I returned from Zimbabwe on September 17. Today my trophies are being cleared through customs at JFK.

I think this is what comes from going with a first class outfitter and booking agent--Russ Broom Safaris andn Ateheson's in my case.

I think that what Linda Adams and others have to put up with is just awful. It CAN be done. Instead of shrugging their shoulders and saying, "That's Africa," their outfitters should figure out how to serve their clients. Service does not stop when the customer leaves.

DAMN STRAIGHT!

Sooner or later people are going to realize that the "Gee, that's Africa" excuse is little more than just that. If a booking agent can't (or won't) cut through that bullshit for a client, then there is absolutely no point in using one. Might as well BOOK DIRECT and think of the money you save as cash to pay for the shipping should it actually happen.

Indy

what animals did you get? What taxidermy did you use to process the trophies?

I got elephant, buffalo, hippo, and crocodile.

What is being shipped back is two elephant tusks, the buffalo's cape and horns, the hippo's skull plus 11 teeth, and the croc's belly skin plus 13.5 foot long top skin with the skull in it.

Russ Broom Safaris took care of any local taxidermy. I don't know who they used. They picked Fauna and Flora as US local import agent. F&F is shipping the stuff to Carolina Fur Dressers (picked by my local taxidermist) and then to my local taxidermist, Joe Kulis of Bedford, Ohio.

Shipping from Zim was handled by an outfit called Halle Huber (picked by Broom). Every time I sent them an Emnail I got a response within two days with a copy sent to Broom's company.

In other words, Broom handled everything except picking my local taxidermist.

Congratulations on a successful hunt and fast shipment of trophies. That is exactly how it should happen, but it rarely does.

Without going into all the details, the only hunt I ever booked through Atchesons was a total disaster. In general, I still think of them as a quality booking agent. Yes, I was very disappointed with them on that particular hunt, but the problem was really the outfitter, not Atchesons. Atchesons dropped this outfitter as a result of the problems I expereinced. Am I a bit leery of using Atchesons again, well, yes, but experience is a tough teacher. I will be far more careful when using them in the future.

Nearly all established booking agents have a few examples of hunts going sideways. It is like the hunter who says he has never wounded an animal or missed a shot. He is either very naive or inexpereinced. Saying that things went well on one trip is no guarantee they will go well the next time.

I wish you all the luck on your next safari. Using well established booking agents and quality Outfitters is no guarantee that all will go well.

Bill

Indy,
Congratulations on choosing a good outfitter and agent. I make my first trip to S. Africa in late March and have not yet decided if I will bring any trophy's back. After hearing all the complaints I don't know if it's worth it.

Your story is what I like about this forum, you get to hear about people who know how to do what they do. Thanks for sharing.

Indy,

Wow that is fast. Glad to hear it went so well. I've hunted with Broom twice and it took almost a year both times to get the skins, horns and tusks home. Not complaining, it just took longer on mine.

The only frustrating part with mine was when the warehouse in CA lost my shipment with the elephant tusks for a couple weeks. I arranged to pick them up at the warehouse in SF. Got there the morning after the call that they had come in and they'd already shipped them out but had no idea where they'd shipped them. The shipment got a tour around CA and then ended up at my house (?). Not Brooms fault and it worked out fine.

When I was booking the safari, Broom told me I would probably get the stuff about April, as they had a pretty good relationship with the people who would be handling it. I ws surprised the shipment was earlier.

quote:

Originally posted by Indy:
When I was booking the safari, Broom told me I would probably get the stuff about April, as they had a pretty good relationship with the people who would be handling it. I ws surprised the shipment was earlier.

In Boddingtons African Adventure he states that most Safari operations ship all their trophies at the end of the season. You hunted late in the season so it stands to reason you got them quicker, 2 1/2 incredibly fast though.

I would imagine that the guy who hunted with them in April got them after waiting quite a bit longer, could be wrong through!

I hunted with Russ Broom Safaris this year in June and I do not have my trophies back yet. Fauna and Flora did ask for my CITES permits so they must be close though. In my past Safaris with broom they usually show up in Jan or Feb.

BigB

Congrats on the good experience!
I have been home for 16 months and my shipment of 11 euro mounts has yet to be shipped! I've been constantly sending emails to both the taxidermy shop and as of lately my booking agent. Nothing will speed them up, it seems that nobody really cares. I'm long gone and if they just stiffed me...there's nothing I can do about it.