Why are bears hunted?

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lady_arndt

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I'm sure there will be a few different responses, but I was just wondering... Can you eat bear meat? What does that taste like? Or are they hunted for fur and population control? I'm not a hunter myself, nor am I anti-hunting, if the animal hunted serves a purpose. I understand Elk, Buffalo, Deer, etc... but never until recently heard about hunting bear.

Thanks in advance for your answers. :-)
 
I live in Alaska - and - I am one of the lucky ones who has had a chance to see all of the state.

In the lower 48 - brown bears have been hunted to near extinction. California used to have a ton of them - today - the only brown bear they have is the one on the flag.

Black bears are good to eat. Any recipe that calls for pork - you can substitue black bear meat. Black bears - like most wild animals - taste allot like what they eat. When you cook up a black bear that has spent the supper living in a berry patch - you get a very flavorful meat. Take one that has been raiding the local dumpsters - doubtful you will like the flavor.

Brown bears - are generally not eaten. As metioned above - they taste like what they eat, and, brown bears have a very fast digestive system. They not get much value from freshly killed deer and fish - sooooooo - they tend to 'cache' the food away for a few days to let nature decompose it so they can get more nutrition from it. Brown bear meat tastes like carrion - garbage.

In Alaska, we use bear hunting as a way to help control having them roam our school yards, roads, and suburban neighborhoods.

Bear hunting is not something to take lightly. The hide can weigh 400+ pounds. More if it is wet - and more if you are not good at skinning animals and afraid to skin close to the hide. In Alaska - people do not shoot bears on sight - simply because you are required by law to salvage the meat for food, or the hide + skull. No matter how you look at it - a shot bear is a heap of work!

Alaska - and other states/countries - used to have a huge problem with Asians poaching black bears. Frequently the bear would be found nearly all intact - with none of the usual hide or trophy skull removed. The gallbladders and ground up claws were suspose to cure ED in traditional Asian medicine (erectile disfunction) - but - thanks to Viagra now lots and lots animals enjoy not being poached anymore.

I helped my best friend take the largest grizzly bear Alaskan fish and game had seen in 10 years while in Sitka. And I have helped my ex-wife take a very pretty brown bear.................... me, I get along with bears - I prefer to use a cameras. Take a peed at the big old brown bear on my web site under wildlife www.northpolegallery.com

Bear hunting is serious business. You don't just shoot the first one you see and call it good. You need to stalk the bear - you need to 'glass it' with binoculars or spotting scope so you can see the left, right, rear and front of the bear before you shoot. If the bear has worms, old wounds and visual rubs - a taxidermist cannot add fur or hair back where it is missing. Considering all the work and expense to tan the hide - you need to make sure it is worht take. This means sneaking up on a bear, watching it for up to an hour, and sneaking away undetected if you don't want it. Doing it once is nerve racking enough - doing it several times a day for nearly a week - quite a rush. It's definitly an adrenlin high.

That - and there are rifles you carry for normal hunting that are useful - but - to actually to hunt a bear with the intent of getting close enough for a clean shot you need an over-the-top powerful rifle. These are never cheap, or, fun to shoot - kicking like a mule and the ammo cost 12x more than most. You have to be a good shot with a big rifle, and, have friends with you that are willing to help get the hide and skull out.

Bear hunting requires planning, logistics, training, equipment, and good friends to do it right. Good serious friends - not the kind of hunters that use two weeks at 'deer camp' as an excuse to get away from the wife and go on a week long drinking binge.

For allot of men - and women - sucessful bear hunting it the apex of their lifetime in the woods. The fur on the wall and bleached skull on display are unmistakable conversation pieces.

Hope this helps.
 
I am told the meat is very greasy, and works better as sausage than anything else.
 
I am told the meat is very greasy, and works better as sausage than anything else.
 
Meat: Strong flavor, an aquired taste.
Population control: Bears may be visually appealing, but not too safe to be around.
This is a solitary oportunistic omnivore. They're not 'wired' for social interaction,
and this renders them more dangerous than most animals.
They have learned to fear man, but thats no guarantee of your safety if one gets too close.
 
Bear meat is actually a delicacy if prepared correctly. It is a staple of persons' diets in some areas of the world.

Hunting also takes place for population control in some areas, for humans' safety in others, and as a kind of trophy hunting in places where their numbers abound.

I personally do not support hunting solely for a trophy. I have many friends who hunt bear, including the current record holder of the largest grizzly ever taken with a bow in Canada. Everyone I know eats what they kill and the animal is not wasted
 
Bear meat is actually a delicacy if prepared correctly. It is a staple of persons' diets in some areas of the world.

Hunting also takes place for population control in some areas, for humans' safety in others, and as a kind of trophy hunting in places where their numbers abound.

I personally do not support hunting solely for a trophy. I have many friends who hunt bear, including the current record holder of the largest grizzly ever taken with a bow in Canada. Everyone I know eats what they kill and the animal is not wasted
 
Yes, bear meat is tasty. Had "cubed steak bear" with side orders.
 
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