I grew up on a farm in a rural area, where there were woods everywhere, yet growing up in Wallace I can remember only seeing two bears. One ran across our field, into my uncle's field, then crossed the road, and entered the woods behind the church. Then, I saw a bear for a quick second in the woods one time, but that was it. We had plenty of bears around because I would see the signs of them in the woods often but black bears are shy creatures, and they don't often pose for pictures.
No idea. They came out of one neighborhood, crossed Greenville Hwy just south of downtown and disappeared into another neighborhood. Hope Mama Bear found them....sometimes the young'uns need a good growling at and a swat or two. The wildlife officer I called said, "Oh, no, not those three again!" So they're obviously repeat juvenile offenders well known to the cops.
We have lots of bears around our place, but they have never bothered us much other than frightening a couple of our children, and tearing into a mobile home on the property in which we stored our dry dog food--tore up through the floor and consumed most of a 50-pound bag of food before it decided to mosey on. They never even bothered our young goats or sheep...of course, we can freely shoot them here if we choose. Both the best meat and the worst meat I have ever tasted was black bear.
You probably got the bad stuff. I have had both. The natives here even eat brown bear, which is considered by most non-natives to be inedible.
Lyle Lovett - Bears Bears Lyle Lovett Some folks say there ain't no bears in Arkansas Some folks never seen a bear at all Some folks say that bears go around eating babies raw Some folks got a bear across the hall Some folks say that bears go around smelling bad Others say that a bear is honey sweet Some folks say this bear's the best I ever had Some folks got a bear beneath their feet Some folks drive the bears out of the wilderness Some to see a bear would pay a fee Me I just bear up my bewildered best And some folks even see the bear in me Some folks drive the bears out of the wilderness Some to see a bear would pay a fee Me I just bear up my bewildered best And some folks even see the bear in me So meet a bear and take him out to lunch with you And even though your friends may stop and stare Just remember that's a bear there in the bunch with you And they just don't come no better than a bear So meet a bear and take him out to lunch with you And even though your friends may stop and stare Just remember that's a bear there in the bunch with you And they just don't come no better than a bear No they just don't come no better than a bear No they just don't come no better than No they just don't come no better than No they just don't come no better than a bear Songwriters: Steven Fromholz
The man who owns the RV park we stayed the summer at several years ago made a couple of casseroles for a pitch-in supper we were having in the barn. After everyone had eaten, he asked if anyone could guess what kind of meat was in the dish. I guessed veal, because it tasted and felt like veal. Nope, it was bear. I'd eat it again.
We have had a number of people come down with trichinosis from eating "rare bear" thinking they could treat it as beef. While in is now unheard of to contract the disease from pork that is commercially raised, it is still possible to contract the parasite from bear meat or wild pork.
On one of our trips out west, we stopped in Montana to visit the parents of a man my father worked with. When we left they gave us a real black bear foot. .We nailed it above the garage door at home, and it stayed there for a couple of years, until it disintegrated.