I thought it might be informative to some first time hunters as well as to some who might like to try clearing their own trophies to give a timeline of the steps and costs involved in getting my stuff from Zimbabwe to Dallas. This was my fourth safari, my second time self-clearing trophies and my first time to use a taxidermist in Africa. Keep in mind that your experience may be vastly different depending on what animals you take and where you take them as well as whether you are shipping finished mounts or raw skins and skulls.

I hunted in the Save Valley with Clive Hallamore at Mokore in August of 2016. I took 2 impala, buffalo, kudu and bushpig. I had seen some mounts done by TCI in Zimbabwe displayed at the DSC convention and had decided I would give them a try instead of my usual US taxidermist. At the end of the hunt I instructed Clive to send the skins and skulls to TCI and told him I would be clearing the trophies myself on arrival in the US rather than using a broker.

Sept 23, 2016 – about a month after getting back home I got an email from TCI saying they had received my skins and skulls, we emailed back and forth about how I wanted them mounted for several days

Sept 29, 2016 – the plan was finalized for 2 impala European mounts, buffalo shoulder mount, kudu shoulder mount, full bushpig skin tanned and skull bleached, total taxidermy cost $2360

Oct 5, 2016 – wired half of the taxidermy fee to TCI’s bank in New York

Feb 27, 2017 – was advised that mounts were done except for final artwork, TCI requested second half of payment

March 8, 2017 – sent check to TCI’s New York bank for second half of payment, reconfirmed that I would be clearing the trophies myself in Dallas

June 9, 2017 – got pictures of finished mounts

June 23, 2017 – received email from Zimbabwe shipping agent (Maple Freight) saying trophies were all packaged and informing me that they would not leave Zimbabwe until all shipping costs were paid, received a similar email from the shipping agent in South Africa (Spherical Freight Services), reconfirmed that I would be clearing my own trophies to both agents

July, 2017 – $967 invoice from Maple Freight to truck the crate to Johannesburg, was able to send check to TCI’s New York bank, TCI then paid Maple Freight

July 27, 2016 – $2563.06 invoice from Spherical Freight Services for air freight from Joburg to Dallas

August 2, 2017 – initiated wire transfer for air freight to bank in South Africa

August 16, 2017 – wire transfer was rejected, probably due to errors made by my bank

August 18, 2017 – sent credit card info to Spherical Freight Services to pay air freight, called credit card company to pre-approve the foreign transaction, they blocked it anyway, more calls to credit card company, finally the transaction went through

August 21, 2017 – got email from Maple Freight that the export permit was approved, went to the USFWS website and signed up as an importer on their eDecs (electronic declaration) system

August 28, 2017 – got copies of all Zimbabwe documents, crate weighed 314 pounds and was about 4 feet square

Sept 12, 2017 – had to send email to Spherical Freight Services stating that I was the owner of the shipment, they said that Qatar required this document

Sept 19, 2017 – got all of the shipping documents from Spherical Freight Services including the master airway bill (MAWB), filed eDec (electronic declaration) with USFWS using information provided on these shipping documents, there was no fee involved on my eDec but some CITES animals will have a fee

Sept 20, 2017 – checked eDec on USFW website, it was listed as “locked” which means they were reviewing it, in my experience it stays locked until they either approve or reject it

Sept 22, 2017 – using the MAWB number on the Qatar cargo website I was able to see that the shipment left Joburg

Sept 23, 2017 – tracking showed the shipment arrived at DFW airport in Dallas, website showed that the consignee (me) was notified but I never got a call or email

Sept 25, 2017 – still no contact from Qatar so I called their cargo number in Dallas, they informed me that my shipment was on a USDA hold (standard procedure) which they expected to last for another day or two, they informed me that I would have to use a website called ePic to pay the terminal fee and any storage fees, went to the website and registered but did not pay at this time since I did not know how many days storage would be required

Sept 26, 2017 – USFWS emailed me their completed clearance documents (be sure to print this document, you will need it at customs), on the previous shipment I had to go to the USFW office to get this document, called Qatar to check on USDA hold and it was still not released

Sept 27, 2017 – called Qatar at 9:00 AM and was told the USDA hold had finally been released, went to the ePic website and put in the MAWB number and was told I had to pay $60 terminal fee, $80 storage fee and $4 upkeep fee (seems like a bunch of made up fees to me but nothing you can do about it), printed off paid receipt, I arrived at Qatar cargo import office at DFW airport at 10:00 AM, gave the desk clerk the receipt I had printed and my ID, she did some stuff on her computer and handed me a piece of paper and said, “go around to the dock and get your crate”. I said “I don’t want to argue with you but I think I still need to take paperwork to customs before you give me the package”. She said “Oh yes, I forgot”. She then proceeded to look in every box and cabinet in the office for the packet of paperwork for me to take to customs. Half an hour later she found it laying on her desk next to her computer. Headed over to the customs office on the other side of the airport. Gave the agent at the desk my packet of paperwork and my ID and the cleared USFW paperwork, 15 minutes later he gave me back all the paperwork and another stamped paper showing customs clearance, drove back to the Qatar office and gave the customs for to the agent at the desk, she gave me the paper she had tried to give me earlier and I went around to the dock, it took the forklift guy about 10 minutes to find the crate and put it in my pickup, I was home unpacking my trophies by noon.

Total time from the hunt to having finished trophies at my house was 13 months. Overall the experience was a positive one. I am very happy with the quality of work by TCI. The crate was very sturdy and the trophies were very securely packed and padded. Communications with TCI, Maple Freight and Spherical Freight Services via email was excellent. The interactions with USFW and CBP were professional and painless.

Thanks for posting that - very informative!

Thanks for posting. That's a very reasonable cost.

TCI is outstanding. Not only do they do great taxidermy work but Maple Freight is an in-house company and their systems for shipping and tracking are great. They will even come into your camp to collect the raw trophies.

Just curious is all.
Do you know the weight of the contents and what the crating itself weighed?

Great write up and read. Glad you had a great trip and such good experience getting it all home. Next we'd like to see things once they're up.

Thank you,
George

I don't know the exact weight of the crate but I would say if felt about as heavy as 2 bags of cattle cubes when I threw it on the burn pile - so around 100 pounds.

Definitely going to clear my next shipment of trophies myself!

Definitely a lot cheaper than using my Taxidermist's broker (Jonas Bros).

Still the shipping costs seems rather expensive to me.

Thanks for posting.

BH63