Full Sized Polar Bear Mount
 

I'm looking to purchase a full sized polar bear mount, like the one in the Addams Family, but wanted to know if there was any way to legally do this in the United States?

I am fully aware of the 1970's Marine Animal Act, but wanted to know if recently anybody has successfully gotten one across state lines.

Would patrol confiscate this kind of thing (or even years later knocking on the door at my house) or just levy a fine that I would have to pay?

I am looking at some beautiful incredible white mounts in Canada at around $20,000.

I have the utmost respect for the animal and have wanted to own one ever since I was a kid.

Any tips and/or suggestions from pros who own one would be greatly appreciated.

Correct me if I'm wrong but any animal on cites can not be legally purchased (in the us) or brought into the us, and would result in some serious problems for all parties. My understanding they are starting a lawsuit to be able to bring in old mounts from hunter but I wouldn't hold my breath.

It never ceases to amaze me that people come on internet websites and ask legal or medical questions! Go ask the Feds for an answer because the best answer you might get here is from somebody that stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last week, LOL!

BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS SORT OF THING!

Such a thing may be legal to purchase but there will have to be a lot paperwork and permits in order to do it legally. Just because the mount exists legally in Canada does not mean it can be imported since Canadian and American law differ on items such as this. There were only a few areas in Canada that Americans were allowed to import polar bear from. If the mount in question did not originate in one of those areas and isn't what is termed "vintage" then you won't get the permits and you would be an idiot to try and smuggle it across the border without them.

Several years ago I was on safari in Cameroon and was given the opportunity to add an elephant to my safari for $3000. For an elephant, that is a bargain. However, it was and still is illegal to import the tusks from Cameroon into the USA despite the fact that taking the animal was legal and that Cameroon has a lot of elephant. Cameroon has applied through CITES for the permission to export sport hunter taken tusks as trophies but the USF&WS has not endorsed it. So, because I could not export the tusks I passed on the elephant. This is an example of where something legal in one country is not legal in another.

If you really want a polar bear, go to the website for Superior Animal Brokers. This guy buys and sells mounts nationwide from estates and private sellers. He will probably be able to supply one and if it comes through him you can be assured the paperwork will be in order. If you try to do it yourself through Canada it is very easy to get busted under the Lacey Act since the FEDs have listed the polar bear as a "threatened" species.

Thank you for the valuable information. I will call him tomorrow & see what can be done. Again this is great information you've provided.

http://www.furcanada.com/wildlife-mo...olar-bear.html

If you run a search on Huntingnet.com or google images too many of the older mounts look yellow. Almost like they've been peed on. Upon further online searching I couldn't help but notice these bears at FurCanada. I mean the whites on these bears is so brilliantly white. The whitest I've ever seen.

I'm a huge animal conservationist myself and would be looking for a bear that was dressed either by way from a zoo or died of natural causes out in the wild. NOT shot and taken in.

Anyways I will take your advice and talk to a dealer/auctioneer in the States before looking elsewhere.

I would think the only thing you could do at this point is buy one that is already in the USA that was shot before the ban. But, as you stated before, these would be very old mounts and would probably look like crap.

Not sure about the whole zoo thing. I know a taxidermist that purchased a tiger from a zoo that had died of natural causes. I think it still cost him about $30,000 and he mounted it himself. This is going to be a challenge. An original Shelby Cobra in mint condition will probably be easier to find and cheaper. :D

Those are easy to find. Just check out Hemmings Auto Classifieds. Affording it however is another thing entirely!:biggrin:

They have just about any car made. There is a Morgan Roadster on there I'd love to have. If I wasn't married and didn't have to answer to anyone, I'd already own it.

It's like time and money. You either have one or the other. But never both at the same time. :D

Agreed, it will be harder to find that polar bear. At any cost, it will be tough. Maybe have it sent from Canada to Mexico. Then you could just drive it across the border in the back of a pick-up.

I happen to be an expert on all aspects of federal law related to wildlife issues except those concerning polar bears. I missed the last refresher on polar bear issues.
And BTW...... I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. !!

Any questions about migratory bird laws?

:)

Could you take a black bear to the hair dresser and ask to get the hair frosted? Like that guy on the cooking shows, Guy Fierri?

