Best bear for table fare

[bowtechian]

Let's hear where (elevation) & when ie spring, summer opener or fall is your best eating bear came from?? Taking a interest in pursuing a bear, but all my hunts are about the groceries   

[MountainWalk]

Spring bear, grass fed. To me, way better than a berry bear.

[tgomez]

Fall bear, 5500 -6500ft elevation, berry fed. TASTE AMAZING and to me have better fur not to mention more meat on their bones that time of year.

[BULLBLASTER]

The only bears I actually enjoy eating are of the gummy variety, sometimes the cinnamon kind.
Real bears are mixed with lots of pork or bacon before consumption.  Makes them edible to me.

[Jonathan_S]

I have only eaten one bear I didn't like  he was eating lots of roadkill. 

Apple-fed fall bear is probably my favorite 

[crowinghen]

The late summer bear my Hubby got last year was AMAZING!! I think  it was a 2 year old,  so so good. But we are very anal about getting the meat out of the field and cooled right away-- I think he shout it about 4 and it was at the  butcher's by 6. To me that seems to make the biggest difference with game.

[h20hunter]

My first.....Snoho County fall bear...was the best. Blackberrys and grass fed. Dressing it out showed the gut to be stuffed with nothing but blackberries!

[JackOfAllTrades]

Fall bear, 5500 -6500ft elevation, berry fed. TASTE AMAZING and to me have better fur not to mention more meat on their bones that time of year.

I have to agree with this. Blue berry and grass fed late summer to chilly fall. They're fattening up. Eating like crazy.

-Steve

[JimmyHoffa]

How are the tree peelers?

[idaho guy]

I have only eaten one bear I didn't like  he was eating lots of roadkill. 

Apple-fed fall bear is probably my favorite 

 
Bears eating apples have been my favorite

[bowtechian]

The late summer bear my Hubby got last year was AMAZING!! I think  it was a 2 year old,  so so good. But we are very anal about getting the meat out of the field and cooled right away-- I think he shout it about 4 and it was at the  butcher's by 6. To me that seems to make the biggest difference with game.

Usually when someone claims they don't like a certain game meat the first question that pops in my head is how well the meat was cared for in the field to butchering it 

[bowtechian]

Fall bear, 5500 -6500ft elevation, berry fed. TASTE AMAZING and to me have better fur not to mention more meat on their bones that time of year.

How was the fat layer on your bear?

[tgomez]

Fall bear, 5500 -6500ft elevation, berry fed. TASTE AMAZING and to me have better fur not to mention more meat on their bones that time of year.

How was the fat layer on your bear?

1 inch thick or so, usually shoot em in mid September. The hides are usually pretty greasy by then but the meat is finger lickin good!

[bowtechian]

[steen]

Pear bears! Lol. I shot one out of a pear orchard and it was the tastiest meat I've ever eaten.  Better than beef! The meat didn't last very long in the freezer.

[Turner89]

Spring bear was my favorite, but fall bears nowhere near salmon are very good also. The first bear I shot was into fish .......I didnt plan on shooting another bear until I ate some of my buddies black berry bear. Now we are very dissapointed if we dont get at least one bear a year.
 

[bowtechian]

Hmmm gonna have add them to the list I've been taking a interest in bear but now that's convincing enough for me

[huntnnw]

The only bears I actually enjoy eating are of the gummy variety, sometimes the cinnamon kind.
Real bears are mixed with lots of pork or bacon before consumption.  Makes them edible to me.

  NOT  a fan of plain ole bear meat like a steak

[Jonathan_S]

That's funny...I may or may not have eaten an entire roast of a bear one time.  Nothing but salt and pepper baby 

[RadSav]

Late fall coastal bears on a steady diet of maple bars, snickers and macaroni-n-cheese

Westside High mountain October huckleberry bear too!

[Jonathan_S]

Sounds like a "barrel bear" Rad 

[RadSav]

Sounds like a "barrel bear" Rad 

Sure miss those days!

[Jonathan_S]

Shoot I might even taste good if I could eat maple bars and mac 'n' cheese!

Back on topic, I ate a bear that was about to explode from eating acorns one time and that bear was really tasty too.

[RadSav]

Only bad bear I have had were ones eating skunk cabbage flowers and those eating fish.  Was surprised at how much different the acorn bears tasted.  Good, but different.

[bearhunter99]

Pear bears! Lol. I shot one out of a pear orchard and it was the tastiest meat I've ever eaten.  Better than beef! The meat didn't last very long in the freezer.

Where'd you find a polar bear in a pear orchard 

Fall bears that have been eating fruit from the orchards have been the tastiest I have ever had.  Smoked a bear ham and cut it into bone in steaks 

[sled]

How are the tree peelers?

my spring bear last year had a belly full of tree bark, and grass.  The meat was amazing!

[jasnt]

Fall bear, 5500 -6500ft elevation, berry fed. TASTE AMAZING and to me have better fur not to mention more meat on their bones that time of year.

  my first bear was a 2year old from 5950asl. Filled from one end to the other with mostly huckle berries. The meat smelled like pie!

I have to agree with this. Blue berry and grass fed late summer to chilly fall. They're fattening up. Eating like crazy.

-Steve

[Pete112288]

Mine I shot in early Sept at about 500 ft where there is nothing over 1500' for miles and miles. WDFW aged it at 4 years old. It was just up the hill from a popular salmon river but I would say most of its diet was berries and cherries. The hillside there was just completely coated in them, and plenty of skunk cabbage in the marshy draws. I was unsure at first as it was the first bear I ever ate. I wish I had the whole thing cut into as many steaks as possible. The few steaks I did have from it were all supremely tender and amazing table fare. My fiancé and my sister (the pickiest eaters I have ever known) along with several others said that those steaks were the best meat they have ever eaten domestic or from wild game. They turned out so good off the BBQ that I stopped seasoning them at all because they didn't need it.