The Truth About Bear Meat

[KJH]

All from Manitoba... East of Flin Flon

 

[John Kimble]

Had blackberry bear meat on ice within 3 hours of the shot. Meat was awesome! Similar to really tough beef. Seasoned only with salt and pepper. First time ive had it though.

 

[Short Track]

I took a Northern Ontario bear in August. Taste exactly like beef. No difference at all. Only ate steaks so far, but I'm happy

 

[Kevin Dill]

At our house moose meat is a staple. Black bear is a delicacy. Best bear meat I've ever eaten was a spring bear from Manitoba...Swan River region.

 

[KJH]

At our house moose meat is a staple. Black bear is a delicacy. Best bear meat I've ever eaten was a spring bear from Manitoba...Swan River region.

We eat moose and then more moose and then more moose. Then we throw in some deer, antelope, and lots of birds. I'm with you on game meat being a staple... but black bear in the spring from MB? I know where Swan River is and we're only about 150ish miles north... I don't know what could be so different between where I get mine and the one you ate. Our camp gets 6-10 every year there and they are all the same... stinky and ripe even skinning them right away. Its the meat that stinks not the hides.

We cut the fat off for the first nations ladies and I struggle with the smell when cutting it up. There is no other animal that smells like that to me. I like cutting meat... Is it possible that there is something to that area? I can't think of anything else. I'm completely confused with words like "awesome", "delicacy", and "tastes like beef" being used in the same post about black bear meat.

 

[oldgrowth]

This is an interesting topic. I had some bear meat (a roast) when I was a teenager that was terrible. I never really considered hunting them because I didn't want to kill something I wasn't going to eat. Fast forward some years, I had a friend give me some bear burger to try and it was delicious. Even the wife and kids commented on how good it was. Two years ago I decided to try hunting them. Got my first bear last year. It was a sow taken in high country and was eating mostly grass by the looks of the droppings. I had heard for years that they taste like what they are eating so I wasn't sure what to expect. The meat was great! Everyone in the family agreed it was better than the deer we had (it was great too).

This year I took a boar in the same location. He was eating mostly berries (unidentified kind). I was worried that he would be a little more gamey tasting being a boar and due to the fact it took so long to locate him. He tasted even better than the sow I took last year! I have given out some to friends and they say it was great too. My buddy told me his 6 year old daughter ate everything on her plate and wanted more. He said that was weird because she rarely eats everything.

One last observation, I have always been told bear meat is greasy. I have found the opposite to be true. I think it is leaner than deer meat IMO.

 

[406]

All the bear meat I've had, 3 different bears, tasted like ass.

The one I ate alot of was from a girfriends dad's game locker(s). He was a butcher by trade and every thing else he gave me was beyond perfect. But the bear was gawd awful. We tried everything. Over seasoned tacos were the least horrific. We ate alot of those...

The absolute worst was a roast from hell. We slow cooked that thing for 16 hours. It was still inedible.
My roommate and I hucked it in the back yard for my 120lb Malamute to finish off. He batted it around for about 20 minutes and then we watched him bury that thing.
It's probably still there 20 years later and just might be finally edible.

I don't hunt em cause I can't stand eating em.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Kevin Dill]

We eat moose and then more moose and then more moose. Then we throw in some deer, antelope, and lots of birds. I'm with you on game meat being a staple... but black bear in the spring from MB? I know where Swan River is and we're only about 150ish miles north... I don't know what could be so different between where I get mine and the one you ate. Our camp gets 6-10 every year there and they are all the same... stinky and ripe even skinning them right away. Its the meat that stinks not the hides.

We cut the fat off for the first nations ladies and I struggle with the smell when cutting it up. There is no other animal that smells like that to me. I like cutting meat... Is it possible that there is something to that area? I can't think of anything else. I'm completely confused with words like "awesome", "delicacy", and "tastes like beef" being used in the same post about black bear meat.

Not being a Manitoban I can't even speculate on what differences might exist in various bears and areas. All I can really tell you is that the bear I killed is beyond simply 'good'. It's absolutely delicious, and my VERY leery wife loves that meat. We fed it to family last fall (they had never eaten bear) and they were actually grinning and chattering about how impressed they were with it. I can also relate: I know of at least a half-dozen other hunters who killed bears out of that camp and all of them kept their meat. To a man, they all think it's some of the best wild game meat they've ever brought home. The one flavor characteristic which always comes to my mind when eating this bear is "sweet". The meat has a definite mild sweetness (very pleasant) to it.

