Average prices?

[siml]

@gizmo, I bet you counting the days down, can't wait to see your lion.

 

[gizmo]

@gizmo, I bet you counting the days down, can't wait to see your lion.

Me tooooooooo!!!! It's been a loooong wait but I know Dennis is really going to knock it outta the park.

 

[BRICKBURN]

On a different note..... i wonder if it is a good idea to bug bomb the create when you open it, prior to hanging your trophies. Just a thought.

I asked the taxidermist and the shipper to put a lot of mothballs into the crate.

When I arrived for pick up, the guys in the warehouse were bitching at me about the stink from the crate. I walked in and could smell the mothballs at the opposite end of the warehouse.

We still had a bloody Spider walk out of a skull. It shocked me.

 

[ActionBob]

Don't throw money out the door on stuff that can be handled very easily unless you have it to throw around which I don't.” Let me comment with an analogy to illustrate being ‘penny wise and dollar foolish’: For those who live in areas that have very cold winters, you might hear what I hear all the time: “I HEAT MY HOUSE FOR FREE ALL WINTER BY BURNING WOOD”. So, how much did the chainsaw cost? How much was the log splitter? How much was the truck to haul the wood? How many hours was expended to cut, split and stack the wood? How much time was used to feed the wood stove to keep the fire burning all winter long? This is not called FREE.

Ha, not even close! Robert you are way off here..... $400 chainsaw, followed by another after you land a tree on the first. $50,000 pickup truck .... and another $400 for a new rear window, not to mentions several tire repairs Go cheap and you can get a wood splitter for $800.... But have a recurring bill for the chiropractor On the other hand, wood warms you twice, once while sweating making it and again when you burn it and yea, it takes a hell of a lot of time

I heat my house with LP gas, which is damned cheap compared to wood.... and I use SSI to import my trophies from Africa.

Full disclosure, I do have a nice wood burning fireplace and a lot of trees on my property and several that need cutting so I use the fireplace for entertainment........... But I know the "real" economics of it

 

[sestoppelman]

Indian build small fire, sit close. White man build large fire, keep warm cutting and packing wood!

 

[ActionBob]

@DoubleLunger I'll add a couple thoughts for you here as well. Yes you can absolutely get fantastic and awful taxidermy work done in North American and in Africa. But in both cases you need to demand regular pictures and updates, seems like the best way to get great service might be to become good friends, or a royal PIA.

More specific to your hunt, if you are going to Namibia, besides big kudu, 4 critters stand out to me; Giant Gemsbok, fantastic springbok, Mountain Zebra, and dik-dik.

If you are only doing two mounts, I would lean towards having them done in the US. However I had a couple conversations with taxidermists on a novel idea. Consider having your hides tanned in Africa. Should eliminate the dip and pack charge, or replace it with tan and pack. The "dip" part becomes unnecessary. But if you do, be darned sure you are using a quality outfit and they are not just farming it out to a volume place. They can use chemicals in Africa that can't be used here. And it is cheaper and reduces the weight of the skin to be shipped. If you take a zebra, have it tanned for a rug and if your wife doesn't like it, I bet you could sell it and make a profit (one of the few taxidermy items I would speculate on that way), but let her see it and hopefully she loves it... Even if you put it on the floor and walk on it, you will get many years of enjoyment out of it. And have skulls cleaned and bleached, it;s pretty cheap over there and they generally do a good job.. Don't need to have them Euro mounted as they charge too much for that, buy a skull hooker or screw/glue to a plaque yourself... Heck put them in the garage if need be. But if you get any extra critters hides tanned and skulls/horns saved, you can always have them mounted and finished later. At least you have options then.

 

[K-man]

I am a homebuilder. I CAN do almost any job needed to build a house. I don't do certain jobs because my time is worth more than it costs to have someone else do it. Ot they are better/ faster at the job. Same thing applies to imports of trophies. Simple economics for a sheep......

 

[BRICKBURN]

................
So with said, what is the average cost of a shoulder mount for Kudu or Gemsbok? As well as the average shipping cost? ...................

Personally, I would get at least three CURRENT quotes from reputable service providers that service that area and your destination.

Every reputable shipper, broker and taxidermist will provide you at least a guesstimate of the costs.
Everyone has a unique destination for their trophies so just comparing invoices becomes somewhat erroneous.