You could........
But do you really want a black bear that looks like an albino hedgehog?

Are you against hunting?

***That response of his would lead one to believe so wouldn't it!!! I hope this newbie isn't just a troll looking for responses on the website that would be used or harmful against hunters.

The OP could always get on a waiting list for when a polar bear in a zoo dies of old age.

But I don't think the original post is anything more than troll bait.
Pretty creative though, I must say.

I was kind of curious about that as well. Since the man is asking to buy a mount, that means the animal itself is dead. What difference does it make at that point how it ended up dead in the first place.

But then, I have known a few people that don't hunt but want trophies so they buy them. To each his own. The only trophy I have that I or someone I know did not take is a tiger skin from the 1950s that was given to me. Unfortunately I'll never be able to legally hunt tiger so if I wanted the skin I had to get it from someone who did get to hunt them.

no. not in any way. in fact i have a small cabin that sits on roughly 120 acres that i lease out to an archery club during hunting season when i'm not at home. roughly i net ten large per year just off the seasonal lease!

some big mammals like whales, dolphins, lions, bears, tigers, elephant, ect. i could never bring myself to touch. not even lay a finger on. the creatures are just that majestic, i do not eat the meat and have no use for them other than display. therefore i leave them alone.

=====================

a buddy of mine who lives in sacramento has a seaplane that he uses to hop to his home in tahoe and back on the weekends. he is a licensed pilot (albeit this statement alone is pretty ****ing scary!). british columbia would be quite the haul, but i might see if he at some point could pick the mount up if i could work a deal. of course, if this is even possible, it's going to take some serious planning and i'm in absolutely no rush.

You could buy the mount in Canada and have your buddy fly it in, but how would you clear customs?

He wouldn't and this would be a very dangerous and stupid thing to even try! Can you say Federal Offense for violating the Lacey Act?

I am also a "huge conservationist". Hunting is an important part of conservation for many species (lion, elephant, etc.). People that say otherwise are either poorly informed or promoting an agenda.

It is odd that a new poster would sign on to an obvious hunting site and ask about obtaining a mount of an animal that was not taken by a hunter.

And to top it off the OP asks about potential illegal actions! Maybe this line of inquiry is well intentioned - but maybe it is not. It smells rotten to me.

"I'm a huge animal conservationist myself and would be looking for a bear that was dressed either by way from a zoo or died of natural causes out in the wild. NOT shot and taken in."

Being "shot and taken in" is a natural cause of death.;) Humans have killed them, and vice a versa since first they met. If you wish to buy one you'll have to find one for sale in your own state. Or you can do like that other fellow with more money than brains and buy a boat and attempt to smuggle it across. :happy0157:

http://www.woodtv.com/news/local/ott...-pleads-guilty

ATB

***It's pretty difficult for me to figure anything else too!!!

Blofeld (the head of SPECTRE) was a unique user name choice.

i don't have an ax to grind with anyone. upon searching online i was simply looking for a place where i could ask questions about acquiring a rare piece for my collection.

name me a taxidermy forum with feedback and community involvement -like this website- and i will take my questions over there.

most people who hunt have mounts, so it makes since for me to ask a legitimate question about acquiring a particular animal on a hunting forum (which i have done). if your wife had herpes and you were dumb and a total ass clown, but wanted to conduct your own independent research, would you not solicit help from a medical web forum?

thanks however to those who've positively contributed to this thread. insofar the information has been incredibly helpful and most of my questions have been answered.

i'm just going to continue doing research and look for more brokers/dealers that are up to speed on this kind of thing.

Taxidermy.Net is a pretty good site. They have a section for people looking to sell items and to buy items. You can register for free and do a post on a polar bear. Not sure what you'll find though. Full mount polar bears aren't the most common item. Even when they were hunted without restrictions, not many people got to take one due to where they live. I'm willing to bet that 90% of all the polar bears ever taken were made into rugs and not full mounts. Not many people have the room for things like that.

That's me to a tee. :D Well, except for the wife with herpes. :D

I heard that having a wife with herpes gives a man a passion for collecting exotic trophy mounts that he didn't kill for himself.

I mean, what else does he have to do in his spare time?

Let's ask BLOFLY. He should know.

***That is cruel, LOL!!!

Yeah, but he walked right into it.