What do you do with bear meat?

[ksberry209]

I have never wanted to bear hunt but have been told countless times by DFG guys in the field that if I value deer hunting I need to start harvesting bears. I’m a back country hunter so I’m not chasing trash / camp ground bears. I’m on the fence about getting a bear tag tomorrow before I head out for the D3-5 opener. I always see bears when hunting.

So if I do get a tag and I’m pretty confident I will see a bear where do I take it to process it around the Sacramento or Placerville area? I figure a lot of sausage and maybe a roast or 2. I know cook it well done!!! How do CA black bears taste?

 

[Planetcat]

Do it! First of all, harvesting a bear is an adrenaline rush and they are amazing animals. But overpopulated in some areas of the state due to use of dogs being prohibited a few years back, so they need to be thinned.
Secondly, there are a lot of recipes available on the internet. Like most critters, size, gender, and diet dictate how the meat tastes. I’m in El Dorado County and there are a couple butchers I’d talk to about meat cuts and sausage blends. I’ve eaten a lot of black bear sausage from upper northern California from different butchers with different recipes. All tasty and very high in protein. Give it a try. If it’s not for you, then you’ll know.

 

[ksberry209]

Thanks. The other part of this is I will be walking back at least 5 miles and not sure I want to deal with carrying out 200 pound bear (yea I know wishful thinking and all) compared to maybe a 70# deer on my back.

 

[JPHunt44]

The beats I hunt are usually on berries or acorns and taste great. I process myself and usually do ground for tacos and roast in the slow cooker. I treat it like beef but just cook it to higher internal temp.

 

[Planetcat]

Thanks. The other part of this is I will be walking back at least 5 miles and not sure I want to deal with carrying out 200 pound bear (yea I know wishful thinking and all) compared to maybe a 70# deer on my back.

Don’t shoot a behemoth. Lol. In all seriousness, shoot a nice 200 lb or less, keep the head and quarter it or bone it out. Hide, guts and bones will be 75% of the weight.

 

[JohnCo]

Don't you have to pack out the head and hide as well as meat?

 

[JohnCo]

"RETENTION OF BEAR SKIN AND EARS REQUIREMENT Pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 4757, any person taking any bear must retain in their possession the skin and portion of the head bearing the ears during the open season thereon, and for 15 days thereafter. The skin and the portion of the head must be produced upon the demand of any authorized CDFW staff/officer. "

 

[Muledeer527]

I made mine into burger, italian sausage, and breakfast sausage. The burgers were delicious, and the pasta sauce was great too. I regret that I didn’t have any roasts or stew meat done, but I had never tried it before and took the advice of the landowner hosting us to do all grind. This was a late september CO bear that was probably eating a lot of acorns. It kind of had a nutty flavor.

 

[thecapitan2003]

Thanks. The other part of this is I will be walking back at least 5 miles and not sure I want to deal with carrying out 200 pound bear (yea I know wishful thinking and all) compared to maybe a 70# deer on my back.

I usually hunt with at least 2 of my kids ...you can quarter it, you can also make more than one trip .....both of which may be needed

 

[ksberry209]

I usually hunt with at least 2 of my kids ...you can quarter it, you can also make more than one trip .....both of which may be needed

Yeah I figure it would be multiple trips to the truck since I often hunt solo. That beer will taste amazing at the end though!

 

[Common Sense]

Jerked the whole thing out. It was better than venison jerky.

 

[snoopdogg]

"RETENTION OF BEAR SKIN AND EARS REQUIREMENT Pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 4757, any person taking any bear must retain in their possession the skin and portion of the head bearing the ears during the open season thereon, and for 15 days thereafter. The skin and the portion of the head must be produced upon the demand of any authorized CDFW staff/officer. "

While this is correct, I verified with my Hunter Ed lieutenant that only the head/meat are required. On another forum, after I shared this info on the same topic, another poster called the bear biologist in Sac and they verified everything is correct, but not the intent. They too said that no wardens would cite you for lack of hide, beyond the head and they are working on updating the law.

Also, I would cook a good bear in the same manner as I do my deer, elk, antelope, etc. Jerky, sausages, tacos, ground bear, asada--anything you want. And as you clearly know, cook it fully.

 

[#1Predator]

When I was on the job, I validated dozens of bear tags. The head of a bear must be presented to DFW warden or biologist. I know the law says I must have it validated before I transport it or I can transport the bear directly to the nearest DFW office for validation. That's not very practical. What I advised my bear hunters was to call the DFW office closest to your home as soon as possible (when cell service is available), put a stick in the bear's mouth, crosswise and as far back in the jaw as possible. This will prop open the mouth (do this before rigor sets in) and allow me to freeze the head until DFW can pull a tooth. The tooth being pulled is a premolar tooth. It is a tiny peg tooth just behind the canine teeth. Once DFW contacts me, they should give me 24-48 hours to get the head out of the freezer to let it thaw enough to pull the tooth.

The tooth is sent to a lab in Montana to be aged by reading the rings in the tooth, similar to the rings in a tree. It takes about two years (they have a lot of teeth to age!) after which I will receive an official letter telling me the age of my bear.

 

[#1Predator]

Here's a short video from YouTube regarding bear validation. I know it says not to freeze the head but it may take several days, maybe even a week to get the DFW to pull the tooth unless I take it directly to a DFW office, M-F, 8:00-5:00. Most of the bears I validated were taken on the weekend when DFW offices are closed. My local hunters would call me directly on my DFW phone line and I would meet them at their house or, sometimes, at a coffee shop somewhere on their route home. It was always amusing to see the look of the customers as I was pulling the tooth.

 

[thecapitan2003]

Here's a short video from YouTube regarding bear validation. I know it says not to freeze the head but it may take several days, maybe even a week to get the DFW to pull the tooth unless I take it directly to a DFW office, M-F, 8:00-5:00. Most of the bears I validated were taken on the weekend when DFW offices are closed. My local hunters would call me directly on my DFW phone line and I would meet them at their house or, sometimes, at a coffee shop somewhere on their route home. It was always amusing to see the look of the customers as I was pulling the tooth.

my plan is to call local dfg office and go to them, but can a game warden do it?

 

[#1Predator]

Yes, a warden can do it. He/she should have the correct pliers, "digging" tool and a special small envelope. The envelope is about the size of a luggage tag and has a pre-stamped area on the envelope for your name and other pertinent information. This envelope gets turned in to the warden's reporting office, then a group of envelopes/teeth are sent to Montana.