Kudu hunt for my late father

SamG · Feb 28, 2026

My dad unexpectedly passed away last month, his dream was always to go to South Africa and harvest a nice Kudu. I am going to do it for him. I booked it with Chumlet Safaris for mid may this year. I'm not well off by any means, and this might set me back for a while, but you only live once, and my dad always said "Some day."

Being that I am younger and might be more gullible and inexperienced to all of this, I'm asking for some of your seasoned advice, please.

I am flying into Johannesburg, spending the night at a nearby hotel, and Tyrone will be picking me up early the next morning. The safari in total will be 7 days and primarily be focused on Kudu. Since I don't know if I will ever be back to Africa, should I try to take some lower dollar amount animals as well? How do you guys suggest filling the time in between, if we happen to get one early on?

Some of the main questions I would very much appreciate help with:

1) General tipping amounts?

2) Shipping taxidermy out of Johannesburg - I know my dad would roll over in his grave if I didn't get his kudu shoulder mounted. I was ideally going to get it shoulder mounted here in Oregon, however, I've seen that having it dipped and packed can delay it going through the port even more-so than having it shoulder mounted there? Do you guys have a rough ballpark of how much TOTAL shipping/importing would cost from SA to Oregon, USA? Any recommended shippers/importers? Air/Sea?

3) My rough ballpark (USD), aside from shipping/importing, for the total is as follows:

Trophy fee & Guide - 3,250 (Deal from book your hunt)
Transport - 600
Taxidermy - 1,500
Flight - 1,250 (Already booked)
Gun Rental - 300
Tips - TBD
Total - 6,900 + TBD

What am I missing, am I being delusional here?

Thank you all so much for any input you may have, my main goal is just to make my dad proud and experience Africa for him. I look forward to chatting with you all.
I've included a picture of him with his moose from British Columbia, and me with my biggest buck a few years ago.
-Sam

Andrew62 · Feb 28, 2026

Sam, first off, how awesome you are taking this hunt, you will genuinely feel a close connection to your Dad while on safari.

There is a section on this site, about 76 pages worth, of tipping information. I would say a close guess is to figure 100 a day for the PH, then the camp staff, I honestly would reach out to the outfitter and ask him. That is if you'd like to know ahead of time.

As to other animals, do not hesitate to ask your outfitter if they have any cull or management animals, I'm taking a hunt this summer, it is mostly for cull and management animals.

If you are paying 3250 for a kudu, including daily rates, you did good!! The one outfitter I am hunting this summer is asking 3950 for just the kudu.

If you'd like to take your own rifle, Rifle Permits charge 165.00 to do the gun paperwork, then you'd probably have to pay 100 each way on your airline for a 2nd bag.

Anyway, AWESOME decision to do this hunt!!

WAB · Feb 28, 2026

Sam,
Sorry to hear about your dad. I’m sure he would be proud that you are following up on his dream! You’ve got it well thought out. I would definitely add some low cost animals if available. Perhaps warthog, impala, baboon. Watch out for ‘that’s the biggest roan I’ve ever seen!’ One shot in the rush of adrenaline and there goes your bank account!

375Fox · Feb 28, 2026

I’m glad you pulled the trigger and booked. I don’t think a better way to remember your Dad.

I’d be honest with your outfitter why you booked and that you have a tight budget before you arrive. You’re not getting the full experience only going for one animal. The best part of Africa to me is hunting all the days vs only having 1 tag like in US. I think they could come up with some low cost options for you such as some cull hunting or management trophies less than the pricelist. Bird hunting and fishing can also be very good depending where you are at.

