Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Brown bear rug vs full mount

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:





If I did this mount I'd want his feet much closer to the ground so his relative size would be more realistic.

Rug!

I've got to vote rug also. Great looking bear though. What did the skull end up going?

25" His body was bigger than his head lol. It was a great hunt, I shot him at 13 yards, we saw each other at the exact same time. Can't say enough good things about Jason Fawcett, my guide, and Mark Young for setting up a hunt where my heart condition wasn't a huge issue.

Rug! There,memories will still abound: the first sighting where your pulse escalated, the stalk amd heightened concern to close the deal mounting with every step, that eternal second or three time stood still from first touching the trigger to the understanding the round actually went off, and the sense of elation that slowly cascaded over your whole being once realization that the bear was yours finally sunk in. These will never be lessened because it was not a full mount...

Sounds like you should be going to Africa soon...

best,
bhtr

I'm partial to the first pose.....

My bear is just about the exact same size as yours. I had a full mount done and have never been sorry. Rugs take up an awful lot of wall or floor space, if that is an issue (it was for me). Either way, you will have a magnificent trophy.

Chuck,

My bear was right about that general size too. I had it tanned and could not make the decision betwixed the rug or mount either. I simply have it hanging over a railing right now. Pragmatism got the best of me and I rationalized that with the $$ I saved on a full mount, I'm 1/3 of the way to going back for another.

It appears that i need to go on a big bear hunt! cause those look awesome!

I have two rugs & three lifesize bears in my room.

Rugs are cool but take up a whole lotta room or wall space.
I've had people walk across mine also.



A rug will make a bear look a lot bigger too.

Mounts are expensive.
If you are considering hunting for a bigger bear, save the money towards your next hunt.

Just my $.02

One thing to consider is the fact that the trophy only has real value to you, not to your kin or your survivors after you pass away. A life size mount that cost you $4,000.00 or more will be difficult for your heirs to dispose of and will be worth a pittance compared to its original cost.

The older I get, the more I am starting to think that a tanned hide is a nice trophy in its own right.

You only live so long and only get to go on so many hunts. That bear deserves a full mount. You won't regret it.

Unless you can see and evaluate the work of the taxi you choose, you can't know how true your mount might turn out either. Therefore, the rug is less likely to be screwed up. (Perhaps I make a poor client, but in my view there is nothing worse than getting a nice trophy and having it botched by poor taxidermy.)

Of the three poses you like, the second looks most unnatural, while the first looks most. (The third is a 'classic' pose, though bears don't generally do the house cat pose where it looks like they're ready to swat a ball of yarn. I know the taxi wants to show off the paws, but standing bears generally look more curious - because that's what most often gets them upright like that- but their 'arms' should be more down and ready, rather than threatening.)

I think my bear will look more like the 2nd pose, but like the first pose better. I've emailed my taxidermist to see if it's still a possibility. If not, I'll be happy with my rug!

The major boo-boo in the second pose is the way the bear's right 'arm' is held unnaturally up. Getting it down in more of a 'tool' pose would be more natural, if that matters.

You're right....in my response I meant the first pose, which is what mine appears to be. More natural......

I'd be for the rug.

I am going to have to make that same decision soon. I am planning on a full body mount. My bear is 9'3". I hope once the hide is rewetted and measured that the full body mount forms I am interested in will work. Would like a mount like your fist picture or a halfstanding paws hanging pose in some natural habitat.
Like has been said before brown bears take up a ton of wall space. Thats a good part of the reason for a full mount. Good luck, Dean

FYI, mine measured the same.

Well mine was only 8'6" but he was really really fat lol!