Mountain Bear Meat

Ashy Larry

Ten Pointer
Planning a bear hunt in the MTNs this year and wondering about the meat. I've had some from eastern bears and it was fine, mostly ground up burger. From stuff I read, mostly Rinella, bears fat tastes like what they're eating. This is why some people don't eat bears that eat coastal salmon. How do NC mtn bears generally taste?
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
You learn to overlook the tofu taste of hippies, but the pepper spray really helps.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Planning a bear hunt in the MTNs this year and wondering about the meat. I've had some from eastern bears and it was fine, mostly ground up burger. From stuff I read, mostly Rinella, bears fat tastes like what they're eating. This is why some people don't eat bears that eat coastal salmon. How do NC mtn bears generally taste?

what do Mountain area bears eat? Acorns, hickory nuts, beech nuts, corn, grass, etc,,,,,throw in a chicken or hog once in a while,,,,,probably about the same (minus gall berries) as coastal bears?

I do know they aren't eating coastal salmon

kill one, process properly, and I bet he eats just as good as an eastern NC bear,,,,,,,

to me, a lot of the "bear meat ain't fitting" to eat comments are societal,,,,for example, the bear I killed in the mountains of central British Columbia tasted great,,,but the locals looked at me like I was insane,,,,,,could be a hold over from many of the native North Americans who had a spiritual kinship with bears and thus refrained from chowing on them,,,or it could be that once you skin one it looks a LOT like a WWE wrestler named Ivan,,,,don't know,,,,,,

but I do know you never really know what an individual animal will taste like till you take that first bite,,,,,,
 
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RJ1

Ten Pointer
Now that you bring it up they do look like Ivan,,, LOL,I had a man tell me once in Hyde County that one look like his Cousin John and then I meet Cousin John and he was right.I've eaten bear from the Mountains,the Coast,four other states and Canada all taste good to me.Processed right best thing I have ever ate.Now I am always there when it is gutted and skinned for two reasons there is a certain organ when it is gutted that I take and destroy right then,I'm not going to jail over some stupid thing someone else does,and not everyone knows how to properly gut and skin a bear.I also process my own meat.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Now that you bring it up they do look like Ivan,,, LOL,I had a man tell me once in Hyde County that one look like his Cousin John and then I meet Cousin John and he was right.I've eaten bear from the Mountains,the Coast,four other states and Canada all taste good to me.Processed right best thing I have ever ate.Now I am always there when it is gutted and skinned for two reasons there is a certain organ when it is gutted that I take and destroy right then,I'm not going to jail over some stupid thing someone else does,and not everyone knows how to properly gut and skin a bear.I also process my own meat.

100% agree on the organ disposal - that's a serious item, and self processing - I process my own game so I know how it's been handled,,,and I do like bear
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
hahaha... I'll bet it will taste like corn and expired hostess cakes considering how a lot of boy "do it" where I grew up...
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
hahaha... I'll bet it will taste like corn and expired hostess cakes considering how a lot of boy "do it" where I grew up...

no no no,,,that truck load of week old items from the bread store are for my goats,,,,,,,,,SERIOUSLY,,,,,,,
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
no no no,,,that truck load of week old items from the bread store are for my goats,,,,,,,,,SERIOUSLY,,,,,,,

Sunday Ritual starting in August...

Church, Momma's for Lunch, Skin Cakes in buddy's basement till dark...

Haha, good thing is them boys don't litter plastic wrappers!!! Straight Twinkies and Hoho's straight into a tater sack... :)
 

GSOHunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I find powdered day old Merita donuts add a nice sweet finish. ;)

I've run into numerous people that refuse to eat deer because they had a bad run in with it at a church potluck or uncle bubbas Christmas dinner. It's probably the same thing with Bear. Someone didn't process it right and if it was processed right they didn't cook it right.

If anyone shoots a bear at Conman's make sure you get the butcher he uses to make you some sausage. That stuff was amazing.
 

mattharris0414

Guest
I shot a 300lb sow in rockingham co last year and it was better than deer meat ever thought about being!.. smoke it for 6 hrs and dont share it.. nobody will like it lolol
 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
Every bear I've ever seen skinned on the table looked EXACTLY like the skinned carcass of whichever dude is dumb enough to date my little sister!


I'll drive up there and get all you got if you don't want any ;)
 
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Boojum

Ten Pointer
Never had a bad tasting bear from here, unless it wasn't handled right. Bear shot dead while still hunting is better eating than one that's been running from and fighting a pack of dogs half the day, but those are still good, too. People who don't like bear meat either have never had it, or don't know how to cook.
 
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