Blonde Brown Bear Rug or Mount?

[GlennT]

The same question that has been posted before by others but with pictures of my bear.

The dilemma rug about 3K/full body 10K. OK not a small chunk either way but obviously a full body is more than 3X a rug. However, I probably won't ever go brown bear hunting ever again, just because I have always tried to eat what I kill as opposed to trophy hunt and there are plenty of other critters to go after.

Have room for a rug on a high wall but could make room for a full body mount. Wife would be happier with the rug high up because she is also a eat what you kill kind of girl and really was not thrilled with me going bear hunting in the first place. Then again, probably never go after a bear again.

It was late on our last night of a 10 day hunt before I ever got my eyes on one, this one, I would have sworn it wasn't going to happen but it did at the last minute and once we skinned it it was pitch black dark. No idea on weight or size but I believe it was/is a respectable bear but not a B&C bear. Love the color and the hide is unbelievably soft.

What sayeth the heard?

 

[wyosteve]

If all of his hide is as nice as the front, I’d life size it. I have rugs and a life size. To me the rugs look like a truck ran over them and you don’t get a sense of what the bear really looked like. Just my .02!

 

[Crowmangler]

Congrats on a great bear... personally, I'd save the $7k & go with a rug with open mouth. More options for display (wall or floor) & will take up much less space. Neither answer is wrong though

 

[Rogue Bay]

That’s a beautiful bear! You definitely have a dilemma on your hands and ultimately you’re better off doing what makes you happy. I too am partial to rugs, but I have a giant color phase black bear rug that has been rolled up in the spare room closet for years because our new house doesn’t have a wall big enough to display it and our dogs would make short work of it on the floor. An upright full body mount would actually have been better for me in this case, but wasn’t an issue at the time. Just something to think about. Congrats on a great bear!

 

[johnnycake]

I'm gonna suggest Door #3, as it is what I did my with brown bear and I couldn't be happier.

Go with just a full body soft tan. Then you can drape it over a stair railing, couch, hang it from a nail on the wall like a trapping fur, roll it up and just have it somewhere, or you can still spread it how and hang it on the wall, it'll just not weigh as much without the felt backing etc.

I run my hands through my bear hide every time I climb the stairs and think about the hunt. I just wish I had a second bannister so my bear didn't have to sit on top of my bull bison! I tussle his mop before/after the bear, but both are just too fun to have one mostly hidden.

It's also way cheaper than even the rug option. And you can always still convert it into a rug or even a full mount (with the right taxi) later on down the road if you change your mind.

 

[GlennT]

I'm gonna suggest Door #3, as it is what I did my with brown bear and I couldn't be happier.

Go with just a full body soft tan. Then you can drape it over a stair railing, couch, hang it from a nail on the wall like a trapping fur, roll it up and just have it somewhere, or you can still spread it how and hang it on the wall, it'll just not weigh as much without the felt backing etc.

I run my hands through my bear hide every time I climb the stairs and think about the hunt. I just wish I had a second bannister so my bear didn't have to sit on top of my bull bison! I tussle his mop before/after the bear, but both are just too fun to have one mostly hidden.

It's also way cheaper than even the rug option. And you can always still convert it into a rug or even a full mount (with the right taxi) later on down the road if you change your mind.
View attachment 630984View attachment 630985

Can't really see the Bison but the cat on the wall is bad ass!

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Full body. I have a black bear rug on high wall in my living room, looks great, but when I get a brown one day, it will be full body. Congrats on an awesome bear. now you can go get a black bear. You can eat it, render the fat, and hang the rug on the high wall. Win, win, win.
Where was the hunt? Did you post that story on here somewhere already? I’d love to read it.

 

[Joseph2186]

I was having to make the same decision only with a Brooks range grizzly. Im going to go with a full body mount.

 

[william schmaltz]

Coat

 

[GlennT]

@ Blind Squirrel.

Where was the hunt? Did you post that story on here somewhere already? I’d love to read it.

