Hunters- North American Black Bear Populations Are Thriving

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There are official sources that estimate one million black bears (Ursus americanus) are living in North America. Not only are they thriving, they are growing and extending their ranges into towns that had few or none.

Range of the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) #map #northamerica ...

Some hunters will simply not hunt them because they consider bear meat second to venison. The truth is, when venison is hard to get, bear meat begins to rise. And surprisingly, when dressed quickly and cooked properly, bear is first rate in a stew or roast, or as burger or sausage. 

In Maine, biologists estimate the population of 35,000 or more. In New Hampshire there are estimates of 5600 bears, Massachusetts estimates 5000 bears, Vermont estimates 8500 bears. And Growing! Thats, over 50,000 bears just in those 4 states.  A bears lifespan can be upwards of 15 to 20 years.  Old male bears will tip the scale over 400 pounds and upwards of over 600 pounds. Canada has perhaps very old black bears that exceed 400 pounds regularly.

Canada is still very wild. 

Bears are much like deer, they are crepuscular, meaning active in early morning and at dusk. Bears in wild away from humans often have diets of berries, grass, and insects but will eat meat and fish whenever available from carrion, fawns, moose, beaver and other wild young.

In the New England fall, bears are fat and if harvested at the end of Berry season, they have gorged on blueberries, raspberries and the like.

Bear meat at that time is quality to eat provided the meat reaches internal cooking temperatures of 160F or greater. Stewing bear meat at a slow boil both tenderizes the meat and kills bacteria and any parasites such as Trichinella (historically found in pork). 

And the fat is abundant to render for use in making pastry, soap, candles, waterproofing and lubrication.

In the spring, fat is gone but spring bears are lean and eat lots of grass.  Experts say bear fur is at its best in the spring. Canada hunts in spring. 

I am hoping my fall Maine black bear hunt this September brings me at least an opportunity if not a nice fat bear. I will be filming, photographing and writing too.

Hunting can be done with bow, pistol, rifle, muzzleloader and crossbow. Check regulations first. 

Good Hunting!

Traditional Newfoundlanders Harvest Seal For Meat – Making Dutch Oven Flipper Stew

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Seal flipper meat is a product of the Newfoundland and Labrador Province’s winter seal harvest. The meat is sold in St John’s in spring.  My hunting friend gave me some to try. I made a delicious stew below.

If the locals eat it, I’ll eat it.

The key to most wild game meat is to cook it till tender. On the stovetop, I removed any fat (as recommended) and cut off some chunks and browned the flour coated meat in Olive Oil and bacon fat below.

Using a Dutch oven, I then simmered/boiled the flippers in beef stock to cover for over 2 hours. I added small amounts of salt, pepper, tyme, savory, onion and garlic powder along with two whole carrots, and a bit more bacon fat. And 1/8th cup Screech (Newfie Rum)

The meat was falling apart off the bone. I tried the meat right then, it was delicious and tender.

In a separate pot I boiled onions and carrots in beef stock and added the meat I pulled off along with some of the rich liquid from the Dutch Oven.  I baked some whole little potato from the “Little Potato Company” and added some to the stew.

I also thickened the stew with some flour.

OMG so good!

The two flipper stew will serve 4 to 6. Serve hot with fresh bread and butter and a few pork fat scrunchions, on the side, if you have them below.

crispy and salty after frying.

Only In Newfoundland

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Newfoundland Bay-cation – Puffin Love

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The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a beautiful bird. Camera in hand, I photographed them among the craggy rocks and islands. 

Copyright 2024 Photo by Ed Hale

Here in Newfoundland, along the Bonavista peninsula, the town of Elliston is home to thousands of Puffins who come to land, mate and raise their young.  Like many of you, I am not a Puffin expert but I just love Puffins.

Their satirical eyes and orange beaks are captivatingly reminiscent of parrots and the long beaked Toucan. 

