Taxidermy Overview

[JCHunter62]

If a there is a thread out there somewhere that covers this please point me as I didn't find it in my search.

BUT I want to know the basics of Taxidermy for South Africa, what are your options? I am not referring the specifics of taxidermy and how it is done, but what are ones options for getting their trophies preserved?

If you want to have your taxidermy done in country what are the do's and don'ts most first timers aren't thinking about? Our Safari vendor uses LifeForm taxidermy for all its work, so can we even ask to have our trophies taken else if we decide we wanted too? We are mainly looking for "American" style European mounts on the following: Cape Buffalo, Kudu, Eland, Gemsbok, Black Wildebeest, Warthog, and Impala and maybe making rugs out of a Zebra or two. I am still undecided on doing a shoulder mount on my Cape Buff and Kudu (if harvested), so that may become a requirement as well.

If you want to bring your trophies back home and have a US based taxidermist complete them, what is required for that? I have heard the term salt dipped and packed, is that is all the is required to export them back to the US?

 

[Doug3006]

Two options.

Option one: An African taxidermist will dip, pack and ship the hides and horns. The crate will be smaller, thus less expensive to ship, than completed trophies. Once they’re received by your taxidermist here in the US, they will send the hides off to be tanned. Once that’s completed, the taxidermist will mount the trophies per your instructions.

Option two: The African taxidermist tans the hides and mounts the trophies then ships the finished work to you, Obviously. the crate will be larger and the shipping more expensive. However, the taxidermy work will be less costly than in the US.

For the longest time, the total cost was a wash for the two options. Now with shipping costs skyrocketing, it may be better to go with the first option.

 

[Elkeater]

I’ve only been over once so take my opinion with a grain of salt. We did taxidermy over there with bullseye taxidermy. I was very happy with that choice. Our mounts are nice. Not competition quality but nicely done. From the time of our hunt to the time they were on the wall was 16 months. Not a bad turn around time if you ask me.

Total charges for finished taxidermy work for shipping a 145x123x102cm crate weighing 135kg with a chargeable weight of 303kg containing:

Kudu shoulder mount x1
Impala shoulder mount x2
Blesbok shoulder mount x1
Blue wildebeest shoulder mount x1
Nyala wall pedestal mount x1
Steenbok full body plus base x1
Zebra rug x 1
Springbok skull x1
Warthog skull x 2
Porcupine skull x 1
Springbok flat skin x1
Porcupine flat skin x1
Warthog leather tan x1
Backskins for all shoulder mounts
Kudu horn core x2

Charge for Bullseye Taxidermy to DFW airfreight $3450.24

Coppersmith clearing fees plus domestic shipping from DFW to Globe Arizona $2258.53

Total from vaalwater South Africa to my door $5708.77

Expensive but there’s a bunch of stuff in there. And we mounted more than I intended because my kids shot more than half those and wanted mounts.

The taxidermy work itself was right about $6700 in 2024. Which was about $10,000 less than the same exact work would have cost here in the states. For me it worked out but others will have other experiences and opinions. If I went back to Limpopo I would probably use bullseye again.

 

[buck wild]

As with Elkeater's example above, the tricky part is how much extra the combined shipping bill of $5,700 was compared to the smaller crate it would have been for D&P. Take those savings, whatever they might have been, and apply them to the cost of US taxidermy to figure out any true savings.

No doubt getting stuff done in SA is going to usually be completed faster than US taxidermy.

Again, using the example above, I would have brought all shoulder mounts home to the US through D&P (Kudu Impala Blesbok Blue wildebeest Nyala Steenbok)

and had all euro and flat tanning done in SA.
(Zebra rug Springbok skull Warthog skull Porcupine skull Springbok flat skin Porcupine flat skin Warthog leather tan Backskins for all shoulder mounts Kudu horn core.)

A hybrid of an order.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I advise getting euro skulls (just a bleached skull with teeth) for all and dip and pack capes for those you may want to have shoulder mounted. The capes can be unsatisfactory for various reasons but you would not want it mounted if that is the case. Your taxidermist on this side can look at the capes and tell you if he can do anything with them. If not, cut your losses and have the skull mounted. You must give taxidermist on that side specific instructions you want the whole skulls for animals you order dip and pack capes. Otherwise he may just cut off the caps for those animals. Also, give instructions for all skulls to be mounted on plaques as this expedites customs inspections on this side because they become "finished taxidermy." You may want to request scrap lumber "plaques" of crate material plywood so your taxidermist on this side can dress up the skulls per your instructions.

My outfitter deals with a taxidermist that screwed up my stuff twice. Now Hunter's & Collectors in Port Elizabeth handles my trophies. So yes, your stuff may be able to go to another taxidermist. Keep in mind taxidermists make the rounds to outfitters and pick up the salted trophies. May only be one or two taxidermists who will go to your outfitter.

Edit: The other advantage to ordering skulls with d&p capes is it may take your taxidermist here years before he can srart working on your shoulder mounts. In the meantime you have something to hang on the wall. He can call you when he's ready to start work on your stuff.

 

[Mother Plucker]

I thought that Salt Lick Worldwide did a good episode with Splitting Image Taxidermy on this one.

 

[buck wild]

I thought that Salt Lick Worldwide did a good episode with Splitting Image Taxidermy on this one.

Might have been a bit biased as a SA taxidermy company

 

[Mother Plucker]

Might have been a bit biased as a SA taxidermy company

Yes, I am sure they are going to push to have it done there. But from what I could find it is a wash on costs doing it there and shipping vs a smaller crate and having done here. Getting a cape if needed would be easier having it done there. There are positives and negatives to both, I am sure.

 

[3chunter]

If you plan to get any full mounts then you maybe better off leaving your stuff to get mounted in Africa. Multiple full body mounts would be a no brained to leave there.
Otherwise, The shipping costs of the mounts these days take away the savings of having the animals mounted over there.
My taxidermist here in the states hunted same time I did in 2024. He had his animals tanned in Namibia and half of them are crap when they came over. So no guarantee a tan job over there will be a good one. Also I had a splitting image price list in 2022 when I went and my US taxidermist was like only a few dollars more. Literally. Like $10 difference for a 14 animal shoulder mounts.