Moisture and heat are the two worst enemies of any wild game headed for the cook pot. This is especially true with black bears, for their heavy coat and possible heavy layer of fat just beneath the coat will drastically slow down body heat loss. This can happen even in springtime, as well as in the fall. Bears, especially big bears, are heavily muscled, too; larger muscles cool slower.

The following instructions are specifically for bears, but the general principles are good for any big game, particularly in warm weather.

Don’t be concerned if you have to wait until the following morning to track a bear hit the night before. We have never lost a bear we let lay overnight.

Also, DO NOT open a bear’s body cavity to dress it if you have a long way to travel before skinning. Carry it out on an adapted cot or stretcher; you won’t want to put rope marks around the neck or paws if the bear is a trophy. You will get out of the woods with a clean bear.

If you have to field dress the bear in the woods, do so as soon as possible, then keep the bear’s body cavity dry (although it’s advisable to wash the blood out first, then dry the cavity), and cool the carcass as much as possible as quickly as possible.

Quick cooling, and keeping the carcass cool, will prevent hair from slipping, among other benefits. This is vitally important when you plan to have a bearskin rug made or a mount of any kind.

From the book “The Bear Hunting Obsession of A Driven Man.”