Ok,

So yesterday I get an out of the blue email from the shipper in Namibia. He says he wants to know where he is supposed to ship all this stuff.

That he just got it from the PH. The same PH I had so many problems with. I had kind of wrote off the animals as lost, so I am totally supprised.

I called Coppersmith and Hunters Brokerage. Hunters Brokerage told me the cost would be the shipping cost and $400. But the USDA required them to go to an approved Taxidermist.

Ok, no problem so they have to go to an approved Taxidermist that's close to my folks house in Casper. Quick call to most of the taxidermist in Casper to find that none are approved. But Leading Edge in Cody is!

So I call Leading Edge and they say just ship it to the tannery and then the tannery will ship to your parents. If you don't want it to go to a tannery ship it to us and we will receive it and ship it to Casper for $200. Including the dipping of the baboon.

So I call Golden State tannery who deals with Hunters Brokerage who has dealt with Leading Edge a ton! No charge to dip and pack but tanning is going to be $850 for everything. And they want it when they receive the animals.

So first question is do I have to pay someone to receive it for me or can a friend, sister, or my father do it at a port of entry?

How long can the stuff sit in the untanned condition before it won't be worth tanning?

I am in Italy and maybe through some of the kindness of the Germans in the Frankfurt area they could pick it up and ship it to me here?

The Saga continues. Today I got home turned on the blasted info machine and saw that there was a email from the German shipper.

"We understand that you have talked to Maria and Coppersmith. We are here to tell you that we will not deal with either business. Please let us know where you would like it shipped and how you would like it taken care of. If you choose to ship it to Sicily it will be by truck freight and should be very inexpensive. However it will be easier for you to get them to the USA if they go direct."

Decisions Decisions!

So I call the guy and he seems really nice and tells me it should be cheap. He doesn't know how big the crate is or how much it weighs or what's in it. But he does plan on having that information soon.

Sheesh!

D99-

Be very careful, Leading Edge is no longer in business. I urge you to contact Ray Hatfield at Nature's Design here in Cody. His number is: 307-527-6053.

The procedure for me has been: Maria receives the shipment in CA. After checking it, the trophies are shipped to Ray in Cody. Ray checks it out then sends the hides to the tannery. I'm sure he can gets things figured out for you.

Ray won the world taxidermy championships last year with his Leopard/Bush Pig scene. He is currently doing a big job for Bass Pro Shops. He has done all of my work and does a GREAT job. He, his wife and daughter are all African hunters.

If I can be of any help, let me know.

John

John,

Thanks but Louis Ray is my taxidermist in Casper, if I get them shipped home, and I am my taxidermist here in Italy.

I talked to Natures Design, when I wrote the email I couldn't remember what they changed their name to.

The Germans are getting me quotes after they get the box packed up.

Dealing with Maria or Coppersmith is already not going to happen.

The Germans won't deal with either one. So I get what I get, with no arguments about it.

No point in worrying. How bad could it be. Worst case scenario my capes are ruint and I have 15 bleached skulls hanging on the wall.

If the capes were properly dried and salted, and they don't get wet, they can stay good for a very long time.

There's another brokerage in Dallas/FW airport (an air terminal from Africa) that I could recommend...they were about 1/2 the price of Coppersmith and more responsive, for me. You would have to inquire from them the cost of shipping to Wyoming.

BTW, who's the shipper from Namibia? The one I used was Harald Preschel of Namibia Safari Services and Supplies.


The broker at DFW I used in '04 is:

ABX Logistics
Jodi Flynn
Import Account Rep.
ABX Logistics, Inc.
747 Port America #300
Grapevine, TX 76051
Phone: 817-481-2801
Fax: 817-488-4120
E-Mail: jflynn@abxlogistics.us

Nice talking to you yesterday.

I will give your guy a call.

Thanks again,

Seth

You want to talk to Maria Felix at Hunter International Brokerage tel: 650-652-0100. She's an extremely knowledgable and very generous with information.

If you use Coppersmith take a close look at the bill. If you see charges for "Warehouse Transfer" red lights should start flashing and bells ringing. Twice they charged me with it (around $65) and there proved to be no such thing. I discovered this following some lost/stolen items in my shipment and all I got was a "sorry" and told they would do better next time.