if i am not mistaken, they can still use arsenic in the tanning process in Africa but not here- if not arsenic, its some other chemical banned by the EPA.

Gents;
Thanks all for your input. It is nice to see a discussion keep to the topic and not have folks attack one another.
For my 2 cents: I have seen both good and bad taxidermy on both sides of the pond but have personally seen more poor work from Africa. This includes shoddy packing. My last box from Zim had a buffalo, kudu, and waterbuck skulls in a wood box with no packing at all. They just bounced around for the trip to AK.
Also, I don't see much work that impresses me as true works of art. The stuff that does is very expensive and takes a true talent. But most of the work that is average priced from average taxidermists leaves quite bit to be desired.
Where does that leave me? Like many of you I dropped taxidermy years ago, even donated many if not most of my mounts, and now only do my own skull mounts or just the horn with the skull plate as the mount and turn the $ into more double rifles and maybe more hunting. In fact, I'm going on a float trip next week for brown bear. The cost is 25$ license, gas, and food. So, what I save on taxidermy will pay for the hunt! lol.
This week my skulls from a bison, pig, javelina, and white tail arrived. Next week, I hope to have another bear skull. And, as a side note, will float the river with my .600 double!!
Cheers all,
Cal
PS: for giggles, take a look at calpappas.com "the best in double rifles and African Hunting" lots of good photos of doubles and game taken with doubles.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
if i am not mistaken, they can still use arsenic in the tanning process in Africa but not here- if not arsenic, its some other chemical banned by the EPA.

That's it!!! arsenic. My mounts are still doing fine, they look good and no bugs!

My first African safari was in Namibia in 2008. My four trophies were sent by air from Namibia to Texas for taxidermy work and after completion sent to San Diego, Ca. and from there by ocean freight to Cebu City in Central Philippines.

My second African safari was again in Namibia in 2010 and the taxidermy work was done in Namibia and sent by air direct to my home city,
Cebu, Philippines.

Turn around time was a year faster in the latter hunt with a bottom line savings of around 40%. I would rate the quality of work about the same in both contries.

Cheers to all.
Jess

Jess,
Totally off topic (other than I am still waiting for my shipment from Namibia from last year), but I'm leaving in the morning (EST) for Cebu. Staying at the Marco Polo. Short trip and I'm coming back on Friday as I have a leopard hunt that I leave for on the following Wednesday. Small world.

Don

Where anyone gets the idea that African taxidermists know better how to mount African game is like saying Obama killed Bin Laden. Who constantly wins world, National and State championships open to anyone? US Taxidermists. Why? Because they have access to the best training; materials, supplies and critique. Yes there are outstanding Taxidermists around the world but if you study the gallery of fine artists here on AR (Taxidermy forum) you will find some of the best anywhere. My Lion was mounted in Africa (Life-Form) and they do large cats very well. The shipping cost me $3,000 and that was just for the Lion. Some of my clients paid $5,200 for 3 crates, so there goes the savings. I have no problem spotting shoddy work and I've seen tons of it come into this country, some stinking, some with insect infestation (USDA loves that) and some that were fair at best. It's your money but if I were going to look at mounts on the wall for decades, they would be done here in the USA. Do yourself a favor and investigate. It amazes me how some grown men will spend thousands on guns, equipment, hunts and research material but go with the cheapest crap they can hang on the wall. If mounts could talk, you'd get a cussing I assure you!

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
so your shipping costs was $1000 to get them( raw product) from SA to Omaha and finished product to Iowa/Denver?? man you got a bargain. who did you use to get that much stuff for that cheap?

This was 2007, It cost a little less than $1000 to get them to Chicago. The USFDA or Dept. of Ag. or whoever inspects them gets around $200. Then D&L customs brokers gets them shipped to Omaha for about $250. I drive to Omaha and pick them up once Mike has done his thing. I know that Ed and I compared notes and it was a wash. Africs is probably less hassle unless something goes wrong. I would still do them in the states so I can change how they are mounted. I have several pedestal mounts, don't think that would work to well coming from Africa.........Tom