Bear meat and spoilage

[JeffRaines]

So this year I plan on going further back than I have before... some of the areas I'm looking to go into are pushing myself pretty good - I know I'm not going to have an issue getting in and out, its just going to be an issue of how long it takes, which brings me to my question.

What is the story on bear meat and spoilage? I keep reading conflicting information on bear meat - some folks say it cant take more than an hour or two before it spoils, others say it'll take a few days(out of direct sun/off the ground/breathable game bag/general meat care assumed)

I'm really looking forward to the meat. I don't want to shoot a bear too far back and end up with a bunch of spoiled/wasted meat.

Anyone with experience care to chime in?

Thanks

[Jonathan_S]

About the longest I've had a bear dead before getting it on ice was 8-9 hrs and it was great.  That was late September and probably 80 degrees.

[BearCreekCookBook]

Biggest thing is getting it cooled as quick as possible.
 1) guts out asap 2) hide off asap 3) if it is hot outside and or it's going to be several hours remove meat from the bone. Then shade and airflow are your friends.

If it is over 80 some of those break to activate ice packs can be a life saver.

[Big6bull]

Hot wether ditch the hide. It can be a trip by itself very heavy. Spread it out to cool and go back after meat is taken care of. Bone out meat.

[JeffRaines]

Seems like its like any other game animal then... reading some things about it made it seem like it was prone to spoilage quicker than other meats.

Thank you guys for the advice. I hope I get to hammer one this year!

[Jonathan_S]

Seems like its like any other game animal then... reading some things about it made it seem like it was prone to spoilage quicker than other meats.

Thank you guys for the advice. I hope I get to hammer one this year!

Definitely not like elk and deer.  Sorry if I contributed to a misconception, it does need to be on ice as quickly as possible.  Just be aware that the initial cooling can be done by means other than ice.

[tgomez]

   Try to get the meat boned out and in game bags as quick as possible. As far as the hide, bring salt with you and immediately after skinning it salt the flesh of the hide, fold it in half skin to skin and roll it up. Beware there is usually a ton of yellow jackets and horse flies in September, they love the greasy meat and hide. Best of luck to you!

[idaho guy]

If you get the hide off shortly after shooting and de-bone it and place in game bags my experience is it will stay good just as long as elk and deer meat. Skin,bone it and game bags you will be golden

[addicted1]

Depends on the time of year I suppose. But, I have had meat that went hanging for over night with the coat on. Tasted fine, no smell, but wouldn't recommend it. Just depends on the conditions I guess.

[idaho guy]

Depends on the time of year I suppose. But, I have had meat that went hanging for over night with the coat on. Tasted fine, no smell, but wouldn't recommend it. Just depends on the conditions I guess.

  I have also done this with no problem many times with spring bear. I agree timing is everything I guess I was assuming he was going august or hot part of early September and that was his concern. I have never had bear meat spoil and haven't gone to any extra effort over what I would on any other animail. 

[hunterednate]

I've helped bone out two high country bears in temps over 80 degrees, meat cooled in game bags overnight, then hiked out the next day in the 80's with boned out meat and hide in packs. No spoilage. About 20 hours total from harvest to ice.

On another high country hunt, we lost an entire bear to spoilage. We shot it at dusk but didn't recover the bear till the next morning at 10 am. It had died on top of a snow patch in timber, and there was no initial smell or signs of spoilage when we skinned the bear and boned the meat. We hiked out 90 lbs of meat a piece only to have it start reeking the next day in the cooler. Yikes! We took it to the butcher anyway for processing, but the butcher said it was a total loss.

Moral of the story: quick hide removal and boning seems to work, even in hot temps. Any delay in getting the guts out and hide off will probably result in a total loss.

[bkaech]

Removing guts and hide quickly is important meat care of any animal, but I think a bear hide might be a better insulator than deer or elk. Therefore, spoilage can happen quicker with a bear if the hide stays on than an elk.

Use common sense and treat your meat right and it will be good.

[boneaddict]

Ill sink a bear in a creek.   Heavy duty garbage bag.  Don’t let it get wet.  Get the hide off ASAP.   For your protection as well.  Skinning a bear post bee discovery is troublesome.  If it cools off, air dry works too. 

[Lucky1]

I've helped bone out two high country bears in temps over 80 degrees, meat cooled in game bags overnight, then hiked out the next day in the 80's with boned out meat and hide in packs. No spoilage. About 20 hours total from harvest to ice.

On another high country hunt, we lost an entire bear to spoilage. We shot it at dusk but didn't recover the bear till the next morning at 10 am. It had died on top of a snow patch in timber, and there was no initial smell or signs of spoilage when we skinned the bear and boned the meat. We hiked out 90 lbs of meat a piece only to have it start reeking the next day in the cooler. Yikes! We took it to the butcher anyway for processing, but the butcher said it was a total loss.

Moral of the story: quick hide removal and boning seems to work, even in hot temps. Any delay in getting the guts out and hide off will probably result in a total loss.

That has been my experience as well.

[scotsman]

Shot a bear during a horseback / deep in Northern Idaho trip. Shot it just at dusk and did not find it until morning - It had died quickly but had time to hole up under a dark Fir tree. Soon as we lifted the hide we knew it was hopeless but we took it out anyway to make sure we stayed within regulations.