Miiliondollarbear - congrats on getting your first bear - how many years have you been trying.

we did get three out of four this year. Still have one guy who hasn't gotten one yet in four years. Hopefully next year he will get lucky.

about bear meat - best way is to make all you can into jerky, then grind up the rest for bearburger - which is really good - like it better than beef.

the roast and steaks have to be carful in cooking as there tends to be a lot of grease and you don't want it sitting in its own grease while cooking it.

so like i said we usually make burger and then jerky which works out well.

I took me five years of hunting every possible weekend during hunting season . Reading tons of info found in books and in forums, a lot of trial and error with different baits and scents. But I guess it's all up to being in the right place at the right time. My wife will tell a differnt story though. hers is you have to use a raspberry tea burn and heat it with 2 vanilla scented candles hung up by electrical wire on a tree stump bench, have it be your birthday and bring her hunting for the first time I'll post a pic of the bear and that burn thing.