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Bear in the yard

Allegheny Tom

Allegheny Tom

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2018
Messages
6,042
Location
Western Pennsylvania
Bears have wrecked my bird feeder twice in the last month. We've never had any bear issues until this year. Very rarely, one would be reported in the area. But this year has been different...lots of reports in the immediate area.
Yesterday afternoon, I saw a really nice buck cross my driveway and I hoped to see him out in my plots at dusk, so I was glued to my windows with my camcorder. I was watching several does when all of a sudden the tails went up and they all bolted. 30 seconds later, this critter showed up and I videoed him walk 18 yards from my door .
My zone has a long bear season. This will be the 1st year that I buy a tag.
3490e1cd5fc7c8a7edcc0b6cf21b205e.jpg


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Bear hunting sounds like a lot of fun, i hope to get the chance to do it at some point
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Bears have wrecked my bird feeder twice in the last month. We've never had any bear issues until this year. Very rarely, one would be reported in the area. But this year has been different...lots of reports in the immediate area.
Yesterday afternoon, I saw a really nice buck cross my driveway and I hoped to see him out in my plots at dusk, so I was glued to my windows with my camcorder. I was watching several does when all of a sudden the tails went up and they all bolted. 30 seconds later, this critter showed up and I videoed him walk 18 yards from my door .
My zone has a long bear season. This will be the 1st year that I buy a tag.
3490e1cd5fc7c8a7edcc0b6cf21b205e.jpg


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Click to expand...

That’s awesome. Have you bear hunted before? Super interested in all you can do with the bear fat


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MrTumnus said:
That’s awesome. Have you bear hunted before? Super interested in all you can do with the bear fat


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No, never hunted them and never really had the urge.
I ate bear twice. One time it was great and the other time it was beyond bad.
But now that these critters have taken up residence on my property, and the fact that bears tend to like to destroy stuff, I think having a tag is a good option.

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I haven't ever ate bear but I have read that they take on a flavor of what they eat? I would guess that in the spring time there is better forage In the fall??
 
Uhh...take your bird feeder down...that is a 100% attractant. There's an ordinance in Vermont that says they have ti be down by a certain time in the spring because of this. Plenty of food for the birds by then anyway...


And bear is delicious....
 
Vtbow said:
Uhh...take your bird feeder down...that is a 100% attractant. There's an ordinance in Vermont that says they have ti be down by a certain time in the spring because of this. Plenty of food for the birds by then anyway...


And bear is delicious....
Click to expand...
The feeder is down.
It was never an issue here before. We never had bears so we never worried about it.
Actually, I usually don't even feed birds thru the summer but I still had some seed to use up...didn't want to store it for 6 months.

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My brother has shot 3 bears in Pa. And it seem that the ones shot in cold weather were very good, one was shot in warm weather and was rancid, the key is to get them cooked down quick, that hide and several inches of fat 4 to 8 inches really hold the heat in for a long time, we skin them as soon as possible and either pack them with ice or break them down and pack in a cooler full of ice. If you take them to a processor it might be a while before they get to them ( It's not their main business) If you get one on the ground and can't get help to move it try to roll it on top of a log so it isn't laying on the ground, if it lays on the ground overnight that whole side will be green.
 
BOWHUNTER14 said:
I haven't ever ate bear but I have read that they take on a flavor of what they eat? I would guess that in the spring time there is better forage In the fall??
Click to expand...
From Alaska, can confirm. Fall bears taste like fish cuz that's what they're getting into to build fat stores for the winter. Bears are omnivores so their flavor varies based upon what they've bene eating. Spring is way to go cuz they've been in roots and berries and such. Bear fat has lots of uses. BTW the liver old wives tale is just that, false. You can safely eat liver just remember to cook the heck out of bear meat. I always remember eating it in stew. My aunt would cook it in a pressure cooker to get it tender.
 
alpaca jeff said:
My brother has shot 3 bears in Pa. And it seem that the ones shot in cold weather were very good, one was shot in warm weather and was rancid, the key is to get them cooked down quick, that hide and several inches of fat 4 to 8 inches really hold the heat in for a long time, we skin them as soon as possible and either pack them with ice or break them down and pack in a cooler full of ice. If you take them to a processor it might be a while before they get to them ( It's not their main business) If you get one on the ground and can't get help to move it try to roll it on top of a log so it isn't laying on the ground, if it lays on the ground overnight that whole side will be green.
Click to expand...

Your right about taking care of them quickly. Think about it. You wouldn’t catch a fish and leave it in your boat for 2 days before you cleaned and ate it. I’ve shot several bears(the last one specifically cause I was craving bear meat)and they have all been taken care of quickly and were delicious.


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Longbowwally said:
Sounds like a good year for a bear tag Tom....
Click to expand...
I have a tag. It's the 1st time I ever felt the desire to have one. Neighbor told me that one of the guys he lets hunt had a cub climb the tree right beside him last week.
Which begs the question...do I shoot a sow with cubs (young cubs)? I'm thinking that I would not. I hope I don't have to make that decision. Not because it's a hard decision, but because I'd rather we didn't have the things running around the neighborhood.
 
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