Hunting in New Zealand next month. Tahr and goat, maybe red stag and varmits.
Thoughts on taxidermy quality in NZ verses cost and same in USA versus cost. Done some checking, but no closer to final answer on what I want to do hear.

Willi

the real decider will be the shipping cost. its cheaper for you to take your headskins and antlers home as luggage than it will be to crate up the finished taxidermy. Would have to be a furking enormous goat before I would bother with more than photos...

Dear Bison

Your guide will have a taxi picked out.
Find out who, do your home work.

I have fond there is nothing to be saved or improved by getting work done in NZ.

Always taken my head skins and horns home to Aussie and had the work done then when I have the cash.

I feel nothing to gain either way but you have more control of what and when if you take the capes home with you.

Cam

quote:

Originally posted by muzza:
the real decider will be the shipping cost. its cheaper for you to take your headskins and antlers home as luggage than it will be to crate up the finished taxidermy. Would have to be a furking enormous goat before I would bother with more than photos...

Cant always get skulls on a luggage, as you need time to get the skulls clean and white and a taxo who will get the paperwork done at short notice.

Most hunters will get their stuff shipped in a crate salted and prepped but if you can get it on as luggage you might save some freight and clearance costs.

I think cameronaussie is dead right in his assessment of getting taxidermy done in NZ or at home...

I would absolutely positively get the taxidermy work done at home by a local guy. There is a lot of bad taxidermy work everywhere, not bad qualitywise maybe, but bad artistically, I've seen people spend 10K on a hunt and then get some really bad taxidermy done on the animal of a lifetime and by that, I mean you will be looking at it the rest of your life! So BEFORE you go visit a bunch of local people and look at their work and ask their advice on how they like the skinning, shipping etc..It will also be easier and cheaper if you bring your stuff home with you as checked baggage. We never had anyone have problems getting it back and we had stuff we were still boiling cleaning the moring of the flight! Your outfitter should give you a letter describing your trophies and prep, but I never needed it, bringing my own stuff, back.

FURKING a new word i love it

There ys go Dan - the English language evolving before your eyes

Oh yeah and make sure that when you find a local taxidermy man, you discuss REALISTICALLY what you are going to have done and by that I mean prices. No reason to tote capes all the way home only to throw them out, because you find out its more than you want to pay. We had two hunters in OZ, who INSISTED that they wanted FULL MOUNT BOAR HOGS so my partner had to skin, haul and salt two entire boars and that took away from hunting time and the guys had to pay the baggage to get them home. Later we heard that when the guys got home and found out the price for a FULL BOAR MOUNT, they tossed the hides in the rubbish bin! You can save a lot of money and hunting time, by deciding this all in advance ALSO check your wall and floor space and with the BOSS, since she may be the one deciding what goes where, that MAY have been the case with the above hogs!