you ? :wink:

Just trim out the worms.....:-|

[moosinaround]

Killed and ate two bears now. 1 in the fall and 1 in the spring. Never seen worms in either of them! Both tased wicked in sausage, pepperoni, garlic sausage. Haven't tried it as a steak, but as sausage it is definately worth a try. Moosin

[Dad and son]

I cut all my bear into steak. If I have a choice between moose, blacktail or bear I will pick the bear steak BBQ'd. My kids have shot 4 bear in the last 3 years. 3 were delicious, one was terrible. Bear ribs are also delicous.

[Nimrod]

wow a lot of guys throwing their 2cents in about this.
I personally love bear meat, I'm a professional butcher/sausage maker by trade, for their first 15 years cut a lot of game and many bear. fact is 90% of all bears shot are young and have good meat quality provided it was handled properly.
I've seen old boars that had beautiful meat quality. I've also seen some that were so nasty and stinky had to process it like it was a bio hazard.
As a hunter I've taken a dozen bears and never had a stinky one ,even a few that were so old their teeth were almost gone. this is probably because of when and were I hunted for bear, up near snow line in the spring , or in the mountains no where near salmon rivers in the fall.
bear meat cured and smoked is fantastic, bear stew is my favorite.
shoulder roast cooked slow and long until the tendons start to melt.....so tasty.!!!!
One time I shot a young bear that was so nice I thought for kicks I'd make some ...wait for it...all bear liver sausage!!!
brought it to a friends, didn't tell them what it was and did the blind taste test along side some commercial pork liver sausage, back flips for the bear.
should have seen the look on there face when they found out what it was.

[Tanya]

Tanya's hubby John here;

Hey Archer we corn a batch of bear every year. If its a young bear you can't tell the difference from corned beef.
Nimrod I also feel that bear makes the best stew on the planet.
As for what makes a bear taste good or bad I think there are a number of things you can do to insure yours is a good one.
The best tasting bear I ever had was a young spring bear shot a month into the season near the top of a mountain. It was skinned within an hour and butchered within two hours. To me it's flavour is best described as slightly sweet beef. I honestly don't know where people get the pork flavour from.
Looking at what made that bear so good to eat here's my list.

Young bear, probably only a 3 year old.
Therefore wouldn't have had as good a spot on the river for eating fish and probably didn,t spend as much time there for fear of bigger bears.
Also more tender because of his age.

Late spring harvest.
Been on a diet of greens for a month before.

Quickly skinned and butchered'
Bears are big dense animals usually with a lot of fat. They need to be cooled quickly. I've been told by an experienced butcher that meat will start to go sour as soon as 1 hour after it is shot on a big animal.(note to all you moose hunters.) This is from the body heat of the animal itself and has little to do with the outside temp. Butchers call this bone sour and anyone that does there own butchering if you cut into the meat and there is a sour smell this is probably what's happened. (speaking from my own bad experiences here.)Even skinning and leaving a bear whole does not cool the big hams quick enough. This may be why some of you didn't like the hams. It can be a pain but I really feel you need to open the hams up and even remove the large bones if you can. The way I do it is to butcher the meat into roasts right off the carcass. I also carefully trim all fat but having said that the bear at the top of this post had sweet fat that had a pleasant odour and taste.


Then there was the bear that Tanya shot on the west coast 2 years ago. Down close to a major salmon river. Estimated age 20 years. We corned him. We pressure cooked him. And we still couldn't chew him. His skull makes a nice trophy though. So its up to you.

[2slow]

I have shot alot of bears over the years(20 or more - i've lost count) and can say I have only not liked 2 of them. The first was a medium sized that when i skinned it i found that someone had peppered it with buckshot that had healed and was encased in scar tissue this one I threw out because i did'nt know if the lead would be in the tissues after being in the body so long. The second was a fish eating bear off a salmon stream in the fall. Every package of meat smelled like cod liver oil and ended up in the garbage. The rest of them were really good eating the trick is to trim all the fat and connective tissue, that is where the harsher taste comes from. If it is well trimmed you can feed it to your guests and they will never know it from beef.

[Archer]

As far as the pork flavor thing, I agree with Tanyas hubby John; no idea where that comes from. Far more resembles beef IMHO.