I shot my bear in the evening and recovered it a couple hours later. First thing in the morning we skinned, quartered and deboned the meat. I just put all the big meat hunks in a dry bag and froze it that day. Couple days later I tossed the meat into a duffle and checked it as baggage home. It resided in my freezer for quite a while before I finally got around to thawing and cutting it. That's all I did with mine. A friend went there this past May and inquired about what to do with his bear meat if successful. I told him how I did it and suggested the same. I told him to bring it all home and I'd pay the expenses if he didn't want it. They kept it and are enjoying it.

 

[idcuda]

This is the most baffling topic ever. I really need to shoot a bear, so I can try this fantastic tasting ass meat. Sounds like Russian roulette.

 

[Bear_Hunter]

I've had good and bad. The one's I've taken care of was good. The stuff I didn't like was simply over cooked or, it would have probably been good. God Bless

That's the bummer about bear steaks, you have to over cook it to avoid getting trichinosis, simply ruins a steak. I prefer to make meat products that are fine cooked well done. Even canning is a good way to go. Bacon and cheesy brats are hard to beat. Never had a bad bear, but I hunt them where they don't have access to salmon. It's near the top of the list for my favorite game meats.

 

[Nick Muche]

All this talk about bear meat makes me want to have some this eve, but I made a promise to myself to eat sheep meat every day until it's gone

 

[TheHardWay]

So all of you that shoot bears and then won't eat it, what do you do with the meat?

 

[KJH]

So all of you that shoot bears and then won't eat it, what do you do with the meat?

Good question... fair question too. Something I struggled with after realizing bear meat wasn't palatable to me. It's the only thing I kill besides fur animals that I don't eat. The animal still gets used and consumed. Just differently than me eating it.

We skin them and keep the hides and skulls. We trim all the fat off the bears (what is left after winter) and the first nation's ladies come from the closest village/town to get it. They render it and use it for "stuff"... They really love the fat and are immensely appreciative. They can't get enough of the fat, but won't take the meat.

Then the meat is deboned and I guess donated to a couple of breeders to make cooked for dog food. I guess its cooked in huge pot and canned in big metal tins. I fill out the meat tag and transfer of possession form and feel better that it is getting used for food. Its just not human food.

The rest of the carcass and non-dog food organs are disposed of like any other gut pile.

 

[George]

I have never eaten ass.

G

 

[HJ Handy]

I've eaten Black Bear here in AK that had been eating nothing but berries for months, also from an area where the bears will never see a fish. Bears seem to take on the flavor of whatever they have been eating the most of, at least from the meat I've tried. It was some pretty tasty meat and made good roast and taco meat. Made excellent sausage too. Made a pile of jerky from that bear as well.

I've only (tried) to eat meat from one Brown Bear and the meat smelled like the fish carcasses it had been eating all summer. No thanks.

 

[Gobbler36]

I believe bears vary in taste from individual to individual more than any other game out there largely based on diet, i also believe that bears do well with certain preparations like braising, brining and smoking, grinding into sausage and brats. I think the typical theme with bear is low and slow with some aromatics. all said bear has been one of my favorites so far, makes great pulled bbq and great brats. Rinellas guide book has some awesome bear recipes, and the fat is an absolute treat my wife loves to bake with it it makes cake and cookies become so much more rich and moist, i also sautee with it and think that olive oil has more of a strong flavor

 

[mlevimadden]

I've been eating a black bear roast all week from a sow killed in CO this fall. I haven't tried any of the steaks yet, but the roasts and sausage taste just as good as any other game animal I've eaten.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Appears to be a 50-50 scenario at this point.

 

[Kevin Dill]

My hunting partner spent the weekend with me. We made a black bear stew yesterday and had it for dinner last night. Both of us had double helpings and it was superb.

 

[lkwoolsey]

I like bear. Shooting ones that are eating berries is a must if it's going to taste good. Honestly though, we jar the entire bear. It lasts longer, and it makes it taste much better. My wife does all the canning and jarring, I just process the meat and chunk it into 1-inch cubes and she does the rest. We are able to feed it to my mom though, who doesn't even like elk or venison, and she'll eat the bear (the canned stuff anyways.) Just my experience with bear.