So who actually eats bear?

[furfishngame]

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?

Absolutely! I know it can vary depending on the bear and location/food sources, but I've had one cut of bear meat that was less than desirable and it was a steak from a 426 lber. Had several other pieces of meat off that bear that were top shelf!

Bear liver is also the only liver I truly enjoy eating.

Make sure to also make us of the fat, it makes some of the best lard on this planet.

Happy Hunting! furfishngame

 

[weihasan]

depends on the bear's diet for the most part if they're diet consists of mostly berries then they will taste amazing. other wise make sasguages

 

[Jsmith410]

We love it but our season is in the fall. Bear stew is my favorite. It is just like beef but with a sweeter flavor, if that makes sense.

 

[Hoosier.270]

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?

According to Stephen Rinella, as long as they haven’t been feeding on a strict diet of carrion, it’s the closest thing to beef in the wild

 

[Rich M]

Nope. Not me. Don't hunt em either.

 

[aRandySavage]

We love it in our house! One of our favorites is the ground mixed with chorizo seasonings. We'll substitute bear for pork in biskets and gravy. "Its the best" - Nacho Libre

this sounds amazing

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Black bears sure. Grizzly bears that have been feeding on rotten salmon carcasses.....nope.

 

[dougjoebob]

According to Stephen Rinella, as long as they haven’t been feeding on a strict diet of carrion, it’s the closest thing to beef in the wild

To beef? I didn’t hear that from him, but very similar to pork for sure. Can be used as substitute for pork butt in almost any recipe. Sasauge to roast. Side tip. Sound vide is a great way to make sure it gets to temp but you don’t over cook the beejeezus out of it. We all love a little beejeesuz.


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[Marmots]

I found an Italian sausage recipe on the gritr outdoors blog and made up a batch of spring bear sausage. It is my favorite thing I've ever made! I used a food processor to grind up all the herbs, spices, and fennel seeds before I added them to the 15% pork fat sausage mix:

2.5 pounds of ground bear (with fatback already ground in)
3 medium garlic gloves
1 tablespoon dry basil
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 tablespoon dry rosemary
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne
½ tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons sugar (helps browning)

 

[Oneoldforester]

First post here...funny this showed up. Got my kid into his first big game animal this year, a black bear. We’ve had the backstraps, fantastic, and we just made fajitas from the flank steaks tonight...also pretty tasty!!

 

[nvarcher]

Surprisingly great meat, I can’t wait for my next!


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[BackcountryBloodline]

First post here...funny this showed up. Got my kid into his first big game animal this year, a black bear. We’ve had the backstraps, fantastic, and we just made fajitas from the flank steaks tonight...also pretty tasty!!

Congrats to your boy on his first big game animal and his first bear, be sure to let him know he earned his ungulate hunting this year without a doubt!

 

[Highcountrybulls]

I find Black bear meat to have good flavor, but most has been tough to chew so my preferred use for black bear is to make breakfast sausage. It makes some fantastic sausage gravy! I've tried grizzly and have been unable to choke down more than one bite, it was the most awful meat I've ever eaten.

 

[nvarcher]

I find Black bear meat to have good flavor, but most has been tough to chew so my preferred use for black bear is to make breakfast sausage. It makes some fantastic sausage gravy! I've tried grizzly and have been unable to choke down more than one bite, it was the most awful meat I've ever eaten.

Yeah I think a big part of that is the need to overcook it


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[Sawfish]

Makes the best chili that you ever ate.

 

[PablitoPescador]

To beef? I didn’t hear that from him, but very similar to pork for sure. Can be used as substitute for pork butt in almost any recipe. Sasauge to roast. Side tip. Sound vide is a great way to make sure it gets to temp but you don’t over cook the beejeezus out of it. We all love a little beejeesuz.


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I keep hearing this pork comparison and I can't think of a single aspect of bear meat that is in any way comparable to pork. It's dark, rich and fatty, like beef. Are my tastebuds out of wack or are there populations of ManBearPig I don't know about that you guys are hunting?

 

[dougjoebob]

Very comparable diets when living in same areas. Both kind of opportunists and I butchered two pigs this year and one bear gotta same color and fat content (fall bear) as well as flavor I found pretty similar.


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[Fallow120]

We are the hams of mine for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. He had been eating berries all summer and tasted almost fruity. It was awesome. 7 years ago.


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[Chordeiles]

I keep hearing this pork comparison and I can't think of a single aspect of bear meat that is in any way comparable to pork. It's dark, rich and fatty, like beef. Are my tastebuds out of wack or are there populations of ManBearPig I don't know about that you guys are hunting?

A bear roast, done right, is very comparable to beef.

 

[rclouse79]

A bear roast, done right, is very comparable to beef.

I just made the Mississippi pot roast posted on the forum with a bear roast. It took some major work, but I have converted my wife into a bear meat fan. I stated if you gave that roast to 100 beef eaters and told them it was beef 100 of them would say it was outstanding. She agreed.