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

Just one thing worse...........


posting a pic of the banjo bear on the 24HCF!!!

But, good point about knowing ahead of time what to expect from the taxi. Also, a lifesize bear will take a bit of room space as well. I vote rug!

My wife will be happier with rug, though she'll only let me put it downstairs in the "man cave" lol ... A full mount would have to be a "surprise"...

Great bear there, and I wish I had your problem. If one has a lodge like room and enough ceiling such that the bear fits in as opposed to dominating the space, then do a full body. I'd be more inclined though to do a rug. A wall displayed rug can complement a smaller room than a full body.

I have what I consider to be two huge living rooms, one with a 16 ft ceiling. A walking postion mount, shelved about 8 ft off the floor might work in the taller room. Anything else standing on the floor would be a bit much for either room.

I live in some pretty fair elk country, and one see numerous elk shoulder mounts around town. Most are handsomely displayed in garages. A face on 6 by elk mount under an 8 foot ceiling has the nose bumping most folks in the navel and projects out about 3 ft into the room. That leaves a lot of floor space that is unusable. Mounts simply look a bit more imposing to me if we look up at them.

The monster Kodiak bear from this spring is likely going to be a full body mount "climbing" around a door frame so the head is at least 10-12' off the floor and looking down with a "You owe me money" sort of look...

But it is going to require a remodel to get there...

Rugs take up too much space. I give away my brown bear hides because there simply is not enough room to display them in the average home. I have two places where a typical brown bear rug COULD go... Either would require moving a number of other critters around and that would not work.

Still waiting to see what a certain webmaster is going to do with one from some time back...

how about a 3/4 mount?

STILL LIFESIZE!

I just spoke to Tom Hardesty, owner of Atcheson Taxidermy where my rug was being made. Good news on two fronts. My bear has not gone past the point of no return and my wife Ok'd a full mount! Tom will credit my payment for the rug towards the full mount, do any of you have any experience with Atcheson Taxidermy? Tom has been absolutely fabulous with me and as long as their work is comparable with Animal Artistry, Jonas Brothers, etc. I'd like to give him my business. If there's any doubt I'm going to go with Animal Artistry. Please PM me with your opinion?

Thanks!

One peek at the website does not show work in the same league with Animal Artistry or other top taxidermists, IMO... But then their prices are quite a bit lower...

Thanks, Sitka, same input I'm getting from others. I'm going to call Animal Artistry tomorrow and have Tom send my bear to them ...

Thanks

My 10 footer is the focal point of my trophy room.
I had wanted a standing bear since I was a kid, they do take up less room, but I've seen some great looking bears on all fours too.

I wanted his arms down and his mouth agape as if testing the wind or checking something out off in the distance which is they stand in the first place...

That is one awesome mount Salmonella!

Beautiful! My bear is on his way to Animal Artistry. I like this bear (from a wildlife photo) but he needs to be a bit meaner looking otherwise I'll get a lot of grief.



So maybe the bear above with a look like this?

Real, not meaner.

That's a great mount.

Here's one a buddy of mine shot on Kodiak -- a good example of a mount on all fours. Beautiful bear -- big skull, thick fur, only a small rubbed patch on his rump.



It was a 10+ footer, and the skull is solid B&C. I wrote the story for Sports Afield magazine (March/April 2011). The title is "A Kodiak Promise." Way back when we were kids, Tom and I built a treehouse together and while wrangling scraps of lumber up into a big red oak we dreamed about hunting Alaska. Some 40 years later Tom made a 5-mile stalk right at the end of his hunt, and connected on a 315-yard shot for this bear.

Steve.

Scalp and ears on the wall, teeth and claws on a necklace. You can make him any size you want!

A full mount brown bear is only "magnificent" justice that they deserve.

40 plus years up here and I have never killed one- nor desire to do so. Sure watched a bunch tho - even sampled the eating a couple times. Meat ain't that special that I'll kill one for eats, even secondarily.. and killing one for hide and hair only seems wasteful.

Personal preference - YMMV, and have at it. But that's a right fine bear!

Thanks much las.

salmonella that is a beautiful mount....very life-like.

Harry,

I thought long and hard about a standing mount for mine, after seeing your mount in pics some time ago.

Ended up deciding to go with him on all fours, partly because he has some thin belly hair, but mostly to keep him as natural as possible.

Should be done in next couple of weeks....