MinnFinn

"Why bear hunt?"

Increase the survival rate of deer, moose, elk, caribou... fawns, calves.

Cook your meat to kill any "bugs".

gandilamont

Who told you bear meat is bad?? I think its a delacasy. Unless its been eating garbage or fish. But a berry fed bear taste delish! And here in Oregon its spot and stalk. So its a challenge, alot more than deer! Bear baiting does not seem appealing to me at all but I dont knock anyone who does it. Sitting in a tree stand all day is not my idea of hunting. If I'm looking for something that slow I might as well fish.

gandilamont

I forgot to add, sometimes bear can get trichinosis. Which is a worm. But it is real rare in the states. And it can be killed before you even cook your meat by freezing it for 30 days! Which most people do anyway. (by the way you have no idea the amount of worms and parasites you eat with ANY meat)

tschaef

A bear is a rare treat because of the challenge, and the trophy.
We have taken a bear from near our deer camp that had a dirty diaper in it when gutted - didn't eat it but made a really nice rug. On the other hand if you find purple bear scat full of blue berries and other wild sweet delicacies the meat will be fantastic.
Don't be confused because people hunt bear over bait, its still a very challenging hunt, you wouldn't believe how quiet a large bear can be in the woods, and they are cautious, checking the wind and picking the safest times to come in. If you think sitting over a pile of donoughts isn't hunting I challenge you to try it, it will test your patiance(sp?) and scent control.

KodiakArcher

Because we don't have turkeys.

ShatoDavis

Bear meat a delicacy????? I think not. I've heard of people who said it wasn't bad, but I've never heard anyone say that it was good. My father and some friends went to Prince of Whales island in Alaska and hunted Black bear last year. The report I got back was that the meat was absolutely disgusting. The guides couldn't even believe that they want to try it. They cooked everything else first before they fooled the cook wear. Dad said that when they skinned the bears that worms actually crawled out of the meat.

I've heard that the meat off inland bears is much better than that of costal bears. I guess it is in direct corelation to there diets. Either way I have a natural overtion to eating any predator. Something just doesn't sit right with me when I think about eating an animal that eats meat.

I was thinking about the question of "why would I hunt a bear?" and I kept remembering a quote from Sir Edmond Hillary when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, He said: "BECAUSE IT'S THERE!"

Western MA Hunter

It depends on how it is prepared. We just did a game dinner locally and made bear stew and a bbq pulled bear... Both were the best dishes available. People enjoyed it over the venison, moose, pheasant, turkey, & fried perch!

huntnmuleys

youve never heard it said that it is good. okay, you have now. bear meat is good. in fact, better than good. of course your dad had a bad experience with it, it was living solely on fish! but even many that live on prince of wales (where ive hunted as well) will tell ya that the fat from the bear is a great cooking lard for desserts and pastries. i found the meat from that bear to be not real good myself.
inland bears are a different matter. absolutely delicious. have ya ever tried it? one of the best wild meats for sure. i recently shot one in alberta canada, where it is legal to leave bear meat. my guide told me if i were going to leave it he was going to take it, as it was delicious.

glad i took it. one of my favorites.

hillbillyhunter1

I know their are all kinds a POSSIBLE parasites in meat but, and no offense meant. Sounds like there was something particularly wrong with that bear.

When I was a little kid, I was ground hog hunting on my grandparents farmI spotted one (ground hog)that was acting wierd rolling around, acting like he was getting bee stung over and over. I shot him and when I got up to him there were worms crawling out of the bullethole. I shot the carcass several time (just to see), and worms immediately began coming everywhere...poor thing was being eaten alive ( one of those things you see that you never forget).

I'm not saying your fathers bear was floundering like the groundhog, but perhaps he was in the first stages of something.

don't mean to be off topic.

billythekidrock

Fish eating bears in Alaska are nasty.....

that being said, I have killed 14 bear in WA and eatin them plus others.They were from different areasof the state (coast and inland),different times of the year (spring and fall) and feeding on berries to calfs &fawns, they werefrom 2 to 25 yrs of age and every one was the best critter I ever ate (except a prime spike elksteak). AndI though I make sausage out of them, I don't count that. I am talking backstrap, roast, stewmeat and canned meat.

Those that have had bad experiences with bear meat have eatin fish or dump bears or have had meat that was improperly dressed or prepared. ALot of the old timers lump all predators (bears, coyotes, coons) and because they weren't a glamour animal they must taste bad. (Ever eatin a bullhead sculpin?....me neither......they must be nasty!)

I probably shouldn't have posted this and let you think they are nasty so I can fill my two tags every year, but there are people out there that will wonder "if it is so nasty why do they kill them?" We as hunters do not need another dividing line between us.

Sit in a tree stand over bait. Not here, not even if it were legal. While baiting can seem easy, I know that it is not, but it is not my cup of tea.

Calling adeer into bow range makes your heart beat? Try calling a 200# plus predator to twenty yards in thick brush or timberwhere the visibility is less. Better yet, get on the ground, douse your self with elk scent, then call to that predator with a calf elk call. When you see that bear closer then you wanted (without a shot) and realize that you never heard it get within range. Oh yea, that bear is looking for the source of the smell and sounds.....YOU .. and he doesn't want to shake hands.....he wants to eat.

That is whyI hunt, kill and eat black bears.

210# Field dressed called to 20 yards with a cow call. I never knew he was in the area and he stepped up to intercept me with slobber running down his jaw.



230# field dressed. I was between a split herd of elk and the fawns were chirping something fierce.I cow called and chirped to get this bear at 25 yards in the thick timber.



380# field dressed. Called with a predator call. He was in full search mode with his headswinging left, right, up down.