This bear was taken in the upper Allegheny's, and was a younger hill dweller, not a dumpster diver, so the meat was actually quite tender also. I don't believe the black bear up this way eat much else but plant base either, not really carnivores...
they do eat a lot of plants after hibernation
like nature laxative, to get rid of 'the plug'
(so they don't **** in the den all winter)
from what they ate just before hibernation,
a lot of acorns, pinenuts/pinecones, any nuts or fruits, some flowers,
they also eat, maybe a few grubs, moths, termites, ants/bugs,
usually tearing up rotted wood or mounds of earth
even a rodent/chick-monk or ground squirrel,
if they can catch them
fawns/folds for the bigger bears or other animals kill/scavaging,
they are true omnivores, opportunistic & gatherers
I ate quite a bit of bear (Brown & Black) when I lived in Alaska
it's good & when it's cooked right, it is great meat...
Like sort of, IMO it's
gammy pork, most of them up there lived of salmon,
& fresh grasses near the water's edge or grubs in deadfall trees
or moths/worms from under rocks, usually around the higher slopes/shale
(bears by the coast, ate a lot of shellfish/clams, kelp & grasses etc.)
an early spring bear kill, isn't as fatty either
& just before winter, they are really/more fatty
(stored fat for hibernation, or milk production for the sows/cubs)
each bear is different (sort of) even species of bear, can taste a lot different
from the area it's living/hunting/gathering too
& yes a lot of the meat flavor comes from their diet
most bears (black) killed are just over the 90# legal limit
(sadly that's only about the size of a full-grown dog)
big bears, get big because they avoid people,
Young bears aren't too smart/savvy yet or are just outright hungry
&/or curious
some states have different reg.s or legal size too
