Bear neophyte here curious if those of you knowledgeable could square away some basic questions for me? I am pondering about picking up a bear tag to overlap my fall CO elk hunting but I have some naive questions.
1) How is the meat from a fall mountain bear?
2) Generally speaking does a bear break down / bone out similar to deer/elk/antelope?
3) Bear are "dirtier" meat right or is that a wise tale? Need to be cooked to a higher XXXdeg temp? Extra considerations on hygiene and knife cleanup in the field? Bear can have worms right or wise tale? Basically this realm and the quality of the meat are my big unknowns.
4) Shot placement is different I realize (heart is in a different spot, etc.), knock down power should be considered, etc. Other things to consider?
5) I don't hunt for mounts/trophies, skull caps and euro mounts tend to be my preference. Is it a total waste not to haul out a bear hide? I can tell you I wouldn't get a mount done. Having the hide tanned is of mild interest but likely more costly than I'd be interested in (not sure about DIY) so then it becomes a question of is it worth hauling it out of the back country? Skull/claws I'd take.
1) How is the meat from a fall mountain bear?
2) Generally speaking does a bear break down / bone out similar to deer/elk/antelope?
3) Bear are "dirtier" meat right or is that a wise tale? Need to be cooked to a higher XXXdeg temp? Extra considerations on hygiene and knife cleanup in the field? Bear can have worms right or wise tale? Basically this realm and the quality of the meat are my big unknowns.
4) Shot placement is different I realize (heart is in a different spot, etc.), knock down power should be considered, etc. Other things to consider?
5) I don't hunt for mounts/trophies, skull caps and euro mounts tend to be my preference. Is it a total waste not to haul out a bear hide? I can tell you I wouldn't get a mount done. Having the hide tanned is of mild interest but likely more costly than I'd be interested in (not sure about DIY) so then it becomes a question of is it worth hauling it out of the back country? Skull/claws I'd take.