Bear Rugs Already!

[Guy M]

Got a call from my taxidermist, sort of a surprise, I didn't expect the rugs to be ready yet. They look good!

I'll get a photo of my son's bear later, it's a little smaller, but not much. With more light on it, the bear looks chocolate brown. Here it looks pretty dark.

Guy

 

[jmden]

Nice!

 

[Magnumitis]

Wow! That rug looks great! My dad's bear should be getting close to finished; can't wait to see what his looks like. Hopefully it's as good as yours

 

[winmag]

Doesn't get much better than that! Congrats to you and your son

 

[Joel Russo]

Looks nice Guy.

I like the unobtrusive black/brown felt around the border.

I had a wolf black done the same way with just a black rolled border.

 

[jmden]

I like the unobtrusive black/brown felt around the border.

.

Good point. Should keep that in mind...

 

[Sendero_Man]

great ! looks really nice ... I like it too.

My wife's bear should be back soon too I think.

post up pics of the other when you can..

 

[hermit]

nice looking rug i would be happy with that

 

[Guy M]

Thanks guys. I am very pleased with the way the rugs turned out. It was a great father-son hunt, and these rugs will remind us of the hunt.

My son's bear:

Mine:

These were my first bear rugs - and here's a few thoughts:

Care of the hide is very important. These were skinned quickly after the kills, and put on ice as soon as we could make that happen, then I drove straight to the taxidermist with the iced-down bear hides. I believe that helped.

They're not inexpensive. I've seen rug prices from $100 - $200 per foot for a bear rug. So at $150 per foot, a 6' bear is about $900.

Take a hard look at your available wall space. My son reserved a spot in his room for his bear, years ago. It's a tight fit. Still not quite sure where mine is going... Couple of options, but it basically takes a 6 x 6 area minimum. More room is better.

Regards, Guy

 

[LawShark]

One day I'll get one of those. What did you do with the skull?

 

[Guy M]

Had the skulls cleaned up. My son and I each have our bear skulls on shelves.

 

[Magnumitis]

Very nice. Have you measured them?

 

[Guy M]

Mine is a few inches over 6' long, my son's bear is a few inches under 6' from nose to tail.

Oddly enough the skulls were both 18.25"

 

[Firemode]

When you say available wall space, did you mean floor space? Or did you hang it on the wall? Great bears! What did you use to shoot these guys with? Thanks.