eat fall bears?

[Charlie Storey]

I heard fall bears were really greasy and not as good to eat as springers. Can you trim the fat and make it lean or is it marbled like beef? Can't use fat meat as it doesn't agree with the wife's metabolism.

[KingSlew]

No it's not marbled, the fat is subcutaneous, outside the muscle sheath. You skin a fat bear twice. Once to get the hide off and then after it sets up, you skin the fat off. The rendered fat is good stuff. It can be used for everything from shortening to boot grease. Folks that have a bad bear experience just don't know how to care for it properly. Fat goes rancid in the freezer, so if you leave it on the meat cuts, your gonna regret it. Nothing better than a berry or apple bear for taste, but you have to care for it right.

[earlybird007]

Plus the fall bears taste better after eating berries, apples ect.

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[hillbillygoat]

The only bear I have eaten was a fall bear that my dad killed a few years back, it was delicious.

[nakoa]

fall bear is all i have eaten, i turn it in to salami.

[Reel Obsession]

even if a little greasy, it is excellent eating....

[Crayfin]

Theyre just as tasty

[QH's Paw]

Originally Posted by KingSlew

Folks that have a bad bear experience just don't know how to care for it properly. Fat goes rancid in the freezer, so if you leave it on the meat cuts, your gonna regret it.

I agree with that ...to a point. I would probably apply that statement to most wild game. There are people who say deer and elk aren't tasty too. How you handle and process your game carry over to what kind of tablefare you end up with, pretty much that simple.

[WSU]

I've killed a handful of bears, and I always experienced good flavor unless there was a piece of fat in the bite I took. I tiny piece of fat could sometimes nearly make you gag. Is there something that should be done with bears that is different than deer and elk? I always trimmed all the major fat off, but should I take every bit of fat off? I made the majority of my last bear into pepperoni and salami and made pizza. It was great. My wife is wanting to shoot a bear now so that we can make pizza again.

[baltz526]

i can not understand the opinion that a little bear fat ruins bear meat. this sounds silly to me, bear is the best meat we hunters in oregon can put our tags on. here is how to make the best bear meat: shoot it, skin it, cut it and double wrap it and get it frozen the same day. or at a minimum put on ice or refrigerated the first day. for us, we make bear roasts and bear burger from the bear. nothing else. if we have bear, elk, deer in the freezer the bear is always gone first.

[WSU]

Does it have a distinct flavor that is unlike other game or not? Perhaps it all adds up to people having different taste in meat. I've always got my bear frozen or in the freezer the same day...

[DogZilla15]

The best results I've had with bear is to can it and then make soup or stew later. The canning process helps to cook out the fat so it can be skimmed off the top. Most excellent flavor.

[KingSlew]

Originally Posted by WSU

Does it have a distinct flavor that is unlike other game or not? Perhaps it all adds up to people having different taste in meat. I've always got my bear frozen or in the freezer the same day...

It's not gamey. It's mild like beef. Very much like beef as a matter of fact.

[fishinpoor]

all i've ever had was fall bear,treat it just like any wild game,skin it,cool it,age it,cut all the fat off just as you would deer/elk and enjoy fine steaks/roast,no need to grind it all,backstraps,hams go into steaks,the rest grind and such.my

[Charlie Storey]

Wow, thanks for the encouragement and advice. Now all I need is to know is when the huckleberries are ripe in the area I intend to hunt. I'm wondering if all the snow and late spring will put the berries off a week or two. Will be hunting 3500 - 4500 ft. in the Cascades.

[baltz526]

NEVER AGE IT is my opinion. if you can get it in the freezer ASAP is the correct way to age it. FROZEN

[Basshound]

Oh man! now you guys got me hungry again. I only have a few pounds left and the season doesnt start for a week.

[fisher22]

Ihave only had spring bear. My girlfriend canned it for stew meat. Some of the best most tender meat I've ever had.

[mtn300]

After my experience with a guys spring bear this year I don't know if I could even take a bite of bear meat. The bear was awful it smelled so bad we were on the verge of puking trying to clean it out. I couldn't take it and had to quit. I had to wash my clothes and backpack it was terrible. Worst smelling bear I have ever been around. Shoot them then see what they tatse like.

[stlhdr1]

Originally Posted by mtn300

After my experience with a guys spring bear this year I don't know if I could even take a bite of bear meat. The bear was awful it smelled so bad we were on the verge of puking trying to clean it out. I couldn't take it and had to quit. I had to wash my clothes and backpack it was terrible. Worst smelling bear I have ever been around. Shoot them then see what they tatse like.

I've been there and done that. Make sure not to gut shoot them or it will be the worst experience in your life, especially if they've just eaten something dead a day or two before... I'd challenge anyone to be able to get that job done with out the dry heaves....

Keith

[stlhdr1]

Originally Posted by Charlie Storey

Wow, thanks for the encouragement and advice. Now all I need is to know is when the huckleberries are ripe in the area I intend to hunt. I'm wondering if all the snow and late spring will put the berries off a week or two. Will be hunting 3500 - 4500 ft. in the Cascades.

Mid-August is usually a great time at that elevation especially on the south facing slopes...

Keith

[Ifishsum]

How you handle and process your game carry over to what kind of tablefare you end up with, pretty much that simple

This is really the key. If you get one down, field dress it immediately and get the hide off ASAP, like within 1/2 hour if possible. That meat will not cool at all with the all that fur on it, and your meat quality will suffer. Don't let it hang in camp for days, get it into a meat locker or on ice the same day if possible (unless daytime temps stay below 50-55, then you're probably OK for a bit)

My brother shot a bear last year only 20 minutes from his house - he had it butchered and in the refrigerator within 6 hours or so and it was good, mild tasting meat.

[KingSlew]

Originally Posted by Ifishsum

This is really the key. If you get one down, field dress it immediately and get the hide off ASAP, like within 1/2 hour if possible. That meat will not cool at all with the all that fur on it, and your meat quality will suffer. Don't let it hang in camp for days, get it into a meat locker or on ice the same day if possible (unless daytime temps stay below 50-55, then you're probably OK for a bit)

I haven't found that to be the case at all. 99.9% of my bears are killed just before dark and as a consequence they tend to lay over night until the next morning. Bear hide is thin and they cool out very quickly. It's never been an issue and believe me we eat a lot of bear around here. I'm not saying that you shouldn't get to butchering as fast as you reasonably can, I'm just saying that if you kill a bear just before dark, don't worry about the meat. It'll be just fine in the morning.

Just the opposite is the case with elk and deer. I've had them go sour after just a few hours, especially the under side on elk. I like to get to them as quick as I can.

I do agree on the aging. Letting it hang in a cooler is not a good idea. The quicker that you can get it processed, the better.

[Limbhanger]

My wife just made a breakfast caserole with the bear breakfast sausage I had done up.....YUM! Dat bar is goooooood.

And now, time to take another package of bear pepperoni out of the freezer!

I have to go with Baltz on getting it processed and in the freezer asap.
I actually do this with everything now and dont mess with aging anything, it works out great.

[Charlie Storey]

Ok, ok. You've convinced me. I'm going. I just hope my berry patch wasn't burned out a few years back. Don't know if the fire got that far north, but don't think it did.