RE: The wrong black bear mount
 

did you weigh the bear your self to know that it was 300 lbs alot of guys just guess and are usually high

RE: The wrong black bear mount
 

You got that right!

RE: The wrong black bear mount
 

I did actually weigh this one....305

RE: The wrong black bear mount
 

I should add this to my goal list, I have a hard time judging bears. Getting better though. One of the hardest animals to field judge IMO.

305, great bear Mwhitetails.

RE: The wrong black bear mount
 

This brings up a very good and valid point. DON'T EVER LEAVE YOUR TROPHY WITH SOMEONE YOU DON"T KNOW OR TRUST COMPLETELY. You usually know in the first 20 min. but it's always best to investigate before you ever shoot that trophy. That being said, most reputable taxidermist try and make the animal look bigger and don't cut anything off but the part that goes against the wall. Another thing is that some taxidermists don't "fluff" a bear properly. Here is one that weighed 487# and although I don't like the aggressive look, that is what my client wanted......



Another thing that I will say (not saying this is the case here) but if you are going to go cheaper with your mounts, then don't expect high quality. This bear ran my client $3800 and yes that is high, but considering the amount of work on the base alone he got what he paid for. Again I am not saying you went cheap, but I have a friend whose dad hates every mount he has and asked me to price a rug for his dad. I charge $200 a foot for a rug, that includes double felt border, polyfill, stretching, tanning and professional mounting of the head. His dad said he didn't want to pay that kind of money but he has a booner bear that has purple, yea purple, gums and a bright red tongue. Good taxidermy ain't cheap and cheap taxidermy ain't good.

RE: The wrong black bear mount
 

nctaxi, this may better be suited for pm but do you do fish?

RE: The wrong black bear mount
 

Kyle,
A bigger bear won't have as much light under his tummy as a smaller bear. Smaller bear look like they have long legs. Look at the ears, are they pointed straight up or are they pointed out the side? If they point straight up its a smaller bear, if they are way on the side, you got a dandy bear. Just a few things to help you out. PM me if you want some more pointers on judging these bear, they are tough to judge!