Hunting South Africa

[ericg1]

I’ll be hunting South Africa in January 2025
What are the pros and cons of hunting in January and pros and cons of taxidermy done by splitting image taxidermy in South Africa. This is my first African hunting trip

Thank you

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Why january if i may ask
About10 better monthsthan january

 

[Deni81]

Eric I am new to the forum, welcome. I just got back from the Eastern Cape in July so I can't respond to Jan. However the guide I used suggested that I go a different route for taxidermy since he had some bad customer experiences with Spliitting. I heard their showroom is nice but the negatives outweighed. I Dont want to share the negavites since I took the guides word for it but he suggested I use lauriston taxidermy and So far so good on communication and they are only 9 months out on getting my trophies shipped.

 

[Mekaniks]

You came the right place

 

[ericg1]

Why january if i may ask
About10 better monthsthan january

January is the time that works the best for my schedule. I am headed to Argentina in April

 

[JOHN GRENZ]

I used Splitting Image Taxidermy for my June 2021 hunt with KMG and was very happy with the work done. Don’t know if things have changed since. Nothing stays the same forever I guess.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

It will be hot and buggy. As soon as an animal is down they will have to move fast to keep it from spoiling. So the hunt may be over for the day while the carcass is run to a cooler. In contrast, on my first safari I had four animals piled in the truck before lunch of the first day (end of August). It was cool enough to require wearing a couple of layers. In January you can also easily run into issues with hair slippage (very likely) so I suggest skulls only.

 

[Hank2211]

The pros and cons of hunting RSA in January? You've heard the cons - hot, sometimes very hot, buggy, and often very humid. Another con is that the brush may be very thick - to the point where finding the animals will likely be more difficult than it is in winter, when the grass is generally lower and the leaves are off the trees and bushes. The pros? Well, there won't be much competition for the game (other than perhaps local meat hunters), and the walking will be much quieter!

And using a local taxidermy firm? The pros are the cost of the actual taxidermy, partially offset by the extra cost of shipping fully mounted trophies (they take up more space, hence larger and heavier crates). Another pro may be that your work will be done faster than if it was done in North America - but that depends on the taxidermy at each end. You may have a local taxidermy in the US who works fast; many don't.

And the cons? I've used a number of taxidermy firms in South Africa, in the Northwest Province, the Limpopo, and the Eastern Cape. Each time it was the triumph of hope ever experience. I have never found the work to be as good as the work I have had done in North America. In some cases, the work has been so bad that I've trashed the taxidermy upon arrival. I've given up and don't use local taxidermists any longer.

Understand that in South Africa, it's extremely unlikely that your work will be done by an actual taxidermist as we would think of them in North America. The work will be done by one or more local workers, who will be supervised, to a greater or lesser degree, by a taxidermist. It will come down to quality control. Every time I was promised "the work won't leave here until it's perfect." Well, every time, we clearly had different views of perfection.

Good luck with your hunt. I'm envious - I'd love to do my first hunt again!

 

[Mekaniks]

January is the time that works the best for my schedule. I am headed to Argentina in April

We just got back from Argintina in May and had a blast.
Are you hunting?

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

A lot of the outfitters come to the US in January for DSC and SCI, as well as some of the regional shows. I would not go to South Africa between October and April to go hunting. January in South Africa is like July in the US.

 

[ericg1]

We just got back from Argintina in May and had a blast.
Are you hunting?

Going for blackbuck, wild boar, axis deer

 

[Mekaniks]

Going for blackbuck, wild boar, axis deer

I hunted blackbuck and axis as well. Super good time

 

[Ridge Runner]

The pros and cons of hunting RSA in January? You've heard the cons - hot, sometimes very hot, buggy, and often very humid. Another con is that the brush may be very thick - to the point where finding the animals will likely be more difficult than it is in winter, when the grass is generally lower and the leaves are off the trees and bushes. The pros? Well, there won't be much competition for the game (other than perhaps local meat hunters), and the walking will be much quieter!

