Is bear meat worth the effort?

[nycredneck]

So while scouting a place to hang my archery deer stand I came across quite a bit of bear sign, I have seen them there before and guess they still are. Question is, I will be hunting alone and unless I shoot a small one to drag downhill to a road I will have to quarter it and bring it out in pieces, I'm not 20 yrs old anymore and it's all uphill. 

  So is bear meat that good and worth all the work I will be doing, then theres the butcher cost? 

[GreeneHunter]

Speaking from zero experience , I have never taken a bear and am over 50 and I would love to get just one no matter how much I would have to work to get him/her to the butcher .... quartering sounds about right and who cares about the cost !  IMO

Edited October 26, 2014 by GreeneHunter

[greensider]

i will take all the bear meat you dont want its as good as deer 

[Hock3y24]

I want some!

[nycredneck]

Alrighty then… BEAR it is, I may never get to shoot one when I want but I sure might shoot one when I'm looking for something else.

[Uncle Nicky]

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.

[Ryan3m]

Bear is delicious. Just make sure to get it skinned and gutted quickly, and cooked correctly. 

[Millertime1989]

I've never shot a bear, but I've eaten the meat before and it's delicious,

[Lawdwaz]

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

 

 

[Cabin Fever]

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

OMG............ Nasty stuff!! I've heard of it, but never understood what it was.

[ants]

I have always heard that bear meat is tough and tastes a$$ nasty. After watching that video, It sounds like even if you cook the meat properly you are eating microscopic cooked worms……I'll pass LOL!!!

[Carbonelement]

ever eat cod? bunch of worms in that cat food

[Zem18]

Never had it myself but have heard that canning the meat is the best way. The only canned meat I've had has been Chef Boy R Dee and I can't say for sure it is meat that's in those raviolis.

[First-light]

Ladwaz,

Did you have to do that! lol Now how many bear have it? That is pretty sick and makes me think let the bear walk! 

[bowtech2]

I got a bear this year in Maine. I donated all the bear excepted a little bit for me. I kick myself for donating it. I thought it was real good. When I cooked it up my boys ate almost all of it.

[nycredneck]

OK then, aside from eating it raw I will shoot, dress and get it a butcher ASAP. then cook it well done. Is there any way to have the meat tested for Trichinosis? I guess the bears get it from their diet.

[Dinsdale]

Good eats in my book.

 

Go the quartering route, it'll cool fast as a bonus.

 

I'll never understand why folks think they need to bring big animals out in one piece. Good stuff on youtube on how to skin and cut.

[DirtTime]

Never killed a bear, only hunted them once. I have eaten the meat twice, once was really good, and the other was really bad and super tough.

 

I say go for it. The only way to really know if you like something is to try it.

[Uncle Nicky]

OK then, aside from eating it raw I will shoot, dress and get it a butcher ASAP. then cook it well done. Is there any way to have the meat tested for Trichinosis? I guess the bears get it from their diet.

I would assume it would be pretty pricey to have it tested. Just cook the meat through (160+ degrees) and don't try making jerky or slim jims out of it, and you'll be fine. It's not the same as cod fish or swordfish worms, the larvae are too small to see. Wild hogs/boars, and any animal that eats carrion can contain trichina worms.

[Mr VJP]

Got my bear in 2010 and ate all of it.  Mine was 300 pounds and living in the forest eating mostly nuts and berries.  I know guys who took bear that lived near a garbage dump, and that really affects the taste of the meat.  A bear tastes like what it eats.

 

It's also very important to cool the carcass down as quickly as possible.  The meat will start to turn quickly if it isn't cooled fast.  So gut it quick and skin it in the woods if it is warm out, especially in the spring.  If it's big, quarter it and carry it out.

 

Cook it well and you will not have to worry about anything.  It is also a good idea to trim all the fat off the meat when you cook it as the fat tastes gamey and will make the meat taste that way as well.

 

[Mike DBH]

Its delicious! Ive taken 3 bears in 11years all were tasty and worm free, I actually find it to be more tender than venison but to each their own. Tric is found in pigs too

[jjb4900]

Its delicious! Ive taken 3 bears in 11years all were tasty and worm free, I actually find it to be more tender than venison but to each their own. Tric is found in pigs too

I don't think you can tell they're worm free unless you roll the dice and eat it cooked rare..........unless you sent a piece of it to a lab for testing.

[thphm]

This is what I heard, Get it butchered and let it sit in the freezer for 6 months, then it is safe to eat. 

[Dinsdale]

OMG, on 28 Oct 2014 - 5:18 PM, said:

This is what I heard, Get it butchered and let it sit in the freezer for 6 months, then it is safe to eat. 

 

Not true.....

 

Some worms are freeze resistant.

 

And most folks don't freeze cold enough (20 days at minus 5* for pork)

[bubba]

That is the exact same thing you find in pork.  Cook it well done and you will be fine.