Obscene Trophy Shipping Costs

[Cam Moon]

@Chago If I could have found someone to mount my animals at the prices you found I may very well have done dip and pack and had the Taxidermy done here.

 

[Dreamhunter]

I know you used Umlindi, as did I. His pricing is wildly cheap, and his work was great. But I think I would have saved doing it at home back then. Never mind now.

Shipping was $2300USD and $600USD brokerage. I will ignore the storage fees the idiot government dinged me for. But then I had $1000CAD for the HST, HST is on the taxi bill. so having a more expensive bill raises your taxes. So that total was roughly $5000CAD not including the storage fees which from what I am told can be very common for customs to stop it for inspection and ding you with those fees. But again we will ignore them. And I found my taxi bill it was actually 3950USD. So another $5200 CAD. Total spent $10,200 CAD. Now for todays rates add another $3k Cad if its $2ish USD higher.

Dip and pack was $80 per head. Would have cost me $560USD. Shipping quotes I had done prior to trip were saying those animals in this hypothetical sized crate were roughly $750USD. Broker would still be $600USD. So so far total is roughly $2500CAD. Now your HST would only be on dip and pack so would be roughly $150 with there fees. $2650CAD all in. Now my local guy was going to charge me $1200 per head on the larger animals like Sable and Kudu etc. But the smaller blesbok and impala were $850. Nyala was in the middle it was $1000. So total from the taxi would have been $7500. So grand total was $10,150CAD.

So you can see they worked out almost identical. But I know my local work would have been much better. Regardless of how I do agree Umlindi did a great job. But no matter how cheap Umlindi is, the shipping eats up all of those savings.

My trip to Limpopo this summer I will be bringing back my kudu, eland and waterbuck dip and pack. The rest will be euros or just photos. The more and more I keep doing this math, I keep convincing myself @Red Leg was right about doing euros or just brining a camera lol. Now that I have a nice Africa display, I think I will enjoy future trips not worrying about trophies and just enjoy myself. Save my walls at home for any single specie hunts I go on back home.

$10000+ Canadian? I’m saving and planning for my first ever trip. That’s total taxidermy, shipping, storage and taxes on how many animals?

 

[Cam Moon]

$10000+ Canadian? I’m saving and planning for my first ever trip. That’s total taxidermy, shipping, storage and taxes on how many animals?

7 shoulder mounts. Kudu, Gemsbok, Sable, Nyala, Zebra, Blesbok, and Impala if I recall correctly.

 

[Dreamhunter]

7 shoulder mounts. Kudu, Gemsbok, Sable, Nyala, Zebra, Blesbok, and Impala if I recall correctly.

Plus a hunting package, visa, flights, vaccinations, insurance etc. = $17,500+\- sound right for a first trip then? Dependent of course on animals, package price and flights?

 

[Cam Moon]

Sounds about right, but keep in mind that the shipping costs have gone up significantly since Chago had his shipped out.
That's kinda the point of this thread really..... Tough call between dip and pack vs getting finished taxidermy shipped from Africa. But you're in the same boat as me with being in Alberta. The cost of taxidermy seems ridiculously high.

 

[Dreamhunter]

Sounds about right, but keep in mind that the shipping costs have gone up significantly since Chago had his shipped out.

Thanks for being real. I’m going to have to save awhile longer. You did two trips in a year, that’s $30-35,000!
Must be true what everyone says, Once is never enough.
How do normal people afford it?
Must not have kids, mortgages or they sell a kidney!

 

[Cam Moon]

Hahaha! I don't have my critters back yet though!

 

[Dreamhunter]

Hahaha! I don't have my critters back yet though!

You mean the two trips combined could end up costing you more than $35,000!?! Ouch, yes I’ll be saving for a few more years.

 

[Cam Moon]

No..... I mean I haven't spent that yet because I haven't got my animals yet.

 

[Dreamhunter]

No..... I mean I haven't spent that yet because I haven't got my animals yet.

You mean it could be more than $35,000 by the time you get them!?!

 

[Dreamhunter]

Apologies. This thread was about shipping and taxidermy fees. I should have asked my questions related to trips costs in a different thread.

 

[Cam Moon]

No, no.... Much less. PM sent.

 

[Chago]

$10000+ Canadian? I’m saving and planning for my first ever trip. That’s total taxidermy, shipping, storage and taxes on how many animals?

Kudu, nyala, zebra, impala, blesbok, gemsbok, and sable.

 

[Chago]

You mean the two trips combined could end up costing you more than $35,000!?! Ouch, yes I’ll be saving for a few more years.

Africa is super affordable in terms of a hunting trip. Taxidermy is what will kill you. But my next trip will 100% be dip and pack. And then decide what to do with it when its here. Maybe put some in the freezer for a later date.

But if you are avoiding going to africa due to taxidermy costs you are crazy. Go on the trip and just take pictures of your animals if that is all you can afford. You will remember the experience regardless if you have mounts or not. Africa is a amazing place.

 

[Dreamhunter]

Africa is super affordable in terms of a hunting trip. Taxidermy is what will kill you. But my next trip will 100% be dip and pack. And then decide what to do with it when its here. Maybe put some in the freezer for a later date.

But if you are avoiding going to africa due to taxidermy costs you are crazy. Go on the trip and just take pictures of your animals if that is all you can afford. You will remember the experience regardless if you have mounts or not. Africa is a amazing place.

Thank you. I’m grateful for your input. Maybe a photo safari is within our grasp right now, and the hunting trip can be the long term goal. Either way I can dream and watch for everyone’s reports.

 

[JimP]

Thank you. I’m grateful for your input. Maybe a photo safari is within our grasp right now, and the hunting trip can be the long term goal. Either way I can dream and watch for everyone’s reports.

I believe what he was saying is that to go hunting the animals and take pictures of them for your trophy.

Or look into just doing the euro mounts to a couple of them. Euro mounts on a pole in your man cave or even out in the garage is usually impressive

On my next hunt I am only planning on bringing home a couple of animals even if my hunt includes several.

Here is one example of a trophy tree from Skull Hooker. You wouldn't need to purchase it from them but it can give you a idea on mounting euro mounts.

 

[375Fox]

Go on the trip and just take pictures of your animals if that is all you can afford. You will remember the experience regardless if you have mounts or not.

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is if you choose to leave your trophies there to avoid shipping/dip and pack/taxidermy you are going to have to pay an additional 15% VAT on each trophy fee since it’s not being exported. You might as well pay a little more and get them home rather than pay 15% to leave them there if you shot more than a few animals.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

Hahaha! I don't have my critters back yet though!

Cam, when and where did your hunts take place?

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is if you choose to leave your trophies there to avoid shipping/dip and pack/taxidermy you are going to have to pay an additional 15% VAT on each trophy fee since it’s not being exported. You might as well pay a little more and get them home rather than pay 15% to leave them there if you shot more than a few animals.

not true. no vat on trophies hunted by international clients. wether they take trophies or not is irrelevant

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

not true. no vat on trophies hunted by international clients. wether they take trophies or not is irrelevant

Thank you for verifying that! I was told the same by my PH for upcoming hunt as I have a non exportable to USA animal and will be leaving it behind at his camp for display.