I will be heading to South Africa in 5 days. I am hunting Buffalo, sable and maybe nyala. I just want to bring back the horns. Do they have to be brought back thru an importer? I live in Michigan, who would be the closest? Thank you, Jeff

This is something arranged weeks or months in advance so 5 days may not get it done.

Call The Wildlife Gallery taxidermists in Michigan. Hopefully they can help you out on short notice. Google their number.

Good luck.

The horns would need to be completely dry and you’d need a RSA Veterinarian’s Certificate that they are disease free. In addition there’s a CBP form that needs to be completed to bring back to the USA.

Actually the form required is a USFWS 3-177, plus inspection by CBP.

69deer,

You don't need to do anything ahead of time. Use the RSA taxidermist your outfitter recommends for final prep and shipping. He'll handle everything. When your trophies are ready for shipping the RSA taxidermist will contact you. At that time you'll need to engage a broker. Coppersmith's comes to mind as an old established brokerage. They will clear your trophies and send them on to you.

Mark

First off, if all you want is horns/euro mounts, you might be best off having that done there. Finished taxidermy gets treated differently than raw trophies.

The shipping via air is brutal, and what’s more the amount of kickbacks/commissions for the taxidermy stuff in South Africa is unreal.

I have a few that I shot in ‘18 that are still hung up over there. (Shot in Zimbabwe, hung up in ZA)

Surface shipping cut the cost by over half for the shipping part.

If you just want horns, you will need the vet certificate for disease free status and then the weight for flying them back. Buffalo skull is very heavy, so it won’t fit in normal luggage, and Sable will hopefully be beyond normal length, so I doubt you would save much by trying to fly back with them yourself.

The South African hunting industry is very comprehensive, and if you are looking for minimal effort on your part, they will be able to get them to you, it’s just a matter of money and paying multiple folks… dip and pack, then taxidermist, then crating, expediter, etc. then the US customs folks/clearing agent, then shipping it in the US.

If you want to save the most money, finished horns only or euro mounts finished in South Africa is probably your best bet.

I see you are hunting with Chris Troski. No need tow worry I believe he has a handle on all that stuff.
No need for a broker and all the bullshit charges they hammer you with. Find which airport near you has a USFW office. Call them and ask them if they can clear them. Have outfitter send them to YOU via that airport. The last time I sent stuff home the USFW guy told me to call him when I got notification that shipment was in and he filled out ALL paperwork so he didn’t have to do it twice.

The part that hurts is after the PH delivers them to the taxidermist. That's when you get taken.

So here's my advice.

1. You pick the taxidermist, pref somewhere between where the hunt takes place and the airport; and instruct your PH to deliver the raw trophies and paperwork to that taxidermist when they are dry and salted. If you want, you can visit the taxidermist after your hunt, assuming it's on the way to the airport, to get his price list and see his work. Pretend you are shopping for a taxidermist. That way you will get the real price list. Preferably without the PH in tow. Tell him you want him to stay with the vehicle to guard the guns.
2. When the job is done, before you pay the bill, you instruct the taxidermist to tell you the crate weights and sizes and to obtain the vet clearances. You wire the money to the taxidermist. Do not let the taxidermist appoint the freight forwarder.
3. You then shop the freight forwarder in RSA. If you do a search online you will see there are several to choose from. You give them your contact info in the USA and make sure they know there will be no customs broker. You make sure they send you the bill of lading when the crate(s) ship. You wire the money to the freight forwarder.
4. As someone said, you get them to address the stuff to you via the nearest airport with USFW office. Most major airports have them.
5. When the crate(s) arrive, you write a letter to CBP stating that the shipment is personal hunting trophies "of no commercial value". You don't mail the letter, you take it with you when you go to collect the trophies. You go online at USFW and fill out their paperwork as well. Or you can do it in person at the airport.
6. You then call USFW and make an appointment. You go to the airline warehouse and collect the paperwork. You go to Customs and fill out more paperwork. You then go to USFW and get them to sign off on the paperwork, they may want to inspect the contents but many times they don't. Sometimes they will meet you at Customs so you can all do the paperwork dance together.
7. You then take the growing mountain of paperwork back to customs. They stamp it and give you a release. They should not charge you any customs duty, hence the letter.
8. You take the release back to the airline freight warehouse, give them the release, they will charge you some amount of money because they can, and load the crate(s) onto your pickup truck or into your van.

Or you can appoint a broker in the USA to do all that and pay them money to run around.

Or, if you are really smart and it's just one or two Euro mounts, you go back to RSA next year for another hunt, pick up your trophies uncrated from the taxidermist with the vet clearance papers, put them in some kind of checkable bag or box, and check them as checked baggage. Or carry them on in a plastic bag if they meet the size limit (I am serious.) A plastic tote of sufficient size will work for checked baggage. The airline may want to see your vet clearance paperwork but mostly they have no clue. You declare them to customs when you get to the USA. They will shuffle some papers and usher you out of customs. You then go home with your trophies.