Taxidermy Question

[Neophyte]

When I go over I’m thinking of having a local taxidermist do my mounts and ship the finished product to the states.

Is this a common thing? Does it usually end up being cheaper? My thinking is that local taxidermist will be more familiar with the animals and thus have more experience to bring out the visual appeal of the animals.

 

[DieJager]

Probably cost will even out because of finished taxidermy work will require more space thus more costly. Also I assume that you mean Africa.

Also if the country you live in is America it is safe to assume your taxidermist if familiar with African game.

Also the quality I see on taxidermists from the states is levels above those of most African taxidermists. But not all.

 

[JimP]

If you use a quality shop in Africa you will get quality work.

On my last trip I had mine done in South Africa. It was quicker and cheaper but most of the savings was taken up by extra shipping.

The big plus was that my taxidermist here in the US was 15 months out after he received the dip and pack so my trophies were hanging on my wall a year faster by having them done in South Africa.

 

[Hunt anything]

Pros on done in RSA
1) much quicker turn around time
2) much cheaper
3) familiar with African animals
4) easier to replace a skin if something is damaged during tanning
5)finished taxidermy seems to clear all of the administrative BS quicker as opposed to just dip&pack.
Cons on RSA
1) if you don’t do your homework and vet a taxidermist the quality may be sub par
2) shipping of finished taxidermy is more expensive ( but with the way prices are rising in the states this may be a wash)
3) communication may be hard with the time difference
If you have a long lasting relationship with a taxidermist in the states maybe you can work out a quicker turn around .
I’ve done both on my 4 trips and have started leaning towards getting stuff mounted in RSA, so far the quality has been good but I look at a lot of taxidermist before making a decision.

 

[Doug3006]

I had the taxidermy work done in SA on my last trip. Quality was good, but shipping costs are so high now that I paid more than doing it here. Not much more, but the price advantage seems to have evaporated.