CHAPTER 1 POWERFUL PREDATORS You’re deep in the woods on a rugged hillside A large black bear is moving across the open meadow below You move toward the bear taking care to stay downwind You raise your rifle and aim just behind the bear’s shoulder Then you squeeze the trigger It’s a hit Forests are good places to find bears 5
Humans have hunted bears since prehistoric times They ate the bear meat They also used the bear’s heavy pelt to make warm clothing Early hunters used spears and traps to take down these huge animals In medieval Europe people began using dogs to hunt bears Weapons such as guns and bows allowed hunters to BEAR MEAT BEAR MEAT BEAR MEAT Many hunters enjoy eating bear meat The meat can Many hunters enjoy eating bear meat The meat can Many hunters enjoy eating bear meat The meat can vary in flavor depending on what the bear had been vary in flavor depending on what the bear had been vary in flavor depending on what the bear had been eating Meat from a bear that ate mostly berries will eating Meat from a bear that ate mostly berries will eating Meat from a bear that ate mostly berries will taste different than meat from a bear that ate mostly taste different than meat from a bear that ate mostly taste different than meat from a bear that ate mostly taste different than meat from a bear that ate mostly fish All bear meat should be cooked thoroughly fish All bear meat should be cooked thoroughly fish All bear meat should be cooked thoroughly fish All bear meat should be cooked thoroughly 6
Hunters in the late 1800s set traps to catch bears shoot farther too Hunters no longer needed to get as close to bears This helped make bear hunting much safer Most hunters today do not need the bear’s meat or pelt for survival But the thrill of hunting bears is still very much alive 7