Also, I forgot about one nasty bear that my buddy shot. After a long stalk on a bear that we had only gotten glimpses of, we were on a sidehill waiting for this bear to pop up out of a small draw. After a while, we decided to snap some branches in hopes of enticing the bear into view for a better peek at it. All of a sudden, we spot it about 150 yrds away on a dead run, and as always, it looked decent. When it paused on the treeline, my friend dropped it with a shot to the boiler room. When we got up to it, we realized that it was an ancient sow, skinny as a rail, with fur almost 6 inches long on her back, making her look far larger than her 125 or so lbs. Upon dressing it, I nearly gagged when clear, stinky fluid gushed out from under the skin on the first cut. I don't think this bear would have been fit for dog food. I'm not sure about the outcome of the meat, but I can tell you I was glad that my tag wasn't the one being cut on that bear.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Anyone eat bear heart??? I keep all other hearts but have never kept any bear hearts.

SSS

[BCJunior]

Yeah I am new to bear also, never tried and wondering if it is worth it. I will try it though sooner or later, I justh ear to watch out for the bears that feed on fish. Apperantly they taste like fish!!! :(

[tomahawk]

Anyone eat bear heart??? I keep all other hearts but have never kept any bear hearts.

SSS

Good question, I keep all other hearts as well but never thought about a bears. I can't imagine that I never thought about it.

[Franko Manini]

[quote=tomahawk;248064]Hey Wolfman

Do they have worms? They could, but then again so does any member of the pig family, like the pork you buy at the local meat market.

quote]

This is a common misconception. Bears and pigs aren't even closely related. They are both vertebrates and mammals, but that's where it stops. Bears are actually in the order carnivora, suborder caniforma. Pigs aren't even carnivores. Pigs are in the same order and suborder (artiodactyla) as deer, moose, and elk. Yup, pigs, deer, moose, and elk are all ungulates.

If you're looking for something to compare a bear too, go talk to your best friend... dogs are in the same order and suborder.

[tomahawk]

[quote=tomahawk;248064]Hey Wolfman

Do they have worms? They could, but then again so does any member of the pig family, like the pork you buy at the local meat market.

quote]

This is a common misconception. Bears and pigs aren't even closely related. They are both vertebrates and mammals, but that's where it stops. Bears are actually in the order carnivora, suborder caniforma. Pigs aren't even carnivores. Pigs are in the same order and suborder (artiodactyla) as deer, moose, and elk. Yup, pigs, deer, moose, and elk are all ungulates.

If you're looking for something to compare a bear too, go talk to your best friend... dogs are in the same order and suborder.


Hey Franko

I understand that, its the way I mis wrote it, I was trying to let those know who are concerned about the remote possiblitiy of worms that they should also be worried about all the pigs, wild boars or any member of the pig family when they eat steak, chops etc that they buy on the shelfs.

[MOWITCH SLAYER]

i have hunted and eaten a few bears over the years. both spring and fall ,the hardest part is to get over you are eating a carnivore. once you have that it can be excellent eating, feild dressing is a experience all on it's own, you'll find the smell different then any other game. i process my own meat so i like to hang it a couple days then remove all the fat i can, i find it's the fat that i don't like to eat. once you have that done treat it just like deer! the best sausages you well ever eat

[kenkell1]

On several occasions I have had bear meat and I can honestly say I didn't like it. Now I am not sure if it was mind over matter but to me it tasted rather gamey with a bad after taste.
The same goes with Caribou.....I would never hunt or eat another one.
Give me Elk, deer or moose anytime.

[c.r.hunter]

When did harvest the Caribou? I've heard thet they are uneatable when in the rut. But early the are really good. I've eaten a few mountain caribou from mid August and loved the meat. Simmilar to venison, but milder with a bit of a sweeter taste. Very, very good...IMO anyways.

[Mr. Dean]

A friend brought over a benevolent bear roast, all nicely cook and served with all the trimmings.

Fantastic feed!
Everyone licked their plate clean.

[hunter1947]

I'm a moose ,elk ,whitetail eater ,the best.http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif.

