ebay doesnt allow selling animal products. craigs list is too weird for me, not to mention possibly dangerous.

so i thought about having a silent auction here on my forum.

bear rugs go for around $2000 - 2500 if you buy them from companies that sell them. a quick check on craigslist here in kansas city shows folks selling nice rugs asking $650 or so. so i am starting this rug out at $500. i would be more than happy to sell it for that. i can pack it but the buyer must pay postage or shipping or however they want it shipped.

if i get any takers i will post their bid. i will not reveal bidders names nor the winner unless otherwise informed. obviously i must have some confidence in who you are to consider it a legitimate bid.

this is no regular bear. this is an alaska black bear in the cinnamon phase. this makes them look like a little grizzley when they are on the hoof. this particular variation of this rare color phase is a chocolate color. the hair is thick on the back but thin on the sides due to being a spring bear thats been rubbing. the tanning and mounting was done by a man who surely must have passed on by now. i traded him a lynx pelt for the work. lynx were bringing up to $550 at that time for a raw pelt. the head is mounted and quite realistic.





the bear came into the yard in the middle of the night. he was climbing up the hill behind that pile of cookstove wood to get a better look at the dogs who were barking their heads off. this location is just due north of where the young man depicted in the movie "into the wild" died in the bus, probably twenty miles as the crow flies. or maybe i should say raven.





here i am in action skinning the bear. yes, he was a tasty treat as well. once he was out of his skin though he looked like a human! i wont show those pics.





we cobbed together a makeshift stretcher board for him. that skin was meticulously cleaned, soaped and salted. i dont think one hair has come out because of the handling and processing. the taxidermist was pleased with its condition. the paws are perfect with all the claws, as i did with all the animals the lord gave me. i still dont detect any slipping of hair after all these years. he is missing some hair behind the left ear, but thats been there for years. might have happened when my dad had it for a few years.

here is the rug.





it is a little over 58 inches from tip of tail to tip of nose.

to make this sale really special i am including the first pic(original) of me holding the bears head up. also, the card that fish and game sent to me after having the skull sealed and the tooth cross-sectioned to determine age. and finally, one of the .41 magnum slugs that i fished out of him. i used a ruger blackhawk 6.5 inch barrel, all factory, including the grips.





the slug still has hair in it.





he doesnt look very mean, does he?





the claws are another matter. awesome.

well, there it is. its not perfect but it is in good shape and obviously durable. it can be hung on a wall like i had it or can be used on the floor. it has very nice padding on the back. i will be happy if i can sell it to someone who will appreciate it.

thank you for your time.