Stumble On Bear

[Guy Miner]

Yes, consider getting a bear rug made should you kill a good one. They're terrific trophies.

Two problems with a bear rug:
1. They are NOT inexpensive. My taxidermist charges $150/foot, so a 6' bear is $900. Gulp.
2. They take up a LOT of room. Typical bears that my son and I have shot measure about 6' long and 6' from front paw to front paw when turned into a rug. So there's a chunk of wall or floor, 6'x6' that is all taken by one animal!

You also get the bleached skull, which is incredibly cool on display on a bookshelf.

We too are essentially Out of Room for more bear rugs around the house. Nice position to be in though. :grin:

Guy

 

[Vince]

Now that the Green Bay Packers have beat the Cowgirls I can concentrate on this matter.

I'll be calling the Outfitter and adding a bear tag. I'll also be asking about doing a Honey Burn.

Vince

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[gerry]

Another option instead of a bear rug is to just get it tanned and hang up in a corner or lay it across a couch in the man cave. Much cheaper than a bear rug and still looks good.

 

[Thebear_78]

If you get a rug made and intend to hang it on a wall have them double up on padding the extra bulk really helps it stand out against the wall.

It's hard to tell from my cell phone picture but there is over 3" of bulk under the fur. This bear squared 6'8". I hung it at my buddy's gunshop because according to my wife there wasn't room in the house. Oddly she was able to "squeeze" in a piano only a few weeks later!

 

[Vince]

Thanks, that's a good tip and a nice bear.
I'm already thinking about where I can put mine.

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[sask boy]

Well Vince, I sure hope that you go for the bear tag as well :wink:. It is a bit of money but there are not many times you can pick up a double hunt for $400.00 extra and you do have a bit of time to save that extra money.
No matter which way you chose I am looking forward to a great story and some photos as well.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[DrMike]

This bear squared 6'8". I hung it at my buddy's gunshop because according to my wife there wasn't room in the house. Oddly she was able to "squeeze" in a piano only a few weeks later!

That's because she was already planning the piano. Man, staying ahead of these ladies is an impossibility. :grin:

 

[tim629]

my first experience with bear meat was a very greasy jerky stick... didn't do much for me

this fall before heading down to PA for bear season, someone told me the key is get the hide and all of the fat off (cool the meat) my dad shot his first bear and after showing it off a bit we got it checked at the game commission, skinned at the taxidermist then into his cooler overnight. the butcher didn't get as much fat off the meat as we would have liked so we spent a few hours trimming the meat some more (which the fat stunk) but the meat tastes excellent.

for $400, I don't think you'll go wrong

 

[Thebear_78]

I have a bear burger/jalepino quiche in the fridge right now. The trick with bear is not to shoot them if salmon are running. They become almost uneatable then. I like to make sausage, cherizo, and burger mixed with 20% bacon.

If you get a fishy bear there is little you can do with it. Like Tim said, get that hide off and meat cooled ASAP, bear hide will keep them warm for a long time and they can spoil. There are places you can send a sample to be tested for trichinosis if you worried about it.

 

[longrangehunter]

Vince,

My brother hunted Newfoundland for over 10 years with Patey and Sons. I went there twice, both times I saw monster size bear but the hunting Gods were not with me in placing a tag on either one of them. But well worth it, better trophy then the Moose they mostly shoot there. I've taken Moose and Caribou there.

Bear meat can be as good if not better then beef depending on where it came from. I can't speak for the ones that eat off the salmon runs but the trick is to soak the meat in cold water to remove the blood and keep changing the water 3-4 times and cook it like a pot roast, low and slow with a lid.

 

[Thebear_78]

We eat quite a bit of bear, the spring bears over bait are very good, I even had some spring brown bear this year that was quite good. Spring bears are mild and fairly lean as they have used up most of their fat over the winter, after jun 1 they start getting into the fish, it's not until late fall when you can get into berry bears that they are worth eating again.

You should check in your area for a wild game butcher/mr meats shop. Bear make an excellent cured ham for lunch meat, as we'll as sausage and other mixed spiced meats. If you do any burger make sure to mix with 20% bacon, it makes a mean hamburger on the grill.

I'm not sure what the dietary specifics of new found land bears are but I'm guessing since it is late fall you should be good, bears gorge on Berries and grass before winter. Make sure to save some of the fat to render into bear grease.

http://www.bear-hunting.com/2014/5/bear-grease-101

 

[Thebear_78]

We eat quite a bit of bear, the spring bears over bait are very good, I even had some spring brown bear this year that was quite good. Spring bears are mild and fairly lean as they have used up most of their fat over the winter, after jun 1 they start getting into the fish, it's not until late fall when you can get into berry bears that they are worth eating again.

You should check in your area for a wild game butcher/mr meats shop. Bear make an excellent cured ham for lunch meat, as we'll as sausage and other mixed spiced meats. If you do any burger make sure to mix with 20% bacon, it makes a mean hamburger on the grill.

I'm not sure what the dietary specifics of new found land bears are but I'm guessing since it is late fall you should be good, bears gorge on Berries and grass before winter. Make sure to save some of the fat to render into bear grease.

http://www.bear-hunting.com/2014/5/bear-grease-101

 

[Silent Sam]

Get it clear with your outfitter. "Stumble on" means seeing a bear while moose hunting. Once a moose is down the bear option is over with. There really isn't any bear hunting per se. Finding sign by chance doesn't mean your guide will pursue it as he is hunting moose. Not shooting a good moose because you haven't seen a bear will likely get you an upset guide.