Bear taste (Ocean vs Mountain)

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G-Force24

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Anyone have much experiance with hunting and more importantly eating bears close to (or on) the ocean. I had one from the mountains last year and it was delicious but have been a little nervous about harvesting one close to river mouths and oceans. Guess I am just nervous it would taste fishy...

BTW so excited for Spring bear on Vancouver Island, got a new hunting rifle (Savage 11/111 Hog hunter .308):runaway:
 
I have not tried either, but like any game animal the meat will take on characteristics of there diet. So until those who have had enough of both worlds to comment on there experience I would research what the bear would be eating in each jurisdiction, type of fish etc. fish is a big part of all Bears diets, look at what fish are in each environment (salt water ocean, vs, fresh water streams)
 
We have a lot of very high volume salmon streams in my area...I don't hunt bears close to those areas, instead I choose to hunt the higher areas loaded with berry patches.
Haven't yet had a poor tasting black bear.
 
I typically hunt the high levels with berry patches too. Although I have been watching youtbe hunting show's (sponsored hunters) and I notice they hunt the ocean fairly often. There seems to be a denser population closer to the coast (obviously for the richer food sources)
 
G-Force24 said:
I typically hunt the high levels with berry patches too. Although I have been watching youtbe hunting show's (sponsored hunters) and I notice they hunt the ocean fairly often. There seems to be a denser population closer to the coast (obviously for the richer food sources)
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I haven't eaten a bear that has been feeding on tidal flats but I would guess that they taste fine. Its the rotting dead salmon streams that I steer clear of in the fall, the stench can be smelled a long ways off.
 
I once ( note the "once") shot a bear that was feeding on salmon and it was just terrible. I tried sausage, smoking it, marinades and it didn't matter what I did I couldn't get past the taste. Eventually I gave it to a friend with hounds and he said even some of them wouldn't eat it.
 
Ahhhh the taste of fish bear. Only slightly better than garbage bear haha. Stick to the higher up ones and u will not be disappointed.
 
Remmy700 said:
Spring bears, up high feeding on foliage/berries are the best eaters.
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Yep thats the ones I look for as well and also between 100-150lbs....don't want an old one. I normally take one bear each spring and most of it gets ground into burger. Makes the best chili out there.
This spring I think I will try making some bear bacon if I can find the link to that again...I think it was from the Alaskan state wildlife site.
 
A number of years ago, I got a beautiful cinnamon colored 100's of km from any where (interior of BC), when we started skinning it, spine was full of tape worm. The next year Dad got 1 totally different area and the same thing, full of tape worm in the spine. So we kinda got turned off of bear. I've heard its ok to eat but was not really appetizing. I think im ready to try another after reading a few posts here. and getting the itch to get out and hunt.
 
When I first started hunting bears (1976) on northern Vancouver Island I got my first bear and several others in subsequent years right on the banks of a salmon stream.

Their droppings on the river banks were all composed of blue salal berries and so were the contents of their intestines. They had just started getting into the salmon and tasted sweet and berry-fed. This was in the fall though. I have no idea why, but I was allergic to spring bear hunting at first. It just didn't seem right to hunt in the spring. I got over that eventually.

On one occasion a buddy invited a friend to come from Ontario for a spring bear hunt and I took them to my favourite spot along a river. The Ontario dude shot a big golden-furred black bear that was old and worn out. His canines were worn flat and his hip joints wobbled loosely in their sockets. He had five inches of fat on him in May. Unheard of.

He was impossible to eat and tasted of rotten fish. I realized later what happened. He was too old and sore to hibernate so stayed up all winter feeding on rotten chum salmon carcasses.

My guess is if you get a bear up in the logging slashes away from the rivers the bear should taste fine.
 
G-Force24 said:
Anyone have much experiance with hunting and more importantly eating bears close to (or on) the ocean. I had one from the mountains last year and it was delicious but have been a little nervous about harvesting one close to river mouths and oceans. Guess I am just nervous it would taste fishy...

BTW so excited for Spring bear on Vancouver Island, got a new hunting rifle (Savage 11/111 Hog hunter .308):runaway:
Click to expand...

The best eating bear ever is a dump bear!! They get into some of the choicest morsels around like full diapers, tampons, maggot covered meat and carcasses....mmmmmmmmmmm, yummie!!! :rolleyes:

Personally I have no interest in shooting a bear never mind eating it?! I have tried it twice at the urgence of friends who said it was delicious and damned near cp:my brains out both times. Never tasted anything so horrible in my life. With the exception of defending myself from a bear attack they'll get a free pass from me.
 
Best eating bears I have shot were taken in the Apple and Plum orchards. Next are those feeding in the high country, Huckleberries and such.

I generally avoid the salmon streams and any dump bears. Carrion eaters are even worse. gag!!

Regards, Dave.
 
G-Force24 said:
I typically hunt the high levels with berry patches too. Although I have been watching youtbe hunting show's (sponsored hunters) and I notice they hunt the ocean fairly often. There seems to be a denser population closer to the coast (obviously for the richer food sources)
Click to expand...


More food = bigger animal... If you want a big bodied bear to look good for the camera you hunt around big food sources, like shooting white tail that roam between a green break and a grain silo, big body for the camera, lots of fat left after skinning for coyote bait.

I won't hunt a black bear personally but I have shot a few for local land owners... Nothing went to waste... Simple philosophy, they fed it now it feeds them.
 
When the then BC Fish & Wildlife Branch were still cutting and aging pre-molars .....
Sent in three for aging ....... came back as a 10yr. old, 13yr. old, and a 15yr. old.
These were all large bodied boars. The 10yr. and the 15yr. qualified for the book.
All were delicious table fare. From Vancouver Island.
Have had good eating from younger/smaller bears also .....

Haven't eaten black bear from 'the beach' ...... but did eat some G-bear from the tideland ....... it smelled 'off' while being cooked, but wasn't bad eating ....
 
Will the fall fish bear flavour carry over through hibernation and into the spring? It's been a long time since I ate bear and am tempted with a spring hunt....just wary.
Coastal bears also eat a lot of mussels, crabs and tidal grasses. Would the "fresh" seafood diet impart any different flavour than the rotten salmon diet? Do I just assume once a fish bear, always a fish bear?
 
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