Bear noobie questions (broad overview)

pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

WKR
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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.
 
Bear meat usually depends on their diet.

Bones out and breaks down easy.

Cook them to an internal temp of 160 just to be safe.

Behind the shoulder works well for shot placement.

Some states require salvage of different parts of the bear, be sure to check that before you go out to determine if you can leave hide, meat, skull, etc after a kill.

Good luck.
 
Some states require salvage of different parts of the bear, be sure to check that before you go out to determine if you can leave hide, meat, skull, etc after a kill.

The regs say you have to have the hide sealed within 5 business days to legally be in possession of it, I don't readily see that its required to salvage the hide though. I will look into it more.
 
I think if you don't have that hide and take the head in to have a tooth pulled you might get some questions. Take the hide out and sell it to a taxidermist.
 
Okay, I'll look into all that more.

Back to the meat part. I understand stuff varies based on diet and such, any general input on a higher country fall bear in CO?
 
Okay, I'll look into all that more.

Back to the meat part. I understand stuff varies based on diet and such, any general input on a higher country fall bear in CO?

Hopefully I can let you know later this fall :). That said it is against the law to waste the meat so no matter the taste you'll be eating it if you get one.

Depending on where you are hunting you may not even get a chance to buy a tag, the unit I hunt historically sells out of the otc archery bear tags in 20 mins. Two years ago there was a glitch that made it take 6hours to sell out. So be ready just in case as some area don't sell out while other go very fast.
 
Hopefully I can let you know later this fall :). That said it is against the law to waste the meat so no matter the taste you'll be eating it if you get one.

Depending on where you are hunting you may not even get a chance to buy a tag, the unit I hunt historically sells out of the otc archery bear tags in 20 mins. Two years ago there was a glitch that made it take 6hours to sell out. So be ready just in case as some area don't sell out while other go very fast.

I'm a meat hunter as a primary so I'll not be wasting meat if I choose to hunt it, I'm trying to figure out if I want to hunt one. ;)

The area I'd be looking at has hundreds of tags left from the primary draw right now so its probable some will be available Aug 2nd. Not the end of the world if not, just exploring options.
 
Table fare of bear meat is reflective of their diet. A high country fall bear living on hucks for four weeks is a beautiful meal if the meat is cared for properly. Get it as cool as quickly as possible. Avoid hair/dirt/guts etc, and get all the fat off of the meat in the field. This is crucial for determining quality of meat.

Yes, bears can have tape and pin worms as well as carry trich. Freeze the meat for 30 days at 14 degrees F, and then cook to a minimum internal temp of 350 degrees F (-10C/165C). Some people get freaked when skinning or boning out a bear and a worm crawls out. If this bugs you then i would advise you to never eat pork again either.

Shot placement is wait for the nearest front leg to go forward, and then four or five inches above the elbow.

Bear hair slips easily, so get all of the fat off the hide and either salted or frozen within 24 hours.
 
I'm not sure that there would be anything left if you cooked it to an internal temp of 350 degrees F. Trichinella is killed at 137 F, but most recommend cooking to an internal temp of 160 F to be safe.


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Okay, solid recommendation on the fat off in the field and thanks I wouldn't have known it should be frozen 30days first. Good news is my freezer normally runs between -22 to -10F, stuff is well frozen. ;)

The salting the hide thing in that short of a period sounds like a PITA back country though. Means either bringing salt in with you or that is the first load out (I usually haul meat first and hide/head gear secondary if applicable).

What about cleaning up yourself/knives in the field, esp. if potentially cutting up an elk or such subsequently? Is packing some chlorox wipes or such recommended?
 
I just read that actually. ;) Sounds like cooking properly is the major thing.

I'm still wondering/worried about knives, blood on haul packs, etc. on a hunt that could involve shooting a bear AND elk.
 
I just asked my wife, who is a food borne disease epidemiologist, she said you'll be fine as long as you cook everything properly, and keep things as clean as possible in the field. All of the trich cases she knows of (and there aren't many) have been associated with undercooking.


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How many days do you think you'd have the hide in the field? if you can get it out and frozen same day then I wouldn't worry about bringing salt. IF your worried about longer then look up a liquid product called Stop Rot and bring a small lightweight paint brush with you in your kit. Somewhere around 12 ozs should do you fine I would think. trim bost the meat and fat from the hide and paint some SR on. We used it once on a caribou hunt. Stuff seems to work fine given the couple days we had in between the field and freezer.
 
If it was shot on opener it wouldn't make it back to a freezer for 5-7days. I could certainly salt a hide back at the truck (no issue having a few pounds of salt there) just between getting meat to the truck/coolers would normally be my priority over a hide. I presume a hide is in the 50lb turf too so certainly something to weight in the decision when talking about hard miles between the truck and camp.

Actually what wouldn't be too hard now that I think about it is haul the first meat load and then pick up salt from the truck, hauling some salt out with an empty pack isn't a big deal versus bringing some in on spec with the camp originally. That could likely happen within 24hrs. Salt the hide and continue hauling meat in the short term. Let the hide air out salted and haul to the truck when convenient versus rushing.


Basically the plan general is if me or my partner shoot something is to get it broken down and game bagg'd. If there is time in the day to turn a haul lap we will while trying to be back in position during prime hours for the other to attempt to punch their tag. This assumes the weather allows some flexibility, if its hot then its just haul laps until all the perishables stuff is in coolers before any further hunting occurs.
 
I'm not sure that there would be anything left if you cooked it to an internal temp of 350 degrees F. Trichinella is killed at 137 F, but most recommend cooking to an internal temp of 160 F to be safe.

This is why i hate bouncing between degrees F and C. It makes me look like i don't know how to "math". :p
 
I'm not positive, but I think you can leave the hide. The meat is what you are hunting for and required to salvage. I think the only place I've heard of being able to leave the meat is AK in a few specific situations. I for one think bear meat in general is first class. Take care of it the same as deer and elk. Keep it clean, get it cool; trim the fat, sinew and and connecting tissue, then make steaks, roasts, burger or my personal favorite, breakfast sausage. My family has consumed 1 or 2 bears per year for the last 15 years. A lot of the things you hear are myth. Just make sure to cook it to 160f, because trich is not worth chancing. The only situation I've heard where a black bear was not that great, was when they were on a straight fish diet. Well anyway I think you will find bear to be excellent table fare. Besides they are a blast to hunt and the skulls do make a great trophy also. Have fun and good luck with your hunt!
 
Freezing alone does NOT kill bear trichinosis...so make sure you cook it to the proper temp too. :-)

I'm going after my second bear (first one was when I was 14, with a guide so maybe it doesn't count haha) this year and I'm stoked!

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