Got an 8 1/2 ft brown bear last fall, the skull and hide are prepared, ready to be made into a rug. I'm having last minute doubts, thinking I want a full mount. Odds are I won't be getting back to Alaska for another brown bear hunt, so which would you do? Here's a picture of the bear (he's lying where he died, we couldn't turn him over (I have a heart condition)for a more traditional shot) as well as some of the mounts I'm considering. It'll be about $2000 more for a full mount.
I probably have to make this decision no later that early next week. The best answer would probably be to make a rug and then go hunting with Phil Shoemaker and get a 9 plus footer for a full mount, but I haven't been to Africa yet and that's going to take priority. I probably don't have the money or time left to do both. Thanks!


My bear:



Some mounts I like:

i did a rug or 2 instead of a lifesize and was always sorry that i did

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
i did a rug or 2 instead of a lifesize and was always sorry that i did

That's what I'm thinking. I really like the second mount but substituting the base with the one above it.

I'd do a full mount,
I like the first one you picked, the second looks like it's ready to shake your hand.

I agree, first one if it's not too late. I'll know Monday.

I ruged mine and if I had it to do over I would do the body mount. I didn't realize how much wall you need to hang the rug. If you have pets you run a risk putting a rug on the floor.

http://www.animalartistry.com/pb/bears-b.php


Chuck,

Beautiful bear. I think you lose some of the
"power" by not doing a standing mount. Everybody that comes to our home wants to stand next to the bear because of his height and girth to have their picture taken.

The horizontal mounts are nice, but the standing brown bear is definitely intimidating.

Your bear is really nice and deserves a life size mount.

Attached is a link with numerous poses.

Thanks Kathi!

Perhaps I'm going against the grain here.

I've always been of the opinion that one is very seldom sorry that he went first class. So if it's only money, I'd say go with the full mount.
However, if it's not money but reticence as to whether you really want another mount..........
Maybe I'm losing it, or just getting cheap in my old age. I've probably 40 different mounts in my "game room". Nothing magnificent, just hogs, turkey, coyotes, deer, sheep, and exotics from years of DIY hunting here in Texas. In my 40's and 50's these things mattered much more than they do currently.
Recently shot a bear in NM. I'm doing a "European" on the skull, and a rug. A year ago I swore I was done with mounts, but my daughter said she would love to have the bear rug to put in front of her fireplace, so I relented. I've not lost the passion to hunt. I love taking and eating game, and I take way too many pix, but for some reason mounts have become just "stuff". I do believe I enjoy the pix as much as the mounts. I've even considered selling mine.

Best

GWB

PS: It's one thing to fool others, it's a terrible thing to fool yourself. Sometimes I will flip a coin heads I'll do this, tails I'll do that. If after the toss, I'm not happy with the results, then I'm pretty sure what I really want to do.

I've either been a guide/wrangler in my 20s (a long time ago) or a meat hunter, so this was my first guided hunt and will be the first trophy in the house (the wife isn't thrilled with even a rug, but I love her anyway). If I get a full mount it will be a surprise, so I may get that cabin in the woods after all when she kicks me out!

I have one like your no. 3 (standing) and about 10 feet away is a full mount male lion. Of the visitors to our house I would conservatively say that 80 percent are more awed by the standing bear than the lion.

About 30 miles from here is the headquarters of Bass Pro shops. Inside their showroom is a standing bear. Nearly every time I pass it, there is someone standing next to it to get their picture taken.

If your ceiling height allows it, the full mounted bear is something you will not regret. Congratulations on your Brown Bear.

Chuck here's a link to a brown bear be mounted, I seen your post on the Tax. forum, this guy is also in PA. Pretty neat.
http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/b...essages=159&forum=36

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
I've either been a guide/wrangler in my 20s (a long time ago) or a meat hunter, so this was my first guided hunt and will be the first trophy in the house (the wife isn't thrilled with even a rug, but I love her anyway). If I get a full mount it will be a surprise, so I may get that cabin in the woods after all when she kicks me out!

Now I understand!

Sounds like a win/win situation either way! I'd say go for it, in the most outrageous fashion.


