like greenhead said, depends what he ate. if he was a dumpster bear or scavenged on dead animals a lot hes not going to taste very pleasant....most members on this site seem to mix in a lot of pork or beef with there bear dishes.

I maintain my treaty with the ursids; they don't bother me, I leave them alone.

Properly take cared of and prepared its wonderful. The seasons I'm familiar with (Maine) are September through Novemeber. The early part being in the warmer weather. You really need to be prepared to gut it, skin it and ice it very quickly. Otherwise it does become inedible fairly quickly. My uncle lost all the meat from a bear he had to leave overnight one September.

I found it greasy and stringy. I don't hunt them as neither I or my wife care much for it.

had grizzly brats once and they tasted wonderful, and as for black bear meat had it many different ways the best i would say was in a beef stew type dish

Had it when I was about 14 or 15 at a muzzleloading shoot, as far as I can remember, it was kinda tough and stringy, but not bad flavor-wise. I think they had cooked it in butter. Maybe a marinade might help tenderize it if need be.

Like WAM, I'm no bear hunter, although I am glad someone is hunting them. We have way too many around here. I have eaten both black bear and grizzly but it was more than thirty years ago and I really can't tell you what it was like. I do remember that the grizzly roast they shared with me at an outfitter's spike camp wasn't bad eating and not cooked up in any special way. Problem with bears is the meat is usually only worth eating during the fall hunt but by then they have rubbed their hides badly. Hide and claws are best when they first come out of the den in the spring but the meat isn't much good.

backcast; as long as it's low and slow in the smoker or twice through the grinder and stuffed into my own intestine.