Grizzly Mount ?

Guy Miner

Master Loader
Apr 6, 2006
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Sadly, I am not going to write the check to do a full body mount like this with my grizzly:



Wow! I love that mount! And my guide told me that my bear was one heck of a specimen and he recommended a full body mount. Sigh. My thin wallet rebels at the thought. So... At this point the salted hides and cleaned skulls of the grizzly and wolf are being shipped to me.

Initially, I intend on just displaying the skulls, though I might bleach them first if I think they need it.

The hides, if kept dry and insect free, should last a long, long time just heavily salted. But I don't want to just store a couple of salted hides.

Mama Miner wants the wolf hide tanned and hanging on the fireplace, well away from the heat. I have to admit that a soft-tanned, white wolf hide hanging on the gray bricks of our fireplace would be striking, and unique.

The bear...




The skull will go atop the living room bookshelf along with the black bear skull that already resides there, along with the wolf skull.

But what to do with an 8' squared arctic grizzly hide?

Tan it and throw it over the back of the couch?

Rug it and take up a big hunk of a wall? Bear rugs don't do real well on the floor if ya walk on 'em.

Sell it? Nice grizzly hides seem to go for a pretty impressive price.

A couple of friends have "great rooms" with huge walls and have offered to pay to have it turned into a rug if they can display it at their homes or businesses.

I dunno. I hunted the grizzly for the experience of hunting North America's apex predator, a "Great Bear." The experience turned out to be awesome!

Would I like to display the trophy in my home? Yes. Is it real important to me? No. The photos and skull are likely enough to satisfy me.

I was torn about this before the hunt, and it still worries me. What to do with this magnificent bear hide?

Thoughts? Recommendations? What would you do?

Thanks, Guy
 
Unless you are attached to all your guns I would consider selling one or two and get the mount you want. A rug of a bear that size is going to take up a lot of space but maybe you have another mount you could consider selling. Good problem to have though :)
 
I don't know Guy that is a beautiful grizz. I agree with Gerry, I'd sell whatever I could to have that full body mounted. I mean I love my guns, but that is an animal of a lifetime.


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That is a lovely mount, to be certain. However, if a man has photos and the memory of the hunt, he is already a rich man. I've given away a lot of bear hides (and even deer hides) to Germans, Brits, Chinese and Americans who wanted some bragging rights. I'm none the poorer for it, and it kept peace in my home. A mount is a major expense.
 
I'd mount it or get it rugged. This lady does a good rug pretty reasonably.
http://www.rugsbynancy.com/

Is it legal to sell griz hides in your state? It depends on area of harvest in alaska


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I just donated my Dads deer mounts to my gun club. They aren't fantastic, and are getting a little old but they are nice. And I still get to see them... I tried to donate them to the SD Game Fish and parks ED Ctr. but they wouldn't take them 'cause they couldnt verify what was inside the mounts :shock: :roll:





So it occours to me... is there a local LEO organization or a VFW where you could donate/ hang a rug? You wouldn't have to put your name on it or anything just a nice addition to the décor some place where could take the grandkids to see it some day? Just a thought. CL
 
My taxidermy consists of nothing but European mounts and tanned hides.

While a life size, full body mount is very cool- it takes a large home to display it and it is ferociously expensive.

I've got neither the home, nor the wallet for it...you'd have to sell more than a few rifles to fund a mount like that....more like a new truck.

I'd Euro the skulls, hang the wolf from the nose in a corner. If anything with the hide- I'd rug it and hang it on a stairwell wall (the only wall I've got space on).
 
Ya, it's $6500 for a full body mount. Maybe more. Depending...

$1200 - $2k for a rug...
 
I'd definitely get a rug done, maybe of the wolf too. I've seen bear rugs mounted on the cealing, pretty interesting look


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Guy Miner said:
lefty315 said:
DO IT!!!!

Do what you Crazy Jarhead? :grin:

Being redundant there I know...

Guy


I say get it mounted, but yes that's a ton of money. I would at least have it soft tanned so you could hang it over the back of a sofa or railing. I wouldn't sell it though, such a great way to bring back the memory of your hunt when you can put your hands on it.
 
Guy Miner":183z7mdc said:
Ya, it's $6500 for a full body mount. Maybe more. Depending...

$1200 - $2k for a rug...

At those prices a rug sounds much better, $6500 is a lot of money.
 
Wow $6500 is a lot! Did not know it would be that much lol. I'd definitely have to go with the rug.


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We'd do the sofa throw. We are very practical people. We would use the throw too, not just display it. I plan to learn to tan my own hides this fall. I would not recommend DIY on a hide like that.

Whatever you do will be right!


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With all the enablers here trying to spend your money for you I'm going to be the opposite and tell you to let your conscious be your guide.
I will say I don't think you would be able to top that trophy any time soon.
But it would be easier to have your pictures enlarged and framed to remember the place and time it was taken to hang on a wall and look at from time to time.
 
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