I think the number of bears shot around garbage dumps may contribute to the less-than-stellar rep as a table meat, and also the simple reality of meat spoilage from cavalier field dressing. My personal experience with bear hunting/eating is limited to one animal, so I'm no expert, but the bear I shot was a smallish (less than 200lb) sow that had been heavily feeding in an old apple and pear orchard. I got her fully skinned out and hanging within a few hours, so the meat cooled down quickly (this was in early October, and she had an incredible rind of fat that I mostly removed).
The next day I took her to a meat locker. The resulting steaks, chops, roasts and hams (two of them smoked) are among the best meat I've ever eaten--dense and grainy and a deep red in color, with wonderful flavor. I also had several women who were not at all accustomed to eating game (one of whom bordered on an anti-hunter) tell me they thought it was way up there too. Nobody who tried it actually disliked it. So in my experience, a well-fed animal, properly dressed, can go a long way toward table quality.
Although I find hound-hunting for bear to be very interesting, I wonder if the adrenaline/fear factor from the chase might affect the meat--anyone have an opinion or experience with this?
Best,
Malcolm
