Is it possible to clear your own trophies in the US anymore? I have 8 raw skulls and skins (including a warthog) that are ready to ship from South Africa. I know the shipment has to end up at a USDA approved shop but do I have to use ABX or Coppersmith for the transaction.

I guess my real problem is that my shipping from South Africa including all the export paperwork is $765.00 and both ABX in Houston and Coppersmith in Dallas are estimating around $450.00 on this end($350 to clear and $100 shipping). $350.00 seems a bit high to move my crate a couple of blocks to their warehouse, do some paperwork, and then have a trucking company pick up for final delivery.

there is nothing magic about clearing your shipments. The forms are simple and customs will walk you through the process. We clear all our shipments. If you are close enough to pickup the shipment, then do it. I suggest that you go to Customs before hand, explain what you will be clearing, pick up your forms, contact Fish and Game, for their procedures and have at it. Basically all a broker is doing is filling out the forms, taking them to the agencies and arranging transport to the final destination

make sure that the warthog is packed in a sepereat box withing your shipment. USDA will hold the hold shipment up otherwise. same thing is you have a baboon, CDC will hold everything up

You can clear your own trophy shipment but as of this year they have to be delivered to a USDA facility for processing, you can't pick them up yourself.

There is a lot of aggravation you are saving yourself for that $350. When you get it all done, tell us if it was worth it. Seriously, educate us here since I am sure there are others who want to save a few bucks and do things themselves.

I just cleared my own shipment of plains game including a green hog cape (dipped), skull and tusks from Namibia this past September. The pig was in its own box, and all the other game was in a large box packed together (Dry dipped capes, zebra rug, processed sculls, horns and tanned back hides). The shipment was cleared by me (“Joe†private person) and it cost $9.00 US paid to US Customs. The paper work was easy. I had to have a registered dealer of hides and fur pick up the shipment at the Anchorage Airport. (Delta Cargo). He looked over everything then released all the processed items (tanned parts, sculls, horns and zebra rug) to me to take home. I needed a CITES permit for the zebra and all that paper work came with the shipment from Namibia. It took about 2 hour’s total. Most fur processors will pick up and clear shipments but they will charge you. If you use a broker they will charge you as well. I found it to be a quick, painless, process and would do it again to save money. You must make sure all the shipping documents are in order before they ship it from Africa. Talk to the taxidermist and the shipping agent before things are shipped. Call US Fish and Wildlife at the port of entry to make sure you have all your documents in order before hand. If you have raw pigs US Dept. of Agriculture will get involved. I would have gotten the pig mounted in Africa if I had known it was going to make for extra work on this end. I guess a finished mount is accepted on this end with fewer requirements. I had no primates so I can’t speak about CDC requirements. Good luck and great hunting.

quote:

GLRodgers

It can be done and it's not really that much trouble, with a couple of exceptions, (1) you need to live close to the port of entry so you can get to the airport as soon as possible to process the shipment, if you don't the airline will charge you daily storage for the crate, could be as much as 50-100.00 per day. (2) I don't know of any tanneries that will pick up your shipment here in the lower 48. You can have them cleared and shipped to the tannery, but I haven't heard of any that will actually pick them up.

GLRodgers, that's good to know. I will probably do that the next time I go and might contact you for advice on that. Who are you using for taxidermy and what are your plans for your mounts?

I have cleared my last 3 shipments myself, including baboons and swine. It is not rocket science and is actually quite easy. I also live less the 30 minutes from an airport where they come in. It saves me a few hundred dollars and removes a few other people that I have to deal with.

I have never had to ship my trophies to a USDA approved tannery. When my trophies enter Dulles I get a call from customs and give them the info for a UDSA approved facility in Pa. My trophies are then sent to BWI, where I go, show the paperwork, and fill out the USFWS forms and load the crates into my truck and take them to my taxidermist.

Jerry, there is a tannery in Pa that does that. Keystone Fur Dressing, Inc in Aspers, Pa. they clear thru Baltimore Md using Mass Expediting, Inc. Mike Showers owns both companies and he uses Laing for the clearing.