Keeping bear meat vs hide only... what do you do?

[bhw2d]

I just take the meat.

 

[chasewild]

I killed a bear in 2004, and it was a weird hunt. After the shot, it went into the trees and as I was going to retrieve my arrow, a bigger boar came in right behind the first. It was getting dark, and I left for the night. I came back the next morning, way before daylight. Something smelled bad, rotten, and it sounded like there was another animal in the timber with me so I backed out. Daylight came, and I went back in and the big boar ran off through the timber. I chased the wind and found a huge pile of logs, wood chippings, brush and dirt that looked fresh. From the bottom of it was a bear paw sticking out. I uncovered the bear that had been half eaten and pissed on by the boar. I cut it up, packed it out, and put it in a stream to cool down. It was a tough task as far as gag reflex goes.

Got home, and it cleared out everyone in a 20 yard radius. I pitched everything...I was repulsed by the smell and the whole experience. I didn't hunt bear again until 2012.

That year A buddy joined on an Idaho spring hunt. He shot a beautiful little blonde bear and we left the meat. Mostly because I was convinced that all bears were nasty and I didn't care what anyone said.

Fast forward to 2022. Got the itch up here to kill a jet black bear and I had come around to eating it. Packed out the meat and the fat.

Conclusion:

Bear meat is now some of my favorite (disclaimer: fall AK mountain black bear on berries).
The hide is beautiful too.

Advice:

Pack it out. Even when you don't have too. You'll be glad you did.

 

[Grover4360]

This will be my first year hunting bear... spring AND fall most likely... and if I'm lucky enough to get one, I'm curious as to harvesting the meat as well, or just taking the hide/skull/etc? I'll be hunting Utah where taking the meat is not required. Just kind of curious what "most" people do. If I did take the meat I would likely donate most of it, I can't imagine eating that much of it in my own circle. Grateful for any input. Thanks!

If you are going to harvest a bear, it would be shameful, in my book, to not take the meat. If you don’t eat it, donate it to someone who will!

 

[derrick454@]

I’ll take the meat. Anything organic is better than the stuff their trying to kill us with. Pump us up w drugs is the government way. Bill Gates has his way we will be eating synthetic meat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sam Colt]

Hunted spring bear in Alberta a few years ago. When I asked about the meat, the outfitters showed me the boneyard. Not even the ravens eat spring bear up there. I took the rug.

 

[ianpadron]

Cool to see the poll results.

There's no beating a bear roast in the fall...puts the best beef chuck roast on Earth to shame.

This thread literally has my mouth watering haha

 

[Ron.C]

Hunted spring bear in Alberta a few years ago. When I asked about the meat, the outfitters showed me the boneyard. Not even the ravens eat spring bear up there. I took the rug.

Easier to throw it out and say it isn't edible then to assist a hunter getting the meat home???

That said, I do know that salmon fed bears can taste very different than berry fed bears. I wonder if baited bears are off tasting if they've been hitting a bait for a while?

 

[Nick Muche]

Bear meat can be fantastic, other times it can be pretty bad. I keep it when the law requires me to and when I have the choice it'll depend on how it looks and smells while skinning it. I think I have tossed more hides than left meat as of late.

Baited bears taste just fine. Bears eating salmon on the other hand usually do not.

 

[Trial153]

Nick as always has good advise. Its all depends. I have yet to kill a spring or fall baited black bear that wasn’t good eating.

 

[Arcola]

We eat what we kill. Always have bear meat in the freezer. It’s a favorite for our family, and everyone we’ve shared with has agreed (specifically non-hunting acquaintances). Even if you’re squeamish about eating it, it can be made into fabulous sticks, sausages, etc. It’s my boys’ preferred lunch meat.

 

[mustelid_master]

+1 for taking the meat out. It's not as good as elk, but it is edible, and I'll take what I can get.

 

[alaska_bou]

I remember doing a self-guided hunt on Kupreanof island. We were required to salvage the black bear meat during the spring season, and the people of Petersburg acted like we were all Covid positive missionaries when we tried to give it away. We were able to find homes for our bear meat, but it wasn't easy. Overwhelmingly, no one wanted anything to do with free bear meat. The meat was so greasy the deck we processed the animals on became slick, and not many of us enjoy well-done meat, which is a requirement for any animal, like bear, with a high risk of trich as others have mentioned. Is bear edible or good? That opinion is probably based on each persons' level of privilege. I am sure there are some great cooks that can make anything taste great if you know what you are doing.

