[Country101]

I have always heard of people soaking it in buttermilk. I think this tends to make the flavor milder and tenderize it slightly.

Personnally, I dont soak mine. If it is a little tough, that's fine. I like to be able to tell I am eating meat. The flavor is never bad on mine. While diet will influence this, I think processing is a big part. I try to get mine to bleed out. If I start to process and there is a lot of blood, I will soak the meat in ice water for a while and try to leech some of the blood out of the meat. I think this is where a lot of the gamey taste comes from. I dont let my meat hang since it is rarely cold enough for me to feel comfortable leaving it out(plus all the critters).

Wrapping bear in bacon is awesome too. I like to use Moore's marinade. It is very similar to Dales, but doesnt have near the soy sauce in it. I use dales if I am in a hurry, because a little soak goes a long way. I never leave it in dales for more than about half an hour. Moore's I can leave it in as long as I want.