So you think that African Taxidermy is a deal HUH?

harden

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Prime example of the real deal. Thank you TTUNDRA for letting me use your numbers.
I'll be happy to get that next hunt cape buffalo out for you.
I have talked to T TUNDRA about his shipment and work done is Africa
This is the exact PM from our conversation on AH
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Hi Dennis,
No problem. This situation was a unique one to me as a Kudu and Impala from my first shipment were damaged so Johan at Trophy Solutions offered to pay all expenses to bring them back to RSA and redo them and send back on his dime. I had want to bring them back to the US to be done, but he gave me a decent deal for this second trips good.

In the crate are:
2 Kudu wall pedestals
2 Blue Wildebeest wall pedestals
1 black wildbeest wall pedestal
1 waterbuck wall pedestal
1 zebra wall pedestal
1 gemsbok wall pedestal
2 impala wall pedestal
1 impala euro
1 springbuck euro
and a few back skins

Total for all work (crate, documents, etc), minus the redo of one impala and kudu was $9900, shipping was 3200, and clearing $500. Total cost all in for work, shipping, and clearing at $13,600.

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He did want to bring them home to the US and had reached out to me , But as our conversation went Johan gave him a deal.
To me didn't turn out to be much of a deal
He had sent back at Johan expense 1 KUDU and 1 Impala to be REDONE as for damage that occurred in the first shipment so they were already paid for...Tho they are listed as IN CRATE they are not charged for on his invoicing for this safari.
Here we go..........................

In the crate are:
2 Kudu wall pedestals (One paid for from last safari and returned)
2 Blue Wildebeest wall pedestals
1 Black wildbeest wall pedestal
1 Waterbuck wall pedestal
1 Zebra wall pedestal
1 Gemsbok wall pedestal
2 Impala wall pedestal ( One paid for last year from previous safari sent back to repair/redo)
1 impala euro
1 springbuck euro
and a few back skins

Total for all work (crate, documents, etc), minus the redo of one impala and kudu was $9900, shipping was 3200, and clearing $500. Total cost all in for work, shipping, and clearing at $13,600. And THIS just get hod crate to Chicago NOT to his home in North Carolina......Total Paid out trophies in Chicago $13,600.00
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IF He had gone thru me, read it all......
Kudu wall pedestal , no extra charge as they make for form commercially 1500
2 Wildebest Wall pedestals. no extra charge as they make for form commercially 2@ 1250 each
1 Back Wildebeest wall pedestal ,no extra charge as they make for form commercially 1250
1 Waterbuck wall pedestal no extra charge as they make for form commercially 1250
1 Zebra Wall Pedestal , there is an extra charge of 10% as we have to make the form in shop 1500 +150
1 Gemsbok Wall Pedestal ,no extra charge as they make for form commercially 1150
1 Impala wall Pedestal , no extra charge as they make for form commercially 795
Euro Mounts if no repairs are needed to skull or cleaning 50 on panel x2 100
Springbok backskin and Impala backskin 50 and 75 wholesale cost no add ons 125
Taxidermy charges TOTAL $9,070.00
+
Dip and pack costs per Johan Price list skull and cape
Kudu 125
Wildebest 125
Wildebest 125
Black Wildebeest 125
Waterbuck 125
Zebra cape only 65
Gemsbok 125
Impala skull and back skin 85
Springbok skull and backskin 80
Crating of dip pack 395 per price list from where is was done ( 1-9 pieces ) more pieces "slightly" higher
Nature conservation fee 95
Veterinarian fee 105
Courier fee to recover permits from Province IF APPLICABLE 85 I'll add this in anyway
Shipping small crate of dip pack to Chicago from S A $1,000.00
Import brokers fees per Trophy Shippers as AH member $400
Total dip pack and Import TOTAL $ 3.060.00
+
Ship crate to My tannery 150 miles from Chicago to tannery TOTAL $175.00
+
I pick up from there skull and horns and capes when tanned and completed for mounting.
After mounting we deliver IN COMBINED shipments to our clients to the door or ship by crate to faster away clients. This shipment to North Carolina would have been no more that 750 total. Even less if we have deliveries arranged in nearby cities or states. ALL clients mounts SHARE the milage costs amounts the entire load no matter the numbers of pieces.
Total Delivery charge of finished SAFARI Average has been $500.00 to North Carolina
Three clients last month with larger safari's than this paid 450 each to deliver to their homes.
See how the combined shipments work.......

