opinions please 1 more time or??

[Ontario Hunter]

Today the 3000 USD wooden box with the 4 skulls from the hunt in Mozambique September/ October 2022 finally arrived. Now I can take it all to the taxidermist. One really have to think carefully about whether one want to import or not trophies in the future.

What animals? Skulls only or other stuff?

 

[Philip Glass]

MY Cost driven decision on trophy mounts done in Africa, amounts to 4000. shipping add 1200-1500 ?. import storage fees 1000. hey thats the better part of the cost of another hunt, In the opinion of you gentleman what should I do, hunt the african continent again or hang trophys on the wall, looking for some experienced help here. HARD DECISION but gotta make one. thanks you all.

It is a tough one. I would say everyone needs to bring back some nice trophies but not necessarily every safari. THe bottom line is that if taxidermy and shipping costs are going to keep you from going on another safari then leave them.

 

[grand veneur]

What animals? Skulls only or other stuff?

Only skulls and horns.

1 Buffalo, 1 Eland, 1 Reedbuck, 1 Bushbuck.

 

[Green Chile]

3 grand for that is a lot. Costs are really climbing.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Only skulls and horns.

1 Buffalo, 1 Eland, 1 Reedbuck, 1 Bushbuck.

What? $3K? How big was the box? Eland and buffalo might take up a bit of room but the other two should have tucked in between them. Were horns removed from eland? That is ridiculous. No pigs, apes, or birds or anything CITES so crate shouldn't have delayed during inspection. What were you charged for taxidermy? Buff can be a bit more but the others should have been $150-$200 each at most.

 

[Hunt anything]

Anything coming out of Mozambique is going to be more expensive, it adds about $1000. But I don’t know if the $3000 was from camp to Maputo - Johannesburg to the states.

 

[Labman]

I'm heading back to Africa for a Cape Buffalo in August. This will be my 15th hunt in the dark continent. I haven't brought anything back but pictures after my third trip. On that trip I brought back three European mounts. Eland, Kudu and Impala. That was quite a few years ago and at that time it cost me a grand to get those three skulls home. I thought that was outrageous at the time and have never brought anything back but pictures since. Prices have gone up to ridiculous levels since that time.

Unless you have money out the wazoo and unlimited places to hang trophies just put your money towards another hunt.

 

[Green Chile]

I leave tomorrow for a buffalo hunt in SA. This will be the first time that I come back with a lot less or maybe nothing at all. I plan to do a lot less shipping of trophies starting on this trip, especially from Africa. I will be taking a lot of photos and trying one of those photo book ideas. I've been thinking about the right way to say that on the front end of the trip. I don't know if we need to skin and prep a bunch of stuff...probably not.

 

[dchum]

I leave tomorrow for a buffalo hunt in SA. This will be the first time that I come back with a lot less or maybe nothing at all. I plan to do a lot less shipping of trophies starting on this trip, especially from Africa. I will be taking a lot of photos and trying one of those photo book ideas. I've been thinking about the right way to say that on the front end of the trip. I don't know if we need to skin and prep a bunch of stuff...probably not.

Have your buffalo horns sent to France and cut into glasses/frames.

His name is Yann and is a nice French man. He seems to be the only one in the world doing so at this quality. He soaks them in some potion that he wouldn’t tell me about. Secrets of the trade

 

[grand veneur]

What? $3K? How big was the box? Eland and buffalo might take up a bit of room but the other two should have tucked in between them. Were horns removed from eland? That is ridiculous. No pigs, apes, or birds or anything CITES so crate shouldn't have delayed during inspection. What were you charged for taxidermy? Buff can be a bit more but the others should have been $150-$200 each at most.

I have the feeling that you don't believe me.

The box is 100cm long, 70cm wide and 60cm high. Weight 60 kg.

Three bills would have to be paid gradually. First around 1000 USD for the transport from Mozambique to South Africa. Secondly, about 1300 USD for transport from South Africa to Frankfurt a.M. in Germany. Thirdly, about 800 Euros for import into the European Community and transport home to me. Now I have to go to the taxidermist.

Hunting in Africa is not cheap and anyone who books something like that has to be aware of a few things. The hunting prices quoted by the outfitters can often be multiplied by two. More than one hunter who wants to hunt in Africa will experience surprises when it comes to all the additional costs.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have the feeling that you don't believe me.

The box is 100cm long, 70cm wide and 60cm high. Weight 60 kg.

Three bills would have to be paid gradually. First around 1000 USD for the transport from Mozambique to South Africa. Secondly, about 1300 USD for transport from South Africa to Frankfurt a.M. in Germany. Thirdly, about 800 Euros for import into the European Community and transport home to me. Now I have to go to the taxidermist.

