With respect to whether or not they ate the meat, most, if not all, states or provinces require you by law not to waste the meat. See http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodcons...ent/239841.pdf

I am thankful for the bear hunters around where I live in N. WI. Without them, we would be plagued with all kinds of bears ripping up our orchards and breaking into sheds. But when numbers are kept down to reasonable levels, such nuisance animals are rare. Also, (black) bears are known around here to prey on deer fawns.

I tried baiting and hunting bears one time. Saw a tiny cub that I did not shoot and brought in a whole troop of nuisance raccoons. Once the season ended, all deer were pushed out. So never again for me, at least not on my property here.