Going to SA next month(first trip) to hunt with Frontier Safaris' Barry Burchell. They have their own taxidermy shop on site which I have been told by some to let them do it and by others no way get it done in the states. Taking plains game biggest kudu and gemsbuck any other opinions or experince would be greatly appreciated. Also any ways to cut costs shipping ect and tips or tricks.

You will get mixed answers on this from all who post. I am sure the African taxidermists all do very good work but I choose to have my capes and horns dipped and packed and sent to me to be mounted here in the USA. I can go to my taxidermists shop at any time to see the progress and if something is not right he is there to fix it.

I could not imagine the difficulty involved in having something fixed that was not done properly in Africa. Also the 2+ year wait and the shipping charges for mounted tropies are also negatives.

This is not a jab at African taxidermists, for me it is just a matter of having someone here I can go and see.

Oh sorry forgot to mention Fauna and Flora Customs brokers. Some have had problems with them but both times I have had no problem.

pdkillr,

For all the reasons 300 magnum mentioned I recommend having your stuff done in the States. Another thing is when the excitement of the hunt is still fresh it is easy to go a little overboard on the mounts. Later you might decide that you wished you had been a little more conservative. Also let me stress again that getting something fixed that was not done right is going to be a problem if not practically impossible.

Get with a Stateside taxidermist that specializes in African mounts. He will give you tags to give to the PH with all the appropriate info. Other than that you don't need to do a thing. Once the trophies are shipped back and tanned you can mount them all or just a few at a time. I'm picking up some finished mounts next week from '03.

Mark

PD,

I've had it done both ways. In 2001 I had raw trophies shipped to a Texas specialist taxidermist. They were very accommodating and let us have the work done on our schedule with no real pressure to hurry up. The ground shipment of the completed trophies was quite expensive and made the total rather high.

In 2003 I had the work done in RSA [not Burchell however] and am very pleased with the work Taxidermy Africa has done, their prompt responses to any inquiry and their prices, due to the exchange rate, were quite a bit cheaper than the US prices. The shipment of the completed trophies, using Fauna and Floras ocean cargo scheme was much cheaper than airfreight would have been. Total savings would pay for a few trophy fees on the next trip.

The few trophies resulting from my 2005, and 2006 trips are due to be shipped shortly, again using the Ocean Cargo scheme. These were done in Graaf-Reinet by Karoo Taxidermy. I have seen some of the completed work and am very pleased with it.

The prices seem to have equalized recently as the exchange rate is no longer so much in our favor, so it is probably a wash as far as costs are concerned today. Something may be said for dealing with a local specialized taxidermist, but from Texas to Florida, I'm not likely to "drop in" on them - they might as well be in South Africa!

Get some local recommendations and get the shipping tags from whoever you choose. If you are convinced by Barry's shop that they can do a better job you can always leave it there. You might also go to Taxidermy Africa , and Karoo Taxidermy web sites to get quotes of what they would charge for your probable list of trophies as a comparison.

Les

Do a search on the subject and you'll find that there're more problems and extra costs than you'd want to encounter. Past posts are maybe 3-1 against having it done in Africa. Do you want to wait for an interminable period to receive your goods?

i've made 6 trips to africa and had all my taxidermy work done there except a buff pedestal mount and some plains game from Tz done in the U.S. this included 25 shoulder mounts and 3 full body mounts(leopard, warthog and steenbok). i am highly pleased with what i have had done there(in both RSA and Zim) and i have saved a LOT of money. however, you will only save money if you are having at least 4 med. to large shoulder mounts done and use ocean shipping to get them back. it also saves a lot if you can go to the port of entry to pick up the crate yourself after having a customs broker clears the shipment.my last shipment cost about $800 to ship from RSA to San Fransisco but the customs broker wanted another $400 to arrange shipping from San Fran to my home(160 miles!!!!!)

Just had a shipment arrive this very day. Had a kudu, gemsbok, bushbuck, impie, springbok, reeduck (all shoulder mounts and back skins) a zebra skin, a genet, a warthog skull, and a euro blessie. Total cost over there was 2665. Shipping by air to NY was another 2100. Ground to my home in Mi another 500.

The work on the head and shoulders was quite good. The zebra I am having correspondence about unless I shot a tailess and headless zebra. I can't remember.