Hunt was on the Kenai Peninsula, AK. Lodge was based out of Lake Iliamna, it was a ten day hunt.

First six days were really more camping than hunting due to the lack of bears. We were on Bruin Bay and hunted out of a tent. No cellphone and the only communications were via a Garmin Montana I bought for the hunt to communicate with my family at home to let them know I had not been eaten by a bear and my guide had a Garmin Inreach to communicate with the lodge. Which was fine by me, work was/is extremely stressful and I needed some time to just power down.

We did see a sow with three cubs on the first evening, one sow on the other side of the bay and another bear on the far side of the bay as well but nothing we were even close to getting a shot on or even chambering a round for aiming at. By the 6th day a front was moving in and the lodge had the pilots come get us because they would not be able to pull us out until after the hunt due to the weather.

One other hunter in another location, decided to stay out and when we left, he and his guide were still out and no pull out time was even planned. They were having to air drop food on them, and still no bear for him. I guess I made the right decision that time.

The last three days of the hunt was out of the lodge, nice upgrade from the tent, with meals cooked, a shower and comfortable bed. We hunted mainly over the Newhalen river but also some on the tundra. I'm almost 60 but exercise pretty hard most days per week and typically can out hunt most 40 year olds but hiking in the alders will flat wear you out. The owner of the lodge remarked on the 9th day that most people would have given up, but my hunting buddy and I showed no signs of surrender. I just remarked, we came to hunt and if it took the whole time all the better because we would get more hunting in. Didn't know how true that statement was going to be. LOL

Anyway, on day ten of the ten day hunt was hopefully but questioning if I would even have a chance. I had reconciled myself to the fact it was a great getaway but probably not going to happen. At 8:00 p.m. the sun was going down and I was thinking time to call the ball but didn't. At 8:30, we were glassing and the guide says bear on the river. We got down to where he was and there was no time left for is he big enough or the right bear, it was this bear or no bear.

Drew up on him and put it through the boilermaker clean kill shot but he jumped up and ran, guide says shoot him again. I shot but missed, guide says do it again but this time try hitting him. (Now I am typically the smart ass of any group of I am in, but I have to admit that was pretty damn funny.)

Guide put one in him and I put a third in him that stopped him. Then the work began, mostly done by the guide but I helped where instructed. I have cleaned tons of white tail, some elk and helped on a moose, but I wanted to make sure the hide was done right and the guide had done this his whole life. When it was finished it was dark outside and about 9:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Thats pretty much it. Very much enjoyed the experience, the people I met and obviously the result.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

@ Blind Squirrel.

Where was the hunt? Did you post that story on here somewhere already? I’d love to read it.

Hunt was on the Kenai Peninsula, AK. Lodge was based out of Lake Iliamna, it was a ten day hunt.

First six days were really more camping than hunting due to the lack of bears. We were on Bruin Bay and hunted out of a tent. No cellphone and the only communications were via a Garmin Montana I bought for the hunt to communicate with my family at home to let them know I had not been eaten by a bear and my guide had a Garmin Inreach to communicate with the lodge. Which was fine by me, work was/is extremely stressful and I needed some time to just power down.

We did see a sow with three cubs on the first evening, one sow on the other side of the bay and another bear on the far side of the bay as well but nothing we were even close to getting a shot on or even chambering a round for aiming at. By the 6th day a front was moving in and the lodge had the pilots come get us because they would not be able to pull us out until after the hunt due to the weather.

One other hunter in another location, decided to stay out and when we left, he and his guide were still out and no pull out time was even planned. They were having to air drop food on them, and still no bear for him. I guess I made the right decision that time.

