Advice needed on trophies

[brushmore]

It's 62 days or just under 1,500 hours before I leave for Africa (but who's counting. ). I have everything pretty well planned but still need to make any arrangements needed for my trophies. My budget is tight in this area so any advice in this area would be appreciated.

What I would like to do is probably a little out of the ordinary so I need some help with with a few things so I can make plans and estimate costs. On my list is two wildebeest, a hartebeest, warthog, and possibly for my daughter an impala or springbok. I would like maybe at least one European mount done and would like the skins for display. For the warthog, I'd like to have the tusks made into keychains, bottle opener, or something like that.

For the skins, if I want something to hang on the wall, do I ask for it to made into a rug or simply tanned?
Any guesses on costs for shipping and fees to the USA for what I want? It seems to me that the shipping will be the major expense.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Good questions, on the skins I reckon regular flat skin is the correct answer..

I don't believe that the shipping will be such a thriller...

Send an email to the outfitter you booked with and ask him to request a estimate on shipping from the company that ships all his trophies as a norm...

Zingela or Emiac or one of them. You should bf able to obtain this from the taxidermist you will be using in SA as well as they work hand in hand with the shippers.

My best always

 

[Royal27]

I still think this is the black magic/voodoo part of the trip!!!! Due to that, I'm going to let others comment on the cost...

For the skins though, you can do either. You can get a full rug made, or a flatskin (Blue Wildbeest look great as a flatskin!). And, if you think you might want to get a shoulder mount done later you can always get the cape tanned now and mount later.

If Loodt hasn't put you in touch with Paul at Relive (I know you are on FB - search for Relive Taxidermy) yet it might be worth an e-mail to talk to him. He can give you shipping estimates too. You may also want to give Robert at SSI a shout. He can give you some advice too and help if you want.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

You can request a formal shipping quote estimate.... Just remember should you add to your crate volume this estimate will change sny shipper can provide this.

Ask your outfitter. That's his job I always find threatening with physical pain (bodily harm) can be quite productive.

Otherwise everything Royal said.

My best always

 

[Royal27]

You can request a formal shipping quote estimate.... Just remember should you add to your crate volume this estimate will change sny shipper can provide this.

Ask your outfitter. That's his job I always find threatening with physical pain (bodily harm) can be quite productive.

Otherwise everything Royal said.

My best always

I always love Jaco's "diplomacy"!!!!

 

[Diamondhitch]

Your skulls will be shipped cleaned and bleached so you can save some money by mounting them on a plaque yourself after they arrive. Less taxidermy cost=more trophy fee money.

 

[Royal27]

Your skulls will be shipped cleaned and bleached so you can save some money by mounting them on a plaque yourself after they arrive. Less taxidermy cost=more trophy fee money.

And here is something interesting I've seen mentioned here before instead of using a plaque.

Price shop - at least the big size is actually cheap on Amazon.

http://www.skullhooker.com/

 

[brushmore]

Good ideas about mounting the skulls. That sounds like a fun project that should be within my skill level.

 

[James.Grage]

It's 62 days or just under 1,500 hours before I leave for Africa (but who's counting. ). I have everything pretty well planned but still need to make any arrangements needed for my trophies. My budget is tight in this area so any advice in this area would be appreciated.

What I would like to do is probably a little out of the ordinary so I need some help with with a few things so I can make plans and estimate costs. On my list is two wildebeest, a hartebeest, warthog, and possibly for my daughter an impala or springbok. I would like maybe at least one European mount done and would like the skins for display. For the warthog, I'd like to have the tusks made into keychains, bottle opener, or something like that.

For the skins, if I want something to hang on the wall, do I ask for it to made into a rug or simply tanned?
Any guesses on costs for shipping and fees to the USA for what I want? It seems to me that the shipping will be the major expense.

Brushmore,

have the flatskins tanned and you could trim them your self and they will hang well on a wall or over a desk or book case.

You could have them backed with either felt or leather however that will be a additional cost.

You will find warthog tusk: letter openers, key chains and bottle openers in the airport shops cheaper than you can have them made. i would just bring them home in your luggage from south africa.

Euro mounts have been covered in earlier posts.

Shoulder mounts it appears that you are looking at 2 a wildebeest and a hartebeest, look them over and make sure that is what you want to do.

 

[Nyati]

A suggestion for your warthog

 

[BRICKBURN]

Email any of the experienced freight forwarders and they will give you an estimate, NOT a quote.
Final weights and volumes are always different. It gives you an idea though.

Safari Cargo has always been able to provide me a decent estimate.
Tell them the numbers of skins (& species) and skulls you are shipping and where and from whence they are coming and you'll be set.

As Jaco said. Get a quote from the Outfitters favourite on top of it all.

Happy budgeting.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I agree with BRICKBURN.
Witold

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Zingela had given me the best estimate in the beginning of my research. To have five shoulder mounts sent home by air was going to be about $1400 US. Sadly, I only got three animals, but all shoulder mounts and back skins are on the way. A few more days and I should have the invoice for the shipping of red hartebeest, blue wildebeest and black wildebeest. Plus two other small items I added on.

 

[K-man]

Another idea for flatskins/backskins. I got this idea from a place selling navajo rugs, and adapted it to my sizes and materials. Bottom is a full blue wildebeest, middle kudu backskin, top whole impala. I still have eland backskin, blesbok back, and hartebeest back coming. It only took about a day to make, most of that finding the "straight" logs here in Oklahoma.

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Looks very nice! I might borrow this idea for the man cave

 

[Royal27]

That's pretty cool.... and you could lean a couple of skulls against it.

I'm leaning more towards skins and skulls for a fair bit of my animals I think.

 

[K-man]

The leather laces I used on the poles could tie the skulls on to the rack. Good idea.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

That looks great.