So who actually eats bear?

[Chefofthewoods]

++ on the bear meat reviews. A sweetness that's a great complement to itself, which contrasts against herbaceous or cedar-tinged venison.

Which I also love, because really all three meats are great are great foils for red wine.

 

[bpietila]

I have eaten a few grizzly bears. The very best have been harvested early season (August) but even mid September is still good. Just not as good as beginning of August. Before I knew better I tried cooking meat from a grizzly bear without trimming the fat. It was a spring bear and that put me off trying to eat spring bears. As I have had more experience harvesting and cooking bear meat I have found that trimming ALL of the fat off makes a huge difference in taste. I would say trim the fat, cook thoroughly, and enjoy.

 

[Bobcat]

We eat and enjoy a lot of spring bear in my family. Like others have said, summer sausage, hot links and backs traps are hard to beat.

I enjoy bringing summer sausage to a party and seeing people’s reaction when they try bear for the first time.

 

[bpietila]

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We eat and enjoy a lot of spring bear in my family. Like others have said, summer sausage, hot links and backs traps are hard to beat.

I enjoy bringing summer sausage to a party and seeing people’s reaction when they try bear for the first time.

The past two spring bears I got were very good. The one that put me off spring bear for a while had a very strong smell and flavor after cooking. In hindsight I think it was due to not removing any fat before cooking.

 

[rclouse79]

Just ate a front shoulder roast from the bear in my profile pic tonight. After 8 hours in a dutch oven at 225 degrees it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth. Bear is slowly becoming one of my favorite wild game meats..

 

[owengohunt]

I've gotten 3 bear in the past all tasted great, roast, sausage, bologna, all is amazing. However this year when butchering my spring bear I've ran into what looks like a worm but I'm kinda clueless what kind it would be or anything like that, any help would me much appreciated.

 

[tdot]

Bear is amazing, it's definitely one of my favourite game meats. It definitely needs to be handled properly and like a pig if it's feeding on nasty food, it'll taste nasty. I'm definitely selective about where I hunt them.

My 14 month old has been eating game meat for 6 months or so. He got his first taste of spring bear 3 weeks ago. Just about lost his marbles. It is now his favourite food, period. He's never cried if I took a bottle away, but when the bear was done at dinner tonight, full meltdown. I'd say he's a fan.

 

[tdot]

I've gotten 3 bear in the past all tasted great, roast, sausage, bologna, all is amazing. However this year when butchering my spring bear I've ran into what looks like a worm but I'm kinda clueless what kind it would be or anything like that, any help would me much appreciated.

I believe that's a worm that resides in between the layers of muscle fascia of the major muscle groups. It doesn't live in the muscle itself. If I remember right, it lives in the intestines of deer, and the bear gets it from eating the deer. It is easily cleaned out from in between the muscle groups for aesthetics but it is harmless to humans and I believe when you find it, it is already dead (atleast that's what the interwebs told me). I had a bear with it once and I tried to clean out everything I found. Never found one on a cutting board or plate when it was time to eat. It was one of the best tasting bears I've had.

 

[Mosby]

The one spring bear we ate was not very good. The only thing we enjoyed were teriyaki sticks. If I get one again it is the only thing I would order. Breakfast sausage was awful. I think fall bear is better. The bears diet is the key. If its a dumpster diver or lives near a dump, it isn't worth shooting.

 

[slatty]

Having only harvested one fall black bear so far, I will say that it was awesome. Halfway between beef and pork. I ground the whole bear except the loins. There is plenty of deer left in the freezer but the bear is all gone. And that's the vote of my wife who is still not super comfortable with bear hunting, despite having eaten a whole one

 

[David Gough]

Add me to the list. Delicious.

 

[TNsavageman]

We make breakfast sausage out of black bears. Mix in some Boston butt to keep it from drying out and grind it together. It’s great and is always a hit at the church breakfast we have.

 

[Sawfish]

Bear meat makes the best chili you have ever eaten. Just make lots of it because it won't last long. NO BEANS!

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

However this year when butchering my spring bear I've ran into what looks like a worm but I'm kinda clueless what kind it would be or anything like that, any help would me much appreciated.

Harmless, unless the missus finds one on her plate!

 

[dla]

I’ve always wanted to hunt black bear and just became a Wyoming Resident this year so now I have the chance to. I’ve always thought of a bear as a predatory animal due to having a lot of my cowboy and ranching friend having problems with them killing calves and sheep. I’ve never even thought of eating one and everyone I’ve talked to says there dogs wouldn’t eat it. I read the Wyoming regs and it says you have to have proof of sex attached to the hide and the skull but not required to take the meat. Honestly I see it as a predator hunt, not a big game hunt like elk and deer. Is it worth taking the meat?

Bear are probably the biggest source of parasites. If you are comfortable with cooking the bugs to death then eat bear.

 

[Lowg08]

I try to get one in the freezer every year my family loves all the ways you can cook it

 

[NEWHunter]

It’s excellent. Bear burgers are awesome - top with provolone cheese and dill pickle slice and it doesn’t get any better. Unfortunately where I hunt in WI it’s about a 15 year wait for a tag.

 

[FreeRange]

Bear shanks Chile Verde style is one of the best shank recipes i’ve ever done. Made some epic tacos and saved all the broth and some meat to make posole. Had a hard time convincing anyone it was game meat. Low and slow preparations are great to ensure thorough cooking and saving all the tough cuts like shanks, neck and shoulders from the grinder leaves plenty of meat for that type of cooking. Kind of opposite from what I grind on a deer or elk, the tender cuts that usually get cooked medium rare I don’t think turn out as good on a bear where I’m trying to walk the line between safe temps and over-cooked. This bear made a lot of excellent breakfast sausage with a made from scratch seasoning mix with fresh apples, onion, garlic and sage ground in.

 

[Link_OH]

+1 for bear venison love... slow cooked and in stews was my favorite... I brought a crockpot of stew into work and everyone was impressed

 

[JoeG]

I’m not a fan of bear meat. But the land owner were I deer hunt loves it. I just give it all to him