At the very least you should have it tanned. You can make the rug decision later.
Taking the bones out of the paws is not difficult and bear ears are fairly easy to turn.
Have you done anything like that???
He already said the feet and head are still in it. And that it is in the freezer. Never ever put salt on anything UNTIL it is fleshed, turned and READY to salt. And then, once it is salted, you would NEVER put it in the freezer! Putting salt on an unprepared hide can ruin it. What LKH stated is dead on. But to add to that, when you do put a hide in a freezer, make sure it is wrapped up good, as stated, they will still freezer burn eventually. Once the ears, lips and eyes are turned and the entire hide is fleshed, then it can be salted. It then should be hung to dry and resalted as needed. After 3-4 days it will be dried enough that it can be rolled up and ready to send to a tanner. You never ever salt an unprepared hide and once a hide is salted, you would never put it back into the freezer. Salt prevents freezing. Your hide will be fine but it should be taken to a good taxidermist and turned and fleshed and salted. Once this is done and the hide is dryied and rolled up, it can be stored like that for years. Once it is tanned, it needs to be mounted within a year or two.
LKH,
I have never skinned the head or paws of a bear. I imagine I could do it, but my biggest problem is finding the time. I would prefer to just take it somebody local or ship it somewhere to have it done. I rarely mount anything (except Euro which I do myself) and the only taxidermist I've ever used is no longer in business.
Thanks for the help guys!
Do you guys know how much it might cost to have it tanned?
If I were you, I would just tan the hide!
I mean no disrespect at all for taxidermists, tanners or those who use their services. I love a tanned hide (any hide). Also, I believe that for the amount of work that goes into it, the price is MORE than justified. There is a lot of time, effort and talent involved.
For me though, $2100 would be better spent towards additional hunting opportunities. I know that a great mount (even if just a tanned hide) is memorabilia that to most is invaluable. For me though, I would rather invest in future experiences. I suppose pictures and recollections will have to suffice.
Again, I have nothing but tremendous respect and admiration for quality taxidermists. In fact, taxidermy is my favorite genre of art. I appreciate all of those fine hunters who keep taxidermists in business so I can appreciate their work. As for me, I've got an Oryx head on my roof (so the coyotes don't get it) that needs to be brought down and bleached and a bear hide that needs to be removed from my freezer to make room for an elk.
I apologize for misinterpreting your post. I did re-read it though and the verbiage could easily be comprehended either the way I read it or the way you meant it. I apologize for my mistake.
If I now understand correctly, it may cost up to $100 to prep it to be tanned and then $200 to tan the hide? In other words, I might be able to have this thing tanned for around $300? If that's the case, I'm all in!
Thank you for the clarification.
