it's been probably talked about before, but I'm heading there in May
What should I expect?

Long wait, high cost. Essentially everything has to go through RSA, which means higher transport fees, more permits, more bribes and more expense

Absolutely EVERYTHING jdollar said......plus the fact that Mochaba practically has a monopoly on the entire shipping game! My advice is get ahold of Debbie Peak's phone number and keep it close to your heart. She is the ONLY one who can break the log jam, When, not if it comes! It is going to be expensive, and the 'red tape' faced going from Bots to S.A. is the thing nightmares are made of.

All that being said.......Oh Lord, just let them open up the Ele again and I will be the first to book with Graeme Pollock. Safari Botswana Bound. Unless somehow Zim beats them to it and the Ivory ban is somehow magically lifted by USFW, then it is Nigel Theisen and Safari 5 Africa!!!!!!! Hell, I am going with Nigel anyway. Quality of PH, hunt, and area is more important than ready shippable Ivory!

I hunted with Tholo at the end of June and my trophies arrived mid-December at Animal Artistry in Reno. I'm getting the mounts done here but all the skulls and skins showed up in good shape and the cost was reasonable as far as I was concerned.

PM me if you want the exact costs but I recall it being roughly $1,700 to San Francisco from Botswana all in.

I received trophies in the US 10 months after the hunt last year. Outfitter drove the trophies to taxidermist in RSA. He had to meet vet at the border.

There are a lot of nightmares useing the monopoly in Botswana from what I have heard.

All the best.

Our group's trophies from last May arrived in December from Debbie and Mochaba. Costs are higher than from SA because they do first travel to SA and then US, but it was not as expensive as say Mozambique, and not nearly the wait. I think Mochaba charges about $100/trophy for their actual services. The rest is shipping, and importing/exporting, gov't costs.

Thanks Tim

BTW Tim, is it time to go yet?
Can we like speed time up?
Been snow bound for couple of months :-)

I hear ya Milan. We are getting a foot of snow here today, and that is A LOT for us...

And my UPS package overnight didn't make it to Palm Bay FL
I guess it goes thru main hub in Kentucky, so I was told.
Air samples not analyzed, therefore job shut down until it gets to the lab and gets analyzed.
General contractor is already pissed off
Gotta love the weather Ha Ha
Good luck with the snow Tim :-)

Where in Bots will you hunt boark...?

I am going there in February....to hunt at a farm with friends...and perhaps at one of the other farms a couple of days..

Debbie Peak is recommended warmly by the people I know on the ground there..

Going to Tholo
I'm ready
Heading to the old country for some pigs in few weeks, sounds like it's been pretty cold across the pond

quote:

sounds like it's been pretty cold across the pond

Better wear an ushanka...

I will do that :-)