When I first started years ago I kept all my "stuff" in our garage. I got my wife a new car. I suggested to her, that if I could move all my stuff upstairs into the "game room" she would have plenty of room to park her new car out of the elements.
Can't believe she relented to this day!


Best


GWB

Now you folks have me thinking about a standing mount! I think it would be easier to get into the house and take up less room. Thanks for all of your advice, I'm going to consult with my wife, though I did find a really cool place on a little island just off of Kodiak for $225,000 ...

Hey,
maybe you could get the owner to finance it, then start a B&B for hunters who would love to hunt Kodiak and have been thrown out because of their trophy mounts to pay for it.

GWB

I'm sitting in my game room as I type this, in front of 2 lifesize bears from Kodiak, as well as a toklat grizzly rug. In my mind, I absolutely would lifesize him. One of the brown bears is done just like in that top picture, and I've always liked that one a lot. The other lifesize bear is like the bottom photo, except that his front legs are haning down and he's slack jawed, not 'growling' like in the photo. It is a great looking mount.

Even if you do go back with Phil again, there is no guarantee that you'll get a bigger bear, or even get a bear at all. If you get a nice bear on a subsequent hunt, you can make it into a rug.

Kathi sent me the links to animal artistry, who I spent some time with at SCI 2012 in Vegas, they tried to help convince my wife to go with a full size, I think she's half way there.

I like you, am a fan of the standking, front legs hanging down with a slack jaw. Here's a link thanks to Kathi

http://www.animalartistry.com/...s-b/05_bears_bwn.php

I'm going full standing mount. My wife said Ok, so today I'm calling Animal Artistry setting it up and then have to call Tom Hardesty at Atcheson's and ask him to send my bear Animal Artistry. Tom is a great guy, and I'm kind of dreading the call, but I want the best quality mount I can get.

I've been looking at some live bear photo's to send to Animal Artistry to base the mount on and so far like these, maybe with a slack jaw and no water (though fake water would be cool).







A photo of Bart the bear

Done, bear is on it's way. Tom was a real gentleman and just awfully nice as I expected him to be. A pleasure to deal with.

Tom Hardesty is a class act in every sense of the word. I've always respected him, and the entire gang at Atchesons.

I would say a full mount... you got other priorities and this bear looks like a real nice specimen so I'd vote for a life size.

i went to the atcheson taxidermy site and honestly i think their mounts are terrible. the mouths on nearly every animal look like joan rivers after botox. what i saw was not world class taxidermy. i think you did the right thing going elsewhere.

Life size!! Black bears are for rugs!!

Atcheson did a fantastic job on my cape buffalo, but that was 25 years ago, so I can't speak to current work. They have long been known for reliable results, but no doubt others are good too.

Just got my bear rug back from Tom Hardesty at Atcheson Taxidermy. They did a super job, pics to follow. I did enquire about a full mount at Animal Artistry, but they said (and I'm sure they're right) that it had progressed too far towards a rug.

Tom was not only super understanding but my bear rug came out beautifully. Pics to follow later this week.

Chuck,

I hate to say I told you so. No that's a lie I'm glad that you had Tom do the work and your happy. I literally have a house full of their work, I've always been satisfied and their customer service is second to none.

Mark

Thanks Mark, haven't found a place to put him yet, but here's a picture. He squares a little more than 8 feet as a rug. I don't know how much they shrink in the tanning/rug process but he looks good.

Chuck,

In my limited experience with my own bears the green square of a bear can be notably larger than the finished rug. I shot a brown bear we squared at 9'1" when it was green. The rug squared 8'4". A black bear that we squared on a completely flat surface the day it was shot went 7' exactly. Now as a rug it is just over 6'. So from my experience your bear is about right.

Mark

Very nice rug, Chuck

Thanks! It's going to go downstairs in the man cave with the moose antler coffee table once my older son moves out. No hurry on that though, it's nice to have him home and going to college after 4 years in the Rangers.

Very nice. Still I will never do another rug. They just take up too much room, require constant attention as in cleaning, and a full mount looks so much better IMO. I like the rugs it is the space requirement and having people walk on it that I don't like. That is why most of them eventually end up hung on a wall somewhere. If you have the space and can keep people off them they sure look nice though.

Thanks Mike, I agree, but it was too late to change to a full mount. I'll have to go back and get a 10 footer ...