Be that as it may, shipping costs have gone to the roof over the last year. Where you might have saved 25 percent or so a few years ago, you now may save 10 to 15 percent. Sea shipping would of course be considerably less on the shipping side than I paid.

So, what i am doing this next trip, getting it done in the states. I want to be there, and see what is bveing done. And, I'm also running out of cash so over here my fellows will do them on my schedule. For me it means another critter or a few extra days of play time in Mother Africa

We just hunted with Frontier Safaris in April of 06 and had our taxidermy done ther as well. Do a search for my hunt report. I would grade our taxidermy work as a C+, it was done very quick ( had our stuff home in Jan 07, 8mths not 2 years!) so it was very quick and the overall price (including shipping) was less than what I would have paid in Canada. But, the quality was average at best, they will take you for a tour of the shop, the work we saw on display was really good but what we got wasn't. Overall I'm happy as once the animals are on the wall you can't really see the problems unless you get really close and "nit pick", but when you pay thousands of dollars you expect perfection.

PM me if you have any more questions

Many people here seem to be talking cost as a first priority........which I personally think is a big mistake. don't go for the cheapest job, go for the best job as you're gonna have to look at the trophies for years to come. If they don't look right, you'll never be happy with them.

There are good and bad taxidermists on both sides of the pond - there are also cheap and expensive taxidermists on both sides.

First you need to learn what the animal looks like in the wild. Try to watch as many African natural history programmes as you can and pay particular attention as to how the animals stand and move and also look for facial expressions. A couple of tips are that most species don't look like they've sucked on a lemon and nor do they look like their lips are pursed....... then look through a few books for the same sort of thing. Remember that the cold hard truth is that most people aren't really familiar enough with the small details of animal stance & behaviour etc to tell good taxidermy from bad.

Then either visit a few taxidermy studios or go online and look at their work. The hardest animal to get right and the easiest to get wrong is the leopard, so look particularly at those.

Two sites you might like to visit to see especially good taxidermy (one from the USA and one from RSA) are www.lifeform.co.za and www.buckshottaxidermy.com

You might also like to visit the taxidermy forum where you'll find examples of both types of work.

I had Karoo Taxidermy do my mounts for both my trips to SA in 04 and 06 and I am very pleased with the work. The only mistake was they turned the Gemsbok to the right and I had ask for it to be to the left so I had to hang it in a different place than planed. Both times I had my mounts in 8 to 10 mo. Cost for shiping is more for finished mounts than horns and capes but all the other cost for haveing them done in the states is more. I checked with several local tasxidermy shops before our first trip and for Kudu size mounts it was about $600 more per mount here and Impala or springbuck size about $250 more here. Had 14 mounts done in SA and saved about $3500 to $4000 over what it would cost here, also the dip and pack fee was about $50 less per head as the taxidermy shop picked them up at the ranch we hunted on. I acted as my own agent and walked the papers through Customs and Fish and Wildlife so that saved another $300 per shipment. The PH that I hunted with on both trips hightly recomended Karoo Taxidermy and told me that if I needed help with them he would help. If not for his word I would have had the work done back in the states.
Jim

I guess I am stupid and don't learn the first time.I have had 3 different dealings with SA taxidermist.Three different shops same problem.
Communications suck. They have alot of reasons to not respond to any contact.The latest is no phone service for 3 plus weeks. The shop is in Pretoria not the bush.The first was MoFani then Harrismith now Taxidery International. The work has been OK but the service is terrible.The first 2 took almost 2 years and the last has been 16 months.They only have an Eland and Red Hartebeast to do. I will never have another animal done in SA Dave

For quality and cost, including shipping, I have never seen anything that beats Life-Form Taxidermy, in White River, Mpumalanga, RSA. I first used them on the advice of an African hunter friend with decades of experience, and I have never regretted following his advice.

I have seen a lot of mounts, and Life-Form's are truly museum quality. I received my most recent trophy shipment from Life-Form just this week, and I couldn't be more pleased with them.

As for costs, prices are much lower than US prices - I paid less than $3,000 a couple of years ago for a full body lion mount - twice that is a good price for US taxidermy. And even with door-to-door shipping, the cost of which can be reduced through the use of consolidated ocean freight, costs will definitely come in considerably lower than US costs.

