Trying to get a handle on the cost of a hunt to Namibia and I'm leaning towards having the taxidermy work done there.

I have a local taxidermist, who is very good, that does all the North American things; Elk, Deer, Bear and Antelope. I've not seen any African mounts at his shop. I know within a few hundred dollars what the cost of the Plains Game Hunt would be, but the taxidermy is another thing.

The game I would like to take and have mounted is as follows:

One of each: Oryx, Zebra, Springbuck, Hartebeest and Impala.

I would like shoulder mounts (Head Mounts)except for the Zebra which would be a full size rug.

What would be the approximate cost for the taxidermy work to be done in Windhoek with someone like Reiser? If I have it done in Windhoek, what would the approximate cost of shipping and paperwork be (I live in the Memphis, TN area). I'm open to having the work done here in the U.S., but what is the procedure to have them prepared for shipping, the approximate cost involved, the permits and the hoops I would have to jump through?

Thank for any advice and help.

Mauser

Mauser,Do a pedistal mount on tour zebra. You can but a rug later. A zebra pedistal mount is spectacular.

I used Trophaendienste. Nice work.

That was 10 years ago. Don't know how current those prices are.

I wouldn't have Reiser touch anything!I was charged for 223 kilos and I received the shipment myself at Sea-tac and weighed it ,it was 123 lbs,of course I was charged for 223 kilos.I took it up with my Namibia outfitter and Reisers and was ignored.They got you buy the balls!

No offense to SteveGI and his work but I wouldn't let Trophaendienste touch any of my work.

I got royally screwed by them in 2008. I didn't get my animals and the capes were in terrible condition and this wasn't even mounts. I just had him do the dip and pack for me.

Find someone else and bring your animals home with you. That is always the best idea.

Well, the problem with having them done there in Namibia is:

What if you don't like the job they do?

Are you going to send the stuff back and have them do it again?

Even having it done in another state can be a royal pain if you feel the job was not done correctly.

Air freight to or from anywhere in Africa will be a shock $$$.

Find someone in your area that has experience in African mounts, visit their shop, go to their shop when your stuff is ready and check it out before they ship it to you or you pick it it up. Get what you want, you're paying for it.

First, I recommend European skull mounts for your African trophies. The outfitter I hunted with did those for free, and "all" I had to do was pay for the shipping (there was nothing wrong with the shipping charges, which were not cheap, but were about what I was told to expect. The screwing came with unjustifiable overcharges from the "clearing agent", ABX of Houston; never again!) The European mounts are actually more versatile in terms of where they can be displayed, and having the entire skin from the animal to use as a rug or throw is an added bonus.

However, if you really want shoulder mounts, well it's the devil if you do and the devil if you don't. Some of the more prominent shops in Namibia charge as much as American shops, so there is no savings, plus the cost of shipping is exponentially higher due to the larger crates required for a finished mount.

On the other hand, one of my companions wanted an oryx and kudu shoulder-mounted here at home, so he had the green hides shipped. Their condition when received, although usable, was not that great. Conversely, backskins we had tanned in Namibia were done for a fraction of the cost here, and they turned out beautiful.

I guess if I were looking to have some shoulder mounts done I would inquire about having the capes tanned at the great and inexpensive tannery where our backskins were done (can't tell you its name because our host handled all the tanning arrangemnts), then have the tanned hides and skull/horns shipped to your taxidermist at home for mounting. This avoids the risks of shipping a green hide, and the extra costs of shipping mounted trophies.

I have had very good luck with and excellent work done by Sylvia and her crew at Otjwarongo taxidermy. My mounts arrived in good shape in about a years time. As far as cost goes it is about a wash. The labor is cheaper in Africa but shipping finished trophies is more expensive. It is cheaper to ship raw materials but the labor in the states is more expensive. If you are anywhere near Otjwarongo stop by her shop. The show room offers mounting ideas and if you wish you can see other works in progress.

David Brown

In 2008 Trophaendienste made my Zebra rug (felt backed) for $300. A shoulder mount of a Steenbok was $300 also.

Mauser K98,
You may wish to look into Nyati Wildlife Art in Windhoek. Ask them to send you via email, their price list. Taxidermy work in Namibia costs about 60% of U.S. prices, or less. However, the shipping costs are increased, so there may not be much savings, if any. Nyati also handles the dip & pack, crating, vet inspection and coordination with shipping. Select you U.S. clearing agent carefully as there is a wide variation in charges for the same service.

Geoff

Mauser sent you a private message

Dennis






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Generally the cost of shoulder mounts is a wash as stated - a little cheaper to have them done in Africa, but the higher shipping cost washes that out real quick.

The one place you can get real savings is in your zebra rug. That will run around $300-350 over there, vs around $1,200 here, and the size is the same either way, so shipping cost isn't higher.

Now, having the zebra done there will add 4-6 months to getting your trophies home, so you have to decide if saving $900-1,000 is worth that wait.