[jerad]

Good question, I keep all other hearts as well but never thought about a bears. I can't imagine that I never thought about it.
i could be wrong but i belive that the heart falls under one of those organs you dont want to keep becuase it could put you under suspicion of selling it or the gall bladder to the medicine dealers down in chinatown(poaching).

if i was you folks i,d forget the heart is there and drop in in with the rest of the guts.:wink:

[mainland hunter]

The heart is fine to keep

[DWH]

Recently, at the local rod and gun banquet, there was a variety of all types of game meat cooked in a variety of ways... by far the best was the teriyaki bear meatballs. Unbelievable.

If I could only get that recipee.....

I avoid fish bears and even the non-game eaters that I give bear pepperoni and salami to, love it.

[Wolfman]

i could be wrong but i belive that the heart falls under one of those organs you dont want to keep becuase it could put you under suspicion of selling it or the gall bladder to the medicine dealers down in chinatown(poaching).

if i was you folks i,d forget the heart is there and drop in in with the rest of the guts.:wink:


I think that's things like gall bladders and paws.

A Vietnamese guy I know said tiger penis is in big demand over in his old homeland too. I could just imagine all those high-pitched tigers roaring over there in discomfort ;-)

Wolfman

[Why not?]

I have eaten a lot of bear meat, and for sure would not have done so if it didn't taste good. As for the heart, just fry it up with some pepper and onions, and you won't leave many behind. Have also eaten the kidney, fried up with eggs and potatoes for breakfast one Spring morning in the bush, and it was delicious! It actually had a very sweet taste, not at all like pork or beef. We fried up the next one for breakfast a few days later! :)

Don't throw that fat away. Rendered down, it makes the best shortening for baking you can get.

Ted

[BabineGuide]

I have been in on 100+ bear skinning sessions and likely 85% or more had worms.
Mainly in the guts and the membrane between the flesh and the hide.
The meat isn't bad...and apparently that variety of worm aren't harmful, but seeing those nasty critters squirming around etc has turned me off bear meat for good.
Grizzly is similar in flavour, but just as wormy in my experience.

[Geronimo]

To me , the taste of Blackie is great- Ive done it as sausage, as steaks, roasts, in stews, hamberger -I used it a couple of weeks ago to do up some cabbage rolls, mouth is still watering-never tasted like pork to me--has its own taste. Personally,I have not as yet, though I have been told and seen many pictures of worms, seen any, and I do process my game myself
I was told if I was worried about the fact that trichinosis has been known to be found in bear--treat it like we used to treat pork!!--Cook it well done--could be another reason why it has been compared to pigs

[Singleshotneeded]

If you like it, that's great, I think it's fine for making sausage...:-)

[BCBRAD]

Around PG , Roger's makes bavarian meatloaf from game animals and bear is as good as anything else. We wait until we find a b- bear that is smallish and in a convienent spot...............so the hunt usually lasts about 1/2 hour.

[weatherby_man]

Some of the best pastry I have had was made out of lard rendered from bear fat. Friends do it every year from a nice fat fall bear.

[stevee]

Love hunting in the spring. Beautiful time of the year. Have eaten several blackies and love them. Have taken one too near the ocean and tasted a little fishy. Will stick to mountain bears only. I have a dilemma now though. My wife who grew up on a small farm eating everything imaginable and loves all wild game, was cutting into a nice bear loin chop and cut into a ball of worms about an inch around. Her eyes water and she gets goose bumps just thinking about it. She no longer wants anything to do with bear but I love the hunt. My friends just grind the whole animal so they don't notice the worms and apparently they will not harm you yo eat them. Just have to convince the wife now.

[littlebilly]

I've never hunted bear until a few years ago myself. Turned a smallish fall bear into smokies and garlic sausage and have been hooked ever since. It is good meat. Just a quick note as well. I've hunted wild boar in Australia - those things, as well as domestic pigs, will eat anything (including meat) if given the chance or opportunity. If they get onto a dead kangaroo or some other dead animal, sure as heck they'll eat it up. Is the meat good? Just like any other pork you buy at the market.

[steel_ram]

For myself anyways, once I'd seen the worms I was pretty much put off bears forever. Never shot a small one, but every bear I've shot or been in on has had them. All were Vancouver Island bears. If I was blind and didn't know any better I'm sure the meat is fine, sort of a cross between dog and racoon.

