[PoorMuttly]

Muttly eat black bear. He did it before...but this is like having pizza delivered !

Good reason for a bedside crossbow...and 40 pounds of chili powder, just in case.

[LisaAnne]

Bad Muttly. You play nicely with the little bears.

[Clinging Bitterly]

>> Muttly eat black bear.

Me love bear meat too! The black bear from around here has slightly sweet & almost spicy taste, and I like it cut into thin strips and rolled in flour and fried. A lot of people don't like it, and I've had it that wasn't prepared correctly, and it was pretty bad. But bears are filthy creatures and you need to clean them well or they'll taste just like they smell.

I like to butcher my own game. Right after the kill I hang it and make sure it bleeds out real good, then I hang the carcass in a cool place and skin it. I want to remove every bit of skin and then carefully locate and remove all the leftover bits of hair. Over a period of a few days the carcass dries and stiffens, making it easier to cut. During that time, I'll sponge the whole thing down in vinegar a couple times a day, and I'll wash the individual cuts (under cold running water) before freezing and again before cooking.

And when you're cooking it, it doesn't hurt to use lots of lard. Biggest problem with game meat it that it is usually very lean, and lean usually means flavorless, and since you want to cook it well done, also dry and tough. Lard will fix that problem. Vegetable oil will not.

Haven't tried the ice water trick.

Dave in Eugene