To your other question - all the paperwork and permits will be handled by the taxidermist or your outfitter, whoever does the dip and pack, then by the shipping agent (all for a fee, of course). The paperwork once the shipment gets to the US can be done by a customs agent (for a fee, of course), or by you if have time.

I budget $3,000 for the dip/pack, shipping, customs clearance, etc for a 'normal' safari with 5-10 animals. Taxidermy depends on how much/what you have done.

Hi Mauser K98
i am Schoonbee i grew up in Namibia and have been hunting this land from the age of 6 yaer, here are the latest prices from the taxidermy i use,

Oryx shouldermount U$791.00
Impala shouldermount U$542.00
Hartebeest shouldermount U$744.00
Zebra Rug U$284.00 felted rug u$551.00 shouldermount U$916.00 and the pedastal mount U$1224.00

If you just want to dip $ pack the green skins and have them freigted to you and have the work done on that side.
oryx 63.00
Impala 46.00
Hartebeest 66.00
Zebra 79.00

this does not inculde the shipment cost to the USA.
if you need more info on which outfitter to use or prices on the species you are intrested in hunting feel free to contact me.

I am a retired taxidermist, but had mine done by Nyati Wildlife Art.
POOR QUALITY

Mauser, your question hits at a sore spot for many people who feel they have been victimized by taxidermists in Namibia as well as those who provide shipping services. My case is not that much different. I tried using Manfred Egerer at Nyati Wildlife Art in Windhoek. After the hunt he was impatient when all the trophies from the field did not arrive back in Windhoek at the same time. He threatened to sell off all the hides and use the money as payment for rent of his precious warehouse space. He turned out to be a hot head who has no reservations about threatening his customers. Needless to say his tactics drove me away in a hurry, and I have no further use for this taxidermist now.

mauser, what is said about Nyati is the truth i am a Namibian and had a simular exsperiance with them, Nyati is used by alot of outfitters for just one reason, Nyati is at Windhoek so before the outfitter drops off the client at the airport the trophies is drop off at Nyati and then it is off to the airport with the client so the outfitter saves an extra trip by not having to drive to the taxidermy again.

You all should have a look at Otjiwarongo Taxidermy-Studio the owners are Marlon and Bianca Beyer they give excelent customer service and are always friendly and well spoken and the work they do is of world class quility have a look on the net and see.

I used the Beyers' Otjiwarongo Taxidermy also. I was satisfied with their work, especially their tanning. The have their own tannery in-house and do very good tanning work. The shoulder mounts aren't up to quality of the top-shelf taxidermists here, but it's as good as most of ours here. Still, for shoulder mounts I'd have them done here.

One other place you can get significant savings is doing life-size mounts of smaller critters like duikers or civets. They are usually so much cheaper to have done there that the extra shipping doesn't cancel it out.

I had my work done by Paul van Rooyen of Tau Taxidermy in Windhoek. Van Rooyen use to be the taxidermist at Nyati when their work was highly regarded. He left Nyati because of the kind of difficulties alluded to by previous posters.

I was pleased with the work I had done. I considered the costs very reasonable. For example my kudu pedestal mount (without a pedestal to save on shipping) was $715, Oryx flat skin $120, Springbok Euro mount $60. My work was promised to be completed in 9 months and was actually ready for shipping in 6! Communication throughout was excellent with usually one day returns on e-mails. I'm pleased with the overall quality although not perfect. For example, my kudu is finished with excellent detailing for veins, eyelashes, etc. but had been fighting the morning I shot him and had several bleeding facial scars. These were painted over(?) in an attempt to cover them up and would have looked better left natural IMO.

What I found most difficult was the screwing I took by the shipping company. To ship to Vancouver, Canada was $1600 which was $400 more than my taxidermy bill.I got quotes from three companies which were all very similar and managed to put a host of charges on that boggle the mind - I think I paid for a "Vet" inspection three times!!!!! If I am lucky enough to make my buff trip to Africa, shipping costs will probably make me think twice about having any taxi work done and anything sent back.

I also cleared my shipment through customs myself which took all of 45 mins. from the time I picked up my shipping documents from the carrier until I had my trophies loaded. Although this was with Canadian customs, recent threads have shown this is equally feasible with US authorities if you are near a port of entry and probably saved me another $300- 400.

Just voicing a different opinion on Nyati, I was quite pleased with the work. That was 2005, and a lot may have changed since then.

13,14 trips to Africa don't remember anymore.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GET WORK DONE THERE.

Everyone on the take, if is not the Taxidermist its the shipping agent. They will conspire to rip you a new one. Especially is Nam.
Work not near as good as here, and what you save in taxidermy you WILL PAY FOR IN SHIPPING

If you have an issue how are you going to resolve it from here.

Shipping agents in Nam. are the worst. They will never get me again...

quote:

Originally posted by jeff h:

Work not near as good as here

This I agree with 3000%

You will not come close to work like Huffaker, Soucy, Dennis and other top artists in US.