First trip to africa trouble with Taxidermy and shipping

[doitforthechase321]

Hello to all me and my brother are planning our first safari we are in our 20s and are on a very tight budget of 15k for a 2x1 7 day hunt we wanted to take the following species
1 wildebeest
2 impala
1 springbok
1 warthog
The best deal I've found was
3500 for day rate
2700 for trophy fees
Rifle rental and gratuities
1700
2-3k for airline tickets
Now the unsure part is
Taxidermy estimated around 2-3k
From what I've read dip pack and shipping costs could be up to 5 k which puts us over budget is there anything I can do to lower the taxidermy costs and the shipping cost im really not interested in not bring home a trophy

 

[Nyati]

Euro mounts will bring your costs down.

 

[wesheltonj]

Dip and pack will be the cheapest cost, unless you want all euros. I would suggest to save on taxidermy, you have the animals mounted over a period of time to spread out the cost.

Also avoid DFW as the first Customs/USFWS/USDA airport into the USA.

 

[gillettehunter]

I was thinking about your numbers. Seemed reasonable until I hit the tip/gun rental line. If each of you tipped $600 then that’s $1200. Instead of renting a rifle take your own. Even using a service in Joberg you’re about $200. Do your own paperwork and wait in the line and save that $200. So you could free up $500 that way.
To keep costs down you could have shoulder mounts done in Africa. Several members have had good experiences doing that. Any they recommend should be able to email you a price list for the animals you expect to hunt.
You don’t have a lot of animals on your list and they could almost certainly be taken in 5 days. As tight as your budget is I’d drop a day and hunt for 6 days. That will free up some cash for the shipping. Those animals in 1 box under 1 name and shipping should be under $4K I would think. Be sure and get several shipping quotes. Big differences between shipping companies.
I’ve hunted on a shoestring budget myself. One thing to remember is the taxidermy and shipping costs are usually not due until 9-18 months after the safari ends. Puts it back a while allows you to save up a few more $ to pay for that part of the costs.
Bruce

 

[TTundra]

Lot to unpack here:

Hello to all me and my brother are planning our first safari we are in our 20s and are on a very tight budget of 15k for a 2x1 7 day hunt we wanted to take the following species
1 wildebeest
2 impala
1 springbok
1 warthog
The best deal I've found was
3500 for day rate

There are better day rate/deals to be found. Have you checked with our sponsors here? A good start would be to post the hunt you want, where you want, and your desired trophies and I guarantee you will have sponsors message you.

2700 for trophy fees

As above, post your wanted hunt and allow our sponsors to work up a quote

Rifle rental and gratuities
1700

Bring your own rifles and do the paperwork. Its easy for RSA.

2-3k for airline tickets

Depending on your chosen outfitter and destination airport, message @TRAVEL EXPRESS . It will ensure you have the best price

Now the unsure part is
Taxidermy estimated around 2-3k
From what I've read dip pack and shipping costs could be up to 5 k which puts us over budget is there anything I can do to lower the taxidermy costs and the shipping cost im really not interested in not bring home a trophy

Taxidermy pricing is on the rise. With what I just spent on a buff shoulder mount from Zim I could have hunted another one. Are you wanting shoulder or Euro mounts? The latter would be better for a budget.

As above, start with posting here to get a reputable sponsor's package. Then add on the other parts. you may find the savings you're looking for. Its better to discuss with them fully as you wont always get the animals you want in the same area/concession.

 

[DieJager]

Hello to all me and my brother are planning our first safari we are in our 20s and are on a very tight budget of 15k for a 2x1 7 day hunt we wanted to take the following species
1 wildebeest
2 impala
1 springbok
1 warthog
The best deal I've found was
3500 for day rate
2700 for trophy fees
Rifle rental and gratuities
1700
2-3k for airline tickets
Now the unsure part is
Taxidermy estimated around 2-3k
From what I've read dip pack and shipping costs could be up to 5 k which puts us over budget is there anything I can do to lower the taxidermy costs and the shipping cost im really not interested in not bring home a trophy

Just use First Class Trophy. You'll get a definitive price before your hunt. They'll handle everything. I am using them currently and the finished taxidermy will arrive in the near future.
Have gotten updates throughout the whole process.

Craig Boddington just endorsed them in his latest newsletter. I would give them a call.

 

[WyoBull]

Just to give you an idea on the shipping costs, after 26 months post hunt, I finally got my Cape Buffalo, Crocodile skin and crocodile euro skull from Splitting Image Taxidermy in South Africa. My Buffalo was a pedestal mount and has a marble base so it is heavy. The crate weighed about 570 lbs.
Shipping from Joberg through Instanbul and then on to San Francisco was $4000. That was just for the shipping. The various customs fees and shipping from San Fran to my home in Casper, WY was about $2400 dollars. Shipping has gone way, way up. I spent my career in the transportation/trucking industry and even this surprised me.
What I will bring home on future trips with be photographs (wildlife photography is also a serious hobby for me). Now days, the taxidermy itself is the cheaper part depending on how many animals and what kind of mounts you will want to do.

 

[coreydb]

Taxidermy prices are up, but the time line for my own mounts are hitting the two year mark. You should have time either way to save up. Up front costs are 50% of the total invoice.

 

[Rare Breed]

Hello to all me and my brother are planning our first safari we are in our 20s and are on a very tight budget of 15k for a 2x1 7 day hunt we wanted to take the following species
1 wildebeest
2 impala
1 springbok
1 warthog
The best deal I've found was
3500 for day rate
2700 for trophy fees
Rifle rental and gratuities
1700
2-3k for airline tickets
Now the unsure part is
Taxidermy estimated around 2-3k
From what I've read dip pack and shipping costs could be up to 5 k which puts us over budget is there anything I can do to lower the taxidermy costs and the shipping cost im really not interested in not bring home a trophy

Just trying to help provide perspective. You can get a Kudu, Black Widebeest, Zebra, Impala and Springbok; 5 better animals you are showing for $5200 all in day rates and trophy fees combined with both Game4Africa and Fronteer Safaries both in the Eastern Cape which frees up $1,000 and a much better hunt and experience.

 

[JimP]

Personally I would put the hunt out until 2027, granted the fees may go up some but you will be in a better place financially to actually do what you want to do.

As for renting a rifle vs bringing your own, I found that the cost almost offset each other when hiring a permit service. The plus is that you are using a rifle that you know and then there are the bragging rights of using your own rifle.

You can save on taxidermy by each of you picking a animal to pay for, but once over there you can go overboard very easy. My last trip 3 years ago I had a package of 12 animals 10 days and figured a total of $13,000. Well, that didn't happen. It was closer to $20,000 and mostly all I did was two extra shoulder mounts that I didn't plan for. But I would just do a dip and pack, your problem there is that each of you need your own crate due to regulations unless you can convince them to just do a single crate in one name.

I don't know if you have figured it in yet but tips will be $1400 for the two of you figuring $100 a day for the PH, the rest of them will be around $500-$700 depending on the help.

I used Frontier Safaris out of Port Elizabeth, you can save money by going with someone who'll pick you up in Joberg instead that second flight.

South Africa – Frontier Safaris

Hunt with the Superior Choice

frontiersafaris.com