And using a local taxidermy firm? The pros are the cost of the actual taxidermy, partially offset by the extra cost of shipping fully mounted trophies (they take up more space, hence larger and heavier crates). Another pro may be that your work will be done faster than if it was done in North America - but that depends on the taxidermy at each end. You may have a local taxidermy in the US who works fast; many don't.

And the cons? I've used a number of taxidermy firms in South Africa, in the Northwest Province, the Limpopo, and the Eastern Cape. Each time it was the triumph of hope ever experience. I have never found the work to be as good as the work I have had done in North America. In some cases, the work has been so bad that I've trashed the taxidermy upon arrival. I've given up and don't use local taxidermists any longer.

Understand that in South Africa, it's extremely unlikely that your work will be done by an actual taxidermist as we would think of them in North America. The work will be done by one or more local workers, who will be supervised, to a greater or lesser degree, by a taxidermist. It will come down to quality control. Every time I was promised "the work won't leave here until it's perfect." Well, every time, we clearly had different views of perfection.

Good luck with your hunt. I'm envious - I'd love to do my first hunt again!

Bad taxidermist are on both sides of the pond.

My outfitter whom I have hunted with 3 different times, soon to be a fourth has a full taxidermist shop and the workers in the shop are experienced taxidermist.

Having had 19 animals by them, I have no complaints about the quality of my taxidermy.

But I agree, as several other members on the forum have had bad experiences with taxidermist in Africa, and here in the states.

________________________________________________

@375 Ruger Fan and @Hank2211 pretty covered why January is a bad time of year to visit RSA to hunt. Unless you are planning on visiting the beaches, photo safaris, or other such non hunting activities.

 

[375Fox]

I haven’t done a January hunt but I have done February and March hunts. I enjoyed them but brush can be very thick really limiting the visibility. Also he prepared to lose some afternoons to thunderstorms. Also a higher chance you’ll see some snakes and definitely bugs. The biggest pro is no competition so your PH will have access to hunt almost anywhere he has access to on any day. If your goal is just to have an enjoyable hunt and take what you can you’ll enjoy it. However for a first hunt May-September time frame would be much better. Cooler temperatures and better visibility to see more game and take better trophies to get the standard African hunt experience. Just make sure to discuss expectations with outfitter and discuss the differences between the two time frames with your outfitter to know what you are getting into. Here’s an example of February vs October vegetation in same area in Namibia. I was very successful here in October. We tried hard for eland for 5 days before moving on to other areas in February. Word of advice. Don’t let this caterpillar fall down your back under your shirt and definitely don’t try to get it out with your hand!

 

[preibx]

welcome!!

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

@ericg1 January is extremely hot in Africa, no matter where you go. Certainly would not be my first choice. Hunting day will probably start around 04:30 until around 09:00. After that, pretty much all that you can do is lounge around at the lodge/pool until around 16:00 and hunt again until 19:30.

With regards to Taxidermy, any business that has been around long enough will have some form of negative feedback. Its how the business responds to fixing the problem that makes the difference. If you allow them to, I can assure you that a company such as Splitting Image who is a sponsor here, will make amends should anything go wrong.

 

[Flewis]

Splitting Image did 19 animals on our hunt 2 years ago and are doing 24 from our last hunt. I think they do good work. January, snakes, not for me. It will be Africa hot, kind of like Miami.

 

[ericg1]

Does anyone have any rough ideas on shipping taxidermy from South Africa to United States (JFK). Dip and ship and full shoulder mounts

Thank you

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Does anyone have any rough ideas on shipping taxidermy from South Africa to United States (JFK). Dip and ship and full shoulder mounts

Thank you

Drop @SPLITTING IMAGE TAXIDERMY an email with this question. They should be able give you the best idea on estimations on what you require.

 

[ericg1]

Also does anyone have a rough idea on a packing list? Should I bring cash or card to pay for trophy fees / tips / taxidermy