Black Bears

[youngfellla]

Well, I tagged out on black bears already, hoping to get one for meat. But when I cut them open, they were wormy. I talked to 3 other hunters that have had the same thing happen. These are all bears taken around the Vanderhoof area. Anyone else had this happen? I've heard that bears who feed in oat fields are more prone to having worms.

[Steeleco]

That's too bad, can the meat be saved? or is it that bad? I have a friend that got a bear that fits your description and worried him enough to take it to a meat inspector. The fellow told him that some is normal and with proper cooking it would be fine.

I wish I could find a bear, but not if they're like the ones you've unfotunately got.

[pupper]

i dont know man, eating wormy meat? do you have a pic you can post?

a safeway steaks sounds better.

although The bear i tagged this year is pretty tasty(no worms). we are going to have a bear ham for thanksgiving.

[Schmaus]

Sounds like the bears you got have trichnosis (not sure about the spelling) Me and my buddies shot a few bears in the spring and none of them had it but I hear that it is a common problem. I think that this is the reason that you are supposed to cook the crap out of bear meat, as far as I know its ok once it has been cooked well done.
Schmaus

[bochunk2000]

I've been told by a butcher that the trich in bears is a different strain than those in pork. Freeze the meat in a deep freeze for at least 60 days and make some sausage or peperoni. The worms wont hurt you, extra protein. The one I shot this spring had worms but its going off to the sausage maker soon.

[Thunderstix]

Describe the worms for us: length, width etc.
Male worms are only 1.5 mm long by .05 mm wide and the females though a bit bigger are only 3.5 mm long by .06 mm wide. Pretty darn small! Usually you have to send the tongue to Land and Agriculture Division in Abbottsford to have it tested as Trich is not something you usually spot without a microscope and/or muscle biopsy. Unless,SHUDDER, there were a bunch writhing about....NASTY!

[bochunk2000]

This is how i descibed them to the butcher. White, maybe a mm wide, 2-5 inches long. He said those were trich. If these aren't what are they?

[Thunderstix]

I think they are just some kind of parasite, but I highly doubt those ar Trich. If you still have the tongue, which you probably don't, you can send it to Abbottsford for FREE testing. I have done this with my bears so that one can have peace of mind whilst eating piece of bear. The tongue has to be cut out way back in the throat, and then hand delivered or as in my case, frozen, and then Postal Expressed overnight.

[bochunk2000]

Thanks I'll do that next time. I got this off a web site, about what to do with bears.

Generally, freezing meat at -10 F for 10-20 days &/or cooking to 137 F
internal temperature(but I'd do 160 F to make sure I killed any E.coli
O157:H7) will kill any Trichinella larvae which may be encysted in meat.
Louis L. "Lucky" Pittman, Jr., DVM
Veterinary Pathologist/Asst. Prof.
Murray St. Univ.-Breathitt Veterinary Ctr.
Hopkinsville, KY


Steve.

[youngfellla]

I suppose one could leave the worms in - and use them for dental floss when you're done eating. :mrgreen:

[Thunderstix]

Or collect them all and make a high protein spaghetti!
EeeeeYuck!

[blindbob]

The halibut and cod I got in the Charlottes were full of worms.Once its cooked who cares because it taste great.All living things have some sort of parasites in them. Just smell and taste your food and don't look at it too closely.

[Barracuda]

do you have the contact info for the testing?
sound to me like worms are intestinal tract worms is that correct?

[brotherjack]

I've been told by a butcher that the trich in bears is a different strain than those in pork.

Yes, the trich in bears is different than pork - a much hardier variety (and worse for you if you get it), and freezing it won't do a thing for it despite what you may have heard (almost every hunter I know has heard that and repeats it, but every bit of research I've ever read says otherwise). The only solution is to cook the meat until it's WELL done (internal temp for the meat of approx 160-170 degrees farenheight). That's enough past the accepted threshold of heat that will kill the trich, that you can safely eat the bear without worry.

Not all bears have trich, but enough do that unless you can have it tested, you should assume yours does.

[Thunderstix]

For some reason I always forget the official name of where ot get it tested but it is the Ministry/Dept of Land and Agriculture, or some such name, in Abbottsford.

[bochunk2000]

The info I found was contrary to what you are saying brother Jack. It was from a vetrinary pathologist. There have always been discussions on this issue and it seems you can find info for either side. I think the best idea is to get any info you can pick what you believe and go with that.

[brotherjack]

The info I found was contrary to what you are saying brother Jack. It was from a vetrinary pathologist. There have always been discussions on this issue and it seems you can find info for either side. I think the best idea is to get any info you can pick what you believe and go with that.

From the Center for Disease Control website regarding trich:



Cook wild game meat thoroughly. Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, even for long periods of time, may not effectively kill all worms.

Which is quoted from the following website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/trichinosis/factsht_trichinosis.htm


I don't know for sure my own self, I ain't any kind of -ologist, so I'll shut up about it and continue to cook mine to well done. ;-) (at least till I run out, I gave up hunting bears this spring).

[3kills]

even beef will have worms in it worms...its just the general public doesnt see that kinda stuff and most dont want to know about it...once its cooked its fine....

[Marc]

The worms you are talking about sounds like this one

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26367--,00.html

The two last bears we shot and gutted they both had the same worms. They are usually found in the slimy tissue in the body cavity and around the organs. They are transmitted to one bear to another by black flies and they can't be transmitted to humans I repeat they can't be transmitted to humans. Both bears I got butchered up and they tasted great. There isn't to that we eat that if put under a micro scope we wouldn't find some type of parisite. I pick throught the meat as I cube it up and have never found one of these worms in the actuall muscle tissues.

Marc.

[Sikanni Stalker]

Yeah , I too have eaten a few bears and until this thread it was my favorite meat.........:?

I do all my own cutting and am very picky too, all snot and silver skin gets put in the barrel for the dogger and then canned or frozen, I have nevewr seen anything likethis but I will be on the look out from now on

[Foxer]

THOSE worms are harmless. Tric worms are much more serious.

Meat only has to be cooked to 160 degrees F to kill the worms. However - most recommend you go to 170 or so (how do you know if there aren't a few cool spots or if your thermometer is working right). THat is not 'well done' by any streach - you don't have to turn the stuff into leather, but you want the 'juices' clear, not bloody and the meat turning grey, not red or too pink.

It's generally not a problem. While there WAS a tric outbreak in a bunch of french (as in france) hunters hunting in quebec this year, it's very very very rare to have a problem.

DEEP freezing for extended periods is fairly effective, but not a guarantee.

How sick you will get depends on how many of the parasites survived and got into your system - many people may get it and never know becuase it's such a mild case.

So - freeze the meat, then cook it properly and enjoy! It's not much of a threat. But no 'rare' steaks.