I shot a real nice black bear in MT a few weeks back and will have a bear rug made. The taxidermist wants to know what color felt I would like (uses two colors).

Please post pics of your bear rugs (black in color) if you don't mind so I can take a look. I obviously want to get this right the first time.

black base and dark green between the hide and base looks pretty snazzy.
I don't have a pic handy, but I could take one tomorrow....

Thanks, I'd appreciate that! I've heard that combo a few times and would like to see one.

I will try it later today when I can get on photobucket...

If no one else posts a high-res pic, I'll get one tomorrow for ya.

I found this one ( I was testing for back focus on a new lens so it's not really framed to show the rug per se).

Black and red...



Black and Tan..

Keep it natural, use black, and shades of brown. You want it to accentuate the bear's natural colors.

I dont have a pic. but black with Blue trim look great!

I agree and believe this is the best way...

Two of mine.

Your bear was black right?
I got a pure black bear rugged with a dark gray (graphite) border with a black outside border. Turned out really well. Don't think it'd work as well on a brown or blonde bear.

Not sure I'd even do felt that showed, and for sure I'd do closed mouth.

Dober

I've never killed one, but I've gotta ask why.

Don't like the snarly bad bear routine

Dober

Fair enough. It was a question out of ignorance, and hope you didn't take it any other way. Thanks.

No way JG, you're not a pot shot taker and that's one of the things I appreciate about you.

Dober

Closed mouth fan here too on all rugs, not just bear.

I don't have any good pics of mine but I like black (inside) and tan (or grey) outside border. Assuming the bear is black, it'll look bigger too.

mine have three colors. black/green/black and black/red/black. makes the color more subltle. worth checking out.

I was kinda thinking the same thing about the closed mouth. I think bear rugs are cool but I've always kinda wondered about the open snarly mouth thing. I'm liking the idea of having it look like it did when we had it on the log for pics.

Oh, and yes, it is black. Here it is.

Good pics, nice to see pics from all angles to give a good idea as to the bruins size. IMO well done!

Dober

Thanks Dober! I really couldn't be happier with my first ever bear for sure. At 6.5 feet, how could I be?

You could hunt a long time in Montana without getting one that size......

I did....

To each his own, but the only thing I would mount with no felt and a closed mouth would be a liberal...

Touche....good one my man!

Dober

I don't have any photos, but my black bear is on black and red felt; looks really good. My Brown Bear is on tan and brown.

I went with red and black felt for mine. I am happy with the way it turned out. Here's a few Pictures.

Mine is done just like Skudrunner's.....Red then black felt, but with a closed mouth.

Mine too, except my red is more maroon.

My son and I both took bears last fall and had rugs made. The brown & black felt seems to look pretty good:

I went black and grey with the closed mouth. Way Way back in 1970 my dad did black and green.
Here's mine

Just had a Saturday Night Live, Conehead flashback.......

I'm kinda liking that brown and black with non scalloped edges and closed mouth on the head. Hmmmm......

Not a big bear, but my only bear. I did the closed mouth also.





maddog

I just had mine tanned, no felt, no fake head or snarly mouth!!

I had mine done black/red. If I had it to do over again I would have it backed with something other than felt. The felt has faded pretty bad even with it being under a pool table in a low light room.

Mike

Well, I wanted red, but the taxidermist said with a bear that size, black would look better; something about people might think it was a melanistic woodchuck otherwise!

This was about 1990; the outfitter had just about shot out his area, and out of about twenty hunters, four took bears in a week. One was about two hundred pounds, mine and one other about one hundred, and one, shot with a .375 H&H, was less than fifty pounds. While we were outside eating a moose roast dinner, another outfitter, who we were told ran a lousy operation, came by with a stake truck piled with good bears.

Congratulations. I just got my first bear back yesterday. Shot it 2 years ago and just procrastinated about getting it rugged. I went with black on black just due to it being a smaller bear. The taxidermist said it would give it a larger look. It was just shy of 5 feet. Overall, pretty pleased. Rob

She'd have to be real good lookin, but i'd certainly get her mouth open and that she got felt.