Bear Pelt

Bear Pelt is a heavy, valuable pelt from Skyrim’s brown bears that tans into four pieces of Leather.

Bear Pelt is the prize for surviving a brown bear, which at low level is no small feat. It is worth 50 gold and weighs 3, and at the tanning rack it becomes 4 Leather, one of the best yields in the game. One bear covers a good chunk of a Hide Armor set, and bear pelts are also wanted for the Grin and Bear It quest and the Animal Pelt Collection.

How to get it

Hunt bears in the forests of the Rift and Falkreath Hold, and in the caves where they like to sleep. Hunters and Orc hunters carry pelts, and general goods merchants such as Belethor and Bersi Honey-Hand sell them.

The best loose stash is Broken Oar Grotto with 7 pelts, followed by Cliffside Retreat (3) and Frostflow Lighthouse (2). Singles lie in Cracked Tusk Keep, Narzulbur, Valthume, Gallows Rock and the Goldenglow Estate basement.

Brown bears are tough at low level, so fight from range, use a follower or lure them toward guards. At higher levels they become routine, and every one you bring down is 4 more pieces of Leather for the forge or a nice 50 gold at the general store.

Smelting and tanning

1 Bear Pelt → 4 Leather at the tanning rack

Used to craft

Bear Pelt appears in 1 recipe in the game files.

Weapons and other items

tanning rack: Leather (1)

The number in brackets is how many Bear Pelt each recipe needs. Bold labels are the Smithing perk the recipe requires.

Good to know

Temba Wide-Arm in Ivarstead wants bear pelts for the Grin and Bear It quest.
Tan rather than sell if you craft: 4 Leather per pelt is hard to beat.

Data from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): value, weight, ore veins, recipes and merchant lists. ID 0003AD52 is the item’s form ID for the console.

Where to find it

Hunt brown bears in the Rift and Falkreath Hold
Loose: Broken Oar Grotto (7), Cliffside Retreat (3), Frostflow Lighthouse (2)
Carried by Hunters and Orc Hunters
Sold by general goods merchants such as Drifa

Crafting materials

Lore notes

Dropped by

Quest reward from

Where it appears

Broken Oar Grotto

Broken Oar Grotto in Skyrim: Blackblood Marauder hideout north of Solitude – Lights Out! ending, Jaree-Ra, four underwater chests, ore veins and a full forge.

Cliffside Retreat

Cliffside Retreat in Skyrim: a hunter’s shack south of Dragon Bridge with a trader, a bed, The Marksmanship Lesson skill book and a famous valley view.

Cracked Tusk Keep

Cracked Tusk Keep in Skyrim: Orc-held fort west of Falkreath – Ghunzul, the trapped vault, Shards of Mehrunes’ Razor for Pieces of the Past, books and chests.

Frostflow Lighthouse

Frostflow Lighthouse in Skyrim: the Redguard family’s lighthouse, the Frostflow Abyss quest, the Chaurus Reaper, Sailor’s Repose and ingredient-rich tunnels.

Gallows Rock

Gallows Rock in Skyrim: the Silver Hand fort southwest of Windhelm – The Silver Hand quest with Aela, Krev the Skinner, the spiked door and skill books.

Ivarstead

Ivarstead in Skyrim: village at the foot of the 7,000 Steps – Vilemyr Inn, residents, Fellstar Farm, quests like Climb the Steps and Lifting the Shroud.

Narzulbur

Narzulbur in Skyrim: Orc stronghold southeast of Windhelm with Gloombound ebony mine, Chief Mauhulakh, how to get in, skill books and free ebony boots.

Valthume

Valthume in Skyrim: Hevnoraak’s tomb near Markarth – the Dragon, Hawk, Wolf claw puzzle, traps, Evil in Waiting, the mask and the Aura Whisper Word Wall.

Characters connected to it

Belethor

Belethor runs Belethor’s General Goods in Whiterun – the Breton merchant who’d sell his sister if he had one. Skyrim’s most quotable shopkeeper.

Bersi Honey-Hand

Bersi Honey-Hand in Skyrim: ex-fisherman who runs the Pawned Prawn in Riften and owes the Thieves Guild money in the quest Taking Care of Business.

Drifa

Drifa in Skyrim: Nord co-owner of the Pawned Prawn in Riften, wife of Bersi Honey-Hand, loyal to Mara, and suspiciously vague about a 300-septim spice bill.