There’s no delay with dip and pack trophies vs finished taxidermy. Exceptions being possibly with swine (warthog and bushpig), baboons, or birds due to disease risk. I’d recommend you get taxidermy done here. You can have the cape wet tanned and froze for a few years. You don’t need to have it mounted right away especially if money is tight. Getting your trophies home is going to add some cost. The shipping from South Africa for a small dip and pack crate will hopefully be relatively inexpensive maybe $500-$1000? You could ask your outfitter to put you in touch with shipping agent for some quotes. Hopefully it’s at lower end but it’s being shipped as freight not mail. Air is easiest. The clearing into the US is essentially a fixed cost regardless of crate size. Most brokers charge $400 for their services then whatever clearing fees and final shipping is. I wouldn’t underestimate it but hopefully it comes in a bit lower for you another $1000 total. I use coppersmith’s but there are several brokers you can use.

Tipping is very subjective. Tipping on a lower cost hunt like this is a little different. You also got a very good deal for 7 days and kudu. Usually PH is around $100/day and up to a similar amount for total staff depending how many staff. I think in this case $500 for PH and maybe $500 for total staff (tracker, skinner, cook, wait staff) would be an acceptable number. Tipping is obviously optional and should be based on service and how hard they worked. You can tip whatever you like. I think they’ll remember a good attitude more than the tip amounts from each hunter at end of the year.

Ontario Hunter · Feb 28, 2026

Ask your outfitter about tipping. He will give you a good idea. If it seems unreasonable, come back here and run it by us. For really good PH I have tipped $500 for the trip and asked if that was satisfactory and he said more than enough. A lot depends on the daily rate. May will be early in season and rut should be on so I would think finding and shooting your kudu will not take the entire safari. Impala are dirt cheap and make nice skull mounts. I would take a pair to put skulls on both sides of your most desirable trophy. Springbuck same. Cheap and look nice paired up as skulls on both sides of a bigger trophy. Some property owners are anxious to cull those animals and they can be had even more cheaply. I've even snagged a couple of bargain gemsbuck that way (but keep in mind I hunt at the end of season when managers need to remove animals they don't want on the range any longer and no clients remaining to take them).

Here's the problem with kudu shoulder mounts. For whatever reason it can be hard to get a good cape. Hair slips, especially early in the season. I have three kudu skulls on the wall with two dry tanned capes. One of the capes from second bull might be able to work. The first cape only if the presentation was turning sharp left. Missing hair on that shoulder. The last kudu with prettiest rack (albeit not the largest) had a cape that was not worth anything looking at it on the ground. Totally unusable (my daughter and I have taxidermy business). Did not bother sending it to the tannery. All of mine were shot at the end of South African winter in August. Anyway, I would NOT reccomend having the animal shoulder mounted there. 99% of African taxidermists will go ahead and mount a shitty cape. Then you have to pay the balance after deposit or your horns won't even come home. And really not anything you can do about it. Unless you are a high end client (e.g. a Rothschild), don't expect the outfitter to help you out. They will know you are one and done. It's your problem. So to get just your horns back you would have to pay full amount even if you've seen photos and know it's a shitty mount. THEN you'll have to pay the really atrocious freight fees. I mean, freight has become plum ridiculous ESPECIALLY for large item shoulder mounts. I strongly reccomend you pay to have your kudu skull processed by African taxidermist + dip and pack the cape. That way if the cape turns out no good, your local taxidermist will know immediately before he has sent it off for tanning and ordered supplies. You can then cut your losses and still have a nice skull he can dress up for you as a euro mount. A dip and packed cape + skull + detached horns will also ship in a much more compact crate = heaps less $$$ freight than shoulder mount. If the dip and pack cape is no good for mounting, other things can be done with the hide (pillows, gun case, knife sheath, etc.). Getting a shoulder mount back from Africa to your door can easily amount to more money than the entire safari including air fare! And you might wind up with crap and stuck with tearing the horns out and nailing a skull cap to a board.

WAB · Feb 28, 2026

Something to think about, bushbuck are fantastic to hunt, not terribly expensive, and very difficult to contain with a fence (ie wild). That would be a really nice complement to a kudu.

375Fox · Feb 28, 2026

You might consider reaching out to @matt vejar about his report with them. Sounds like a great hunt.

