I Always cook it medium rare. Been eating it for 30 years that way. Guess it's safe. I'm Still around. Even pork isn't unsafe when pink inside based in recent studies. Been published for years that pork is unsafe if under cooked. Newer studies proven wrong all these years. Bear meat is safe if pink when eaten. In fact, it's flavor is best that way. Don't believe everything you read.
NC and PA bears will compete with any BC bear including Prince or Whales or Vancouver island bears. Heads are the only part of those bears that will best a NC or PA bear. Canadian bears known for the largest skulls. Shockey hunts those huge Canadian bears as well as guides hunters to them. He's hunted NC bears and has admitted and admired the magnificent size of those bears is surprisingly equal to the biggest of Canadian black bear bruins.
People have and do die from trichinosis but people also die from plane crashes. Actually more from plane crashes. It's a very low number of actual deaths from it. Much more illness than death. It's all but gone from pork since the garbage feeding of pigs/hogs has been eliminated. Bears eat garbage but as Steve Rinella studied bears and trichinosis, he's cooked his bear meat to just over 140° to 150° with zero issues of the disease. My preference isn't so much using a thermometer but getting the meat pink but clear not bloody. Medium rare is what I call it. It's hot not cool. Clear not red bloody and done. If it's cooked beyond that, it's tough and distasteful. Most will not like bear meat if cooked beyond med/med rare.
Yes I certainly believe that. Canadian bear skulls on black bears did rule in general. Today I would believe NC and PA black bears have and will continue to take that first place seat also. Gotta make the trip out there for a hunt one day. As others have said who live there, its not easy hunting.
Don't know. The entire animal was brought back and skinned. IIRC the meat was full of worms.
I've seen the worms, that's why I'm not eating it.
I have never hunted them much but there seems to be so many anymore I am going to have to get after them. Yea the hills are tough anymore. At 52 I have a hard time getting around anymore and I am in good condition for a 52 year old. But I can't get up and down these hills like I used to. I have been trying to work out and get back to a younger self. You have to use a good 4x4 4wheel'er and need a good ridder or spotters to get up some places to drag one. Most of the time if you pull one off a Truck to go get a Big animal with a few people helping no one says anything even though you are not allowed. Most understand it is the only way. Now if they catch you joy ridding as some will say went to drag out a deer and they were off ridding around for two hours and I have seen it. they will bust you.
We aren't talking about pork. Hogs are no longer fed the garbage we used fatten them up with. I pull a pork roast at 135 degrees, and let it sit for 10 minutes before carving it. The temp increases roughly 5-8 degrees while sitting. Bears are not fed in feed lots, nor are they monitored by the USDA.
Correct, I get that. Pretty much what I last stated however bear meat isn't dangerous if not cooked to 160 either. Again, I've cooked it to 145-150 and because it doesn't need to "rest" because it's not a roast size piece of beef, i use chops/loins cut 1.5-2" thick and cook till medium/med rare,( burger I cook completely just because I prefer all burger cooked till brown). The meat is fine. No blood but pink, tender and very safe to eat. I know it's hard to believe but not everything that is published out there is 100% correct/fact. Everyone errors on the side of safety. Max loads for reloading aren't everyone's max load. How many times have you gone beyond a printed max load in a reloading book ? This is my point. Being smart is worth more than a warning printed about eating bear meat. As I said I've been hunting and eating bears for over 30 years and never been even sick from eating under cooked bear. Lucky ??? Maybe. Doubtful tho. I believe I cook it perfectly fine but much lower than 160-165. Theory is simply that...Theory.
PA has 1.5 million acres of state game lands and 2.2 million acres of state forest land. Once the boomer hunters are gone, they'll find out what being broke is really all about.
We lost half our hunters in the last ten years. We went from way over a million to about half that. Matt
