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  #31  
Old 10-26-2020, 07:21 PM
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KegRiver KegRiver is offline
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Originally Posted by TEE View Post
Hey all,

Thanks for your help, especially Dean2. I ended up finding some access up near slave lake where bears have been into a landowners oats and she wanted the bears outta there. Managed to connect with this fella just before sunset. Not too big and exactly what I was hoping for. I decided that if I was going to kill a bear, I would eat it. Since I didn't know what I was getting into, I wanted a "smaller" commitment. The hide was in terrible shape, but I got it skinned and tried out some of the meat with a bit of salt and pepper over a fire. I was very surprised with how good the meat tasted. Incredible!

That's great news! Congratulations.

And you should have some real good meat there.

When I look for a meat bear I look for a two year old feeding on grain although age doesn't seem to make a big difference and I'm told that a berry fed bear is just as good. It's just that grain fed and younger is what I grew up with.

I never understood why so many think bear isn't good to eat.Sure they scavenge from time to time, but no more then a hog does, if they can.

I find the meat is milder and more tender then any other wild meat I have tried.

Like Dean says, bear should be well cooked because they can carry trichinosis just like hogs can.

Something he didn't mention, Bear lard is the best pastry lard known to man.

And it makes a reasonable leather lubricant/water proofing as well as a questionable hair tonic. It used to be popular among FN for those uses.
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  #32  
Old 10-26-2020, 07:26 PM
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Best thread I have read in a long time. Now this is what AO is about. Congrats to the OP, and hand clap for Dean2; in my experience as knowledgeable and as helpful as they come. You are a credit to the forum. I know so many guys you have helped, and they all say the same thing about you:QUALITY.
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  #33  
Old 10-27-2020, 08:43 AM
35 whelen 35 whelen is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Osky View Post
Congrats on your first bear. Careful, it gets addicting.

You mention the poor hide. I took one 3 years ago in October in our crop/farming area we tracked for 2 1/2 days with a quick last minute shot based purely on size. It was a bear causing years worth of heavy crop damage but had a hide nearly no better than a hog has.

That black bear squared one inch under 8’. Other than massive fat reserves I do not know how it didn’t freeze over winter.



Osky
Do you have a picture just wondering how you squared it that's a monster 8-foot bear

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  #34  
Old 10-27-2020, 11:07 PM
TEE TEE is offline
 
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Ya time sure was running out. I actually gave up on it and was up there helping my friends son get his first deer. When I got there I heard about the bear mulling around so I though why not. Too bad the boy missed his deer, but we’ll get him after it in a couple weeks.

The trichinosis was one of the main things that have held me back this long. Even looking at the meat on the hot dog stick skewer that I cooked and cooked and cooked again was hard to take that first bite thinking about it. Most certainly a good thing to discuss though when taking first bear. Still Amazed hoe good it was with the smokey flavour! My buddies sun even remarked about how good it was and how the fat was delicious.

Ive been saving all the fat from the butchering. I was going to render it down for lard, thanks Keg! I started rendering down my deer fat to make soap a couple years ago so I was excited to get some really tasty fat I’d actually eat .

I’m already thinking about spring! .. I just might be addicted!

PS you all are fricken awesome with your help and advice!

Last edited by TEE; 10-27-2020 at 11:15 PM.
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  #35  
Old 10-27-2020, 11:33 PM
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Originally Posted by sns2 View Post
Best thread I have read in a long time. Now this is what AO is about. Congrats to the OP, and hand clap for Dean2; in my experience as knowledgeable and as helpful as they come. You are a credit to the forum. I know so many guys you have helped, and they all say the same thing about you:QUALITY.
Thank you and the others for the kind comments. I have benefited greatly from the mentorship of my father and many others and all they ever asked was to pass it on to others that wanted to do the hard work to learn too. Sort of a version of pay it forward. We are very lucky to have this forum where there are such a great number of guys that are willing to help others. I would list off the dozens of guys that do that regularly bit I would miss many guys so let me just say thanks to all who try very hard and contribute great value, with no personal gain to themselves. We can only personally mentor a relatively few folks, this forum allows us the opportunity to spread that mentorship much further.

End of the week I am headed out for a month of hunting different places so all the best to you. I will follow as I can if there is reception but for sure I will rejoin the fray on my return.
I wish you all a great hunting season.
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  #36  
Old 11-02-2020, 07:23 AM
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eltorro eltorro is offline
 
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This is really good advice from some experienced people
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  #37  
Old 11-02-2020, 08:56 AM
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KegRiver KegRiver is offline
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Originally Posted by 35 whelen View Post
Do you have a picture just wondering how you squared it that's a monster 8-foot bear

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I've never measured a Bear. I'm not even sure how one squares a hide.
But I know a big Bear when I see one.

I thought you might like to see this one. It was making some local farmers nervous, feeding out of the grain hopper while they were trying to load rail cars a few hundred yards from my house.

They couldn't load it by hand so it lay there for a few days. I took this photo the day after it was shot.

They used a loader to put it in the back of a 3/4 ton. With it's nose touching the front of the box it's back feet were hanging off the end of the tailgate.

To the best of my knowledge that is as close to a measurement anyone got.



I think it would have squared over ten feet.
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  #38  
Old 11-03-2020, 07:00 PM
35 whelen 35 whelen is offline
 
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To square a bear you measure from Paw to Paw, nose-to-tail on a skinned bear add the measurement divided 2.

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  #39  
Old 11-03-2020, 07:03 PM
35 whelen 35 whelen is offline
 
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Originally Posted by KegRiver View Post
I've never measured a Bear. I'm not even sure how one squares a hide.

But I know a big Bear when I see one.



I thought you might like to see this one. It was making some local farmers nervous, feeding out of the grain hopper while they were trying to load rail cars a few hundred yards from my house.



They couldn't load it by hand so it lay there for a few days. I took this photo the day after it was shot.



They used a loader to put it in the back of a 3/4 ton. With it's nose touching the front of the box it's back feet were hanging off the end of the tailgate.



To the best of my knowledge that is as close to a measurement anyone got.







I think it would have squared over ten feet.
Nice bear, but there's not too many black bears if any ever that squared 10 ft.

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