So who actually eats bear?

Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
86
Location
Macomb, MI
++ 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

FNG
Joined
Feb 8, 2020
Messages
69
Location
Northwest AK
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

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 12, 2017
Messages
109
Location
Portland, OR
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

FNG
Joined
Feb 8, 2020
Messages
69
Location
Northwest AK
I
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

WKR
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
1,727
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..
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
13
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.
67ee4327acb15439e220e9b3bf76df15.jpg
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tdot

WKR
Joined
Aug 18, 2014
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1,888
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BC
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

WKR
Joined
Aug 18, 2014
Messages
1,888
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BC
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.
67ee4327acb15439e220e9b3bf76df15.jpg
e33f08cdc3dc7d9fdb75da68b1dc3205.jpg

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

WKR
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
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1,910
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

WKR
Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
326
Location
British Columbia
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 ;)
 

TNsavageman

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 25, 2013
Messages
159
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.
 

dla

WKR
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
302
Location
Oregon & Idaho
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

WKR
Joined
Aug 31, 2019
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2,145
I try to get one in the freezer every year my family loves all the ways you can cook it
 

NEWHunter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 10, 2018
Messages
103
Location
Milwaukee, WI
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

WKR
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
433
Location
N. ID
BCB4D4C1-E402-411E-9307-9A551CD40132.jpegBear 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

FNG
Joined
May 27, 2020
Messages
23
+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

FNG
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
11
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
 
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