As I said, it's all about choosing quality over price alone - but that said, I think in most cases, it's still cheaper to use a taxidermist from South Africa than most other places......

I've been pretty satisfied with Kwiktan Taxidermy in RSA on two different occassions. Communication and customer service were excellen and price and quality were very good. I'm sure that some outfits here in the US can do better work, but then again I'm not looking for British Museum quality. Overall I saved about 35% inclusive. jorge

You can do it on the cheap in Africa like some have told you. But what are you going to do when you open that crate if you find a busted off ear, leg, etc???? Try to collect from the shipper? Good Luck! What you'll save by having it done there won't seem like much when you need to enter your stateside taxidermist's shop with your hat in your hands asking him to fix up the mess.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Many people here seem to be talking cost as a first priority........which I personally think is a big mistake. don't go for the cheapest job, go for the best job as you're gonna have to look at the trophies for years to come. If they don't look right, you'll never be happy with them.

There are good and bad taxidermists on both sides of the pond - there are also cheap and expensive taxidermists on both sides.

First you need to learn what the animal looks like in the wild. Try to watch as many African natural history programmes as you can and pay particular attention as to how the animals stand and move and also look for facial expressions. A couple of tips are that most species don't look like they've sucked on a lemon and nor do they look like their lips are pursed....... then look through a few books for the same sort of thing. Remember that the cold hard truth is that most people aren't really familiar enough with the small details of animal stance & behaviour etc to tell good taxidermy from bad.

Then either visit a few taxidermy studios or go online and look at their work. The hardest animal to get right and the easiest to get wrong is the leopard, so look particularly at those.

Two sites you might like to visit to see especially good taxidermy (one from the USA and one from RSA) are www.lifeform.co.za and www.buckshottaxidermy.com

You might also like to visit the taxidermy forum where you'll find examples of both types of work.

I think this is the best advice. You will find good and bad in both the US and Africa as well as cheap and expensive. It is best to check out the taxidermy work for yourself and the decide what is best for you. Remember they are your trophies and it is your decision.

Highveld Taxidermists in Erasmia did very good work on a variety of animals. I had only two shoulder mounts done, a warthog and a kudu, choosing European mounts for the rest due to limited space.

Their work is meticulous.

I'm having a Buff and other game shipped from Tanzania, though, to be done stateside. I'd use Highveld again if I ever went back to RSA, but next time I'd use maritime shipping, because,as someone else has mentioned, air freight rates are going off the scale.

quote:

You can do it on the cheap in Africa

That's nonsense. There is a huge difference between "cheap" and less expensive. There are many of us here that had excellent results with african taxidermists. Conversely, there's also some with bad experiences. The same can be said for US Taxidermists, good & bad.

So if I'm happy with my stuff and saved a bundle, what's not to like? So what SPECIFIC bad experiences with african Taxidermists can you share? Pictures would help, particularly CATS as they tend to be the most difficult. jorge

quote:

Originally posted by ALP#4:
You can do it on the cheap in Africa like some have told you. But what are you going to do when you open that crate if you find a busted off ear, leg, etc???? Try to collect from the shipper? Good Luck! What you'll save by having it done there won't seem like much when you need to enter your stateside taxidermist's shop with your hat in your hands asking him to fix up the mess.

The plane might crash and burn or the ship sink, too. God forbid. That's why you get insurance.

Besides, if you had ever seen the massively strong wooden crates, and the tie downs and packing tape and wood screws and support beams that Life-Form builds into them to secure their shipments, you would not worry about busted off ears.

I have received crates as big as half-ton pick ups (so big I could walk into them) and as small as footlockers. And I have received shipments by air freight and ocean freight both. Never a problem - but always insured just in case.

mrlexma: Even money says he won't produce the photos of CATS I requested. jorge

A question: has anyone shipped trophies from Africa via surface and had moisture-related problems? I have often heard and read that shipping trophies, especially mounted trophies, heightens the risk of moisture damage, one of the reasons I used air freight after my only trip to RSA. However ocean shipping is quite a bit cheaper if one doesn't mind the longer trip. Just another of those things I think about instead of working this afternoon.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
mrlexma: Even money says he won't produce the photos of CATS I requested. jorge

Didn't another poster already do that?

