Can black bear hides be sold?

Ms359

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I have a couple hides frozen from last year and I shouldn't have a problem getting two more this year, but I think I'm going to take the two largest and get a full mount and a rug. I've heard some people say you can sell black bear hides and some say you can't, I looked through the wildlife act and I couldn't find anything specific to bear hides, can anyone point me to the right section or just tell me yes or no?
 
i know in the Yukon you need a license to sell fur i imagine the same in other locations ...

black bear parts are under CITES and especially if you sell outside your province or the country ...
 
I have a couple hides frozen from last year and I shouldn't have a problem getting two more this year, but I think I'm going to take the two largest and get a full mount and a rug. I've heard some people say you can sell black bear hides and some say you can't, I looked through the wildlife act and I couldn't find anything specific to bear hides, can anyone point me to the right section or just tell me yes or no?

Call your local taxidermist and ask them...
Or consult your Alta hunting regulations.
Rob
 
From the trapping regs:

No raw skins of fur-bearing animals may be sold to anyone who is not a fur dealer.

The regs also say:

In Alberta anyone may sell the following:
- processed (tanned or otherwise permanently preserved, but not dried, salted or frozen) skins of fur-bearing animals;
- black bear skins, provided they have been taken lawfully
(black bear claws may only be sold if they remain attached to
the whole skin);
- the skins of most animals, including skunk and raccoon, for
which a licence is not required;
- skinned beaver carcasses including the tail; or
- the claws, skulls and teeth of lawfully taken furbearing animals.

You can sell them but only to a fur dealer with a license.
 
If you flesh and dry them with the head on and the feet with claws you can ship them to Fur Harvesters Auction. I believe Halford Hide is a receiving agent for them.
 
From the trapping regs:

No raw skins of fur-bearing animals may be sold to anyone who is not a fur dealer.

The regs also say:

In Alberta anyone may sell the following:
- processed (tanned or otherwise permanently preserved, but not dried, salted or frozen) skins of fur-bearing animals;
- black bear skins, provided they have been taken lawfully
(black bear claws may only be sold if they remain attached to
the whole skin);
- the skins of most animals, including skunk and raccoon, for
which a licence is not required;
- skinned beaver carcasses including the tail; or
- the claws, skulls and teeth of lawfully taken furbearing animals.

You can sell them but only to a fur dealer with a license.

my reading of this is that you can sell them to someone other than a licensed fur dealer
 
How's that? It says: NO skins may be sold to anyone other than a fur dealer.

Are black bear considered fur bearing animals? You haven't posted quite enough information to make a definitive answer to this, but it seems that, from what you have posted, black bears that have been lawfully taken, as well as the other animals like skunk and raccoon, beaver carcasses etc are excepted from the requirement that they be sold only to licensed fur dealer.
Government regs can be tricky to read because of the way they are written. 45 years of dealing with things like Mining Act, Surveyors Act, The Land Titles Act etc here in Ontario help a bit in this regard
 
If you properly skin them for a live mount, flesh and dry, and they are taken at a perfectly optimum time (a fine trophy quality is junk from a fur buyer at auction point of view) and they are over six feet, you might have a chance of getting a fair price at auction. Bear in mind (Get it, BEAR in mind, har, har, I kill me) that fair is a relative term, the average last year was about 80 bucks. That indicates that lots went for SFA. If you happen to have something of eye popping size, colour and condition you might be able to find a taxidermist who will take it off your hands, but those guys seem to be few and far between.

In many ways, bear hunting and trapping is a sport for lunatics. ;)
 
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