Add it up for MY quality of work. $12,805.00
Personally , I don't thing Johan gave him such a deal !
It cost him $800 more to get Production African Taxidermy DONE IN AFRICA by a company that has been doing taxidermy for just a couple years and is priced about the average of all studios on Africa and shipped to Chicago and not home.
Still think your money is best spent in Africa for Taxidermy
Think again, Numbers DON'T LIE
 
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What’s your turnaround time? I don’t want to wait 2 years for US taxidermists that sit on my stuff and don’t answer phone calls or emails.
 
Have your trophies done in the United States!!!!
 
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My turn around time from Dennis has been 10 - 12 months including shipping coordination. I typically save up for 3 - 4 years to go on safari, so waiting a bit longer to get my taxidermy done is worth it to me to get it the way I want it.
 
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Rack, Try to keep my time to a year, it does run longer at times for some pieces and has sometime been shorter. My deliver time isn't perfect but my MOUNTS are. Your going to look at your trophy for 30-40-50 years. I mount all the pieces myself, quality control, Have helpers but built the business on the type of mounts I produce and I'm a perfectionist. I guarantee I'm more picky about the absolute smallest detail of your mount that you are. Tanning takes 6 months then your capes are thinly prepared painstaking re stretched over days of rehydration, to get optimum size back after the shrining salting and tanning closes he fibers down into tighter leather. I have a manager now that handles most of the phone calls and my work load now. he works a 40 hours week and so do my helpers and finisher. Happy workers make great workers . I work 80 + hours a week and have a backlog ,of yes, a year for the demand I have for my work. You can get mounts done in 90 days some places. Who's doing the work? Not the owner like here. Promise you that. If someone can't wait the year or so I'm not the guy to work with. Quality and creating the BEST MOUNT possible is number one HERE. Thanks !
 
Great comparison Dennis. I figured if I was going to do my bucket list animal I want it done right. By someone I can call and talk to or better yet go see. When your self employed service is huge.
 
If I lived south of the border, Dennis would be my obvious choice!
 
Buckmarkhunter, I am very very small. Just 3 guys. I could take in enough work for 10 guys with my quality and pricing. But can't and maintain the quality of the mounts you guys see here and the close up detail I do unless I DO THEM . I don't do shows or advertise except on Facebook and here and I am swamped with work. I can only produce so much of this detailed work as a perfectionist but I try to keep up. I will NEVER rush a mount that a client is going to look at for rest of their lives, be it 20 or 50 years. I am crazy , I won't let anything out of this shop that isn't the best I can produce.
 
What’s your turnaround time? I don’t want to wait 2 years for US taxidermists that sit on my stuff and don’t answer phone calls or emails.

Ok, I had Dennis do my work. It took 2 years and one month from my last day I was in RSA to my door. I could have had then in 2 years to the day had I had Dennis crate and ship them instead of a group delivery. Of the two years it took, 5 months to get the paperwork out of Northern Cape and then another month and a half to get them shipped out. I looked at the posted turn around time at the fur dressing shop and it was six months. Dennis e-mailed me in 2 months saying the skin were out, even though the fur dressing shop said six months. The Taxidermist that does my white-tails takes 10 to 12 months. Usually closer to 12. Local would have been 17 1/2 months. Did I take longer then my local taxidermist (who gets a lot of DSC members work), yes. Is it better quality then my local guy, absolutely. Considering 24 months from hunt to delivery is considered average, it was fine with me. My Africa animals, I wanted them done right the first time, as you never know when if ever you are going back, I was not concerned about how long it took. Dennis could have taken another 6-12 months and would have had no complaints on the time. Hopefully, I am looking as these for a long time (God willing) I wanted them perfect and that what I received. The Waterbuck and Gemsbok are stunning.
 
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My next trips (if there is a next trip) will be done in America maybe even by dennis but this last trip the taxidermy in the states was triple to 4 times the amount that I paid in Africa.
 
+ 100

Maybe I will look for it later and link it as I was the subject of a similar and quite entertaining thread a couple of years ago.

My first round of work also went through SA. I got exactly what I expected, which was average work, some decent and some not. I paid more for the average work than I would have from Dennis .

Next two rounds have gone to Dennis. Turn around time isn't my worry, quality is. Turn around time from SA was 2 years (from second hunt arriving at taxidermist). Dennis will be about the same BUT I told him not to get in a hurry and let the second set get there. So it will skew the dates. Turn around from his receipt of FIRST shipmemt will be two years and from receipt of second shipment well under that.

If you want guaranteed six month delivery go elsewhere. If you want one of the top taxidermists in the world then consider Dennis. It's as simple as that.
 