Spending most of their lives in the open ocean, Puffin dive, often down to 50 feet or more using their wings like penguins and feed on small fish like sand eels and similar size fish. We human visitors flock to see them each year in spring and summer. They are hunted in parts of the world for food but not here in Newfoundland. Off shore along Elliston below, they like nearby islands where there are few predators to bother them.

Copyright 2024 Photo by Ed Hale

Elliston, by-the-way, is also home of the worlds most numerous root cellars, where historically, locals store their hard earned seasonal vegetable and food larder. Below, immaculately built stone faced root cellar,  the door fit snug to keep vermin out. 

Copyright 2024 Photo by Ed Hale

I hope to cod fish here soon but regulations restrict cod fishing to weekends and Monday’s to five fish per person. My wife and sister-in-law inherited land and a home on the shores of Newfoundland where we visit with cousins, and perform upkeep on the property. Being on the shore, we get out and cod fish when we can.

Local seiner’s got some capelin (a small very edible fish) and I was gifted some to grill. Years back we were grilling them near midnight, my first capelin ever and initiation was to bite the head off my grilled fish.

Smoked Caplin Tonight

I gutted cleaned and brined them for an hour in a sea salt bath. Then smoked them on my dome charcoal smoker for an hour, I made enough for two more meals to smoke with fishing friends and more beer. It’s a tough job but… someone has to do it. Might as well be me. 

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I did so with a grin and washed it down with cold locally brewed beer made of 20,000 yr old iceberg water. It was fabulous!

Enjoy!

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Bear Meat – Eliminate Trichinella?

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I have been using Sous Vide water baths for cooking  game meat to a specific internal temperature. Below is the Sous Vide tool to heat water and food to exact temperatures. 

 

For example; my venison can be SV’d to 125F then sear on a grill for perfect rare venison. But now cooking bear meat to medium rare? How is that possible? 

 Bear meat, like pork has the possibility of containing Trichinella, thus for years, federal guidelines for cooking are at much higher internal temperatures usually 160ºF and higher. 

I read an article in Bear Hunting Magazine where the author now eats his black bear meat at 140ºF after using a Sous Vide (time and temperature technique in a water bath) perfected by Federal Government Food Safety Guidelines below to kill parasites like wild game born trichinella. See Table A1 for time and temperature in the website below to kill Trich.. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7033995/

The bear recipe article from Bear Hunting Magazine below.

http://www.bear-hunting.com/recipes?ID=8F8AB0C2-9C1E-49E2-AC48-B79ACA718A2C

I have not tried the Sous Vide method for Bear meat.

When in doubt cook to at least 160ºF internal temp. like in a stew. I pressure cook my bear for stew. 

Note; Steve Rinella of Meateater fame made a serious field cooking mistake in 2011 with Alaskan black bear meat. He cooked it over an outdoor fire but was not sure of its internal temperature. He and his hunt party ate it and came down with Trichinosis infection and all had to take antibiotics. It was no fun!

I don’t know what Steve was thinking but he already knew of the parasite issue?

He continues his bear hunts and eating bear but perhaps learned a very important cooking survival lesson.

If you have no way to accurately measure internal grilled bear meat temperature in the field, don’t eat it.

Many Indigenous people of North America  boiled or stewed bear meat. A few tribes roasted it on a spit but boiling long enough to stew and tenderize will kill both bacteria and parasites. See website below.

http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/mammals/bears/

Good Lesson!

 

 

Black Bear Taxidermy Thoughts

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I learned years ago to check in with taxidermists before the hunt for costs and mounting options when I hunted Africa years back. Some of my Africa mounts below in my office.

Black Bear mounts today are better than ever. I like the half bear mounts because they have animation, rocks and shrubs around them. They look alive, don’t they!  Examples below at Sterling Taxidermy. 

Bear Taxidermy

Clete's Taxidermy Studio | Bear mounts, Taxidermy, Deer hunting decor

Other options include a bear rug or perhaps a skull mount below.

