I leave for my first African hunting trip on Wednesday and don't understand what I should/need to do about trophy shipment before I leave or what the ultimate process to receive the trophies will be. I am going to Namibia for Mtn Zebra, Kudu, Oryx and Warhog. I know that I'm not having any shoulder mounts done in Africa. (I'm going to start with European mounts and then maybe have the mounts done in the states, or save my money for another hunt).

Should I have the zebra tanned in Namibia?
Do I need to have a taxidermist in the US to receive the trophies? If so, when do I have to make that decision?
Should I have the European mounts done in Namibia?

I'm going to send these question to my outfitter but I'm looking for different opinions.

Thanks

If you bring in complete trophies, tanned hides, mounts, etc. you can receive it directly from your shipper after it clears customs. If you have dipped and packed raw hides they must be sent to a USDA approved taxidermist.

The done in the US vs done in Africa has long been debated on these pages so I won't go over that subject again.

I had all of mine done over there and shipped to me. Put your hides on felt, they will wear longer if you use them on the floor. I had all mine done on European mounts. Cheaper and I've got pics of me on the veld w/them.

You should have already lined up a taxidermist to recieve your trophies when they are ready. That being said, it will be several months before they are ready to ship anyhow so you should have plenty of time to get something set up over here if you choose to go that route.