The last three days of the hunt was out of the lodge, nice upgrade from the tent, with meals cooked, a shower and comfortable bed. We hunted mainly over the Newhalen river but also some on the tundra. I'm almost 60 but exercise pretty hard most days per week and typically can out hunt most 40 year olds but hiking in the alders will flat wear you out. The owner of the lodge remarked on the 9th day that most people would have given up, but my hunting buddy and I showed no signs of surrender. I just remarked, we came to hunt and if it took the whole time all the better because we would get more hunting in. Didn't know how true that statement was going to be. LOL

Anyway, on day ten of the ten day hunt was hopefully but questioning if I would even have a chance. I had reconciled myself to the fact it was a great getaway but probably not going to happen. At 8:00 p.m. the sun was going down and I was thinking time to call the ball but didn't. At 8:30, we were glassing and the guide says bear on the river. We got down to where he was and there was no time left for is he big enough or the right bear, it was this bear or no bear.

Drew up on him and put it through the boilermaker clean kill shot but he jumped up and ran, guide says shoot him again. I shot but missed, guide says do it again but this time try hitting him. (Now I am typically the smart ass of any group of I am in, but I have to admit that was pretty damn funny.)

Guide put one in him and I put a third in him that stopped him. Then the work began, mostly done by the guide but I helped where instructed. I have cleaned tons of white tail, some elk and helped on a moose, but I wanted to make sure the hide was done right and the guide had done this his whole life. When it was finished it was dark outside and about 9:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Thats pretty much it. Very much enjoyed the experience, the people I met and obviously the result.

Awesome. Thanks for the recap. What a way to end a hunt.

 

[DenimChicken]

I’d go with a rug, but I’m more partial to Euros than shoulder mounts as well. I don’t have a trophy room (or any trophy worthy things to put in it) but a rug or tanned hide is a little more versatile than a full mount. You can wall mount it, put in on the floor, etc. It can potentially incorporate into your (or your wife’s) house decor more than a huge mount.

I’ve also seen guys who do full mounts and then eventually decide they don’t want to dedicate the room to display everything and put them in the garage to be ruined.

That being said, do what makes you happy! Congrats on a beautiful bear.

 

[keller]

Congrats on a beautiful bear!! I went full body mount route for a few reasons. I don't see brown bears every day and from the Midwest 99% of the people I know have not and never will see a brown bear other than my mount.the size of the body,head ,paws claws are amazing. People cannot believe it. I walk up to it feel it size it up nearly every day I don't get tired of it.you should be able to get it done less than $10k. I did contemplate what's going to happen to this when I'm gone it wont mean anything to anyone am i wasting the money?but like anything else it doesn't matter what you have at that point. Another thing is what if you have a fire and it gets destroyed? Ins is not real friendly on compensation of a trophy.I'm learning that now on a set of moose antlers that went through a fire. Good luck on your decision.

 

[8404]

I think almost every hunter on here dreams about being in the position you're in. I don't even KNOW anyone who has killed a brown bear. So, if you're in a position to, and you wife is okay with it, a full mount of that bear will be a dominant display and spark conversations in more visitors than a rug ever could, and possibly inspire generations of future hunters when kids experience standing next to that bear.

A little kid standing next to that mount will not soon forget the experience.

Congratulations. Beautiful bear.

 

[Smtn10pt]

Your face in the photos tells me thats a full mount bear

 

[carsonkeys]

Do you have room for a life-size mount?

 

[AKBC]

I'm with johnycake, tan that sucker and shoot a bunch more. It took me a while to get over the "if you shoot it you eat it" mentality so I understand but they eat a lot of moose and caribou calves.

 

[GlennT]

Yeah, I have basically come down to tanning it and make it a rug for hanging on the wall. This for the two most obvious reason. 1. I just don't have a place to put a lifesize mount that the dogs and grandkids (not hear yet but I am sure they will be on the way if a few years) won't tear it up. 2. Cost.

I do have a place to put it on a large blank wall that it would be up and out of harms way. The only downside, and upside as well, to that is no one will be able to touch it to see how soft it is.

@AKBC just finished some Moose steaks frozen from the year before last nght. Dang those Moose fill a freezer!

 

[BrentVA]

My wife’s bear is a rug with open mouth. We are really happy with how it turned out.

 

[MallardSX2]

I got 2 bears in my freezer right now and I’m still trying to figure out what to do with them. I can’t justify spending that much money to get a rug and a full mount is out of the question