Alternative bear displays?

[akshootnscoot]

So you have a bear hide that you had plans for, but life got in the way (firstborn child on the way?)... What do you guys do with them?

I wanted to hang my Kodiak bear, with the intentions of a half body mount. He was too rubbed on his butt for a rug, and changing circumstances within the family/budget/priorities left me with a tanned hide full of great memories. He deserved better than hanging on a nail, so this is what my first pass got me:



I have ideas on how to improve the display, but I'm curious of what you guys think? Also, what do you do with the bears you don't rug or mount?

[delong1301]

I'm looking forward to the responses as I am awaiting a brown bear hide to come back from the tannery and I'm still undecided what to do with it. I really don't have the room for a rug. Looking forward to seeing some different ideas.

[martentrapper]

Cool idea..........not sure you can improve on that!

[BRWNBR]

Never could figure out why guys don't like to mount bears with rubs....
I think that hide looks pretty cool right there, maybe a small light bulb up in his head so his eyes shine and you'd be there!

[JuliW]

Off the top of my head, I would estimate less than 1 in 10 brown bears has what I would call 'exceptional' hair. Grizzlies tend to have better hair and coat quality than brown bears do.

1/2 lifesizes are a nice way to represent a bear without taking up the wall space a rug does. They can cost up to 1/3 more than a rug, however.

Shoulder mounts are another option for bears that have been busy scratching their bums.

Otherwise the way the OP has his bear presented is pretty nice and unique for what he wanted or was able to do with it.


Many hunters don't understand what a 'rubbed' bear really is. Some think it means completely bald, which is not the case. A rubbed bear is one in which some, most , or all of the 'guard' hairs have been broken at the tip. Leaving a short 'buffalo' like texture and appearance to the remaining undercoat and hair. A rubbed bear will look 'dull' or 'flat' colored...not shiny.

I am of the opinion that the brown bears that are feeding on salmon all summer start rubbing their hair off before fall even sets in. They gain so much weight and get so hot that they can't help themselves.... Thus they go into the den rubbed and they come out rubbed in the spring.

[Amigo Will]

Looks fine like it is. The claws are for sure the highlight now. The family needs come first for me also.

[bullbuster]

That looks good. Maybe get a 60" moose rack to replace the lumber with, or a cool piece of driftwood.

[4merguide]

That looks good. Maybe get a 60" moose rack to replace the lumber with, or a cool piece of driftwood.

Good idea. Or maybe put it on an older type back pack like it was being hauled out.....

[Redlander]

Go with something off the wall (pun intended)

Get your wife a cool necklace made out of the claws and get a hat made out of the head and remainder of the hide. Alaska Spirit Crafts, http://www.alaskaspiritcrafts.com/, will do you a good job. She made me a kick butt fox/beaver trapper hat. I think she charged me $60 with us supplying the fur. If you go that route, just tell her some guy from Texas that has a cabin up on the Yentna River recommended her.

[willphish4food]

Dividends are twice what people expected they'd be. Put that extra grand into having it mounted

[akshootnscoot]

Thanks for the responses all! The original inspiration for this came from the sheep in the Valdez airport that is strapped to the pack frame.

This is what he looked like on the beach:



I found this shed on the way out to get him, and think I'll hang it under the bear:



I want to get a foam ball, and cut it to match the shape of the bear's head in the picture on the beach... Really show off those blonde tips. I could probably rig up some LED's for the eyes, as was suggested

If this were to be a living room centerpiece, I would use a nicer wood. On the next one (or the next iteration of this one), I'll angle the leg supports out to match the natural lie. It'll take up more space, but might look better?

In the meantime, I'll probably figure out a better way to support the front paws, in order to accentuate the ivory claws. I thought about removing the rear claws for necklaces, but wanted to see how this display turned out before taking that step.

And the pfd is going in to the bank account to pay for diapers in a couple months!

[Jerod]

I've got Dahlberg's Taxidermy working on a custom bear mount for me right now. It is a shoulder mount of a grizzly bear I shot with my bow up on the Haul Road. I shot a big bull caribou about on the south side of Atigun Pass and both the antlers popped off as he was rolling down the mountain. I took the larger of the two antlers and that is being used as a frame along with some moss and rocks for fillers. Can't wait to see it come together!

[SmokeRoss]

I have a head mount from a black bear I shot with my bow cause I already had rugs on the wall from a huge blackie and a 9 1/2 brownie. I also had a couple pairs of mukluks made from black bear hides. Have made a lot of claw necklaces for friends.
Did a head/neck mount with a huge wolf that had a lice problem. The lice infected wolves on the Kenai would have a real shortage of body hair. I don't know how thy managed in winter.