Thread 'SOUTH AFRICA: The Dream Continues… Chumlet Safaris With Tyrone Milne'

Nov 9, 2023

Hunted with Tyrone near Dundee, South Africa October 8 to the 19. This was. This was a donation hunt for Kudu and Nyala in totally free range ranches with Barb wire fencing only. Man did I hit the jackpot! Tyrone has been an Outfitter/PH for 35 years and his connections are as you would expect top tier. The properties we hunted for Kudu, Nyala and Val Rhebuck are humongous and totally free range hunting at its finest for those who are looking for this type of hunt. You need to be able to walk as this is glass and then stalk hunting. Being able to shoot out to 300 yds will also help with...

Betterinthebush · Feb 28, 2026

Hunt an impala. They’re economical and a challenge to take up close. It’d be a wonderful compliment to your dad’s kudu.

Also, I’m blessed with having the ability to see the future. You will return to Africa, probably for your own kudu.

SamG · Feb 28, 2026

Andrew62 said:
Sam, first off, how awesome you are taking this hunt, you will genuinely feel a close connection to your Dad while on safari.

There is a section on this site, about 76 pages worth, of tipping information. I would say a close guess is to figure 100 a day for the PH, then the camp staff, I honestly would reach out to the outfitter and ask him. That is if you'd like to know ahead of time.

As to other animals, do not hesitate to ask your outfitter if they have any cull or management animals, I'm taking a hunt this summer, it is mostly for cull and management animals.

If you are paying 3250 for a kudu, including daily rates, you did good!! The one outfitter I am hunting this summer is asking 3950 for just the kudu.

If you'd like to take your own rifle, Rifle Permits charge 165.00 to do the gun paperwork, then you'd probably have to pay 100 each way on your airline for a 2nd bag.

Anyway, AWESOME decision to do this hunt!!

Thank you Andrew I will most definitely ask him about cull/management animals. Wishing you luck on your kudu hunt!!

SamG · Feb 28, 2026

WAB said:
Sam,
Sorry to hear about your dad. I’m sure he would be proud that you are following up on his dream! You’ve got it well thought out. I would definitely add some low cost animals if available. Perhaps warthog, impala, baboon. Watch out for ‘that’s the biggest roan I’ve ever seen!’ One shot in the rush of adrenaline and there goes your bank account!

Definitely going to try and avoid the "In the moment" feeling of looking at a great animal. Trigger finger discipline! lol Thank you for your kind words.

SamG · Feb 28, 2026

375Fox said:
I’m glad you pulled the trigger and booked. I don’t think a better way to remember your Dad.

I’d be honest with your outfitter why you booked and that you have a tight budget before you arrive. You’re not getting the full experience only going for one animal. The best part of Africa to me is hunting all the days vs only having 1 tag like in US. I think they could come up with some low cost options for you such as some cull hunting or management trophies less than the pricelist. Bird hunting and fishing can also be very good depending where you are at.

There’s no delay with dip and pack trophies vs finished taxidermy. Exceptions being possibly with swine (warthog and bushpig), baboons, or birds due to disease risk. I’d recommend you get taxidermy done here. You can have the cape wet tanned and froze for a few years. You don’t need to have it mounted right away especially if money is tight. Getting your trophies home is going to add some cost. The shipping from South Africa for a small dip and pack crate will hopefully be relatively inexpensive maybe $500-$1000? You could ask your outfitter to put you in touch with shipping agent for some quotes. Hopefully it’s at lower end but it’s being shipped as freight not mail. Air is easiest. The clearing into the US is essentially a fixed cost regardless of crate size. Most brokers charge $400 for their services then whatever clearing fees and final shipping is. I wouldn’t underestimate it but hopefully it comes in a bit lower for you another $1000 total. I use coppersmith’s but there are several brokers you can use.

Tipping is very subjective. Tipping on a lower cost hunt like this is a little different. You also got a very good deal for 7 days and kudu. Usually PH is around $100/day and up to a similar amount for total staff depending how many staff. I think in this case $500 for PH and maybe $500 for total staff (tracker, skinner, cook, wait staff) would be an acceptable number. Tipping is obviously optional and should be based on service and how hard they worked. You can tip whatever you like. I think they’ll remember a good attitude more than the tip amounts from each hunter at end of the year.

