Is bear meat worth the effort?

[Bowguy]

I would say it all comes down to how much do you want to kill one.

I've had bear, not much different than deer, a little tougher. You have to be careful to make sure it's cooked through, since it can contain trichina worms (trichinosis), and it's not advised to make jerky or cured sausage out of it.

Guys I've heard this a little tougher meat before n trust me it's almost impossible to be a little tougher.

It's very fatty meat n I've never once seen it tough. In fact you should best be grilling it to get some of the grease to burn off. Hope that helps n I'd love to hear how you're cooking it to make it tough?

[Bowguy]

I would say it all comes down to how much do you want to kill one.

I've had bear, not much different than deer, a little tougher. You have to be careful to make sure it's cooked through, since it can contain trichina worms (trichinosis), and it's not advised to make jerky or cured sausage out of it.

Edited July 5, 2015 by Bowguy

[Terry]

Bear meat seems to be very controversial. Half the guys I have talked to love it, the other half hate it. I have had it once and enjoyed it. I have a Maine hunt booked for their opening week, so hopefully I will have a lot more experience by this time next year.

[Bowguy]

Bear meat seems to be very controversial. Half the guys I have talked to love it, the other half hate it. I have had it once and enjoyed it. I have a Maine hunt booked for their opening week, so hopefully I will have a lot more experience by this time next year.

Bro what's controversial about it is people heads n ideas. For lots it not a common food n their brain tells em it's not something to eat.

Hence the toughness comments. It's almost impossible to make it tough. Shoot one eat it n you decide

[Five Seasons]

Here's something IMPORTANT to chew on......................................

 

 

 

wow, i remember that episode. He's by far my favorite hunting show. Personally I've always kind of wanted to shoot a bear but have never gone after them. Mostly because of retrieval issues and meat concerns. Would love a rug someday, but again not sure I'd want one bad enough to specifically go after them.

[Five Seasons]

Bro what's controversial about it is people heads n ideas. For lots it not a common food n their brain tells em it's not something to eat.

Hence the toughness comments. It's almost impossible to make it tough. Shoot one eat it n you decide

 

In another meat eater episode Rinella's hunting black bear in alaska. He passes an easy shot because of how much bears remind them of humans. I'm not saying I agree, but it makes you think. We hunt deer, turkey, duck etc because they're really nothing like us. Yet a bear will eat the same muscles and fish we do. They'll stand on their hind legs. So it clearly can mess with ones head a little and that can do all sorts of things to how your brain perceives the taste.

[bowtech2]

Bear meat seems to be very controversial. Half the guys I have talked to love it, the other half hate it. I have had it once and enjoyed it. I have a Maine hunt booked for their opening week, so hopefully I will have a lot more experience by this time next year.

Where in Maine you going? I was up there last year first week was very surprised how much fat was on the bears already. I actually thought the bear meat was very good. I donate my bear to family up there. I kept a steak for myself. I had one piece and my kids ate the rest of it. Wish I kept more of it.

[Trial153]

The fall bear I have killed have been good table fare. I have stayed clear of spring bear mostly because of logistics.

[EspressoBuzz]

There is a range master at Brookhaven who grills up some bear meat occasionally and it not only smelled great but was very tasty and tender too. he did say a lot of prep and care was taken to trim all the fat and marinate it well. But honestly it was awesome.

[Doc]

Quote: "Is bear meat worth the effort?"

 

I have often pictured shooting a bear the better part of a mile at the rear of my property. And then I start wondering about getting this big bag of jello that has no handles, and weighs a few hundred pounds all by myself. And then not even knowing whether the taste of the meat would make me puke or not. All things considered, I have to say that no, for me it probably is not worth the effort.....lol.

[wolc123]

Younger bears, under 250 pounds or so, are better eating in general.   The taste is very good, nearly equal to that of a young whitetail.  Proper care for the carcass, and diet also comes into play as mentioned earlier. Compared to deer, there is a lot more waste on a bear.  A 200 pounder might yield the about same amount of meat as a 100 pound deer.  Lots of fat to be trimmed away, heavier bones, hide, etc..  Kind of the same as wild boars in that respect.  The perfect bear for me would weigh about 225 pounds field-dressed, which is large enough for a decent rug, manageable to drag myself from the woods and get onto the ATV rack, yet small enough to provide for some "prime" eating.     

[gjs4]

Wild yes- bait bucket or dump divers ; no. Neve could understand why someone would want to shoot a 150lb bear in Canada- little sporting effort, taste horrid and your trophy is a bathrobe sized rub

[Deleted]

I'm no big bear hunter, but I've killed two. One was just under 250#,and the other right at 150. They'd both been feeding on beech nuts and they were tasty. The back straps were awesome, and if you like liver, don't waste it. It's very similar to pork liver, one of my favorites, and  I think It's even better.

 

I don't know what the current laws are regarding the gall bladders, but I sold mine to my fur buyer for more than I would have thought they were worth. If It's still legal to sell them, tie it off where it connects to the liver with dental floss, or some other strong, thin string, and cut it away from the liver, leaving just a little of the liver attached to it.

 

Butchering them isn't really any different than any other game. I love roast bear, so I cut mine into mostly roasts, and some steaks.

 

I usually hunt alone, and the first one was a killer to get out by myself. It was like dragging a 250# sack of Jello.  I bought one of Cabela's Mag Haulers, and it made it a lot easier to get the second one out. I could have cut them up in the woods, but I wanted to bring them out in one piece.

 

Good Luck with the bears, and have fun.

[Bone Seeker]

Its okay in stew and meat pies and sausage, but for a steak......no thanks Ill take deer.

