The first year we went to Namibia four years ago, I paid and hired to have the trophies (all PG) shipped home - $1800. Second year we went with another couple and those mounts as well as last years PG trophies are still there.

We are going again this year and since I live in Tampa with a U.S. Customs and USF&G office directly at the airport, I contacted them to see if an individual can bring mounted NON-CITES trophies back on the plane as either checked bag or cargo.

I was told by both Customs and USF&G "yes" but we can't bring this years back (not enough time to dry, mount, dip & pack) but previous years no problem. The USF&G rep emailed me the forms to fill out.

Question - has anybody done this and how did it go?

I have not done this but I see no reason why you cannot do it.I have cleared my own trophies when they were shipped in from Africa.That was a bit of a hassle but saved about $500 each time.If you arrange the shipping ,do the crating etc., I expect you can save even more.

I know that the current trophies will not be ready for transport but I see no reason at all the previous years shipment cannot be handled by you.

quote:

Originally posted by m3taco:
Question - has anybody done this and how did it go?

I have brought raw trophies back in my luggage twice. Both times I had the export permits in hand and declared the trophies when I arrived in Atlanta.

The trophies I was bringing back were the skulls and horns of Kudu, springbok, gemsbok, hartebeest, warthog and one salted jackal hide. All had had at least a few days to dry.

The customs guys called the USF&W people and they looked over the paperwork, then checked the trophies to make sure that they were clean(no meat or bugs). Everyone was very friendly. I was on my way in about half an hour. I didn't have to pay anything.

The warthogs did have to be sent to an approved "pig de-bugging outfit".

quote:

Originally posted by m3taco:
I was told by both Customs and USF&G "yes" but we can't bring this years back (not enough time to dry, mount, dip & pack) but previous years no problem.

Except for pig, nothing needs to be mounted. They do need to be cleaned and dried, but that can be expedited(labor in Africa is cheap and Namibia has some dry air).

You could bring back this years trophies as long as they are not from a quarantined area in Namibia, but it would take a bit of effort.

i did that once but when i got to atlanta they wouldn't let them go further. made us put them on fedex. and there went another 600

My understanding of Namibian law is that if you take your trophies home with you then the trophy fees (and maybe the daily rate you paid?) are subject to the value added tax, which I believe is 15%. In other words, it costs you an additional $150 on your $1,000 trophy fee for an orxy to bring it back on the plane with you, in addition to whatever baggage charges the airline hits you with.

These substantial extra costs and the inconvenience of having to handle the trophies as extra baggage make this option much less attractive. If you wish to bring last year's trophies home with you, then you might very well get by without paying the VAT, and they would be dryer, lighter, and less burdensome to pack as baggage.

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
i did that once but when i got to atlanta they wouldn't let them go further. made us put them on fedex. and there went another 600

When was this?

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
My understanding of Namibian law is that if you take your trophies home with you then the trophy fees (and maybe the daily rate you paid?) are subject to the value added tax, which I believe is 15%...

Technically, isn't it the other way around? If you choose not to take or have your trophies shipped to another country you are subject to VAT?

I seem to recal having VAT refunded to me on some jewelery at the airport because I was taking it out of the country.

quote:

Originally posted by Jorge400:

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
My understanding of Namibian law is that if you take your trophies home with you then the trophy fees (and maybe the daily rate you paid?) are subject to the value added tax, which I believe is 15%...

Technically, isn't it the other way around? If you choose not to take or have your trophies shipped to another country you are subject to VAT?

I seem to recal having VAT refunded to me on some jewelery at the airport because I was taking it out of the country.

I wan not charged any VAT when I took my trophies out. I can't imagine what a VAT would be added if you take them out when you leave.

I once ran the numbers to see if it would pay to charter a plane into and out of Windhoek direct from Miami, specifically for hunters and their trophies. Issue is landing rights in countries with national carriers. They don't like the competition.

I have brought in finished taxidermy (bwb flatskin, bwb euro mount) with no problems I even carried the BWB euro mount on the plane and put it in the overhead! Not any different than buying a zebra hide from a curio shop. Only issue is weight of checked baggage ... these days the allowance is pretty slim, and overcharges are stiff.

Bringing raw (not dipped and packed) trophies in is a whole different story. You may get away with it, but I think there's a high risk of confiscation and incineration. A lot of areas where hunting takes place are known foot and mouth areas. Can't imagine F&G allowing this stuff in. The odd dumb customs person may overlook it. (I am talking about Africa here ... I don't think it's a problem from Canada as I have brought a moose skull in, still pink, from Alberta with no problems).

Apes and pigs are really asking for it. Do you want to be the guy who sets off an ebola epidemic in the USA?

It will be a LOT less expensive to bring them back with us as checked. An extra bag would be $150 ea. bag. Since all we would be bring back would be a couple of European mount Gemsbok and a Zebra (mountain) rug and a couple of Gemsbok tail fly switches they all should go in two boxes checked bag size limit boxes.