Thank you for all of the information, as well as the referral to the other post on Chumlet! I'm in contact with Halsi Harris at Coppersmith and they said the estimated import from Houston to PDX was 1,100-1,400$. So we will see how accurate that is... On top of getting it shipped out of SA.

dgr416 · Feb 28, 2026

I saw cull hunts for 10 animals for 6800 for 10 days plus two people could go and split the cost and animals .It was zebra impala and a bunch of other animals cool hunt plus split it half thst much and still 5 animals each .I think blesbuck and springbuck too .The place picked what they wanted you to shoot but a cool hunt .I lost my dad a year and a half ago and went hunting and fishing with him at least 10000 times .I tried my heart out to get him to come to Alaska when I was there 12 years never would come .

SamG · Feb 28, 2026

Ontario Hunter said:
Ask your outfitter about tipping. He will give you a good idea. If it seems unreasonable, come back here and run it by us. For really good PH I have tipped $500 for the trip and asked if that was satisfactory and he said more than enough. A lot depends on the daily rate. May will be early in season and rut should be on so I would think finding and shooting your kudu will not take the entire safari. Impala are dirt cheap and make nice skull mounts. I would take a pair to put skulls on both sides of your most desirable trophy. Springbuck same. Cheap and look nice paired up as skulls on both sides of a bigger trophy. Some property owners are anxious to cull those animals and they can be had even more cheaply. I've even snagged a couple of bargain gemsbuck that way (but keep in mind I hunt at the end of season when managers need to remove animals they don't want on the range any longer and no clients remaining to take them).

Here's the problem with kudu shoulder mounts. For whatever reason it can be hard to get a good cape. Hair slips, especially early in the season. I have three kudu skulls on the wall with two dry tanned capes. One of the capes from second bull might be able to work. The first cape only if the presentation was turning sharp left. Missing hair on that shoulder. The last kudu with prettiest rack (albeit not the largest) had a cape that was not worth anything looking at it on the ground. Totally unusable (my daughter and I have taxidermy business). Did not bother sending it to the tannery. All of mine were shot at the end of South African winter in August. Anyway, I would NOT reccomend having the animal shoulder mounted there. 99% of African taxidermists will go ahead and mount a shitty cape. Then you have to pay the balance after deposit or your horns won't even come home. And really not anything you can do about it. Unless you are a high end client (e.g. a Rothschild), don't expect the outfitter to help you out. They will know you are one and done. It's your problem. So to get just your horns back you would have to pay full amount even if you've seen photos and know it's a shitty mount. THEN you'll have to pay the really atrocious freight fees. I mean, freight has become plum ridiculous ESPECIALLY for large item shoulder mounts. I strongly reccomend you pay to have your kudu skull processed by African taxidermist + dip and pack the cape. That way if the cape turns out no good, your local taxidermist will know immediately before he has sent it off for tanning and ordered supplies. You can then cut your losses and still have a nice skull he can dress up for you as a euro mount. A dip and packed cape + skull + detached horns will also ship in a much more compact crate = heaps less $$$ freight than shoulder mount. If the dip and pack cape is no good for mounting, other things can be done with the hide (pillows, gun case, knife sheath, etc.). Getting a shoulder mount back from Africa to your door can easily amount to more money than the entire safari including air fare! And you might wind up with crap and stuck with tearing the horns out and nailing a skull cap to a board.

This is exactly the blunt answer I was looking for, thank you sir! I will definitely be doing that. Just hoping that shipping back just the euro mounts won't blow the budget out of the water. I appreciate the reply!

SamG · Feb 28, 2026

dgr416 said:
I saw cull hunts for 10 animals for 6800 for 10 days plus two people could go and split the cost and animals .It was zebra impala and a bunch of other animals cool hunt plus split it half thst much and still 5 animals each .I think blesbuck and springbuck too .The place picked what they wanted you to shoot but a cool hunt .I lost my dad a year and a half ago and went hunting and fishing with him at least 10000 times .I tried my heart out to get him to come to Alaska when I was there 12 years never would come .

