i shot a Rusa stag in New Caledonia a year and a half ago; when the finished mount was ready for shipping the outfitter/taxidermist delivered it for shipping to Image Freight Services in Melbourne. they contacted me for address, contact info, etc. I told them that i wanted sea shipment to San Fransisco and was sent a waybill with the ship's name, routing number and an expected arrival date of April 17. April 10 i was contacted by a customs broker/ forward shipper in LA called NMC Logistics stating they had my crate and what did i want them to do with it? they had no explanation as to why my trophy was taken off the boat in LA. of course, no one in the office spoke enough English to be of much help and my Tagalog is zilch( too bad i am not Phillipino). to make a long story short, i had no choice at that point but to have them clear the crate and forward ship by truck to my home-at a total cost of $1500. of that $1500, it cost $295 for the sea shipment from Melbourne to LA, $180 for trucking from LA to Fresno( about 200 miles) AND ABOUT $1000 FOR THE BROKERAGE FEE FOR A 45 KG. CRATE CONTAINING ONLY A DEER HEAD. i would file an official complaint with somebody in the States but i don't know what agency has regulatory authority. anyway, i would strongly advise avoiding both Image Freight Services in Melbourne and NMC Logistics in LA, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T SPEAK TAGALOG.

Thats F#$@#%...thanks for the heads up.

BTW who did you hunt with in NC?

John Clark/Coral Sea Safaris- had a great hunt

Clarky certainly knows what he is doing ,he`s a top bloke and one that I have known for 20 odd years...has rolled some big sambar too...I mean BIG!