To those saying they won't hunt if that means leaving the carcass behind, okay. I think most of us can appreciate that. But don't forget that hunting is also a necessary tool for conservation. Like another person pointed out, are you shooting wolves and coyotes and eating those too, or do you avoid shooting those because you don't eat them? Honest question. Or do you shoot coyotes and leave them, because only some animals have value, and others do not in your mind?

For me personally, if I cut open an animal and see muscle worms, tape worms or a significant infection that is likely in the blood stream, etc, the entire carcass is getting donated to the dumpster, and without an apology. If the carcass is edible, I owe it to the animal to do everything in my power to salvage the meat and find someone who will appreciate it.

 

[Felix40]

I still have bear hides in my freezer because I am required to keep them....I shoot bears to eat.

Me too. Spending the money to get them tanned is way less exciting than eating them.

 

[DawnPatrol]

I remember doing a self-guided hunt on Kupreanof island. … [T]he people of Petersburg acted like we were all Covid positive missionaries when we tried to give it away. … Overwhelmingly, no one wanted anything to do with free bear meat.

That’s because those people know that a lot of those bears spend the fall eating half-dead salmon and the rest of the year patrolling the beach for rotting marine mammals or whatever else they can find. I can testify that eating a bear like that will make you real unwilling to try bear again.

I tend to believe people who say they tried a bear that tasted bad. Because bears can eat such wide range of things (some of which are truly disgusting), I think there’s a much wider range of possible outcomes for how a bear tastes than, say, a mule deer that basically eats about 10 species of plants it’s whole life.

That said, of the many bears I’ve tasted that were eating grass or biscuit root or dandelions in the spring in the coast range or the Blues, all have been delicious. I’m sure someday I’ll eat one that just gorged on a rotten winterkill elk, though.

Don’t forget: OR bear tag application deadline is Feb 10!!

 

[haywoodhunter]

Bear meat is tasty

 

[Duckhunter14]

It’s an interesting topic and obviously opened up a lot of good discussion and different perspectives. I guess I didn’t realize how many hunters left such great table fare on the mountain. A co-worker was showing me a bear hide/head he had killed this last fall, I asked how much meat and fat he had got from the bear and he looked confused. Said he had cut out the backstrap and left the rest. I tried to hide my confusion, but my face must not allow it, because he said man I probably should have taken the rest huh? I don’t pass judgement for following the law. But I did give him a mason jar full of rendered bear fat that my wife and I made from a bear I killed and he has raved about how great his steaks are when he cooks them in bear fat. He also said he’ll never leave bear fat on the mountain again.

I would read the regulations closely for the state you intend to hunt and understand legally what you are required to take. There are multiple states that require you to remove the hide so it can be inspected at a game and fish office and tagged. At that point you can toss it in the dumpster, but it must be removed from the field.

I’ve eaten every bear I’ve ever killed. But have also never found worms, infection, bad smell, etc. I’ve never hunted in an area where bears were only feeding on rotten salmon or a dump. My family loves bear meat and our favorite is bear breakfast sausage. The meat is very fatty (often referred to as “greasy”) and the fat is not waxy and distasteful like deer and elk. It’s closer to pork. As others have mentioned bear can carry trichinosis so be sure to cook it to temp.

The last bear I harvested I took all the fat and then asked my butcher to remove as much as possible and save it for me as well. My wife and I rendered it down and put it in mason jars. We use it to cook almost daily. Any time my wife makes pies she uses it in the crust, we sear all of our meat in it and we also made some peppermint soap with a jar that I really liked.

Ultimately make your own decision based on your situation. But as others have mentioned they are a predator and need to be managed, so buy two tags and hunt away!

If you need any tips on rendering the fat, shoot me a message and I can help with the learning curve.

 

[Grisha]

This will be my first year hunting bear... spring AND fall most likely... and if I'm lucky enough to get one, I'm curious as to harvesting the meat as well, or just taking the hide/skull/etc? I'll be hunting Utah where taking the meat is not required. Just kind of curious what "most" people do. If I did take the meat I would likely donate most of it, I can't imagine eating that much of it in my own circle. Grateful for any input. Thanks!

It can be quite good - cooking up a Japanese curry with ground black bear this week...

 

[SixteenG]

I absolutely love bear meat. Makes phenomenal roasts and sausages. I leave the hide and just take the meat.

 

[Spear0]

Im looking forward to using the hide meat and skull on my first bear kill this fall if given the opportunity. All part of the process to me.

 

[ModernOutlaw]

Black bear meat is awesome. I put it on par with Elk.