hvyhitter19

OK I am facing what could be a SERIOUS Problem...

I went Bear Hunting Last Summer (first week of June)... Hunted all week waitin for the big that never gave me a shot... Anyway I took a Bear on the Last Night... It was Small... 86 Pounds... My First Bear, and I really did wait for a big one... Anyway I took it to the Taxidermist to get a Rug Made... Well to make a long story short I have been trying to get the bear back for months... And Finially I told him to just Get it back no matter where it was or what stage it was in, I wanted it back in my possession... Since we are going on a year for something I was told would take only 6 months... (Also note I have been asking for the price the entire time without any straight answer)...Well all the sudden he has the bear and it's done... So he calls, and says you can come get it and it's $740 at $140 per foot($100 discount for the time it has taken) and the bear was 5' 3" long... (they round to the nearest foot so 6 ft)

Here is my question... I am not sure how long the bear was, but what I do know is that it only weighed 86 pounds... What I want to know is it possible that the bear is over 5 Ft Tall...?? I am having a real hard time with this... I am all for paying for my bear and getting it back... It's a trophy in my book, it's my first bear... BUT I am not all for #1 getting ripped off #2 buying a bear that isn't mine... So if anyone can shed some light on what an 86 pound might be for length, it would be GREATLY Appreciated...

This is what I found out already... I called another Taxidermist... Who happen to have what the guy said was a 100 pound bear he just got back from the tannery... He said the bear was 41 Inches... So that is over 20 Inches Difference... Now I did not see the bear nor do I know that is the actual truth about what the bear weighed...

Thanks in Advance... I am meeting the guy to look at the bear this week...

DM

Ask him to measure it right in front of you, and keep in mind that most of those guys measure from the "tip" of the tail, to the "tip" of the nose, and i've seen them "stretch" them a bit to get the max length!!!

One time in King Salmon Alaska i saw a "guide" measure a bear from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, and then across sideways from the tip of the front claws to tip of the front claws!!! He then added the two measument together and had his number!!!!

I stood there waiting for him to add the two numbers together and divide by two to get the "squared" measurment, but it never came!!! The client spoke broken english, and probably didn't know any better!!!

That's the only way i can think of at the moment that it would be that long...

Drilling Man

RandyA

He is probably right, #86 is less than a 4' bear. Think about it, it the size of an antelope or big dog. It is hard to find a trustworthy taxidermist, I lump them with lawyers, but this one is probably right.

bearklr

I agree, that sounds a little long but is tough to say. I measured mine out from nose to tail before he was caped and he measured just over 6' and he weight 415 pounds.

billythekidrock

WOW!
I feel your pain.

I would check out the bear and recheck his measurements. If through visual and mathmatical inspection you are still not sure then the bear you are paying for is more than likely not yours. Chances are your bear was lost, sold, or had problems like hair slipping, torn during tanning, etc., and the taxidermist does not want to tell you the truth or lose your deposit.
Sound like he is shafting you all the way around. 5' 3" rounds down to 5" in my book and there is almost no way a bear of that weight would come to 5' unless it was an older bear in severe dietary distress.

Years ago I had a great taxidermist who did a bunch of deer and bear for me and my family in a timely fashion. One year he took twice as long to do a couple of bear mounts for me and my brother and when we got them back I was positive that neither one where bear we killed. I packed out both from the woods and the mounts seemed to be larger bear. I was skeptical, but continued using him on animals that I could identify by colors, size, etc.
Well a couple years later I spoke with an old family friend whom was a bear hunter and happend to do taxidermy on the side. He told us that our guy "got in trouble" and "lost some bear" and had called him wanting a half dozen bear hides. The family friend sent him three and I assume he got the others elsewhere.
But on the other hand the family friend will really stretch the bear rugs he does 'cause the clients want "big" bears.

The mount is on my wall, but it will be the first to go if I need room as I don't think it is mine.

My suggestion is this.
Call other taxidermist' within a couple hundred miles of him and ask if he has purchased any bear hides from them and ask their opinion of your guy.
If you are 100% it is not your bear DON'T pay for it. You will always wonder and probably kick yourself everytime you look at it. Hopefully you got some good pictures and can make some sort collage as trophy.

Keep us posted!

hvyhitter19

Well guys I really appreciate all your inputs... I went and looked at the bear last night... Not really positive that it is my bear, but it is a small bear... Judging by the snout and ears... The front exit hole wasn't there as they cut that part of the hide out, the enterance hole was in a place where it "Could" have been... So am I 100% Absolutly not, but I bought the bear anyway... It has the same nice hide that mine had, and over looks pretty good... I really didn't have any way to argue other then to say mine was smaller, but I didn't measure it so I had no way of knowing... But rest assured... I won't EVER do that again... We leave in 2 weeks to give it another shot... Hopefully tag something much bigger, and I'll be sure to measure it...

Thanks again guys and Good Luck...

Elkshed

I always like to have a bunch of good pictures of whatever I take in to get mounted.Also I stand right there and watch or even help the taxi measure the bear.And then give me a total price I have to pay when It is completed.That way I know what I am paying for and If I have any questions then he can answer them,like sewing any extra holes etc.
I think a lot of taxidermists are faced with contacting their clients and having to tell them that their bear or deer hide slipped or? I think most good taxidermists don't have a problem with contacting the clients because most of the time the problem is from improper field care.
Elkshed

billythekidrock

Yes, I agree.
I think if all clients asked for a full price up front they wouldn't get "sticker shock" as well.

ShatoDavis

Wow! My problem has nothing to do with the size. I can not answer with any degree of certainty whether its your bear or not. But, $740 for a rug! that seems outrageous to me. I use a taxidermist that is very honest. I consider him a friend. He charges $400 for up to a 6 foot black bear. Bigger than that he has to charge more because it cost him more. But, he will quote a price in the beginning. I think you are getting taken myself. Again this is just my humble opinion. I don't know what recourse you have at this point.

rick_reno

If it really came in at 86 lbs, the only way it could be that long is if you got one of those NBA bears. It's too bad people in the mounting/tanning end of the hunting game have gotten such a bad reputation - but many have.