I've had black bear meat from several different bears, although I've only killed one in my life, and I can't say that I've really enjoyed any of it. As far as the bear meat that's been given to me by friends, they were all spring bears and, although I wasn't around for the hunt, I trust that these buddies cared for the meat properly. As far as the one I shot, it was a young spring bear that died almost immediately (.300wm heart shot), and was impeccably cared for from field to freezer. We did eat the entire bear, but it definitely wasn't the first thing we would reach for when pulling a piece of meat out of the freezer for dinner. The last time I had bear was probably about 12 years or so ago, but after reading all these positive reviews, and my son constantly hounding me to take him bear hunting this year, I think we'll give 'er a go again in a few months. Hopefully we get the opportunity to try black bear again, and hopefully I'll have a change of opinion. We'll see.
