How Do I Make a Rug Out of Real Bearskin?

You think this bear would make a great rug.

Perhaps your love for big game hunting has left you with a surplus of bear skins. Once your bear has been killed, there really are not that many uses for its hide. The fur is too thick to make into clothing, and bears are too large to display fully stuffed in most homes. It would be a shame to throw that pelt out, though. Your best option is to turn your bear pelt into a bearskin rug. Unless you are an expert at skinning bears in the field, you should send your entire bear carcass to the tanner to get the best results.

Things You'll Need

• Bearskin
• Taxidermy supplies such as glass eyes, teeth, nose, claws and head form
• Glue
• Marker
• Rug padding
• Scissors
• Pins
• Rug felt
• Leather sewing kit

Instructions

1. Send your pelt to a professional tanner or taxidermist to have it tanned. Attempting to tan the pelt yourself is dangerous and illegal in most states.

2. Purchase your taxidermy supplies online while you wait for your pelt to return. Depending upon how lifelike a bear rug you want, you can order claws, glass eyes, a head form, a plastic nose, teeth and even a new tongue. Consider whether you plan to display your rug on the wall or whether you plan to walk on it when making these decisions. You probably do not want to add claws to a rug that you plan to walk on.

3. Insert the taxidermy supplies into the pelt as soon as it returns from the tanner. Place the skull form in the head first, and make sure that it fits correctly before gluing it into place. Paint or stain the inside of the bear's mouth. When the paint is dry, glue in other details such as eyes, a nose, teeth and the claws. Allow both the glue and the paint to dry for 48 hours.

4. Cut out a piece of rug padding exactly the same size as the pelt. Place the pelt over the padding and trace a pattern around it with the marker. Remove the patterned padding from beneath the pelt and cut out the bear shape from the pad. Cut one piece of rug felt exactly the same size as the pelt and pad, making a pattern the same way. Cut a second piece of rug felt, this time approximately two inches larger than the pelt. To do this, place the pelt over the felt and trace around the pelt, placing your line at approximately two inches away from the actual pelt.

5. Glue the padding to the bottom of the pelt. Make sure that the pelt and the padding are perfectly aligned. Allow the glue to dry for 48 hours.

6. Pin the smaller piece of carpet felt directly to the padding so that they are perfectly aligned. Use your leather sewing kit to sew the felt directly to the pelt, tucking in the padding between the pelt and the felt as you sew. Be careful not to pull at or tear the pelt.

7. Pin the larger piece of felt to the smaller piece, making sure to carefully align the pelt with the felt. Sew the larger piece of felt to the smaller piece of felt, making your stitches run along the very edges of the outline of the bear. Your rug is now ready to use.

References

• Alaska Outdoors Supersite: Black Bear Field Care

Resources

• Taxidermy Suppliers and Services