Shipping trophies home.
International
I remember reading something in the past on shipping critters home from Africa but can’t find it again. What is your best advice/ experience on getting them shipped? Which companies do the best job or have better rates?
It’s usually the company your PH uses to pickup and Dip and pack. Or do the work on. I’m sure if you prefer a different taxidermist than your PH uses. You can arrange to use a different company
The first step is the company that picks them up from your hunt location and does the level of work you request. Then they pack and ship to the US
Then you can go meet the crate and do all the required paper work to bring them in. Or pay an expert to receive them for you.
Then you can either drive to that location. Say New York or Chicago and pickup the crate or have it shipped to a location that has equipment and or a loading dock to unload from a tractor trailer.
Are you planning to go ?
Dont just ever use who your Ph tells you. do your homework on places and pick one you like or know does good work. You can save some money as alot of Ph's get kick backs and not always getting you the best place.
depending on were you are hunting will also maybe make your choice or you will have to ship to someone. Most places will either pick up or meet your Ph for drop off. Some will take your stuff with in 2 hours of there home base but dont let that be the only thing that makes you pick a place.
For shipping I like REx freight but they are in east cape. I use relive for my taxidermy again in east cape. I use coppersmith this side to clear my trophies and pick up in new york my self.
Do your homework as this part is as important as the hunt of you want your stuff mounted either there or back home.
And get ready to grab your ankles when you see the cost to ship stuff back right now! Ouch!
—jim
Ouch No kidding cost me almost as much as the damn safari
shipping is a friking joke right now All a big scam I disgusted with it all.
I have had good luck with getting set up or getting strong recommendations on both ends from the people that I knew: my taxidermist pointed me to the import company on this end, and the outfitter had an established relationship with a shipper on the Africa side. I have gotten my stuff and very good quality communications on each trip. The prices are frightful at this point as has been pointed out. That is a black and white issue: you do it or you don't. The real aggrevation comes in on the Africa side involving the prep after the kill, and then the prep for shipping. Skinning and salting is a skill and that varies from place to place. It makes A LOT of difference in what you will receive and sloppy work will get you poor quality skins that may well be unrepairable or useless. Add the cost that you paid for that and you will be livid and heartbroken. I stongly encourage you all to have a very clear conversation with your outfitter about this. Do not assume that good work is automatic or intrinsic to the situation. IT IS NOT. Talk to your taxidermist if you want to hear some horror stories.
These tips and information may help some of you make the best decisions for yourself.
In a normal year, you may opt to have your trophies returned to the US via ship not plane. This saves you about 1/3 in shipping. Currently, with the back log of ships waiting at ports, this option is difficult. The above information was provided by AHG Shipping in Kempton Park. They currently can pretty much beat any other shipper on price for those interested. Also, I personally receive no commission of any kind from any taxidermist or shipper. I simply passed this info along as a courtesy.
Thank you Ken. Good info.
What are prices running for just heads and hides back to the states for taxidermy. Maybe I missed it somewhere in there.
The prices Ken showed almost made me fall off the couch. I do realize they were for shoulder mounts though.
I was hoping to maybe try and pick up an Africa hunt next year at SCI. However if those are even close to shipping costs, I may never go back. That is insane.
Ok I think I saw it, 3 trophies 2,100. Sorry missed it still recovering from corneal transplant and had to enlarge the print.
Bghunter in the last two years it has got so bad ji have been going to Africa for years and what is going g on with shipping will destroy it,
Be prepared to pay additional fees if you are trying to import warthogs, monkeys or baboons. Those animals cannot be shipped in the same crate with your other trophies. You’ll have to pay for a second crate. I shipped the second crate separately, but I’ve heard the 2nd crate can be shipped inside of the first crate. Maybe Ken can clarify.
When your swine & primate crate enters the US and is cleared through customs, it must go directly to a certified taxidermist to be re-dipped unless it has been mounted in Africa. I paid an extra $100 per animal for re-dipping. After your swine and primates have been re-dipped, the crate can be released into your custody. It’s any easy process that unfortunately, costs more money.
This sounds like a bad situation for Africa hunting. I get prices go up, unfortunately it's the world we live in but this situation sounds like bad for everyone in the long run.
That could just be the deal breaker for me for going back.
Highlife, that was my thought too. I was going to look at some SCI auctions, but I can't justify that shipping.
Thanks Ken very good information The 5 springbucks mount is beutiful!!!ª
I would add two things: the KM guide is very professional and well worth reading. The other option is quality photos. If you really want to HUNT and to EXPERIENCE Africa, then consider that a full trip can cost no more than a a set of taxidermy mounts.
I have a good friend and client that has probably been to Africa 15 plus times. In his trophy room he has two zebra skins, 4 sets of elephant tusks, one rhino horn display, a full mount leopard, full mount lion, a 47” Cape buffalo and wall full of professionally done photographs. I asked him one time why just those. He obviously stated they were great representatives of the big five and the money he saved on shipping and taxidermy through the years helped pay for more trips and several incredible firearms, including a Rigby Double Bite Rifle in 470 nitro, another Rigby bolt rifle in 416 Rigby and one Purdy shotgun
In addition he said he did it for his wife who will not have to get rid of a lot of mounts when he is gone
He is a pretty wise man :)
RK, that is definitely the way to go. I am out of room. So high quality pictures will have to do. Or perhaps even buy preowned representative European mounts
If you chose not to take any trophies home, what happens to them? I believe I read somewhere else that my brother and I can't combine trophies in same shipment i.e. need to pay separately. Is that true? What if they are Euro mounts?
m-a-m, I don't know what happens to the trophies, but if you don't ship your trophies home the law requires that they charge a 16% VAT tax on those animals (at the trophy fee price you paid to hunt them). Some concessions will not pass it on, but many do. It's also my understanding that they aren't supposed to allow you to combine your shipments. It was probably instituted to allow them to make more money (separate permit and inspection fees for each hunter's crate).
When did they start not allowing you to combine?
When I was researching Africa back in early 2000's I swear I spoke to people that did that. Maybe I am wrong though. Wouldn't be the first time lol.
That really is crappy you can't combine. I don't know what the big deal is. I wouldn't see a problem, if you shipped a crate of souvenirs back from several different people. However as was mentioned was more than likely just a way to make more money.
