what do you do with a bear you shoot?

Grof · May 19, 2010, 11:59 PM

hi guys ,
heard story today (CA) when you shoot a bear you have to send head to DFG so they do some checking and is their property or what ever.
So what you realy do with bear after you shoot one , skin it, leave it there , ...

reloader28 · May 20, 2010, 07:25 AM

In Wyo, I dont think we have to send anything in, but we do have to go a G&F office and let them inspect it. We do have to claim the meat and take it with us too from lions and bears.

briandg · May 20, 2010, 01:04 PM

along those lines, Missouri is now checking for CWD in all harvested deer. It's analogous to BSE. I think that symptomatic deer are impounded.

I can't remember, but I think recently that people are encouraged to shoot symptomatic deer on sight and turn over the carcass fro testing.

Tomas · May 20, 2010, 01:12 PM

I gutted mine and waited for the cavalry and we carried her out "safari style". Then, back at camp, caped her, salted and balled up the hide for transport to my taxidermist so he could make a beautiful rug out of her, that hangs on my living room wall. We don't have to surrender the head, so it's on the rug, along with the claws. It's a striking decoration. First thing guests ask is "Is it real?"

We took all the big chucks of fat (she was killed in October, and had LOTS of fat on her) and distributed it to all who wanted it. It's great for cooking. Then, after she hung for a few days, boned her out and divided up the meat. It wasn't a lot of meat, but the back straps are delicious, and I used the rest for burger.

Buzzcook · May 20, 2010, 10:44 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican Usually it's buffalo or deer. but bear works as well.

I don't care for bear. Supposedly it's better during berry season. You couldn't prove it by me.

Bear is one of the meats that "has" to be cooked well done, at least 165 F.

Don't leave it there. That is a bad thing.

sc928porsche · May 21, 2010, 11:39 AM

Eat it! Stews, chops, etc.

taylorce1 · May 21, 2010, 11:43 AM

When I hunted bear in AK you had to skin out the head and paws and take the hide and head into DFG to be sealed. They then measured my bear and pulled a small tooth to age the bear. My bear measured 19.25" skull and was IIRC 10 years old took about a yeat to get the data on the age. Other than that I got to keep everything.

I didn't eat the bear but I donated the meat to the locals as I was hunting up there befor the salomon runs. After June 1 again IIRC you don't have to recover the meat. I guess bear meat gets pretty foul when it has a diet high in fish.

Tomas · May 21, 2010, 12:15 PM

My bear tasted good, but, you have to like wild meat as it does have a bit of a different taste. I don't want to say it's an acquired taste, as I liked it right off. The main thing, like any game meat, is to get all the fat off of it you can, and trim all the graying flesh if there is any.

There were piles of bear fecal matter all over the mountain, loaded with berry seeds. It seems it's all they were eating. The overall quality of the meat isn't high. I don't know why, but it probably has something to do with the fact that they recycle their feces and urine while they hibernate - that's gotta do some funny things to the meat.

My wife wouldn't touch the stuff because "bears eat people". No sense in trying to change her mind at that point.

You can lessen the strong flavor of the bear grease by boiling it and removing the remaining solids. It reminds me of crisco a bit at that point. It's great grease for cooking - though I wouldn't recommend it for baking...

We used the whole bear, save for a few organs we left out in the woods. My akitas loved the bones, scraps and organs.

May 19, 2010, 11:59 PM	#1
Grof Member Join Date: February 27, 2008 Posts: 65	what do you do with a bear you shoot? hi guys , heard story today (CA) when you shoot a bear you have to send head to DFG so they do some checking and is their property or what ever. So what you realy do with bear after you shoot one , skin it, leave it there , ...

May 21, 2010, 11:39 AM	#6
sc928porsche Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: now living in alabama Posts: 2,433	Eat it! Stews, chops, etc. __________________ No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.

May 20, 2010, 07:25 AM	#2
reloader28 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2009 Location: nw wyoming Posts: 1,061	In Wyo, I dont think we have to send anything in, but we do have to go a G&F office and let them inspect it. We do have to claim the meat and take it with us too from lions and bears.

May 20, 2010, 01:04 PM	#3
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	along those lines, Missouri is now checking for CWD in all harvested deer. It's analogous to BSE. I think that symptomatic deer are impounded. I can't remember, but I think recently that people are encouraged to shoot symptomatic deer on sight and turn over the carcass fro testing.

May 20, 2010, 01:12 PM	#4
Tomas Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 1999 Location: Blue State Posts: 441	I gutted mine and waited for the cavalry and we carried her out "safari style". Then, back at camp, caped her, salted and balled up the hide for transport to my taxidermist so he could make a beautiful rug out of her, that hangs on my living room wall. We don't have to surrender the head, so it's on the rug, along with the claws. It's a striking decoration. First thing guests ask is "Is it real?" We took all the big chucks of fat (she was killed in October, and had LOTS of fat on her) and distributed it to all who wanted it. It's great for cooking. Then, after she hung for a few days, boned her out and divided up the meat. It wasn't a lot of meat, but the back straps are delicious, and I used the rest for burger.

May 20, 2010, 10:44 PM	#5
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican Usually it's buffalo or deer. but bear works as well. I don't care for bear. Supposedly it's better during berry season. You couldn't prove it by me. Bear is one of the meats that "has" to be cooked well done, at least 165 F. Don't leave it there. That is a bad thing.

May 21, 2010, 11:43 AM	#7
taylorce1 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2005 Location: On the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 8,245	When I hunted bear in AK you had to skin out the head and paws and take the hide and head into DFG to be sealed. They then measured my bear and pulled a small tooth to age the bear. My bear measured 19.25" skull and was IIRC 10 years old took about a yeat to get the data on the age. Other than that I got to keep everything. I didn't eat the bear but I donated the meat to the locals as I was hunting up there befor the salomon runs. After June 1 again IIRC you don't have to recover the meat. I guess bear meat gets pretty foul when it has a diet high in fish.

May 21, 2010, 12:15 PM	#8
Tomas Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 1999 Location: Blue State Posts: 441	My bear tasted good, but, you have to like wild meat as it does have a bit of a different taste. I don't want to say it's an acquired taste, as I liked it right off. The main thing, like any game meat, is to get all the fat off of it you can, and trim all the graying flesh if there is any. There were piles of bear fecal matter all over the mountain, loaded with berry seeds. It seems it's all they were eating. The overall quality of the meat isn't high. I don't know why, but it probably has something to do with the fact that they recycle their feces and urine while they hibernate - that's gotta do some funny things to the meat. My wife wouldn't touch the stuff because "bears eat people". No sense in trying to change her mind at that point. You can lessen the strong flavor of the bear grease by boiling it and removing the remaining solids. It reminds me of crisco a bit at that point. It's great grease for cooking - though I wouldn't recommend it for baking... We used the whole bear, save for a few organs we left out in the woods. My akitas loved the bones, scraps and organs.