Hunting in Africa is not cheap and anyone who books something like that has to be aware of a few things. The hunting prices quoted by the outfitters can often be multiplied by two. More than one hunter who wants to hunt in Africa will experience surprises when it comes to all the additional costs.

Sorry to convey the wrong "feeling." Very sorry. Of course I believe you. I was run through the wringer last year but my box was probably larger. Not screwed nearly as bad as you though. My stuff only from RSA to Canada.

 

[grand veneur]

Sorry to convey the wrong "feeling." Very sorry. Of course I believe you. I was run through the wringer last year but my box was probably larger. Not screwed nearly as bad as you though. My stuff only from RSA to Canada.

No problem.

It may be that the import of trophies into the EC and its very restrictive laws also explains some of these costs.

 

[mdwest]

We're definitely at the brink of not having enough space for any more taxidermy.. or it getting to where it overwhelms the entire house and there is nothing else on display.. we've gotten better over time about not thinking every single thing needs to be a shoulder mount.. but until now we've still brought back something from pretty much everything we've hunted (flat skin, euro, shoulder, or something..)..

A nice alternative I think thats a good bit more expensive than an 8x10 photo, but is A LOT less expensive than taxidermy (and once you factor in shipping, import brokers, etc is insanely less expensive).. is to have a nice piece of original commissioned art work done to commemorate the hunt..

@Rare Breed had some oil on canvas portraits done.. I think this was a great idea, and may well do this myself on our next hunt (we'll be on the ground in RSA 1 month from today)...

Camera Pictures Turned Into Oil & Canvass

I have had four members ask me to post all three of my big 4 camera pictures that I had turned into Oil on Canvass pictures. I am not a big photo person as much as I am an oil on canvass person...the later I absolutely love the much more high texture of the photo.

www.africahunting.com

We'll use Anet Kruger (award winning artist, that lives in RSA, really understands African wildlife, and is a small fraction of the cost of other artists of similar skill and prominence).. shes done work for us in the past and is truly incredible..

 

[bakerb]

I've got a few to be mounted. WIth the exception of a few animals, I plan to do euros for most animals going forward. I like euros

 

[Green Chile]

I've got a few to be mounted. WIth the exception of a few animals, I plan to do euros for most animals going forward. I like euros

I like euros combined with a good framed photo to go with it of the full animal taken with or without me in the photo.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

MY Cost driven decision on trophy mounts done in Africa, amounts to 4000. shipping add 1200-1500 ?. import storage fees 1000. hey thats the better part of the cost of another hunt, In the opinion of you gentleman what should I do, hunt the african continent again or hang trophys on the wall, looking for some experienced help here. HARD DECISION but gotta make one. thanks you all.

Sadly, I have to agree. My first safari was in 1983 and I mounted everything. It cost quite a bit, but I liked them. I got a couple of more mounts from my NA hunting. Then I went back to Africa in 2022. I didn't think I needed another buffalo mount, so I did this last one as a work mount. I did shoulder mounts on a waterbuck, an nyala and a bushbuck. Between taxidermy costs, shipping, brokerage fees and customs, those four animals set me back almost $10,000. That money could make a good start on another hinting trip. I would still mount the nyala as he was over 31" and spectacular, nut nothing else.

So here's my advice. Just mount the animals that have a great story, or is too rare of a trophy to leave behind. Take a lot of pictures, hang the best of those, and but the rest in an album to share with close friends. The money (and walk space) you save can pay for more hunting.

 

[Hunt anything]

Part of my struggle with mounting animals is that in Africa I rarely shoot more than one of each species other than bushbuck and reedbuck, I will mount all bushbuck unless it’s a broken horned old cull ram. If I ever shoot another buffalo I will mount him to act as a book end on the opposite end of a table from my first. But as I’ve stated before I’ve cut way back on the numbers of trophies I take on any given hunt there won’t be anymore 10-12 animal hunts more like 4-6 animals per hunt and may concentrate on the tiny ten and smaller predators.

 

[Inline6]

Good points but how many buff do we need in the house? I’m doing less for sure and my trip next week for buff and PG might have nothing brought back.

We don't "need" any. Would rather see someone hunt and not bring back a trophy if money was the factor. Take plenty of pictures and write the events of the hunt down. Should we be lucky enough to live a full long life. The written record will help put any missing pieces back in place.

That's my thinking anyways, not sure it's worth the full .02 haha

 

[BryceM]

Most any sane human would look at my trophy room and conclude that it’s gotten a bit out of hand. But, I enjoy it, and am blessed with the space and means to do (way too many) shoulder mounts. This last trip was for far fewer, but far more interesting animals. I anticipate that trend will continue. But, I will not stop hunting when I run out of space or money for taxidermy, that’s for sure!