I'm going buffalo hunting in the NT in June and my American buddy wants to know if there is a good tannery or taxidermist there we could get to treat the trophies.

Any ideas?

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:


Any ideas?

shoot buff first.

Are you using a guide?

Well, we are going with a local who apparently knows what goes on. It's all being organised by my mate from Louisiana, who has a man cave many would die for - and a lot of large critters already have.

Haven’t heard of any professional taxidermists in the NT, I was under the impression that most capes and skulls were sent down-south or overseas. I might be wrong, though - been wrong many times! Following with interest. Good luck on the hunt!

Thanks Ben,
I don't suppose you know of any tanners, either?

It may not matter to me because the man cave is a bit crowded and I was thinking of just mounting the horns, but my American buddy likes to do things properly.

To properly salt dry/cure a buffalo cape can take anywhere from 3 - 5 days, sometimes more, depending on what time of year you are hunting and even what area you are hunting.
Coastal areas can have quite a high level of overnight dew, especially so during May, June, and even July, that can extend this curing period.

Salt dried/cured capes are acceptable for export, so long as they are done properly.

The cape is then tanned after this prep.

This is problematic if on a 7 or 10 day hunt/visit.

Most outfitters ship salt cured capes down Sth.

If you are attempting to get it DYI then having an International Customs acceptable skull bone, and horns, will be a bigger problem than the cape.

Absolutely NO living material left on the bone, fully boiled out with a formal statement letter explaining the process used on the skull, detailing the boiling method and chemicals/cleaners used to facilitate the removal of flesh is required, or at least that is what they used to require from outfitters when I was doing it.

If hunting with an outfitter I would not bother trying to leap frog the cost of shipping the Trophy after it has been dealt with accorded to the requirements, so long as your chosen outfitter knows how to treat Trophies properly, and believe me many don't.
If hunting without an outfitter then you are about to find out just how much work is involved in properly treating a Trophy for International export.

I don’t know of any tanners but I wonder if one of the saddlery shops or croc farms could point you to one if you called them?

My outfitter had it all setup through

http://www.raitt.com.au/

Might be worth reaching out to them and tell them your situation. They might know someone that can finish the cleaning process. My skulls were cleaned in camp so I only had to deal with the shipping agent.

Thanks Bobby, I've passed that info on to my mate. Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
Thanks Bobby, I've passed that info on to my mate. Cheers

Sambar man www.raitt.com.au are very very good and there attention to detail is stringent, however not sure if your listening to what Paul Trucollo is telling you.

Thanks Aussie Guide, I had passed the gist of Paul's post on to my US mate but assumed he would know the generalities of trophy preparation. As I suggested, his man cave resembles a natural-history hall in the Smithsonian, but more overcrowded.