If you do some homework, you can get cost and mount styles before the hunt. Good Hunting!

 

 

 

 

Why Hunt Black Bear? Food, Conservation, Fat, Fur and Skull.

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If you hunt in black bear rich habitat, such as Northern Maine, where I am hunting in September,  you are doing your part in conservation by control of the population. New Hampshire has bears too but a smaller, huntable, yet also growing population.

Hunters rely on biologists to determine the bear season. Maine has around 35,000 bears. Bear season typically begins in September. Check regulations for exact information. 

https://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting-trapping/hunting/laws-rules/index.html

https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/dates-and-seasons

But there has to be something that the hunter gets for bear hunting.

Among hunters and settlers, bear meat and bear fat has been a sought after commodity since the founding of America.

Bear meat, when cared for properly, is delicious. Bears need to be gutted and cooled promptly. Vacuum sealing the meat and freezing is one of the best ways to store bear meat.

Bear fat, when rendered, can make pastries, candles, lubricants, water proofing, and the fur makes a great rug. The skull can be sent out for cleaning and display the bears large jaw and teeth. 

Good Hunting!

Garmin Xero C1 Pro Doppler Radar Chronograph – Lets See How Easy!

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The new Garmin Xero C1 Pro seen below has features galore. It is very light, easily packed/stored, and is so easy to set up. Can link to your Iphone too. 

Garmin suggests you charge the unit batteries first. It takes a few hours and also comes with a separate larger battery. The tripod is detachable and the unit can be mounted on a long camera tripod as well.

So lets shoot three shots “right now” out of my 7mm Rem Mag at the range and see how easy it is.

On the top of the unit there are 4 buttons. One has the power icon. Push it. Below the screen displays  three options, New session, History or Settings. See the box highlighting the new session? We want that one, so on top of the unit push the OK button.

Next screen will come up and ask Rifle, Pistol, Bow, or Air Rifle. On top the unit has up arrow and down arrow keys. Since the screen box is highlighting the Rifle, just hit the OK button.

Next it displays expected speed ranges 1700 to 5000 fps or slower than 1700fps. Since the screen highlights the speed range for my 7mm, then hit the Ok button.

If you want to know bullet energy you can hit OK for Yes and enter the bullet weight. Skip for now.

 

Below this screen tells you the distance the unit must be from the rifle barrel which is 5 to 15 inches.

 

The next screen below has dashes indicating you are ready to shoot and record data.

Place the tripod unit on a bench near your rifle barrel 5 to 15 inches away.  

Next is to shoot three shots. See Below.

Hit the OK button and the Chronograph will calculate the number of shots taken, the average, and Standard Deviation. Some say 10 shots for a really accurate AVG and SD but three shots work for me.  

 

Wow! Time to set up is less than 5 minutes. Below, I shot my Ten Point Turbo S1 crossbow in just minutes with the Garmin to the right within 15 inches of the arrow. Thanks to my Weber Grill and My Death Grip tripod.

Below, I clocked the arrow/bolt speed at 359.1 fps with a 100g broadhead. Easy!

I bought a small hard case to put the unit in. 

Good Shooting!

Sizing Up A Black Bear Over Bait

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Seeing dozens of YouTube videos’ on hunting bear over bait is an excellent way to see  bears cautiously approach a bait site. My Maine fall bear destination below. 

https://www.foggymountain.com/

Brandon Bishop owner of Foggy Mountain congratulating a successful bear hunter

 

Bow and crossbow hunters are set up around 20 yards or less to a bait site. Rifle hunter are set up further away.

Your guides are real experts, listen up.

You will notice quickly that younger bears and cubs have large “Mickey Mouse” like ears, whereas adult bears have smaller ears when compared to the head. Your guide will also have marks on barrels indicating height of an approaching adult bears. A belly dragging the ground is a sure bet for a whopper. Or a bear that meets height markings on a barrel or is larger than the bait barrel. Holy Mackerel!!

