Rhino, I am not much of a bear hunter but will try answer some of your questions. I am sure some of the other members can give better information on your questions.
The best way to skin a bear is the same as most fur bearing animals, up the front center and on the insides of the legs to the paw. There's a few vids on youtube which show how to skin if you search for them.
As far as eating bear I have only tried it once, a friend of mine had some bear ham. I wasn't much for it actually it was quite strong but that's the only way I have heard of bear being eaten, other than Asian eating of bear parts.
Bears can be found anywhere from the boreal forests to the fringe agricultural areas. Some areas where I have seen bigger bears are in the Marten Hills area near Slave Lake and north of Lac La Biche Country. Of course the best way to take a bear is over a bait, guys commonly have their baits set up well before they are planning to hunt. That being said bears can also be found on pipelines and lease sites grazing on seeded areas that have greened up. In the fall bears love oats if you can find a fringe farming area and get permission.
That's about all I know about bear hunting Rhino.
