OK, now to you who have been bear hunting, this will seem kind of dumb, but... First, is bear meat good to eat? Second, is bow hunting black bear a dangerous thing to do? My wife thinks I' m nuts and I guess she' s right, but I still want to give it a try next year. Thanks, Jim

I don' t care for bear meat. Mine was greasy and stringy. I have ate worse meat
before but would rather have elk or deer than bear. As to it being dangerous, it
can be but you probably have more of a chance getting injured in a car accident
than from a bear. I was bluff charged by a sow once after it was dark and she
had 2 cubs with her. I tought she had left the area but she came back. I had just
gotten down from my stand when she came back in. It was an experience I won' t
soon forget.

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bear meat is good, I freeze it for about 3 months and cut off all the fat and slow cook it. Well I bow hunt them but I have a gun went I bait and in the tree it comes in handy for trailing bear I feel a little better with it

Bear meat is yery good! (Black bear)

Is it dangerous? Why do guides carry a big gun? Its so that if you make a bad shot and the guide unfortunately has to pursue the wounded, pissed off bear into the tangle of brush he just ran into.
So the answer is yes it is dangerous if you make a piss poor shot, no its not dangerous if you practice alot and God willing you make a good shot.

Then again if you hunt one with a knife only.......................................

Get the picture? Good luck- By the way, do you carry life insurance?

In our neck of the woods most bear meat is ok, but not the best. I hunt the spring and this as well doesn' t produce the best tasting bears in our area. I find them to be blan and almost a sawdust feel in your mouth to the meat. That being said i have had some wonderful dishes with bear meat. It boils down to animals diet, care post kill, cut and how it is prepared. It is worth a try for sure, make sure to trim all the fat, package the meat clean and be selective in your cuts.

As far as being dangerous, I suppose. But common sense will keep you out of harms way. Most bears I or our party taken have let out a death moan, with a well placed shot. They have rarely covered more than 75 yards after the shot. Our rule is if late and no death moan we mark the trail and wait till morning to take up search. As you propably have heard or know a number of the bigger bears tend to show up near last light, so tracking in the dark is a high possiblity. If your not sure, best to wait until you can see. BTW, we all only use bows for bear hunting and none of us carry backup weapons. We always approach our stands with quads well before prime time and slowly. We pay particular attention to the tree tops around the baits, looking for cubs that may have been pushed off the bait. The highest % of problems will be a sow and her cubs, boars will generally bolt. Again practice and concentrate on the shot. Listen for a death moan and use common sense...you' ll be fine.

What danger may be their adds to the allure of bowhunting bears...but it is usually just all upstairs

Skeeter was right on the money about the " is it dangerous" part, and the tracking. Use common sense and chances are you will never have a problem with them. I bait for black bear in Canada,,,,starting in early July and bait almost every day(about 70 baits) till the middle of September. I have only once had a encounter with a bear, and that was sow and cubs. I gave them some room and everything was ok. If you do happen upon them give them plenty of room and don' t run and they will leave you alone.

As for the taste of bear meat, everyone that I have had harvest a bear can' t believe how good the meat is. I think it has allot to do with what you are using for bait. If you use spoiled stinky meat scraps,,,,guess what the bear will take on a taste like. On the other hand if you use all sweets the meat will take on a somewhat sweet taste that is in my opinion is quite tasty.

Go bear hunting once, and gauranteed you will be hooked for life.

The bear meat I have had has been outstanding. Something many hunters don' t know is that the bear is a member of the Suiade Family (swine) and it must be thoroughly cooked. It is elegant in any pork recipe. My favorite is Peanut Butter Fried (pork)Chops (a Campbell Soups Recipe).

Coming between a sow and her cubs is a serious mistake that is to be avoided at all costs but other than that they are not all that dangerous . . . unless you make a bad shot and have to track a wounded animal.

My Bears have always been delicious-Elk & Caribou is better.
Dangerous-respect the animal you are hunting. I have Bowhunted Bears (15 hunts) & never carry a gun-BUT!!! I have had some INTERESTING times. If you worry about that, take a gun with.
I feel that " EVERY" Bear that came to my bait " KNEW" I was there.
I have taken 2 P&Y, Missed 2 P&Y & passed on 7 other bears at under 15 yards.
I no longer hunt them but it is a thrill when they come in & yes, spooky to some. enjoy-make the hunt..