 

[robertq]

There are so many hidden costs that are not always taken into account. Just going to give a simple example, a Mozambique hunting license might only cost 100 $ but we charge 250 $, why 150 $ difference? I have to email the paperwork and clients photos to the lady in Maputo, she receives the email, put the photos on memory stick, go to printing shop, print photos, fill in the forms, take to government office, and then collect a few days later. When clients land in Maputo, she's waiting for us at the airport.

Time is money! I think most "sheep" understand but some you just need to paint a picture.

We not trying to rip a client off, it's just costs people don't always think about.

No different as to paying for your SAP 520.

SSI knows what it costs to run a business, should they start billing like a law firm, every phone call etc itemized and charged to the client.

Very well put......

 

[Royal27]

I

I guess I would rather not have someone have there hand in my pocket taking money I don't need to spend then having my back at this point. But there is plenty of sheep for you to have there back on here.

Wow.... Just wow...


So I guess we know what @billc thinks the average AH member looks like.

Duly noted.

 

[siml]

@Royal27, we know you a bit different.

 

[Wheels]

I have driven a car three times in my life.

I have never had an accident.

I have never been pulled over or been given a citation.

One time I even drove through a big CITES and passed the Detroit LIONS stadium without having a problem.

I have even been a back seat driver 3-4 times when my friends were driving, they drove very well with my instruction.

There is no need for me to carry insurance with my abilities.

Insurance companies are only there to rip you off.

Everyone that uses insurance does not have my abilities and is just a mindless sheep that gets fleeced by the insurance companies.




Written by - A helpless lamb.

 

[billc]

I apologize to SSI if my remarks were taken wrongly. I was only trying to share my personal experiences. In no way did I mean to suggest that their services are not good. I was only sharing ways that worked for me as an Individual.

 

[spike.t]

And full disclosure, @The Artistry of Wildlife will be doing my next round of taxidermy, once it gets to him....

....better check the bookings as cant remember you being in there..................

 

[Hogpatrol]

Remember, the wolf doesn't always get the sheep.

 

[jeff]

The basis for a quality mount is a quality tan! Mounts that last a lifetime the tan has been properly neutralized and won't fall apart in 2-20 years, beware of cutting corners to save a couple of bucks it may cost you thousands.

 

[Dragan N.]

There are so many hidden costs that are not always taken into account. Just going to give a simple example, a Mozambique hunting license might only cost 100 $ but we charge 250 $, why 150 $ difference? I have to email the paperwork and clients photos to the lady in Maputo, she receives the email, put the photos on memory stick, go to printing shop, print photos, fill in the forms, take to government office, and then collect a few days later. When clients land in Maputo, she's waiting for us at the airport.

Time is money! I think most "sheep" understand but some you just need to paint a picture.

We not trying to rip a client off, it's just costs people don't always think about.

No different as to paying for your SAP 520.

SSI knows what it costs to run a business, should they start billing like a law firm, every phone call etc itemized and charged to the client.

I'm just curious- how many man (or I guess woman) hours go into processing a hunting license for a client ?

 

[siml]

@Dragan N., let's say 2 hours to travel to photo shop to get photo's printed. 1 hour to fill out forms for police commandant, at least 2 hours from office to police and return. Drop off paperwork and collect a few days later. Once she has received the permit from the police, it then has to be taken to customs officials for temporary import permits. There is also a tax per bullet that a client is charged, but we don't waste a client's time, we do the payment. You looking at least 20 hours time per permit.

 

[sestoppelman]

@Dragan N., let's say 2 hours to travel to photo shop to get photo's printed. 1 hour to fill out forms for police commandant, at least 2 hours from office to police and return. Drop off paperwork and collect a few days later. Once she has received the permit from the police, it then has to be taken to customs officials for temporary import permits. There is also a tax per bullet that a client is charged, but we don't waste a client's time, we do the payment. You looking at least 20 hours time per permit.

Doesn't sound like the bureaucracy goes out of its way to make things easier. How much is the charge for the ammo? Never heard of such before, though its no doubt done elsewhere I suppose.

 

[Royal27]

Doesn't sound like the bureaucracy goes out of its way to make things easier. How much is the charge for the ammo? Never heard of such before, though its no doubt done elsewhere I suppose.

Zambia charges for ammo too as I recall.

You looking at least 20 hours time per permit.

Simon,

Don't you get tired watching someone else work for 20 hours ?