Many on this board have supplied extremely helpful information on calculating the total costs of safari. In spite of "sticker shock", in regards to final shipping costs of finished trophies ,( I suspect they bought airline seats for each one, and the paper work is a sham ) I have uncovered a "hidden" and unexpected costs related to safari. In spite of having a house with 4 large bedrooms, den, living area, etc,and, also, in spite of the fact that all kids have left home and it is only the two of us, my wife has determined that the only place to locate the taxidermy is a new room built on top of my detached garage. Initial estimates are that it will cost more than the trip plus trophies. After initially refusing, I have decided it is not a bad idea to have such a room where I can isolate myself, stay in touch with Accurate Reloading, and "Dream of Africa."
However, I believe this "cost" is one often overlooked in planning. In addition to the isolation factor, the room will be large enough so that even when I locate all the existing trophies in it there will be a large amount of blank wall space. Using my wife's logic-" if there is a blank space, go buy something to put in it" I now have an additional compelling interest to return to Africa for "decor improvement purposes."

I feel terrible about you being placed in such an ordeal. It is a tough burden to bear and you have my sympathies. But if you play your cards right you might be able to include a walk-in gun safe and enclosed reloading room, etc... in your new add on. You might want to consider a fridge, microwave, bed, and bathroom for those times when you really need a safe place to hide after your wife sees what the whole project will cost after your next "interior decor improvement" trip. Good luck.

Fischer,
AMEN to that!!! My wife calls my 12'x12' reloading room in the garage my "hiding hooch". I have a little fridge and cd player/radio in there and it is heaven. I can disappear in there for a couple hours and life is great again.

She doesn't want your trophies in the house? Now that sounds strange! Are you serious, or jesting? I've always found it a fine way to decorate the old abode. Have mounts in every room but the kitchen and bedrooms.

Arts,

Nothing wrong with a few "sterile" European mounts in the kitchen. I have several North American Antler "topknots" in ours. Candis' Cordeaux' Dik-dik rests comfortably in one of the bathrooms. Again, some NA racks in the mainbedroom. Something to hang my robe and hat(s) on. Our upstairs guest room has several European African mounts (impala, lesser kudu, greater kudu,etc.) and a Hartmann's zebra hide on the wall. Used to have a shoulder mount or two in there but the son's girlfriends complained. Never stayed too long though!

Rich Elliott

Only reason there are none in the kitchen is no room, otherwise there would be some there. As for bedrooms, the reason there aren't any there is I don't see them enough if they're there; no "restrictive" reasons.

I'm at a point where I'm so full-up on trophy mounts (with quite a few remaining to finish at three different taxidermy studios) that I'm going to be very, very selective about what I put on the wall in the future.

It might get to the point where I have just a select few exceptional specimens set home, with the rest left in Africa or wherever. I might also get to where I say, "to heck with it", and not put up any more new mounts at all.

First-class photographs make great trophies in and of themselves, and I keep talking to more and more guys who are investing the money they'd spend on taxidermy into more hunting trips. Not a dumb way to go at all.........

AD

Not a bad approach at all. I only mount special animals more and more, either uncommon or sizewise. Then again, I sure do like those mounts! The giants are easy to deal with, like Eland or moose or elk--just too big, so it's easy to say no. Course I didn't have that problem when it came to my buff! He wasn't at all too big!!!! The sheep, on the otherhand, are real hard for me to say no too, in fact I never have!

In planning stages for my house later on, I am planning on 9-foot ceilings throughout and cathedral ceiling in the main room just for mounts. I may never get to go again and again on these trips like some, so I want the trophies I do take to have a happy home . I'm lucky in that my wife actually likes this stuff.

I appreciate the advice I've received. As I already had quite a few NA trophies mounted, I had planned to do only European mounts. That worked well for the Gemsbok ( very good but not great) the first warthog ( bleached skull), and the mountain Zebra was intended for a rug, only. However, the plan went out the window with the taking of a 60 inch Kudu. I have on video the PH Pete Kibble telling me how incredibly dumb and totally insensitive it would be not to have a shoulder mount of it,a felony crime in the sporting world. He addressed my friends, family, and even my @#&** wife(his words) not to interfer and I have that all on video. Great footage. I could understand how excitable he was since he is a native of Africa and has been a PH for over 40 years. Neither he nor any of his clients have ever taken a Kudu over 57 inches. So sensitive, caring guy that I am, and not wanting to offend him, I agreed to the shoulder mount. Next came a great Red Hartebeest which also got the shoulder mount treatment. Then, having seen a mounted warthog, I reasoned it would look great over the bed and took a second one. The Cape Buffalo I had done European and it looks great.
So the initial disagree with the wife was not over having animals in the house, it is loaded, but over whether there was room for the new crop. Sadly, the space over the bed still does not have the warthog. I do have my priorities.
An additional consideration is my son, who is downsizing his house and getting married, may well want to "temporarily" hang his European Kudu, his shoulder mounted Kudu, Gemsbok, and Cape Bufalo in my new room.