I just remember that the first years stuff we shipped back (1 ea Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok and a couple of tails) about $1700 for mounts, dip, pack and ship. Coppersmiths in Atlanta was $450 just to receive and process the paperwork.

I haven't tried this from Africa but I did bring a cape and horns back from Mongolia. The F&S guy almost made me ship it directly to a taxidermist. He said the hide was not dried enough; I begged him to let me take it and he finally relented. Shipping it to a taxidermist would have caused me to miss my plane.

I don't think it is worth the hassle. Hell, if you check it who knows what might happen to it.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

I don't think it is worth the hassle. Hell, if you check it who knows what might happen to it.

And who knows what might happen to it if you leave it in someone else's care to be given to someone else to package who is them going to give it to some one else to ship?????

Bringing trophies back as checked baggage is a PITA, but so is having them shipped back and then driving to the warehouse to pick them up.

If it is just euro mounts it should not be a problem.

I looked into bring back waterfowl from Africa last year in my checked luggage. I ended up not doing it, but when I was doing my research and after talking to the appropiate people, it didn't seem like it would be that hard. Just need to make sure all your paperwork is in order and remember to use patience.

06

If you are concerned about the expense, you can save money by clearing your own trophies this side of the pond. Since it's "personal hunting trophies of no commercial value", there's no need to use a broker. Customs only requires a broker on shipments of value over $5000. You just write a letter "to whom it may concern" stating that the shipment contains personal hunting trophies, and you will need the export papers showing the contents, and you can clear them yourself. If there are any CITES species, you need to USFWS form 3-177 that you can download off the internet. Some CITES require an export permit only (baboon from RSA). Some require an export and an import permit (leopard, croc etc). It's not very difficult to clear your own trophies, takes a few hours and a few phone calls.

The air freight you can negotiate as well. Just get the crate weight and dimensions from the taxidermist/dip and pack guy, and then get a few quotes.

Some wilder schemes: accumulate two year's worth of trophies before you ship them back; or send them back by sea. You can also try to "combine" shipments for different persons in the party, but some countries will require that all the trophies are processed under one hunter's name in that case. I heard that the USA is also requiring a separate shipment for each hunter, but not sure about this. Anyway, who's to say who pulled the trigger?

Ultimate saving: don't bring back trophies at all. Only the most memorable, or the record book stuff is worth all the expense. An ordinary impala is not worth it.

Bottom line, plan ahead.

I have brought in all of my own trophies for the last 10 years through Seattle, no problems. I am advised by airlines of the shipment, I always state "NO BROKERS" on my BoL's and then make an appointment with the USF&W people at the airport for the clearance. You do the paperwork in about 30 minutes or less, they look at the shipment if they haven't already, you take their papers to Customs for the stamp and go back to warehouse for release andload to your vehicle. Don't try Warthogs and Primates...that does require a license, CITIES you can also do yourself.
Remember, the fees charged by dip and Pack people, Freight Forwarders and airlines are NEGOITABLE...if you think you are being cheated, you probably are....NEGOTIATE and I have been as tough as saying, OK, you keep them, I will abandon them...this usually works!!
By the time your trophies are ready to go tfor this trip, you should have the dip/pack and drying all together and past the 60 days drying period.
My last shipment from Mozambique I shaved off over $700 with the dip and pack people and same with the SA Freight Forwarder that was duplicating fees already charged in Mozi, and adding other phony stuff....be polite but tough!
Good Luck

quote:

Originally posted by 470EDDY:
Don't try Warthogs and Primates...that does require a license, CITIES you can also do yourself.

I have had mixed results with primates and pigs:

First year I brought back two clean and dry warthog skulls with tusks in my checked baggage(along with other trophies). In Atlanta USF&W made me fedex them to a licensed swine processor. It cost me $200 and they stained the skulls brownish-yellow.


Two years later I brought one set of warthog tusks and a baboon skull in my check baggage(along with other trophies). This time I had the skull and tusks mounted on walnut plaques so that they were "finished trophies". I dealt with the same USF&W in Atlanta as I had two years before. She said that, because they were "mounted", they did not need to go anywhere special and I was allowed to continue on to SFO with everything in my checked baggage.

A year or two later I had a shipment of trophies from Zimbabwe sent to SFO. The shipment included and elephant skull and tusks(cites) and a set of warthog tusks. The USF&W and customs agents agreed that the warthog tusks were "clean" (I had had the dipand pack people write "CLEANED WARTHOG TUSKS" on the outside of the small box the tusks were packaged in) and did not need to go to the swine processors and I took them home along with all the other trophies.

So my advice: if you are going to bring back swine or primate trophies make sure that they are very clean and clearly marked as such, and if possible have them mounted on plaques.