Bear

[Sean Gadhar]

They didn't slowly climb those trees. Instead, they went up those big trees in almost a paw over paw run without even beginning to slow down.

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I've seen aspen where the paw marks are so far apart it looks like the bear bounded up.

 

[Dean2]

Up here there are places with so many Black Bears they are considered Vermin. You don't need a Tag to shoot Black Bear on private property year round as long as you have the owners permission. I did bear control for many years, fall is a particularly bad time for bears getting into Oat and Barely crops, and Bee Hives they go after all summer and fall. I know many of you will find it hard to believe but there were days when my partner and I would shoot more than 10 bears in a day out of a couple of oat fields.

I will say that any bear that climbed a tree I was already in, or showed no fear of me, would not live past that one encounter. They need to fear humans, the alternative is not a good thing.

If you have a great desire to hunt bear most of Canada has a large population of large bears.

 

[hanshi]

While Virginia doesn't host as many bears as Maine; There were 2 bear attacks that occurred in the county where we lived for ten years. One was a bear hunter that got chewed up some before a partner shot the bruin off him. The other was a RABID BEAR - only the second documented case ever since records were kept - that chased two guys (not hunters by the way) up on the top of a truck. The bear climbed up after them but one did have a shotgun and killed the bear which was found later to be rabid.

 

[Thagomizer]

Here in Michigan, the bears have an affinity for trying to eat the trail cameras.

 

[Lobo]

I've killed 5 black bears with a traditional bow. When I hunted them with a muzzleloader I carried my .62 Jager rifle and a .69 cal Howda pistol. Not so much because I thought I needed the pistol but I guess just because I wanted to carry it.



View attachment 13920

 

[Lobo]

I've killed 5 black bears with a traditional bow. When I hunted them with a muzzleloader I carried my .62 Jager rifle and a .69 cal Howda pistol. Not so much because I thought I needed the pistol but I guess just because I wanted to carry it.View attachment 13920

 

[Zonie]

If you want to post pictures, follow this link. It will tell you how to do it on the forum.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/posting-a-picture-on-the-forum.115183/

 

[The Crisco Kid]

The few times I've had it, I thought it was a lot like pork.
And I believe it was prepared much the same way pork is too.

Good black bear meat makes the best corned "beef" I've ever had. It beats anything else I've ever tried by a long ways.

 

[Patocazador]

I've only killed two black bears. The first one was a young one that weighed about 130 lbs. He was feasting on blue berries. It was the most tender meat I ever ate but had almost no taste.

The second one was an old sow whose teeth were worn down to the gums. She was not fat and was so tough that no one could chew the meat. It was like rope.

 

[Brokennock]

Bear stroganof,,,,, mmmmmmmm, drool. We make stew with it, and a few roasts too. But near stroganof over home made noodles or spaetzle is my favorite bear dish.

 

[Kobuk]

I really like Black Bear meat. One of my favorites. I've shot ten or so spring bears myself and every one was tender and very tasty! I helped a friend shoot a fall bear that was eating salmon and boy was that thing stinky. The hide and meat smelled like the rotting salmon on the beach. I've also shot a couple grizzlies and didn't care for that meat. I know one was on a moose carcass so that may have been why there. I've never taken a berry bear but have heard several people say how good those can be.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Bear stroganof,,,,, mmmmmmmm, drool. We make stew with it, and a few roasts too. But near stroganof over home made noodles or spaetzle is my favorite bear dish.

Bear season starts in a few days, I have what I think is the vary last of the meat from my last bear in the slowcooker made into a vary simple Tomato Goulash, with some Italian sausage, mixed in. taking some in a Tupperware for lunch

 

[Bad Karma]

Something I've been pondering. I have been seeing increasing sign of bears on the property for several years. Now I have photos of four different individuals this year. I feel its only a matter of time and patience until an opportunity for a shot presents itself. What the hell do I do with a 300 lb bear then...? Most of the time I'm hunting solo. Not sure I could get one on the game cart let alone back to the truck. I suppose I could skin and dissect the beast in the woods....
What suggestions do you successful bear hunters have to offer?

You can skin and debone it right there, bears are carrying a lot of fat and if you can’t get the meat cooled quickly it will turn on you and that’s just nasty. The skin is a half a load by itself but deboned a 300 pound bear should take three trips to pack out solo. Maybe less if the terrain isn’t too bad. (Like down in the bottom of a deep dark canyon. Hence grandpa’s old joke, “what’s the best place to shoot an elk? At the road.” I’ve done this with deer and elk many times but it’s also nice to have help if your friends aren’t hunting for themselves

 

[renegadehunter]

I still have a bear tag in my pocket from being unsuccessful this spring. I'll be watching for one this fall while hunting, it will be open everywhere I hunt. I only enjoy bear meat made into summer sausage myself.
If packing it out I'd be sure to bring a bit of the best fat too, many say rendered bear lard is the best patch lube you'll ever use. Those same people also say that it's best to render it OUTSIDE, that is if you're not a single fellow and aren't itching to become one.

 

[fleener]

Does Spring bear taste different then a Fall bear?

Fleener

 

[renegadehunter]

I really can't say. The first bear I ever shot was a fall bear, I had one roast, about 6 lbs of jerky meat, and the rest made into salami. After tasting the jerky...which we all know is pretty good no matter what kind of meat it is...I gave the roast away (I feel the same about goose jerky). The salami wasn't real bad, but if you put one slice of it in the microwave to warm it a bit, it would completely saturate a paper towel folded over twice with the grease that came out of it. Didn't taste too bad though, just wasn't something good enough to crave having it again.
After that I just have my entire spring bears made into summer sausage, which I really enjoy. I do steak the backstraps and give them to a friend of mine that enjoys the flavor of bear meat, but the rest is ground for summer sausage. Garlic/onion is my favorite brine for it, with jalapeno/cheese being a close second.

 

[fleener]

I am going on a Spring ML black bear hunt in May of 2020. I have eaten grizzly and had to spit it out it was so bad.

Fleener

 

[user 29778]

I've only had bear twice in my life. Both times in a stew with spices and vegetables. It tasted sort of like beef. The cook was an experienced bear hunter and wild game cook. He said bear is kind of like the tofu of game. If the bear has been grazing in grasses and berries, it will have a lighter fresher taste. If its been eating road kill and raiding dumpsters, it will taste like that.

 

[Shooter1]

Sugar cured/dried then diced into pot of beans, it was better than ham hocks. Fried the pan filled with grease and not very good, but we ate it anyhow. 16 mi. to nearest paved road and water from the creek. Kind of like roughing it for a year.

 

[poker]

I shot an 8 yr old bear once that had at least 5” of fat over the whole carcass. Shot about an hr before dark, had it back home and skinned out within 2 more hrs. I was pretty careful to remove all the fat I could. Anyway, right after skinning and hanging I cut it up for packaging. Thought Id try it, so we whacked a couple nice chops off a loin, floured and pan fried them. Those first few bites, I was thinking this is better than beef. But then the meat started to cool on the plate and soon the rancid tallow taste set in. I couldn’t eat another bite, and it ruined my taste for any bear after that point in time. Maybe a spring bear wouldn’t have all that fat and be much better, but thats not an option in this state.