Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Black Bear. Edible?

I won't shoot something unless I'm going to use it and come November I'll be in the Adirondacks, about 15 miles from the nearest civilization so bears feeding on garbage should not be a problem. Just want some opinions, is the stuff as good or bad as I've heard?
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<br>Thanks, Rob

It really depends on what they've been eating. Garbage is bad, berries are good!
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<br>When they've been eating alot of fish it's maybe not so good.
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<br>But generally bear meat is prety good, and there are alot of ways to prepare it to make it more palatable if you get a "gamey" one.
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<br>You can process it into sausage and pepperoni.
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<br>Marinating it with lots of garlic and some chilies will cover ant wild taste. Grinding it up and using it for bolognese sauce with lots of seasonings.
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<br>Trimming is probably the most important thing. Bear sinew, silver skin, and gristle is NOT good. The fat is okay if rendered into lard, but it's not something you want to eat attached to your steak, so trim that off, too.
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<br>Obviously, the young small ones are going to be tender and mild compared to the old boars, but who wants a bear skin rug the size of a german shepard?
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<br>Bottom line? It's usually quite good if you prepare it properly, but you can't tell what it tastes like until AFTER you're finished shooting!

I've had 4 and only the last one was questionable. You'll know as soon as you lay the skinning knife to it. Odor says all. Even my last bear, which had a distinct fishy odor (but not over"bear"ing) was fine. The smell disappeared with the grease when you cooked up the bear burgers and the sausage will disguise just about anything. I've cut up the steaks for stew and chili and it's fantastic.
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<br>The "good" bears are tough to beat. My wife is MUCH pickier than I am and fresh bear backstrap is her favorite meat. I've noticed from my limited experience though that you want to consume as much as possible in the first 6 months. After that it starts going down hill.

I will echo what Gatehouse and Muley said, mine have all been good.
<br>Even guys at work that never hunted liked it.
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Recoilrob, you ask "IS BLACK BEAR EDIBLE?" Does a bear s%@t in the woods man. Darn tooten black bear is mighty fine eats, just don't shoot one that is eating fish or garbage. Bear especially young bear is mighty fine. The bruin is a lot like pig in taste and should be treated the same. As already posted precausions must be taken and you will enjoy the fruits of your labors. I like my bears to come from the high blueberry fields up in the foot hills of the Olympic Mountains. These are a little lean but very tasty, when they get down to the lowlands they are into skunk cabbage then salmon. I leave them be then. The finest sausage is made from bear.
<br>yeah they are edible...why do you ask?
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<br>Bullwnkl.

You bet black bear is edible! I�ve eaten a bunch of it, but I�m real picky about where I kill a bear for the table. Best I�ve had are apple fed bear, raiding an orchard. If I can�t find one there, I�ll head for the oak groves or berry patches. Bear like acorns in the fall to put on fat, and an acorn fed bear is good. Trim off all fat before cooking, but save it and render it out for the lard. Great for making pie crusts and other pastries.
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<br>As already said, stay away from garbage dumps and salmon streams; especially where the bear are eating dead and decomposing fish.
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<br>In my opinion, steak is about the worst way to prepare bear meat. Roasts and stews are the ticket. I�ve had sausage both plain and mixed with pork. Both were good. One of the best taste treats I�ve had was commercially prepared salami. I have no idea what proportions of bear meat and pork went into the mix, but it was sure nuff good!

Just be sure you cook it completely as trichinosis can be a problem especially, it seems, with sausage but the sausage can be great.

Bear frozen at 0 for 2 weeks is 100% effective at killing Trichanella spiralis, colder temps kill them quicker, and -40 only requires 48hours.
<br>art