If cubs or smaller bears arrive and then a larger bear is seen accompanying the cubs, then it is most probably a mother sow.

Take lots of pictures and video but hope that this  family of bears move on as the mother sow with cubs is not on a hunters menu.

Lone adult bears are what you are after.

Experts agree, the average size of harvested adult bears in Maine are around 150 pounds and can vary upwards to many hundreds of pounds like pictured above, though rare to see in daylight. Bear’s in the 250-300 pound or more range are real trophies.

The name of the game is being still, patience, scent control and timing/angle of your shot.

More so for archer’s. A fixed blade broadhead hit just forward of the bear’s midline and behind the shoulder will drop a bear in just 11 seconds.

A high broadhead hit to the shoulder scapula, is likely a lost bear due to lack of penetration. The scapula wounded bear will very likely heal but you, the hunter, may have some sleepless nights.

A rifle or pistol hunter has more shot options than the archer but the bullet must be placed in the heart lung area or head shot. Most opt for heart/lung.

It is best to shoot a bear with ample bullet penetration to get an exit wound and a bullet that opens up or mushrooms leaving an ample blood trail. 

Fast recovery of your bear is essential for quality meat.

Recently, I was given bear meat that was well cared for and vacuum sealed. It was absolutely tender and delish in my fall/winter stew. And don’t forget rendering the bear fat! It has many uses for making pastry, water-proofing shoes, lubrication and on and on. Mounting your bear? Call a taxidermist before you hunt.

Good Hunting!

 

 

Reflections of My October 2023 Newfoundland Moose Hunt

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It is 2024 now and near mid June. I took some time to reflect on my Newfoundland Moose Hunt.

Ed’s Moose taken Sept. 19, 2023

I was able to bring all 300 pounds of my frozen moose meat home on the back of our Subaru Ascent. On return home, we crossed over to Nova Scotia from the Port Au Basque side. An 8 hour Ferry ride. We had a ferry cabin, and 2 labrador retrievers with us.

I was hoping for a bull, but here along the Gander River, there were very few big racked bulls but never the less a decent quantity of moose live here. Given my senior age, I liked the hunt on the back of a Quad to get me close to bogs.

Cost of the hunt was in the $7000 range in total. Weather in October is storm prone, so be prepared.

So lets see, my moose meat costs $23 dollars a pound. Is it delicious? Absolutely the best! My wife goes bananas over the moose burger with a bit of pork mixed with it. This is my third moose and thoroughly enjoying the wild experience and the meat. We have shared meat with friends and family and still have plenty on hand. 

Below is the Moose hunt article.

Newfoundland Moose Hunt Sept 2023 With Gander River Outfitters

Good Hunting!

Next hunt is for black bear in Maine, in September 2024! 

Spring Old Town Fiberglass Canoe -Needs A Redo

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I have owned a 16 foot Fiberglass Old Town Katahdin Canoe for many years. This winter it fell off its saw horse perch and flipped up. Snow filled it and  we had powerful Northeasters and pounding rain. The poor canoe took a beating and filled with water demonstrating it was still leak-proof.

Our  Katahdin began its life as a bright red canoe and my sons and I used it greatly in Northern New Hampshire along the backwaters of the Androscoggin river and the ponds nearby.

Later, I spray painted it with camo paint for duck hunting but used it rarely as my sons flew from our nest.

Now, emptied of water, I need a new yoke and one web seat. But the camo faded and looks very sad.  Accordingly, I promised the canoe, a rebirth and a new professional camo paint job because I have 12 year old grandsons and a granddaughter to teach how to fish and paddle.

I went on-line and found my new birch yoke and web seat. But there is more… I found a camo spray paint kit and a kit of camo stencils to reinvigorate its life.

And the stencils too. All of these below in a plastic/ synthetic overlays with which to spray camo paint on.

Below is the new camo job on the canoe.

Good Canoeing!