What do you do with your Bear?

[Thrillah]

Hoping to get my first Bear this spring. Wondering what everyone's favourite thing to do with their Bear. What parts you keep, What your cooking including recipes and what goes to the dogs.

[Acesneights]

Originally Posted by Thrillah

Hoping to get my first Bear this spring. Wondering what everyone's favourite thing to do with their Bear. What parts you keep, What your cooking including recipes and what goes to the dogs.

I know lots of guys who eat bears..... I find that hard to do when I got a freezer full of moose and elk so I leave my bear meat for the coyotes and wolves. So now that I've shot my fair share I just take friends bear hunting for fun and any bear I've got I just tan the hide and hang it on a nail in my trophy room. Spring bear hunting is one of my favourite things to do, spot and stalk only.

[bucksnbears]

bear meat is fantastic. the key is to get it gutted,and cooled a.s.a.p.!.
cook it just like beef.

[scolopax-munster]

Interesting. I have always fancied trying bear.

DO bears have an aroma at all?

[Andrzej]

Originally Posted by bucksnbears

bear meat is fantastic. the key is to get it gutted,and cooled a.s.a.p.!.
cook it just like beef.

Gutted and cooled asap but cook like you would pork not beef due to potential trichinosis.

[Dale T]

Im building a bear skeleton. Shot lots of bears and just always wanted to do it missing a couple bones that got shot up but it is pretty much intact. Over 50 percent of the bones are in the feet. I cleaned most of the bones myself and had the feet cleaned with bugs but I degreased those bones and bleached them myself. Its a fun winter project. Just google bear bones or skeletons and find out how to get a book on building a bear skeleton.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Thrillah

Hoping to get my first Bear this spring. Wondering what everyone's favourite thing to do with their Bear. What parts you keep, What your cooking including recipes and what goes to the dogs.

Some fancy the gall bladder and paws. They purport it works better than viagra.

Me? I'll let the coyotes eat all of it.

[oldgutpile]

I prefer doing the "gutless" method here, and because it is not law to salvage the carcass, I am fairly selective.
I like to take both hind legs out whole, for smoking. When brined and cured, they are smoked just like a pork ham, and taste almost identical.
The loins are pulled and tied as roasts, or steaked, but it is mostly for freinds who grew up on this, so whatever they want at the time. Works well for both.

[krthegunslinger]

Is it legal to call them in like you do with yotes ?

[calgarychef]

The gutless method works very well for bears, their insides smell sooo Gawdawful. I take the back legs and backs traps and a nice big bag or pailful of fat to render. We've discussed all of this before though so suffice it to say that bear meat is good and the fat is good too.

[nsherman72]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

The gutless method works very well for bears, their insides smell sooo Gawdawful. I take the back legs and backs traps and a nice big bag or pailful of fat to render. We've discussed all of this before though so suffice it to say that bear meat is good and the fat is good too.

I've seen that done on MeatEater. He does a bunch of cooking specials as well where he cooks bear. Steven Rinella is coming out with a Big Game cookbook as well, might be someting to look for when it comes out.

[KGB]

I have never hunted the bear yet and the main reason is cause I am not sure if it is safe to eat it because of the potentially high risk of Trihinelosis(spelling?) as far as I know, cooking the meat WILL NOT kill the larva, and it is a deadly parasite.... What are your guys thoughts on it?

[dmcbride]

Originally Posted by KGB

I have never hunted the bear yet and the main reason is cause I am not sure if it is safe to eat it because of the potentially high risk of Trihinelosis(spelling?) as far as I know, cooking the meat WILL NOT kill the larva, and it is a deadly parasite.... What are your guys thoughts on it?

Same as eating pork. Just don't eat under cooked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

[bucksnbears]

seriously??.
i've never heard of anyone getting tricnosis from eating bear meat.
i've eaten probably 100 myself and know several others that shoot/eat lots of bear.

[Hydro1]

Originally Posted by bucksnbears

seriously??.
i've never heard of anyone getting tricnosis from eating bear meat.
i've eaten probably 100 myself and know several others that shoot/eat lots of bear.

Just because i speed on snow covered roads and havent crashed doesnt mean i wont in the future.....

O.P
Bear is really good eating, just cook to 160f and serve right away.

[Hugenuge]

Originally Posted by Thrillah

Hoping to get my first Bear this spring. Wondering what everyone's favourite thing to do with their Bear. What parts you keep, What your cooking including recipes and what goes to the dogs.

Idid a full mount with mine last year and this year ill be doing a rug, I really like the guys idea about a skeleton that sounds like lots of fun!

[KGB]

Originally Posted by bucksnbears

seriously??.
i've never heard of anyone getting tricnosis from eating bear meat.
i've eaten probably 100 myself and know several others that shoot/eat lots of bear.

It is also depends on the area where the bear is taken: some areas have much higher rate of infestation than others. Just the nature of the disease.

[windsurf5522]

Hi just wondering if anyone tans there hide themselves, and what do you have to do?

[Prairiewolf]

Originally Posted by KGB

It is also depends on the area where the bear is taken: some areas have much higher rate of infestation than others. Just the nature of the disease.

You should treat any bear meat as if it has the Trichinella parasite and prepare it as such. When cooked properly there is zero risk.

[nsherman72]

Here is a good article about the risks and preparation
http://www.petersenshunting.com/unca...n-trichinosis/

[ex811]

What to do with your bear...Everything.
I generally go to Vancouver Island to hunt them on the tidal flats or in the large slashes. Here in AB I hunt them in the spring concentrating on fresh green cutlines.
I tend to use the gutless method, keeping the hinds for hams, the front quarters for burger/sausage, the backstraps for the BBQ and the fat for cooking/waterproofing my boots.
In my 'Bear Den' I've a full body mount, a 1/2 body mount, shoulder mount, rug and just plain hides. While I've done the taxidermy myself, I always get the hides tanned professionally, hides are just too greasy to try it myself.
Yeah, I like hunten bears.

[gobigorgohome]

I'm going on my first bear hunt this spring too! I'm getting mine turned I to smokies.