I'm sorry about your dad man, it has been the worst thing I've ever gone through. I hear his voice every day. Replaying all of the hunts we went on in my mind, just wanting to pick up the phone and talk about the upcoming season. Cherish the memories that you have, but try not to become resentful at all the things you didn't do. It's been eating me alive thinking about it.

dgr416 · Feb 28, 2026

Yep I begged my dad to go to Ak .He bought fishing and hunting stuff up till he couldnt go any more .I drove him last 8 years he bought a new truck so I took him shopping to keeo him happy .He took every kid he could fishing and hunting growing up .I did in Alaska for 12 years 50 kids had a blast .Yep I miss my dad every day too still drive his truck take it hunting and fishing.They are with us every where we go

Andrew62 · Feb 28, 2026

SamG said:
I'm sorry about your dad man, it has been the worst thing I've ever gone through. I hear his voice every day. Replaying all of the hunts we went on in my mind, just wanting to pick up the phone and talk about the upcoming season. Cherish the memories that you have, but try not to become resentful at all the things you didn't do. It's been eating me alive thinking about it.

Many of us on this site would just love to have one more chance to sit along a river bank or in a deer stand and chat with our father about life and hunting. Missing your father as terribly as you are missing yours means you two had a special relationship!! I'm very sorry for your loss, I'm very happy you have so many wonderful memories to draw upon!

Sabre · Feb 28, 2026

SamG said:
My dad unexpectedly passed away last month, his dream was always to go to South Africa and harvest a nice Kudu. I am going to do it for him. I booked it with Chumlet Safaris for mid may this year. I'm not well off by any means, and this might set me back for a while, but you only live once, and my dad always said "Some day."

Being that I am younger and might be more gullible and inexperienced to all of this, I'm asking for some of your seasoned advice, please.

I am flying into Johannesburg, spending the night at a nearby hotel, and Tyrone will be picking me up early the next morning. The safari in total will be 7 days and primarily be focused on Kudu. Since I don't know if I will ever be back to Africa, should I try to take some lower dollar amount animals as well? How do you guys suggest filling the time in between, if we happen to get one early on?

Some of the main questions I would very much appreciate help with:

1) General tipping amounts?

2) Shipping taxidermy out of Johannesburg - I know my dad would roll over in his grave if I didn't get his kudu shoulder mounted. I was ideally going to get it shoulder mounted here in Oregon, however, I've seen that having it dipped and packed can delay it going through the port even more-so than having it shoulder mounted there? Do you guys have a rough ballpark of how much TOTAL shipping/importing would cost from SA to Oregon, USA? Any recommended shippers/importers? Air/Sea?

3) My rough ballpark (USD), aside from shipping/importing, for the total is as follows:

Trophy fee & Guide - 3,250 (Deal from book your hunt)
Transport - 600
Taxidermy - 1,500
Flight - 1,250 (Already booked)
Gun Rental - 300
Tips - TBD
Total - 6,900 + TBD

What am I missing, am I being delusional here?

Thank you all so much for any input you may have, my main goal is just to make my dad proud and experience Africa for him. I look forward to chatting with you all.
I've included a picture of him with his moose from British Columbia, and me with my biggest buck a few years ago.
-Sa

To me, the saddest thing is having seen so many friends and family pass away saying, "I always wish I would have (insert attainable dream here)." If it's unattainable, well, it was never going to happen anyway. But, having friends and family who passed away saying the one thing they always wanted to do in life was go on an elk hunt, or go to Africa, etc. That's hard to watch.

I think it's amazing that you are realizing this young and living yours, and your father's dreams. I am sure he is proud of you for that.

To answer your questions:
1) Advice already given here was good. PH - About $100/hunting day. Skinner/Tracker: $200. Staff: This varies a bit, but a lot of people say $20/day

2) It sounds like maybe money is tight. Do dip and pack. It will take quite a while to get things back either way. This also gives you time to save up to shoulder mount your Kudu at home. Which will also take a while and will also give you more time to save up for that. And the shipping is quite a bit cheaper on dip and pack.

