How to Hang a Bear Rug on a Wall

It is the kind of decoration that will immediately bring comments and capture your guests' attention as it is pretty unusual to see a bear rug anymore. Normally, even if you have a bear rug, it is on the floor and used as a rug instead of wall art. There are a few things you will need to do before you tack it to the wall.

1. Measure the length of your bear rug. Go from the head to the feet, as this will translate into being the width of your wall hanging. Now measure from side to side so you know how tall the rug will be on the wall. Add 6 inches to both measurements and mark out a square of this size on your wall with painter's tape. Make sure it is centered within the area you are using.

2. Find the studs within the marked area. Mark them at the top of the square so that you can still see them when the bear rug is in position. You will need to access the studs for strength to hold up the bear rug as it can be very heavy.

3. Lay the rug out on the floor and decide the angle that you like for hanging the skin. You can choose to have the head a little higher than the tail end or have it hang horizontally or even with the head lower than the body.

4. Get a friend to help hold up the rug while you secure it to the wall. If it is an extra-large skin of more than 6 feet in length, you may even need two people to help hold it. You do not want too much weight on one area while you are mounting it.

5. Hammer in the finishing nails along the top edge where the studs run behind the skin. Do not hammer them in flush with the wall--just about 1/4 inch out from the wall. This type of mount will hold the skin and any backing with small enough holes not to damage your hide.

6. Secure the rest of the rug to the wall by working down the studs about every 10 to 12 inches. Secure the paws at the wrists with a couple of nails.