I have had a young spring bear, small roast on the smoker and it was about the best meat I have ever had. The one I got last year was old and had a lot of fat on her and G&F sid I should just throw it away so I used it as a quick, last weekend, bear bait for a friend. I have heard that spring bear is better than fall bear also.
I have ate both and the fall is just as good as the spring. If you get a good fall bear that has got into a good batch of berries it adds a little sweet taste to it. Spring bear is a lot more tender due to sleeping all winter. I like it better than all other game.
I have dutch ovened it and fried it up slowly and both have brought people back for seconds.