Average Shipping Time - Ocean or Air Freight

dreaming

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Gentleman, I enjoy reading your informative posts and have a few questions for the more traveled than myself. I am trying to get my first safari planned out. What is your average shipping time to get your trophies (salted and horns) back to the US? I am also wondering if ya'll recommend ocean freight or air. I appreciate the help.
 
If you are just shiping the dried skins and horns, I would recommend that you sent your trophies by air. If your trophies are done in Africa and it's nearly a container full (a few full body mounts) than it's sensible to use ocean freight.
It depent on the taxidermist that do the diping and packing, but it should not be longer than 3 months from the time that the taxidermist recieve it till its with you. If your PH is doing the dipping and packing himself it could be faster.
 
I think if you dip and ship, it makes sense to airfreight it to the U.S. otherwise I would oceanship it if you have the heads mounted. As far as time goes. I have seen people wait 1.5 to 2 years to get there animals back anyway you do it....epecially if you shoot a bushpig, baboon, cat, or warthog...or something like that...because you need more permits and custom checks...a real headache the more people get involved. Plus, I should warn you about beetle damage to dip and ship skins...I know a few people that had beetles chewing on their skins when they arrived in the U.S. .... needless to say they were not happy. I think it's cheaper to have stuff mounted in Africa. The quality varies. There are some aweful talented taxidermist in the U.S. but you'll pay for it too. I think the dip and ship services are very pricey in Africa and you can read about that on the taxidermy posts. I have had my stuff mounted in Africa....because I don't have a lot of money....and was not willing to pay the crazy dip and ship prices. To each his own....it does come down to how much money you want to spend. As far as times to mount the animals and ship it back by oceanliner....depends on how much you shoot...I shoot a lot (big order)....it takes a year to 1.5 years to get home.
 
My trip to Namibia is probaly a good example when using a US taxidermist. We returned home on the 30th of August 2008. Skins and horns (including the complication of a leopard and cites) made it to BWI in February. 30 days to clear customs and skins were with the the tanner during the first week of May. The taxidermist anticipates having hides back in the next couple of weeks. Assuming the planets and stars line up just right, I should have my cat over the fireplace by christmas. Patience is a good thing.
 
I really appreciate your info of shipping times. I completed a hunt in Zimbabwe early May 2010 and dealing with maple Freight to get my trophies shipped out. Is it reasonable to wait till December to not even get a quote for shipping (air or sea). Should I start to worry?
 
Steve, Did you have any taxidermy work on your trophies or just a dip and pack? If just a dip and pack, it is indeed a long time. You should definitely touch base with the taxidermist or shipping agent to get things going, December is a slow month in Africa and many places close down for the rest of the month after the first week or so. I would definitely contact them now.
 
We hunted in the Free State of South Africa and had an organization, Hunting Solutions Africa, over there do the dip and pack. They said they'd be done in 99 days and they were almost to the day. Since our shipment was coming into Houston, we were told it had to be shipped by air freight. We inspected the skulls with the taxidermist and he said they were about the best prep he'd ever seen. With only some minor cleaning, they'd be ready for a european mount.
 
We were just having the skins and horns dipped and packed. It is now the middle of January 2011 and the paperwork is still "in process" according to the shipper even though we have previously approved air freight and have even paid for "ground transportation and documentation fees" in order to get the trophies from the Packer to the Airport. I do not know if this is reasonable but it seems to be a "helluva way to run a busness"!
 
Shipping

Patience,Patience,Patience,you are dealing with African time,time is money with us yanks not so in alot of places in the world.Shipment will arrive and it will be better than Christmas!
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I will let you all know when "Santa" arrives!
 
We have two shipments coming from Zimbabwe for two seperate hunts that took place last September. They are due in the States in February. This is about the time frame I am accustom to from Zimbabwe.
As was mentioned above Africa runs on a different clock.

Here is a little help in translating "Africa Time"
If an African says...
I will get back to you "now "= you will hear from him in 3-7 days
I will get back to you "just now"= you will hear from him in 1-3 weeks
I will get back to you "sometime"= you will never hear from him again ;-)
 
Now I don't feel so bad....thanks for the info. Maybe our stuff is coming on the same "slo-boat" as yours....P.S.: is this your own safari company - farrenglobaladventures? Are you a PH, Booking Agent, Outfitter...???
 

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