KILT HIM A BEAR

Black Bear
Arthur Rambeck

1939

Black bear trophy 500 pounds, 430 pounds dressed. Six bullets fired by all three hunters: Arthur Rambeck, Helmer Ness, and AF Berge. Shot near Williams, Minnesota. (We know that Rambeck was the sheriff in Pennington County and later served as a councilmen from 1968-1973. He was killed in a plane crash along with Roy Peterson and William Froiland in January, 1974).

1939
A man is alive and well today to tell the story of his hand-to-hand fighting with a bear. Before his companion could get off a shot, the man was tossed about like a rag doll, and was just about helpless. The muscles of his right arm were torn away from the bone, his right hand was chewed as was his left arm, both legs and other parts of his body. One claw swipe half scalped him and several deep teeth wounds penetrated his back.

1940
After inflicting damage estimated at $100 on beehives located on the Arthur Nordby track 7 miles northwest of Grygla, a marauding year old black bear was caught Saturday night in a trap that had been set by game warden Conrad Olson. The animal broke the trap loose from its moorings and fled into the woods. A group of neighboring residents were attracted to the scene, at three o’clock in the morning. The bear were shot by LA Knight. The carcass weighed 200 pounds, it was turned over to the Department of Conservation for disposal

Shirley writes: Art Nordby was Shalin's great-grandpa! It is a small world!

1940
390 pound bear was killed yesterday after it was hit by a truck. Nine miles north of Goodridge. The beer was killed by Wiseth with permission from the game warden. The bear were shipped to St. Paul where it will be sold.

According to the Minnesota DNR: An adult black bear weighs between 250 and 300 pounds and stands two to three feet at the shoulders. Coat color may vary from light brown to deep black.

The black bear was originally found throughout Minnesota, but now occurs only in northern woodlands. Bears lead solitary lives except when females are rearing their young, or when concentrations of food bring bears together.

The black bear is omnivorous, eating anything that resembles food in looks, smell, or taste. It feeds on grasses, fruits, berries, buds or leaves, nuts, insects and their larvae, and on small animals and carrion. Less than ten percent of a bear's food is animal matter. At the Bear Center in Ely, MN, they put deer carcass near the den.

During hibernation, a female will give birth to one to four young. At birth, cubs weigh eight to ten ounces and are hairless. They grow rapidly, weigh about five pounds by the time they leave the den, and 60-100 pounds at a year old.

Hunting the Bear

Minnesota bear hunting is a lottery system. One must have their name in by early May. If you are lucky enough to get a tag, the license cost $39. Let's look at three decades of black bear hunting to give us a better feel for the harvest.

1986

Names submitted to lottery: Greater than 20,000

Number of bears harvested: Less than 1,500

1996

Names submitted to lottery: Greater than 30,000

Number of bears harvested: 1,900

2006

Names submitted to lottery: Greater than 15,000

Number of bears harvested: 3,290

Eating Bear Meat

Try a well trimmed shoulder roast. Rub well with salt, pepper and garlic. Coat pan with shortening and rub a little on the roast itself. Roast for one hour at 350 then add 3 small quartered green apples (Granny Smith). On top of the stove in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil – 1 quart canned tomatoes mashed, 2 onions chopped, 1 tsp. Dry mustard, 1 oz. Soy sauce, 4 beef bouillon cubes, 1 tbsp. Worcester sauce, 2 tbsp. Honey. Pour over roast, cover and cook for about 2 hours or until very tender. Add water as needed to make a nice, rich gravy.

BEAR STEW 4 U

e.