Good thread DoubleJ. Hope you don't mind a follow up question.
If a guy does decide to do bear only sausage...
1. Do you cut and save the bear fat and then add it back in later to get the proper mixture/ratio?
2. If not, how to determine how much fat to trim off or leave on before tossing in the grinder?
If you want to use bear fat it needs to be the fat located around the intestines. The fat between the hide and meat is greasy and nasty. The abdominal fat is great. So fine and mild that bakers would pay top dollar for it. No lighter, fluffier or better pie crust than my grandmothers when she rendered that fat.
If I add any fat at all to my bear meat it is always beef fat. I don't like pork in any of my grinds. Doesn't seem to freeze as well and takes away from the taste of the wild game. Won't ever taste like Jimmy Dean - and that's a huge benefit in my book.