I have a few finished trophies from Namibia about ready for shipment. I live about three hours from San Francisco and considering clearing them myself instead of using a broker. I'm hoping to save some broker & shipping cost without having too big of a hassle. I have not decided if I should go with air or ocean shipment.

I'm seeking advice from others that have cleared their own trophies. Are the Fish & Wildlife and the Custom's Offices located close togather and near the airport freight areas? Are the personnel helpful? If I choose ocean freight how does that change things?

Any help or advice you have is appreciated. Thanks.

Nevada Wapati This may not be-much help but I cleared a Leopard 2 weeks ago through SF no problems but used a broker. Good luck

2 years ago I cleared through SF using a broker. Got email from broker it was there and than another it was on the truck headed here.
We use SF because they would allow us to have three people's trophies in a single crate and other points of entry would not.

Mark

Maybe this is too old to be of use but....

In 2004 I cleared my trophies through SF. I had an elephant skull and tusks, two buffalo skulls and a set of warthog tusks.

The F&W gal was very helpful. The customs guy was very laid back. I found the process to be simple. They even allowed me to take my WH tusks with me as they deemed them to be "clean"(usually they make you ship them to a taxidermist to be "disinfected" which costs about $200). If you are clearing your own trophies they didn't charge any fees.

All in all it was easy and I would do it again.

It's been more than twenty years ago, but I was one of a dozen hunters who landed in San Francisco with antlers and capes of a dozen elk and a couple of Siberian roe deer as extra baggage.

A USFWS agent checked and cleared our trophies before we turned them over to someone from Jonas Bros. Taxidermy in Seattle who met us at the airport.

I've always wondered why hunters couldn't bring skins and horns of non-CITES African trophies back with them, too. There must be a reason, because I have never heard of anyone doing it.

Bill Quimby

quote:

Originally posted by billrquimby:
I've always wondered why hunters couldn't bring skins and horns of non-CITES African trophies back with them, too. There must be a reason, because I have never heard of anyone doing it.

Bill Quimby

I have done that twice from Namibia. I landed in Atlanta and cleared them there. Debbie Bossy was the USF&W agent and she said that bringing trophies in as checked baggage was no different than shipping them as far as clearing them went. It was very easy and free.

I truly believe that we as safari hunters make things more difficult than they need to be.

Paying the extra baggage fee for a lightweight luggage trunk packed with capes, horns and skull plates from two or three animals would be a heck of a lot less costly than shipping the same items. It's something to remember.

I left a red hartebeest skull and horns in South Africa a few trips back. It was the only animal I shot, but I refused to pay the $400 I was quoted to ship it to Tucson.

Bill Quimby