Bear Meat?

mmattockx

mmattockx

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I have seen so many different opinions on this that I want some CGN quality info. One buddy shot a black bear a few years ago and swears it was some of the best game meat he has ever had. Other friends swear that bear meat is disgusting beyond words.

I can get a general black bear tag in Alberta without going through a draw and I am wondering if it is worth the time and what the members here think about bear meat.

Thanks,
Mark
 
mmattockx said:
I have seen so many different opinions on this that I want some CGN quality info. One buddy shot a black bear a few years ago and swears it was some of the best game meat he has ever had. Other friends swear that bear meat is disgusting beyond words.
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And I would bet a thousand bucks that you get the same here.

FWIW, I have had bear meat that was as nice as finished beef, and I have had bear meat that I couldn't swallow without gagging a little.

Here in AB we are lucky that we are not required to always take the edible portions home. In BC you MUST remove all edible portions to your home or a meat cutters, just like any other big game animal (like moose, deer, etc.).

The best advice I can give you is some that was given to me many years ago, by a long time bear hunter I knew on the coast. He said that if the fat is yellow, leave it where it is. If the fat is white, enjoy your roasts, chili and sausages.

In my experience, this little rule of thumb has been 100% accurate.
 
I really enjoy bear meat, but it has to be cooked properly to be tasty IMHO. I like to cook it in the slow cooker after it has been marinated in spices overnight. Trying to panfry bear meat usually doesn't work very well. BBQ is another good method for cooking bear meat.
 
Pudelpointer said:
And I would bet a thousand bucks that you get the same here.

FWIW, I have had bear meat that was as nice as finished beef, and I have had bear meat that I couldn't swallow without gagging a little.

Here in AB we are lucky that we are not required to always take the edible portions home. In BC you MUST remove all edible portions to your home or a meat cutters, just like any other big game animal (like moose, deer, etc.).

The best advice I can give you is some that was given to me many years ago, by a long time bear hunter I knew on the coast. He said that if the fat is yellow, leave it where it is. If the fat is white, enjoy your roasts, chili and sausages.

In my experience, this little rule of thumb has been 100% accurate.
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never heard that, Ill take that into consideration next time, thanks
 
I've eaten some good bear meat, but I find the animal disgusting to clean. The meat is better from fall bear than the spring bear IMO. Six or seven years ago I made some bear ham that most people could not tell the difference from pork ham. I've shot more than a few bears, but I don't get excited much about it. Doesn't bother me if I don't see them at all.
 
I've killed and eaten several bears, and they are my favourite wild meat. The trick to bear meat is to gut, air out and skin the thing ASAP. Bears are chunky and the meat will sour very fast. The only times I've tried or heard of bad bear meat was when this wasn't done. I have always opened them up with 10 minutes of shooting them, spread the rib cage open, and keep the meat from touching anything. Skin it as soon as you can. I also take all the fat off that I can. Do this, and you will find that bear eat is moist, succulent, with no gamey taste.
 
Any bears I have eaten were great. Any i have shot were promptly cleaned, and cooled. I cut all my own meat and debone everything taking care to trim fat as much as possible.. when i cook it i usually dont let it cook in its own fat (BBQ). This method has always produced a great tasting cut and has always worked out for me. and yes a younger bear will usually taste better than an older one....thanks.
 
fiddler said:
I've eaten some good bear meat, but I find the animal disgusting to clean. The meat is better from fall bear than the spring bear IMO. QUOTE]

I've found the exact opposite. Fall bear is so fatty that it is a real mess to clean. That's why I've always preferred spring bear,less fat and grease in the meat. Just my opinion, but as far as edibility I once had a Canada Day bbq and served venison and bear. The bear all went before the venison, guess it all depends on the animal and the way it was handled after the kill.
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Cured bear ham is fantastic. Any of the bears I've had over the years were good eating, the ones that were feeding in the oat fields were superb. As someone said the big trick is getting the meat cooled quick enough. Watch out with bear burgers when BBQ'ing they tend to "flare up" a bit.
 
I have eaten several bears and enjoy the meat. I bone the meat out and remove almost all the fat then grind most of it up into hamburger. I add beef suet when I am cooking it and use it for hamburgers, chili, sphagetti sauce, and curry. I also save some pieces for stew meat. The roasts that I have cooked have been a little firm

cheers mooncoon
 
Bear meat is good eating, only when the Bear in question is eating certain foods. If you shoot a Bear over a berry patch, oat field, or pastures of green grass, it will be good eating. If said Bear is eating fish, garbage, or munching down on a Moose kill then it will taste terrible. So you just make sure you hunt your Bear near a suitable food source.
 
Bear meat is great - bear hunting is awesome too!

I've made bear burgers, bear chili, lasagna, roasts.... It's all great.

Try not to shoot dump bears - as suggested above. I agree with gutting them quickly and definitely skinning them hot (don't wait until the cool down before skinning - it's so much easier).

Try it at least once (both the hunt and the meat) before you decide.

Have fun!

SD
 
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