Shipping Trophies has Gotten Outlandish

[WAB]

Having arrived at the place you describe some years ago (simply no more room for dead fauna, I have taken the opposite position you describe. I realized that I collected things like ancient coins, fine art, and a library. But, I hunted for the experience. One more or less dead animal on the wall would mean very little to me and nothing at all to any guests. But another hunting experience in Africa, South America, or Europe would have very real meaning. So halting the taxidermy and shipping has actually freed me to enjoy the sport even more than I did before.

I try to take really good photography, build photo travel logs of every adventure (both hunting and when we are playing tourist), and occasionally add a new canvas print to the wall. For instance my best (by a large margin) sable and Kafue Lechwe. This way I even have my PH's mounted as well.

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Finally, I am old enough to realize these mounts will be of no of no interest to any of my family. In fact, unlike a fine gun collection, they will simply be burden to dispose of at pennies on the dollar. The travel logs of our adventures, on the other hand. might actually interest a grandchild someday.

View attachment 608026

I’m in exactly the same boat. Any trophies I bring home at this point must be exceptional and are almost exclusively European mounts. My wife is an excellent photographer and accompanies me on all my trips. I like photos on canvas. Here are a couple on my office wall.

 

[PARA45]

Turkish Airlines know they have us by the b@lls, and they do what they can because they can get away with it since they do not have any competition. Their airfare is not too bad, but their warehouse fees are outrageous.

I have a lot more hunting to do, and most likely I'll do what @Red Leg does, take good quality pictures, and have travel logs of the trip. I don't have a dedicated trophy room, and most of my mounts are in the family room, office and my reloading room and I'm already running out of room.

 

[Stetsonham]

Just finally got all my stuff to my US tannery in Michigan from my RSA Jun 2023 trip. All dip and pack.
Splitting Image dip and pack
9 animals
2x Impala cape-skulls
2x Springbok cape-skulls
1x steenbok. LifeSize cape-skull
1x blesbok cape-skull
1x bushbuck. LifeSize cape-skull
1x kudu cape-skull
1x Sable. cape-skull
$2,010
Shipping from Johannesburg to JFK
$1,413
Clearing and shipping to Michigan from JFK
$2,023.
Total $5,455

Notes.. Splitting Image did not do as I asked and separated my animals and my wife’s into two different crates .(they said they would combine) But they didn’t then they charged me for an additional crate $300 I believe. Further more seeing I had two crates in two different names it costs me an additional $600 with my broker to clear. So this should be $900 less.

Definitely not cheap and in understand leaving animals in Africa. Not for me but i understand

 

[Puddle]

My BIL is a Delta Exec. He asked me why I was no longer flying Delta to Africa.

Told him since you refuse to carry my trophies, then I see no reason for you to carry me.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Just finally got all my stuff to my US tannery in Michigan from my RSA Jun 2023 trip. All dip and pack.
Splitting Image dip and pack
9 animals
2x Impala cape-skulls
2x Springbok cape-skulls
1x steenbok. LifeSize cape-skull
1x blesbok cape-skull
1x bushbuck. LifeSize cape-skull
1x kudu cape-skull
1x Sable. cape-skull
$2,010
Shipping from Johannesburg to JFK
$1,413
Clearing and shipping to Michigan from JFK
$2,023.
Total $5,455

Notes.. Splitting Image did not do as I asked and separated my animals and my wife’s into two different crates .(they said they would combine) But they didn’t then they charged me for an additional crate $300 I believe. Further more seeing I had two crates in two different names it costs me an additional $600 with my broker to clear. So this should be $900 less.

Definitely not cheap and in understand leaving animals in Africa. Not for me but i understand

No combining of mounts in one crate according to USF&W. Only way to get around it is to have all mounts and ALL paperwork from RSA and the venue in one name then sort it out at home. Read the horror story one of our members had with that deal.

 

[Hunt anything]

My BIL is a Delta Exec. He asked me why I was no longer flying Delta to Africa.

Told him since you refuse to carry my trophies, then I see no reason for you to carry me.

Back after the Cecil debacle and all US airlines stopped transporting any big five I emailed Delta and tried to explain a little conservation science to them. As far as I could tell it was never even read. This is what happens when you manage by emotions instead of science.

