Trichinosis in bear meat

[JimmyHoffa]

I shot a 120lb sow 6-7 years ago and found 4-5 inch worms alive crawling around in its cavity and meat. I will admit I did not eat that meat. Was scared I would get this same sickness.

 

As much fun as bear hunting looks, that's the reason I don't do it.

See more salmon with worms than bears.  If it's wormy, feed the yotes and move to the next.  One of the most disgusting tasting things I've ever had (and had to toss) was a deer that had a broken rib.  Once the marrow circulated through...oh jeez that was bad.

[Oh Mah]

Trich dies at 137 degrees Fahrenheit but the issue people have is they don't cook EVERY SINGLE PORTION OF THE MEAT to at least 137 degrees. If you had an accurate thermometer and could ensure that the whole piece of meat was cooked to 140, you'd be fine and the meat wouldn't be overcooked. People have commonly been told to cook the meat to 165 degrees to allow for user error when measuring the meat temp and also for temperature discrepancy when using cheap or old thermometers. So basically, 165 degrees is way overkill if you can accurately measure the temp.

  agreed and for a certain amount of time as well.must be at temp for i think 10 min.

[Oh Mah]

I was trying to find out for sure and stumbled on an article stating that although very rare they have found Trichinosis in deer as well.That i did not know.

[Stein]

I shot a 120lb sow 6-7 years ago and found 4-5 inch worms alive crawling around in its cavity and meat. I will admit I did not eat that meat. Was scared I would get this same sickness.

Trich worms are 1.6 mm long (0.06"), so those are clearly different critters.

[Doublelunger]

Freezing just adds insurance. Any bear of mine will be in the freezer for 60 days before I consume it.

I've seen this before but unlike pork where you can kill trich by freezing, the strains of trich that infect bear meat does not die from freezing. No matter the temperature or duration.

Thanks, I googled the heck out of this after your post. What I found is that there are several strains of trichinosis that can be found in bear meat.  The most commonly found strain is not killed by freezing, but some of the other strains are. So my conclusion is that freezing still doesn't hurt anything but you probably shouldn't be eating undercooked bear meat even if its been in the freezer for a while. I always cook the hell out of my bear anyways, but this good information to have.

[180-GRAIN]

I shot a 120lb sow 6-7 years ago and found 4-5 inch worms alive crawling around in its cavity and meat. I will admit I did not eat that meat. Was scared I would get this same sickness.

I seem to recall that story..  Didn't you post about that back then with pics?

I believe I did.

[Calvin Rayborn]

Cook the hell out of that stuff! 

[Tjkride]

I agree with oh hah about the canned bear, as well as canned venison. Simply one of the best way to eat it.

[duckmen1]

The first bear I shot had the long white worms in the gut cavity but didnt notice any in the meat. I did process that bear and the whole bear was eaten. It was hard to eat and think about it but we cooked our meat well to be safe and all is good. Never noticed any more worms in any other bears we've shot. I honestly love eating bear meat and I always make sure to cook it well and don't have much worry eating it.

[dmoua]

I have only seen worms in the intestine's of a few of the bear's I have harvested in the past. I have seen the same in pigs that we butcher at local farms as well. I just cook the crap out of them.

[71Shovelhead]

Are there USDA labs we could take a meat sample to? I guess any lab with microscopes might work. That way we wouldnt have to guess about freezing or cooking temp and durations. Just a thought

[SeatoSummit88]

I cut out an ounce or so of his tongue and sent it for testing at Montana State University in Bozeman.

-Go Bobcats! (MSU Alumn)


I've had 2 different black bears off the coast, turned them into summer sausage and it was delicious; no issues thus far! Great article and information!