Cost wise, I would roughly budget $2,500 for it. Understand that we can all give you general amounts but it can change quite a bit depending on who you use and even just randomly. It is a frustrating part of it. But I do like having the skulls and mounts.

Separately you asked about filling your time. I would add in some low cost animals that nicely represent Africa. I looked at your outfitters price list and some that offer a cheap package are way out of line on their trophy list. Your's seems fairly in line with current prices. These are animals I would consider:
Impala
Blesbok
Springbok
Grey Duiker
Zebra (A bit more expensive, but a striking iconic animal)
Warthog (more on that below)

If you want to keep your shipping easier and potentially cheaper, avoid Swine and Primates. So maybe put off Warthog until your next trip if you aren't just dying to get one. They can be easy to get through customs with some forethought and planning, but they can also cause troubles.

Enjoy your trip.

wesheltonj · Feb 28, 2026

My condolences. Regarding your trip. I would stay at City Lodge at the airport, that will be the most reasonable. Regarding other animals - Springbok, Impala and Blesbok are reasonably priced assuming you are not hunting some color variation. Springbok and Impala really speak South Africa at a reasonable price. I don’t know where you live, but don’t use DFW as your first port of entry or you will pay for extra for the privilege. Have your taxidermy done in the USA, you can have it done over time that way and spread out that expense. Good hunting.

wesheltonj · Feb 28, 2026

SamG said:
Thank you for all of the information, as well as the referral to the other post on Chumlet! I'm in contact with Halsi Harris at Coppersmith and they said the estimated import from Houston to PDX was 1,100-1,400$. So we will see how accurate that is... On top of getting it shipped out of SA.

You might ask about San Francisco as your port of entry with Turkish. The trucking fee might be cheaper.

SamG · Feb 28, 2026

Sabre said:
To me, the saddest thing is having seen so many friends and family pass away saying, "I always wish I would have (insert attainable dream here)." If it's unattainable, well, it was never going to happen anyway. But, having friends and family who passed away saying the one thing they always wanted to do in life was go on an elk hunt, or go to Africa, etc. That's hard to watch.

I think it's amazing that you are realizing this young and living yours, and your father's dreams. I am sure he is proud of you for that.

To answer your questions:
1) Advice already given here was good. PH - About $100/hunting day. Skinner/Tracker: $200. Staff: This varies a bit, but a lot of people say $20/day

2) It sounds like maybe money is tight. Do dip and pack. It will take quite a while to get things back either way. This also gives you time to save up to shoulder mount your Kudu at home. Which will also take a while and will also give you more time to save up for that. And the shipping is quite a bit cheaper on dip and pack.

Cost wise, I would roughly budget $2,500 for it. Understand that we can all give you general amounts but it can change quite a bit depending on who you use and even just randomly. It is a frustrating part of it. But I do like having the skulls and mounts.

Separately you asked about filling your time. I would add in some low cost animals that nicely represent Africa. I looked at your outfitters price list and some that offer a cheap package are way out of line on their trophy list. Your's seems fairly in line with current prices. These are animals I would consider:
Impala
Blesbok
Springbok
Grey Duiker
Zebra (A bit more expensive, but a striking iconic animal)
Warthog (more on that below)

If you want to keep your shipping easier and potentially cheaper, avoid Swine and Primates. So maybe put off Warthog until your next trip if you aren't just dying to get one. They can be easy to get through customs with some forethought and planning, but they can also cause troubles.

Enjoy your trip.

Absolutely, I'm hoping those opportunities don't elude us in the future. Thank you for your advice and kind words sir!

Kudu hunt for my late father

SamG

Andrew62

WAB

375Fox

Ontario Hunter

WAB

375Fox

Thread 'SOUTH AFRICA: The Dream Continues… Chumlet Safaris With Tyrone Milne'

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