Got my bear last night

TheCoachZed

TheCoachZed

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Southern NB, aka "Canada's Bible Belt"
I shot my bear last evening around 7 p.m. Unfortunately, it wasn't the "big" one that I shot at last week - it was all hunched over in the barrel and I couldn't see the size of it. But it's still a lot bigger than the one I shot last year, and will have more than enough meat to keep me busy.

I had my Winchester 1300 with slugs as well as my Savage 170 .30-30. I took the first shot with the shotgun and got a clean lung hit, but she was still trying to get away, so I put a second round through her side that exited out her shoulder and left a messy hole there big enough to put a softball in, and completely evaporated the other lung. Then she just kinda laid down and cried like a baby, which wasn't exactly pleasant, so I picked up the .30-30 and blew off the top of her heart. I could have let her bleed out and die more slowly, but like I said, it wasn't exactly enjoyable hearing her cry.

Anyway, the "big one" (probably pretty small to you western guys) is still out there, but I have two buddies that are also hunting this bait from time to time, so hopefully one of them should bag him. He certainly seems healthy enough on the game camera, and I never found any blood looking for him last week, so I think I must have somehow missed him.

So, it's off to the ranger station today, and then it's down to the butchering business! :)
 
Congrats on the bear! I hear ya on the crying, I've had one bear & one deer "bawl"... Not nice sounds to listen to. But, part of the process of accepting responsibility for eating meat. (Do you think most city folks would eat meat if they experienced this? I think not!)

So, in short, I believe it makes you a better person. One who knows & accepts the realities of the natural world.

Again, CONGRATS on the bear! Yummy!

Cheers
Jay
P.S. Pics???
 
probably pretty small to you western guys
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Lots of big bears in NB, maybe not in league with van isle or the QCI but a NBer has a pretty fair shake at shooting a trophy bear.

Congrats
 
david doyle said:
Lots of big bears in NB, maybe not in league with van isle or the QCI but a NBer has a pretty fair shake at shooting a trophy bear.

Congrats
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I know there's some pretty big bears around, but I have never seen one that would be over 200, 225 lbs. And the warden today said that the one I brought in was pretty typical for a spring bear around here.

I would have liked to get a bigger one, though. But I was running out of time, so . . . I guess I can't complain. I'm pretty happy that I was able to bait and get one all under my own steam, with a little tip from a member here as to where to start looking.
 
i took my friend up northern NB last sunday, by monday night he had his, just a small two year old, but its his first so he was happy, she was taken over bait. I seen one late last night still hunting, but by the time I had a clear shot, she was beatin it on outa there.

heres my friend with his bear

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Congrats on the bear. How do you prefer your bear meat out of curiousity? Are you partial to processed product (sausage, stick, etc..) or steaks and roasts?

I guess I'm lucky that I've yet to hear one of my bear or deer bawl like that. I'd do the same thing as you I'm sure, it doesn't sound like a thing you'd want to hear for long. I think we, as hunters, all like to make the kill as quick and humane as possible. I'd think anyone who didn't think that way would be one sadistic SOB. May have been different in the old days but I'm pretty sure the majority of us now aren't that concerned with conserving ammo.

That being said, I have to say this was one of the funnier quotes I've seen all year - pain and suffering not withstanding :D. Once I got past the crying like a baby part, I damn near pissed myself :D:D.


TheCoachZed said:
Then she just kinda laid down and cried like a baby, which wasn't exactly pleasant, so I picked up the .30-30 and blew off the top of her heart.
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Thank you for this story. I get a lot of enjoyment from reading other hunters stories since I can't hunt right now. Congrats on the bear! I think it is a fine size and will be excellent meat. I think any size bear is worth it and I hope you enjoy it.
 
ILoveBigRacks said:
Congrats on the bear. How do you prefer your bear meat out of curiousity? Are you partial to processed product (sausage, stick, etc..) or steaks and roasts?
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I'm not the world's greatest butcher. I generally cut off the ribs as a unit, cut them up into smaller squares and cook them . . . and I cut off muscle groups and use them as roasts. Anything else generally turns into burger.

I think I am going to start making sausage, though, and with my sub-par butchering skills, I think this would be a great use of my meat.

I've never had any sort of hunting mentor. My dad quit hunting when I was very young, and none of my friends did it when I was growing up on PEI, so everything I know is either self-taught or stuff I've read (I've had a bit of advice on setting up bait sites and so on, but nothing too extensive). So, I'm not a great hand at cutting up meat either, since nobody has shown me how to do it. But in the last year I've done two bears and a deer and so far the meat has tasted OK, though the cuts may be a little rough. :cool:
 
So, I'm not a great hand at cutting up meat either, since nobody has shown me how to do it. But in the last year I've done two bears and a deer and so far the meat has tasted OK, though the cuts may be a little rough.
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Congrats on the bear and as far as butchering goes, it's obvious that you're doing just fine :) Take your burger, add spices, stuff into casings and voila, sausages. Here's some mennonite style farmer sausage rings I made, very easy to do...

Grinder1-1.jpg
 
I bought my wife a Kitchen-Aid mixer for Christmas a couple years ago, and it should come in handy for this sort of operation. It has an external power output that can hook up to a meat grinder as well as a sausage stuffer. I'm going to try bear sausage first . . . I just have to buy the attachments.

I'm thinking that this would be a great way to process ducks as well.
 
TheCoachZed said:
I bought my wife a Kitchen-Aid mixer for Christmas a couple years ago, and it should come in handy for this sort of operation. It has an external power output that can hook up to a meat grinder as well as a sausage stuffer. I'm going to try bear sausage first . . . I just have to buy the attachments.

I'm thinking that this would be a great way to process ducks as well.
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That's how we made our venison sausage last year. The kitchen aid works great. We trimmed carefully to make sure we wouldn't have any blockages. There were no problems, it was so much fun!
 
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