Do bear hunters just hunt for the hide? (Page 3 of 3)
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Originally Posted By SOMT:
Here in Florida we can't hunt the black bears. If I were in a state that did allow it and I lived in a rural area I would probably keep the meat as well as the hide, but if it were near a city or "non-rural" area I probably wouldn't eat the meat as the bear has probably eaten some nasty shit. For example, I'd be all over the meat if bear's diet consisted strongly of fish. Have you ever eaten bears with a diet mainly of fish? I ask this because most people seem to be of the opinion that fish makes the meat taste nasty. |
| Don't know about the fish taste. Had a bear almost walk over the top of me a couple years ago during elk season and did not have a tag, so I carry one now. Not too interested in the meat, but I do understand they are fierce predators on elk calves, that reason alone makes me want to reduce the population. |
| Well assholes and opinions or ubiquitous, but I will still insert my opinion here. Last year I shot my first black bear in the spring around Fairbanks, AK. We bait with popcorn and what other bear delicacies we can come up with that aren't meat related. With that said the meat that came off the black bear I shot last year was some of the cleanest tasting game meat I have ever harvested. That is out of 19 deer and one elk besides that I have harvested in the past six seasons in various states. With that said my primary reason for bear hunting this year is to fill the freezer with as much meat as possible. The only thing I have found to like better than black bear is moose. I will say that while I had never had game ribs before last year, a smoked rack of black bear ribs when done right is about the most decadent unusual meals I can imagine eating when it comes to big game. Just don't get overly excited and cut the ribs out before finishing your butchering. But then again that is meat processing 101. |
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Originally Posted By Tweaker2144:
I have only recently (today) considered hunting bear for many reasons. The location I will hunt has a minimal deer population due to coyotes, but is overrun with black bear. The location has 25 miles bordering a national park! I originally planned on hunting squirrels til deer season. Now I plan on hunting squirrels til deer season, then bear in bear season, and coyotes every chance I get. As someone new to hunting, please reinforce my thoughts, or break me of my misconceptions. Lastly, I have lost my job, so a new gun is out of the ?. Here are my available choices and plan for the jobs ahead: Ruger 10/22 w/ 4x scope Squirrel and Coyotes if I get the chance (is a head shot needed to kill them?) Vulcan (please refrain from pointing out how much I f'ed up buying this brand AR! I am painfully aware) Coyote Remington 700 in .243 Deer and Bear (I am concerned that this is not enough gun for a Bear) I am of the opinion that good marksmanship is more important than caliber. That being said, I REALLY do not want to only wound a bear, out of concern for the animal an my own preservation as well! Please feel free to offer your opinions for me, esp. in regards to .243/bear combo Extra credit - I plan to wear a sidearm for self-defense from bear/coyote packs, and renegade albinos. (This is legal for me) H+K Compact .40 S+W that I shoot well or .357 that I am less skilled with? I would be just fine with a .243 for Bear. I shot a black in canada this year with a 38-55 loaded at about 1400 fps. One shot drop. They really aren't that tough. I have also killed many deer a .223 and a few with a .243 so no problem there either. |
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