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I am planning a trip to RSA and want to take a giraffe and have a full skin rug made (for a really big room). Thought it would be much cheaper to have it done there. Any recommendations/suggestions/warnings? Thanks so much. | ||
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I used Highveld Taxidermy....just outside of Pretoria, SA Very happy with work done....shipping and packing was extremely well done. Hope this helps. | |||
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Karoo taxidermy http://karootaxidermy.com/ did my wildebeest and bushbuck flatskins and I was really pleased with them. I think that flatskins are where the biggest bargains are in South African taxidermy. I can get euro mounts and shoulder mounts at a competitive price here in the US if you figure the extra costs for the bulk to ship the complete mounts. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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Trophex did five head and shoulder mounts for me. They also did a full rug on my Zebra. | |||
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Karoo Taxidermy dip and pak guys might burn your horns -- they did mine. Kwik-tan wet-folded an impala skin -- still looks like a picnic tablecloth. Getting double-dipped on freight costs undoes any savings. Stateside for me... _______________________ | |||
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a +1 for Highveld! I have used them twice. shane
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I have used a numbers of taxidermists in Africa. Best work is from. Relive Africa Taxidermy SA Would be interesting to hear what our own AR taxidermist thinks about their work, Jerry, Dennis? https://www.facebook.com/Reliv...74468653002/?fref=ts Here is a Eland and a couple of Lions they have made. I think they sculpture their own forms as well    https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbc...028_1631141115_o.jpg  | |||
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Anton, Of course good work can be found a lot of places. Relive IS one, but it is a company not an individual taxidermist. Travis DeVilllers had worked there, the last 2 pics the sitting lion is his work. He also re-sculpted many forms that were on the market for Paul. I heard he doesn't anymore and has his own studio now. I may be wrong. Quality depends on who is doing the mount. Paul can't do all of them personally. Turnover at any large studio can change things. But yes, Paul and Travis are both very good taxidermists You can't beat flatskin prices in Africa. They are a good deal especially Giraffe. Should be less than half of what it costs in the states. And will not increase any costs of your freight costs to the US on your dip pack order. Labor at $1.50 - $2.00 an hour can't compete in the U S labor costs. But it will delay your dip pack till the skins are done to ship. With that kinda labor expense any African Taxidermy studio, even with much lower prices than US operations, enjoy a profit margin twice or more of what a US Taxidermist can operate at. | |||
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Thanks Dennis! I have just never seen any work in Africa as good Relive. Some can be ok there but this is very good imo. | |||
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I have had really good work from Lifeform Taxidermy in South Africa. | |||
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Another vote for Lifeform ...it's been a while since I used them but they were great and fast which can be an issue in Africa. They also had a great website btw. I had 2 shoulder mounts and 4 euromounts done plus skins. All were excellent but some folks prefer dip and pack to send home as shipping costs for finished trophies can offset total price differences between doing there or in the USA. Good hunting have a great trip, mark | |||
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Same for me. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… | |||
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It may be cheaper but the shipping crate will be much larger. Calculate that. Also, cheaper may not be better and if you don't like what you get, if the quality is poor, if the face of your lion looks Oriental, etc… you won't know it until it gets to your home and you will be stuck with it. At least if you don't like your USA work, you have recourse and can follow the progress. That said, I'm sure some African work is fine, but please calculate the added shipping cost with the larger box. Cheers, Cal PS. Matabeleland Taxidermy is Bulawayo was the worst. A friend's mounts were rubbed bare due to packing in a too small box. My three skulls were put in a crate with ZERO packing material and not even strapped in place. Of course, someone in the shipping industry was a fault for unpacking them for examination. BS. Before that, another Zim company sent my crate of mounts to Amsterdam! In 16 trips to Africa, I have found most Africans are very experienced in separating Americans from their money and taxidermists lead the pack. Just my two cents from my experiences. _______________________________ Cal Pappas, Willow, Alaska www.CalPappas.com www.CalPappas.blogspot.com 1994 Zimbabwe 1997 Zimbabwe 1998 Zimbabwe 1999 Zimbabwe 1999 Namibia, Botswana, Zambia--vacation 2000 Australia 2002 South Africa 2003 South Africa 2003 Zimbabwe 2005 South Africa 2005 Zimbabwe 2006 Tanzania 2006 Zimbabwe--vacation 2007 Zimbabwe--vacation 2008 Zimbabwe 2012 Australia 2013 South Africa 2013 Zimbabwe 2013 Australia 2016 Zimbabwe 2017 Zimbabwe 2018 South Africa 2018 Zimbabwe--vacation 2019 South Africa 2019 Botswana 2019 Zimbabwe vacation 2021 South Africa 2021 South Africa (2nd hunt a month later) ______________________________ | |||
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Travis de Villiers owns his own shop now. I book trophy Elephant hunts, etc., for his father. Top shelf work, and I would highly recommend him for those who demand quality. But as some have posted, there are plenty to avoid in RSA and other countries. My personal RSA experience was only good with Life-form and that was my Lion. Other shops in Zim and RSA I've dealt with were sub standard. The work resembles week one in the high school taxidermy course. We have far too many outstanding taxidermists here on AR. I use Dennis Harris but would have no problem at all with Jerry, Robert and a few other guys. They produce amazing work. Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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IHMSA BC Provincial Champion and Perfect 40 Score, Unlimited Category, AAA Class. | |||
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Taxidermist are probably the most critical SOB's on the planet of each other when it comes to salesmanship. I reckon a guy has to like the work, and if he does he moves on. My brother in law is a taxidermist, and two good friends of mine are 1 in Wyoming, 2 in Colorado. I don't think any of them are great, but they do decent work. To hear them talk about their work, their competitors, and some of the gents on these pages you'd think they were on Real Housewives of Bev Hills. In Windhoek, 11 years ago I visited five or six shops. I was impressed with a couple, and pretty un-impressed with the rest. The scale of their work was impressive, most had several thousand animals in work. Where the average American "stuffer" has 50-150. If a guy was anygood in America and could run a business, he would do well to expand to open a shop in Windhoek. Or at least get organized down there. One of the German or Austrian Taxidermist did that. | |||
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Another vote for Paul at Relive in Port Elizabeth. If I wasn't so lame, I could post some pics. 0351 USMC | |||
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Travis is Great. I would also suggest Splitting Image for South African taxidermy. | |||
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