 

[375Fox]

Just finally got all my stuff to my US tannery in Michigan from my RSA Jun 2023 trip. All dip and pack.
Splitting Image dip and pack
9 animals
2x Impala cape-skulls
2x Springbok cape-skulls
1x steenbok. LifeSize cape-skull
1x blesbok cape-skull
1x bushbuck. LifeSize cape-skull
1x kudu cape-skull
1x Sable. cape-skull
$2,010
Shipping from Johannesburg to JFK
$1,413
Clearing and shipping to Michigan from JFK
$2,023.
Total $5,455

Notes.. Splitting Image did not do as I asked and separated my animals and my wife’s into two different crates .(they said they would combine) But they didn’t then they charged me for an additional crate $300 I believe. Further more seeing I had two crates in two different names it costs me an additional $600 with my broker to clear. So this should be $900 less.

Definitely not cheap and in understand leaving animals in Africa. Not for me but i understand

If you should go again have the outfitter put everything in your name. Then you won’t need to involve the taxidermist. If it’s just standard PG like this no questions will be asked.

 

[375Fox]

No combining of mounts in one crate according to USF&W. Only way to get around it is to have all mounts and ALL paperwork from RSA and the venue in one name then sort it out at home. Read the horror story one of our members had with that deal.

Where is the horror story? I’ll assume some very obvious mistakes were made if they had any issues with general plains game from South Africa. I generally take two of several species each trip I go.

 

[WAB]

Where is the horror story? I’ll assume some very obvious mistakes were made if they had any issues with general plains game from South Africa. I generally take two of several species each trip I go.

I remember the story. I believe that they put two hunters trophies in one crate. That’s an absolute no with USFWS. As stated above, if a family is hunting, put all trophies in one name if you want one crate.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Where is the horror story? I’ll assume some very obvious mistakes were made if they had any issues with general plains game from South Africa. I generally take two of several species each trip I go.

I couldn't find it but the gist of it was a father and son had their trophies in the same crate. IIRC, USF&W was going to confiscate and destroy them.

 

[Hunt anything]

I couldn't find it but the gist of it was a father and son had their trophies in the same crate. IIRC, USF&W was going to confiscate and destroy them.

If I understand correctly the only way to combine trophies in a crate is if the child is underaged.

 

[cpr0312]

My last shipment from Zim is the last time I'm bring much of anything home. If it is very special, I will consider it, everything else can just be a photo.

I getting to that point also! My next few hunts may be just pictures as my house is full of taxi and skulls.

 

[JimP]

On the subject of shipping it just comes down to do what you want to do.

After two plains game safaris I have a full wall plus some so I doubt that I"ll do it again. But as for cost as folks on here said when I joined the forum, "it's just part of the safari" and to figure it in.

How many on here are going to be able to actually go on two hunts in Africa? I know that when I reached out to some friends who went on my first one with me they said that they had been there done that and were looking at other hunts. My big animal that I wanted that I didn't get on my first hunt was a warthog which I collected on my second.

As for the taxidermy, I have a couple of relatives that wanted a couple of African mounts, so I had euros done and gave them the euro as a present.

But back to the shipping part, I didn't feel that they were gouging me on my last shipment. My importer SSI has their own bonded warehouse at JFK so I didn't incur any additional storage fees. The domestic flight from JFK to Denver didn't cost as much as I figured and neither did the ground shipping to my home.

As everyone says, it's just part of the hunt.

 

[TXhunter65]

I just cleared a friend’s shipment yesterday at Dallas/Fort Worth these were the charges:

Lufthansa Terminal Fee it DFW: $150.00
Handling Fee: $15.00
Credit Card Fee: $5.78
Total: $170.78

Dnata Warehouse where Customs Ag Inspects:

Exam Fee: $45.00
Facility Fees (2.50/KG) min $90: $772.50
Documentation fee: $35.00
Shipper Fee: $18.00
Processing Fee: $31.56
Total: $902.06

Grand Total: $1,072.84

The $150 Terminal fee isn't bad, Turkish last month charged $337.37 for same service. What should be questioned is why when you contract an airline for cargo freight do they not include the cost of moving the freight from the airplane to their warehouse in the cost up front.

What I'd love an explanation for is the Facility fee at Dnata's warehouse.....its based on weight? Granted this was a large crate 4'x5'x8'....all the cargo is moved by forklifts, regardless of weight each is moved and loaded easily and takes relatively the same amount of time and fuel. If the argument is larger crates take up more room then charge by volume.