[bushpig slayer]

i have taken many bear in my time,what i have found is only shoot mountain bears lower valley bears taste bad due to their fish diet.you will usually find more worms in lower valley bears because of the rotting fish.to make sure every bear counts that you bag turn it into something, peperoni,sausage,breakfast sausage you won't be disappointed.also from what i've taken the biggest boys live up higher they like to stay cool in warm weather also less pressure from hunters less stress equals fatter bears from what i've seen.i personally don't like steak and roast rather turn it into something,also if the bear has no hair on it's face let it go it will be old and full of worms 2-4 year old is the best to eat.

[cavebear]

All the bears around where i live on the island taste horrible trust me i eat at least two a year and not worth your time to come anywhere near my bears :) The sausage jerky and peporini that we have been eating for the last ten years is just awful :) Wink Wink bear is my candy

[WesHarm]

When i get my license I will be more then happy to take some of those awful tasting bears off your hands :mrgreen:

[cavebear]

When i get my license I will be more then happy to take some of those awful tasting bears off your hands :mrgreen:

Please there is no need for you to suffer for me This is a life long journey I am willing to suffer through alone. :)



However pm if your coming over :)

[BlacktailStalker]

My buddy treed and shot a hog of a bear last spring. The tampax bear.
He was living in the sewage outflow pond for several years... the grass was 4' tall before there was any grass anywhere else.
He was king of the jungle, errrr sewer :lol:
We more wanted to catch him than anything else, he always headed for the highway but finally one day he didn't.
Then we saw the size of him in the tree, wow, we under estimated what he was, that 4' tall grass really was deceiving.
I declined a share of the pepperoni...

Mountain bears are great to eat. We used to get a whole bush pig made into pepperoni, like 200lbs of it !

[WesHarm]

:O YUM! i want to try some, i keep hearing nothing but how amazing Bear is!

[Fishgutz]

Ok I've got a question! I can see an Island bear being fishy and even a Lower Mainland Bear being that way too......So how far inland would be best? Hope and beyond?

[BiG Boar]

if the bear has no hair on it's face let it go it will be old and full of worms 2-4 year old is the best to eat.

Do you know what causes bears to have no hair on their face? Its mites in the den from what I have learned. Maybe it does have something to do with the age? The only hairless face bear I shot was 6 ft (probably older) and had zero worms. I believe its only hairless on spring bears though, and is caused while they are hibernating. Is he right in this way of thinking, anyone?

[Aimer]

it all matters how you cook it

[coquitlam]

Here is an excellent thread on where to get the test for tric in the fraser Valley
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?22271-Test-Bear-Meat-for-Trichinosis-at-Ministry-of-Agriculture

[Downtown]

I am an outcast in the fact that I think bear meat is disgusting... I have tried young and old both tasted like shit. It's already been voted the #1 table fare for several HBC members though.

I'll take deer, elk or moose over a bear anyday.

Carl

You are not alone, not by a long Shot. And Kudos to you for being a Man standing up for his believes, a rare thing today indeed.

Published Studies in Europe found that during the Stone age Hunters killed lots of Bears, used everything but did not eat the meat. Why not? they could not have known of Trichinosis which can be found in Bears (Grizzly & Black) plus a many other meat eating Species. Up untill not to long ago our regulations did not require to Retrive Bear meat.

A North American study found that Bears killed near Garbadge Dumps (when Garbadge Dumps where still legal and common) had less Trichinosis then True Wilderness Bears.

So if you have a taste for dishes made from Bear meat be sure to cook it very well.

[Ride Red]

Do you know what causes bears to have no hair on their face? Its mites in the den from what I have learned. Maybe it does have something to do with the age? The only hairless face bear I shot was 6 ft (probably older) and had zero worms. I believe its only hairless on spring bears though, and is caused while they are hibernating. Is he right in this way of thinking, anyone?


The reason they haven't any hair on their face is from the head board. What else are you going to do in a den all winter. :razz:

[ryanb]

Once you've pulled the hide off a bear and seen dozens of 2" worms crawling around it sure is hard to imagine touching the meat again.