+ 100

Maybe I will look for it later and link it as I was the subject of a similar and quite entertaining thread a couple of years ago.

My first round of work also went through SA. I got exactly what I expected, which was average work, some decent and some not. I paid more for the average work than I would have from Dennis .

Next two rounds have gone to Dennis. Turn around time isn't my worry, quality is. Turn around time from SA was 2 years (from second hunt arriving at taxidermist). Dennis will be about the same BUT I told him not to get in a hurry and let the second set get there. So it will skew the dates. Turn around from his receipt of FIRST shipmemt will be two years and from receipt of second shipment well under that.

If you want guaranteed six month delivery go elsewhere. If you want one of the top taxidermists in the world then consider Dennis. It's as simple as that.

I think I remember reading that thread. I also think it really depends on the animals you take when it comes to comparing cost.
 
I think I remember reading that thread. I also think it really depends on the animals you take when it comes to comparing cost.

It does depend on the animal and the mount.

Giraffe shoulder mount ?
Dennis will be first to tell you he will cost more.

Getting a room full of full body mounts?
Dennis might cost more (shipping will eat up a lot of the savings depending on size of mount).

Regardless, there isn't a quality comparison.... The one full body mount (porcupine) I got done in SA was the worst mount of the lot.... Sample size of one I will be first to admit. That said, I'm gonna bet the full body mounts Dennis does for me turn out better. ;)
 
It does depend on the animal and the mount.

Giraffe shoulder mount ?
Dennis will be first to tell you he will cost more.

Getting a room full of full body mounts?
Dennis might cost more (shipping will eat up a lot of the savings depending on size of mount).

Regardless, there isn't a quality comparison.... The one full body mount (porcupine) I got done in SA was the worst mount of the lot.... Sample size of one I will be first to admit. That said, I'm gonna bet the full body mounts Dennis does for me turn out better. ;)

Yea mine was my giraffe that pushed everything way up there in the US. That being said I also know and expect standard mounts. He did customize the forms for me. But time will tell on how they look in person because pictures can cover up alot of things.
 
It does depend on the animal and the mount.

Giraffe shoulder mount ?
Dennis will be first to tell you he will cost more.

Getting a room full of full body mounts?
Dennis might cost more (shipping will eat up a lot of the savings depending on size of mount).

Regardless, there isn't a quality comparison.... The one full body mount (porcupine) I got done in SA was the worst mount of the lot.... Sample size of one I will be first to admit. That said, I'm gonna bet the full body mounts Dennis does for me turn out better. ;)

But this is also why I am saying if there is another trip my stuff will be done in the states and probably by dennis. Since there will not be another giraffe or something crazy huge lol.
 
But this is also why I am saying if there is another trip my stuff will be done in the states and probably by dennis. Since there will not be another giraffe or something crazy huge lol.

Totally agree.

Well, with everything except saying there won't be something huge. I think I said that then shot an elephant. Course elephant saved me tons on taxidermy. ;)

Here is the old thread.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/my-studio-vs-african-studio-a-match-up-costs.30027/
 
Totally agree.

Well, with everything except saying there won't be something huge. I think I said that then shot an elephant. Course elephant saved me tons on taxidermy. ;)

Here is the old thread.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/my-studio-vs-african-studio-a-match-up-costs.30027/

The biggest thing that might come is a buff. This next trip would be just hanging out with a close friend over there and hunting here and there with him. I'll have my kids with me so it's more about the experience and relaxing than it will be about hunting. Although there will def. Be some hunting for them and me and the wife.
 
Dennis does awesome custom work he has done nothing but the best for me and I am a very picky PIA! I would never let anyone in Africa do any taxidermy for me especially a giraffe as they are very tricky to skin and salt and to tan properly and then to mount. If not skinned and salted properly or tanned right the hair slips really bad ask dennis.
 
Dennis does awesome custom work he has done nothing but the best for me and I am a very picky PIA! I would never let anyone in Africa do any taxidermy for me especially a giraffe as they are very tricky to skin and salt and to tan properly and then to mount. If not skinned and salted properly or tanned right the hair slips really bad ask dennis.

I'm hoping mine turns out.. the pictures it looks great but I know that's just the surface. But honestly I could not afford t get one done over here.
 
I'm hoping mine turns out.. the pictures it looks great but I know that's just the surface. But honestly I could not afford t get one done over here.

Have you priced out the shipping cost of finished v dip and ship? And they all don't have to be done at once.
 

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