[crappyice]

I am heading to Lagrange, Maine next Sunday for my first bear hunt with a bow,....fired up! Just nice to think about hunting this early

[The_Real_TCIII]

I am heading to Lagrange, Maine next Sunday for my first bear hunt with a bow,....fired up! Just nice to think about hunting this early

youre going to have the time of your life. Maine is awesome and having a bear come in is indescribable. Ive gone bear hunting four times and killed three bears it's fantastic

[bowtech2]

I am heading to Lagrange, Maine next Sunday for my first bear hunt with a bow,....fired up! Just nice to think about hunting this early

Maine bear hunting is so much fun. Been twice I got one may father has taken two. Last year was our best year. Good luck can't wait to see pictures.

[Uncle Nicky]

Guys I've heard this a little tougher meat before n trust me it's almost impossible to be a little tougher.

It's very fatty meat n I've never once seen it tough. In fact you should best be grilling it to get some of the grease to burn off. Hope that helps n I'd love to hear how you're cooking it to make it tough?

It is fatty, yes, but the fat is not "marbled" like you see on a prime beef steak, the fat is on the exterior of the meat, especially thick in the fall when they are bulking up. Grilling anything but the loins is probably the worst way to cook bear or venison for that matter. Add the fact that you should cook the meat to a MINIMUM of 150 degrees to kill trichinosis, and yeah, you're going to get a piece of meat that';s a little chewy. Better to grind the meat or slow cook/braise it (pot roast, swiss steaks, or stew) if you're set on cutting steaks or roasts.

[jjb4900]

if you wonder what a bear may taste like, you may want to start small and try a raccoon, same type of fat on the body and a skinned out carcass looks pretty much the same.............that being said I have eaten both and would do so again.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

It is fatty, yes, but the fat is not "marbled" like you see on a prime beef steak, the fat is on the exterior of the meat, especially thick in the fall when they are bulking up. Grilling anything but the loins is probably the worst way to cook bear or venison for that matter. Add the fact that you should cook the meat to a MINIMUM of 150 degrees to kill trichinosis, and yeah, you're going to get a piece of meat that';s a little chewy. Better to grind the meat or slow cook/braise it (pot roast, swiss steaks, or stew) if you're set on cutting steaks or roasts.

trimmed steaks. Thaw. mix 50/50 brown sugar and montreal steak seasoning. Pulverize in blender. rub into steaks and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. grill to medium. some of the best eating there is.

 

It was said before. The only bad bear I have had was a dump bear that a friend shot. natural diet of with an outfitter that baits with meats and grain will be wonderful eating.

[thphm]

Quote: "Is bear meat worth the effort?"

 

I have often pictured shooting a bear the better part of a mile at the rear of my property. And then I start wondering about getting this big bag of jello that has no handles, and weighs a few hundred pounds all by myself. And then not even knowing whether the taste of the meat would make me puke or not. All things considered, I have to say that no, for me it probably is not worth the effort.....lol.

 

Not worth the effort for me either , When we were Young and Strong , my neighbor shot one around 350 pounds down in a shale quarry about 50 ft. lower then the area around it , we just tied the legs up and had a heck of a time getting that stinky bundle of jelly out of there.

It made a nice rug with the head mounted on it. I never had any of the meat either.

[Skillet]

I went to a place in Patten, Maine for 3 years in a row. I was a teenager, & the outfitter would let me come up for the summer & help get stands / trails ready, and start the baiting. In return, he let me hunt the first week of the season for free. He turned out to be a great friend, but died a few years back. Killed 2, missed one. 175lbs & 200lbs. The first one was great to eat, we did it mostly in roasts / stews. The second one had visible 1" - 2" worms crawling out of where the muscles overlapped eachother. I didn't eat that one.

 Don't listen to the people saying that a 150lb bear is too little. He always told guys that 130lb was an average Maine bear. Bears are tough. We trailed and lost lots of bears that guys hit with fast, flat shooting rifles (300, 30-06, etc). The shots were all under 50yards, & the guys who did best used their 12 gauges or slower rounds throwing heavy lead (I used a 444 on one, and a 458 win on the other)

Good luck! I'm jealous.

[jjb4900]

I went to a place in Patten, Maine for 3 years in a row. I was a teenager, & the outfitter would let me come up for the summer & help get stands / trails ready, and start the baiting. In return, he let me hunt the first week of the season for free. He turned out to be a great friend, but died a few years back. Killed 2, missed one. 175lbs & 200lbs. The first one was great to eat, we did it mostly in roasts / stews. The second one had visible 1" - 2" worms crawling out of where the muscles overlapped eachother. I didn't eat that one.

 Don't listen to the people saying that a 150lb bear is too little. He always told guys that 130lb was an average Maine bear. Bears are tough. We trailed and lost lots of bears that guys hit with fast, flat shooting rifles (300, 30-06, etc). The shots were all under 50yards, & the guys who did best used their 12 gauges or slower rounds throwing heavy lead (I used a 444 on one, and a 458 win on the other)

Good luck! I'm jealous.

150lb bear is average for Maine from what I've seen and been told..........I wouldn't pass one up if were me.

[steve863]

I've always thought that the black bears that weigh 300 and 400lbs plus are probably the garbage eaters.  If you go out west black bears rarely ever get that big with a natural diet.  150lbs bear is a decent bear out there.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2015 by steve863

[Fletch]

Well thanks to Renellas video posted I may never eat a bear and chuck the wild pig shoulder in my freezer.......lol

 

Just yik!!!

 

I was better off not knowing!!