HI again,

While I´m at it I might as well ask our African friends a question: I´ve now been on three hunts to Africa with two more already set.

Problem: The house is filling up with trophies and curios.

Partial solution: Don´t buy any more curios.

Future: I´d really like to take a trophy from every animal I ever shoot but that is not an option -is it possible to sell good trophies to taxidermy operators (or someone else) as "spare parts"?

Anyone else have this "problem"?

Cewe,

You can work a deal with the taxies to display your animals and for the curios bring lots more home and sell them...

Mike

There is a company in Miami, Florida..called Art by God and they will buy some of your heads. They resell them to interior designers. I sold several last year and I think I got good prices.

Selling curios is a good idea, thanks. Miami sounds like a good connection but since I live in Europe it might be a problem logistically.

Keep the good ideas comin´!

i don't have the details with me here at work but donating trophies to museums will also garner a tax deduction.

I get flyers & brochures from Chicago Appraisels (sp) all the time for this purpose.

I have a hunting buddy that has used this option several times.

Mike

Here's an Idea I've been toying with! I was thinking of mounting everything I shoot from now on, and forming a leasing company to lease the game mounts to large Sporting goods stores, resturantes, and Gun departments in large retail stores, like WAL-Mart, Academy, and the like,where hunting supplies are sold, for decoration, and cleaning/careing for them myself as part of the deal.

I was talking to Craig Boddington at a seminar he was giveingwhen someone ask Bodd, what in hell he did with the hundreds of trophies he has taken. His answer was,

"I'm lucky enough to know quite a few people in the hunting retail end of this game, that are willing to display most of my mounts, in their stores! If I kept them, I'd need a trophy room the size of a gymnasium."

I believe there is a deffinetly short supply of these things to fill all the need out there.

Ebay baby!

That leasing idea is interesting, wonder what kind of a return one could get?

Then again turning hunting into an enterprise might lessen the spiritual return...

The problem with leasing your stuff out is all the grimy hands that will be fondeling your trophies.And believe me even with a do not touch sign on them people just got to touch.You should get rugs made and get creative with the horns.

My wife came home today and was not thrilled to find a gemsbuck where she previously had her favorite painting...I was just thinking "dead man walking" while I hung it. So far she´s been very liberal about things but that´s over now

I hunt moose and elk ALOT! I have 2 shoulder mounts of moose and 2 of elk in my home. You want to talk about taking up space put a shoulder mount of a bison bull up between them, along with mule deer, whitetails, caribou and a couple black bears.
I'm headed to Africa soon and my wife said don't bring more than 1 animal for mounting home. I'll ship back horns and maybe a rug but the rest stays in Africa. Any money I save I'll use on another trophy fee then take some good pictures.

Thanks cats, she just read your post and smiled.

First time she smiled since I hung the gems.

I got away with it!

But I´m walking a thin line here -thin green line?

Hah! Being a budget bwana has it advantages, then. I don't get to do so much hunting that my house is all that full though I will admit that I am building a studio for my painting and will put the trophies there. Call them inspiration of beauty? At least I can tough the trophies, something that would not be so good an idea with life models!

Only one thing to do.... Build a BIGGER trophy room!!!
This is from a taxidermist dont forget

quote:

Originally posted by bo-n-aro:
Only one thing to do.... Build a BIGGER trophy room!!!

I sometimes think my perfect home would be one big trophy room with a bathroom, kitchen, and small bedroom added onto the side! My 1500 ft. trophy room filled up MUCH quicker than I expected. If you like to go with lifesize animals, which I do, the floor space fills up fast. I really like the lifesize buffalo though. If I had it to do over, I would probably go with more European style mounts, they have a classic look to them, and don't take up nearly as much space.

Good Morning gents,

Building a trophy room is not on the agenda at the moment and probably never will be. After a few years of semi-affluence (more imagined than real) I´m also back to being a budget bwana so I´ll start looking at leaving things behind and living with pics and memories.

quote:

-is it possible to sell good trophies to taxidermy operators (or someone else) as "spare parts"?

Cewe,

whenever I have an opportunity, I keep the cape of my (and other) African trophies even if I don't need them. These capes are give my friend the taxidermist Michel Vaillier. This way he is having a nice stock of capes for at least 3 goals :
1) for the ones who have only a skull and then want to have a cape trophy later.
2) for clients who are getting trouble with a ill realised cape trophy.
3) for museums when renoving.

For the moment my trophies are not this numerous. Anyhow my wife wants us to extend the house, which will be nice for my having a trophy room. The trouble is that extending the house by a third is costing the same price as a new house. I disagree.