Things change rapidly due mainly to petroleum prices. Not only your transport of skins/horns but mounts as well. Shipping burns fuel: plane or ship. That has increased the cost considerably within the last year. Also, we're seeing taxidermy supplies being effected by this as well. Modern "foam" forms are produced by products having petrol as an ingredient. Prices rise. Average cost to mount a life size male Lion locally (US): $5,500. "Cat specialists" within the US: $7,500. Lifeform in RSA (one of the top studios) $3,760 and this doesn't include crating. Crate & ship delivered to my door: via Ocean cargo: $2,400 with air freight running $3,300 estimated. This is current. I have found Lifeform and Taxidermy Africa to be very professional and prompt on responses. Here in the States you are looking at an average of six months to three years for completion on mounts. We have several excellent US Taxidermists that are AR members. If your close to them you should call them to set up an appointment to go by and view their work. You can contact them by posting in the Taxidermy forum. Good hunting, LDK

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
For quality and cost, including shipping, I have never seen anything that beats Life-Form Taxidermy, in White River, Mpumalanga, RSA. I first used them on the advice of an African hunter friend with decades of experience, and I have never regretted following his advice.

I have seen a lot of mounts, and Life-Form's are truly museum quality. I received my most recent trophy shipment from Life-Form just this week, and I couldn't be more pleased with them.

Agreed. I started using Zac Zuccaro's Life Form in 1988 and have been very pleased. From a life size lion, Klipspringer and Red Duiker, to shoulder moutns and rugs. First rate.

The biggest problem is not the taxidermy, it is the care the skins receive. Some outfitters can be a bit careless. Make sure your capes and skins are properly salted and dried ASAP.

I have always used South African taxidermists and have never had a major problem. For the past two years I have been using Life Form Taxidermy and have been very pleased with their prices and their work. I have another shipment coming this year which includes hippo, croc, rhino and a host of smaller animals. This last year I used sea shipment for the first time and it was 1/3 the price of air freight. I will use sea shipping again, without question. I also use Flora and Fauna and highly recommend them. I have saved quite a bit of money by having the work done there and figure that they, of all taxidermists, know their own African animals better than others. In any event, I too would recommend Life Form as others have on this post. Finally, your shipments are fully insured, not only for the taxidermy, but for the price of your hunt and trophy fees, in the unlikely event that something happens to them.

I know this topic has been covered pretty well, but having just returned from a lion and plains game hunt yesterday, I'll throw in my two cents.

I would recommend at the very least you have your animals tanned in Africa and checked before they are shipped here. That way you can be clear if any hide and hair issues arise. If there is a problem, you'll know on which side of the ocean it occurred.

Bwana91

I don't have the statistics to back up any pro or con argument (such as three to one or any other number) but its my guess that the people who had a bad experience aren't referring to Life Form (where I had my first safari's taxidermy done) or André Von Rooyen who did the taxidermy for my hunt with Jaco Human. While in André's shop I was admiring a diorama in progress and asked who commissioned it. The answer, "Peter Flack". Now I don't think Mr. Flack goes for the cheapest he can find, nor do I think he would engage a taxidermist he didn't think was one of the best.

Howdy,

Hands down at the taxidermy world championships taxidermists from the west side of the pond dominate. There is no dought that the best quality taxidermy work is done in North America. Anyone who tells you differently is not a taxidermest or is fiscaly biased. However failure to recognize these facts does not bother me. What does bother me is the readiness of so many americans to not keep thier purchasing power loyal to USA. Good luck and safe hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by pdkillr:
Going to SA next month(first trip) to hunt with Frontier Safaris' Barry Burchell. They have their own taxidermy shop on site which I have been told by some to let them do it and by others no way get it done in the states. Taking plains game biggest kudu and gemsbuck any other opinions or experince would be greatly appreciated. Also any ways to cut costs shipping ect and tips or tricks.

I would say have them mounted in the US, Their prices are not that cheap.

I looked them up and this is what I found,

Gemsbok 715
Kudu 800
bushbuck 520
Impala 520
Nyala 715
Reedbuck 520
Springbok 460
Zebra 800

Prices at my shop

Gems 725
Kudu 1100
Bushbuck 495
Impala 550
Nyala 695
Reedbuck 550
Springbok 495
Zebra 795


I don't see much savings.