Caribou Gear

So this is what Daniel Boone was raving about!

Kbbond

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Jan 6, 2019
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Elk, deer, and pronghorn permeate 99% of my family's hunting stories and, aside from finding their tracks in our boot prints left hours before, those stories do not include black bears. Why? I have no clue. Dad and grandpa always proclaimed that "bear is greasy!" or "they are tougher than hell to eat!" etc. Thinking back on what my dad and grandpa had said about bear (and their subsequent lack of interest in adding bear hunting as a family tradition), I am reminded of a statement made by Chef Eduardo Garcia on an episode of Meat Eater. Eduardo asserts that "the number one food allergy is when someone has screwed up a dish." I'm guessing that is precisely what happened over 50 years ago in my family. Great-grandpa probably ate a piece of bear that was poorly taken care of and wickedly overcooked. Consequently, bears were taken off of the annual license application list without a second thought, not to return until 2018.

I decided it was time to try and get a bear on my own. I've seen the shows where guys and gals get just as excited about harvesting a bear as they do deer or elk - but why is that if they are so bad to eat? What is the allure? I had to find out. Colorado has plenty of bears and plenty of public land to find them on, particularly around mountain towns like Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Gunnison, and Steamboat Springs which is precisely where I honed in. I decided to sit a water hole on my first day after hiking in about 2 miles and just wait, it was hot and surely a bear would come in for a drink. No luck after 4 hours of sitting so I decided to make my way back to camp. A half hour into my trek to camp, I stumble into a 120 yard shot on a beautiful jet-black boar. I went to work, recalling that I need to get as much fat off the meat as fast as possible. I remember cutting sheets of fat off that I could measure in inches, it was unreal! Dad instilled in me an almost OCD level of care when it comes to meat care and for that, I am thankful. The meat came off clean, went into clean synthetic game bags, and were cooled off by a cold September night. No dirt, no hair, minimal fat...clean cool meat, plus a gorgeous hide fit for a rug which I was surprisingly excited about.

Moment of truth...I did a standard process at home - steaks, roasts, whole backstraps, and burger ground with 25% bacon ends. The meat was incredible!! I slow cooked a roast in a classic fashion and Introduced it to my father, skeptically he took a bite. He sat for a bit and almost got a look of disappointment on his face. I asked what was wrong, he replied with, "I've missed out on this for 50 years!" He was blown away and now has plans to hunt for black bear in 2019.

I learned that bear is truly a treasure and an incredible resource, I gained a new respect for those animals instead of dismissing them as a sub-par food source. I can't wait to do it again and now, I look forward to helping my dad get his first black bear next September. If you're on the fence about bears based on what people say, I say ignore them and try it for yourself. Respect the animal and take care of the meat, remove the fat, keep it clean, get it cold, and you're good to go!IMG_20180910_162354_114.jpg20180904_173826.jpg
 
Awesome bear and some great pictures. Thanks for sharing your story, ill have my first bear tag this fall. Cant wait to get out!
 
Congrats on the bear! Only thing I have to add is that you don't need to get crazy about fat removal. It is just like pig fat and renders well with a good taste unless the bear has been living on a fish diet.
 
Love your honest observations and hearing of your Dad’s revelation. I don’t think your family is alone. Bears definitely get a bad rap.
 
I am interested in doing more with the fat, I hear it's incredibly versatile and has a lot of applications. My main objective for getting the major fat layers off was to cool the meat as quickly as possible since September this year was relatively warm.
 
That's a good looking bear! I've only had it once as breakfast sausage, but remember it being very tasty.
 
Awesome write up! Black bear is definitely on my list for the future. I've seen a lot of Rinella's videos on rendering bear lard and that interests me almost as much as smoking a ham, lol.
 
Congrats on a dandy bear!! My current unicorn. Great backstory and ending, thanks for sharing.
 
Awesome story. Be sure to cook the meat thoroughly. Steve Rinella tells a story about he and his whole crew getting trichinosis after eating some under cooked bear meat. Apparently a high percentage of bears carry trichinosis. It sounded like a very unpleasant experience. It can be avoided to cooking thoroughly. But I wouldn't be trying any rare steaks or burger.
 
I enjoyed your story. I had a similar experience. I started hunting bear in the North GA mountains two years ago and was fortunate to take my first one this fall. I had heard so many contradictory opinions regarding the taste of bear meat I was a little apprehensive about serving it to the family. I have prepared it as roasts, BBQ, breakfast sausage and ground in chili and spaghetti. Not only is it good, but I prefer it to venison. My nephew who is 6’4” and 270lbs has probably consumed more BBQ than anyone I have ever known, and he was certain that it was brisket when I served it on game day. The local boys down here for n the Appalachian Mountains swear that the best tasting biscuits are made with bear lard. I just purchased a pressure cooker and am getting ready to can some as well. Congrats on a nice bear!
 
Hello, I just came across your post and noticed that you said that you bear hunt in the North Georgia Mountains. I recently read an article in Bowhunting World Magazine that said that bear hunting in the Chattahoochee WMA is one of the top DIY hunts out there. Do you know anything about this area? Any advice. I live in central NC so it's within easy driving distance
 
Congrats on a great bear. I will second that bear meat is excellent. Makes the best hamburgers around. Provolone cheese and some dill pickles will make the best burger you’ve ever had.
 
Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

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