All this was without hiring a customs broker to clear it...that would likely have added several hundred to over $1,000 to the bill. The cost of shipping was $6,000 not including any of these fees above. The whole shipping/clearance headache has gotten out of hand and in my opinion is pure price gouging based on the fact they feel if you have the money to hunt Africa you have the money to pay made up, inflated, BS charges and unfortunately there's no end in sight.

 

[TXhunter65]

No combining of mounts in one crate according to USF&W. Only way to get around it is to have all mounts and ALL paperwork from RSA and the venue in one name then sort it out at home. Read the horror story one of our members had with that deal.

Although it may be FWS that tells you no combining or commingling in one crate its generally not a FWS issue...its a Customs issue. See below. There are also exceptions for husband/wife and parent/minor child in which both are permitted...of course your broker, taxidermist, and shipper don't want you to know this... its less money for all of them and possibly more headache for your broker if you choose to use one (which I wouldn't..unless money's not an issue, you have a problem standing up for your rights as a citizen, or just dont want the head headache...which is understandable).

• Although FWS in some U.S. ports has implemented a local port policy that hunters cannot commingle in one crate, this is generally not a FWS issue. The need for each hunter to be separately crated and manifested is because of Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Manifest System (AMS).
• AMS was implemented after 9/11. All shipments destined for the US must have advance manifest data transmitted to U.S. Customs within specific time frames before arrival. Airlines and ocean carriers are responsible for transmissions. The electronic data transmitted must match the electronic entry data transmitted for customs clearance by the customs broker for releases to properly process in Customs and the broker’s interface platforms.
• AMS requires detailed shipper and consignee information, and the system is built with a “one-to-one relationship” – meaning one shipper to one consignee. If multiple hunters are packed in one crate, only one of the hunters’ information is transmitted to customs.
• Names must match the required documentation. All trophy items in a crate must be matched to the documents of the importer, namely the hunter importing the crate and listed on the licenses and other import documents.
• Exceptions for packing multiple hunters in one crate are husband/wife and parent/minor child.
• Each hunter must provide a customs broker with a customs power of attorney allowing them to legally handle and take possession of their shipment.

 

[Edster]

Just finally got all my stuff to my US tannery in Michigan from my RSA Jun 2023 trip. All dip and pack.
Splitting Image dip and pack
9 animals
2x Impala cape-skulls
2x Springbok cape-skulls
1x steenbok. LifeSize cape-skull
1x blesbok cape-skull
1x bushbuck. LifeSize cape-skull
1x kudu cape-skull
1x Sable. cape-skull
$2,010
Shipping from Johannesburg to JFK
$1,413
Clearing and shipping to Michigan from JFK
$2,023.
Total $5,455

Notes.. Splitting Image did not do as I asked and separated my animals and my wife’s into two different crates .(they said they would combine) But they didn’t then they charged me for an additional crate $300 I believe. Further more seeing I had two crates in two different names it costs me an additional $600 with my broker to clear. So this should be $900 less.

Definitely not cheap and in understand leaving animals in Africa. Not for me but i understand

Can I ask why you chose JFK instead of ORD for port of entry?

 

[wesheltonj]

My broker called me with a choice for shipping. Lusaka to DFW on Turkish or Ethiopian to Dulles and then Forward Air to DFW. The broker said it would be cheaper with Ethiopian & Forward Air as the Turkish storage charges at DFW would save about $1500 in storage charges. I will see then the actual bill arrives.

 

[Edster]

My broker called me with a choice for shipping. Lusaka to DFW on Turkish or Ethiopian to Dulles and then Forward Air to DFW. The broker said it would be cheaper with Ethiopian & Forward Air as the Turkish storage charges at DFW would save about $1500 in storage charges. I will see then the actual bill arrives.

Ok sounds like your broker only works out of DFW and JFK.

 

[Stetsonham]

Can I ask why you chose JFK instead of ORD for port of entry?

Broker is located there, their decision not mine

 

[Stetsonham]

No combining of mounts in one crate according to USF&W. Only way to get around it is to have all mounts and ALL paperwork from RSA and the venue in one name then sort it out at home. Read the horror story one of our members had with that deal.

Actually that’s incorrect my wife’s ss number and mine are attached to the same address within the US which allows you to combine animals.(broker agreed) Splitting image was in total agreement they just simply wanted to charge me a crate fee twice I believe.

Next time I will just do everything under my name