Tiring of dip pack?

tap

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truth be known i post less and less in here. i feel this should be a sight to help hunters. it has turned into a site that is more worried about everyones feelings than helping hunters to find the right people.

my biggest issue with hunting south africa right now is dip pack. yes thats actually a conpany i use and it appears that their method of dipping seems to be the status quo for africa.

has anyone DEMANDED their skulls be boiled and not dropped in a vat of acid for months on end? please use ur brains here guys when i write. dropped in acid doesnt actually happen but the process they use sure looks the same in the end.

point in case. moz, zambia, and even zim will boil my skulls and not soak my horns in harsh chemicals. when the skulls are boiled the horns of kudu, impala, sable etc are preserved perfectly. however i have yet to get one SINGLE animal out of south africa whos horns arent cracked to hell and back. for instance kudu have natural rings that run around the horn perpendicular to the length of the horn. but after you get it back from acid etching the cracks now run the length of the horn and are deeper than the grand canyon.

is there one single company in south africa that actually does dip pack on a 58" kudu that results in you getting back a 58" kudu instead of a 55" kudu with horns that havent been completely destroyed.


if any of you want to question me on this simply take your kudu horns to your local taxidermists and ask them if all those cracks are normal or good. they will feel u in on what the dip pack is doing wrong. personally dip pack in south africa is great for not loosing my animals and getting them to me but they have yet to do a job on preserving horns that is considered anything less than horrific.

u guys will absolutely bash me and say im rude. but i have several people ask me all the time this very question and it is only asked once they have their once in a lifetime trophies at home. at that point its too late and i honestly feel these guys should know whats going on and have the chance to get a better service before their once in a lifetime trophy is masacred.

i dont know how many times ive been to africa. frankly i dont care. i also have no clue how many kudu and other animals ive shot. all i know is that i've shot more than i can count and the results from south africa have always been the same.


that being said im returning in july for a buffalo and some other things. if there is a dip pack who can boil my skulls and get them to me so that they look exactly as they did when i shot them i would gladly give them a good report and add it to this thread. i can start by saying i wont use dip pack. i do like andrea but i cant handle the chemcial process he uses any more. i will gladly pay more if my trophies can be handled properly.


on another note...... when it comes to cites appendix animals. andreas is the only guy i will use for my leopards. treating hides is fine he does a good job and no one can work wonders to get leopards legally to the us like andreas. however his skull treatments are too harsh. all my euro mounts are in pieces and the dipping process has eaten away everything. andreas can handle my hides especially leopards but from now on someone else will be euro mounting my skulls.

how bout you guys. anything to add or advice to give people on dip pack?
 
Over boiling is epidemic for certain.
Thrown into a rotting vat, then boiled in a barrel over an open fire until a nice soup base is made.

My Namibian trophies were the best.

I recall a member from Europe commenting on the lack of internal nasal bones in his skills. My first thought was, what are those?
I do know what they are but have never seen them in a skull in any of my crates that made it home.


It would be interesting to have someone from Europe who actually knows what they are doing train someone in RSA to do it properly.

They would get the business.
 
truth be known i post less and less in here. i feel this should be a sight to help hunters. it has turned into a site that is more worried about everyones feelings than helping hunters to find the right people.

my biggest issue with hunting south africa right now is dip pack. yes thats actually a conpany i use and it appears that their method of dipping seems to be the status quo for africa.

has anyone DEMANDED their skulls be boiled and not dropped in a vat of acid for months on end? please use ur brains here guys when i write. dropped in acid doesnt actually happen but the process they use sure looks the same in the end.

point in case. moz, zambia, and even zim will boil my skulls and not soak my horns in harsh chemicals. when the skulls are boiled the horns of kudu, impala, sable etc are preserved perfectly. however i have yet to get one SINGLE animal out of south africa whos horns arent cracked to hell and back. for instance kudu have natural rings that run around the horn perpendicular to the length of the horn. but after you get it back from acid etching the cracks now run the length of the horn and are deeper than the grand canyon.

is there one single company in south africa that actually does dip pack on a 58" kudu that results in you getting back a 58" kudu instead of a 55" kudu with horns that havent been completely destroyed.


if any of you want to question me on this simply take your kudu horns to your local taxidermists and ask them if all those cracks are normal or good. they will feel u in on what the dip pack is doing wrong. personally dip pack in south africa is great for not loosing my animals and getting them to me but they have yet to do a job on preserving horns that is considered anything less than horrific.

u guys will absolutely bash me and say im rude. but i have several people ask me all the time this very question and it is only asked once they have their once in a lifetime trophies at home. at that point its too late and i honestly feel these guys should know whats going on and have the chance to get a better service before their once in a lifetime trophy is masacred.

i dont know how many times ive been to africa. frankly i dont care. i also have no clue how many kudu and other animals ive shot. all i know is that i've shot more than i can count and the results from south africa have always been the same.


that being said im returning in july for a buffalo and some other things. if there is a dip pack who can boil my skulls and get them to me so that they look exactly as they did when i shot them i would gladly give them a good report and add it to this thread. i can start by saying i wont use dip pack. i do like andrea but i cant handle the chemcial process he uses any more. i will gladly pay more if my trophies can be handled properly.


on another note...... when it comes to cites appendix animals. andreas is the only guy i will use for my leopards. treating hides is fine he does a good job and no one can work wonders to get leopards legally to the us like andreas. however his skull treatments are too harsh. all my euro mounts are in pieces and the dipping process has eaten away everything. andreas can handle my hides especially leopards but from now on someone else will be euro mounting my skulls.

how bout you guys. anything to add or advice to give people on dip pack?
Two points

First, I agree with you that much of the work the passes for taxidermy in Africa is atrocious. That may also be the case here in North America but I think a bad taxidermist will get weeded out faster here than there. The reality is that South Africa has a pretty captive market, and many taxidermists there don't rely on repeat business. I also agree that when it comes to tanning, they generally can get that done without too many issues. But horns? I've received horns that were effectively ruined.

There have been lots of reviews of taxidermy, most good, some bad and a few awful. All of it helpful, as is your post.

I'm using someone new for my Limpopo hunt last year, and will be sure to post a review when I get my trophies back.

Second, I have posted on this site for a long time (or so it seems to me), and I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about when you say "it has turned into a site that is more worried about everyones feelings than helping hunters to find the right people.."

I've never seen anyone here particularly worried about hurting someone's feelings - there are lots of examples of tough posts. What this site does, and what I think differentiates it from the other one (where I also belong) is the fact that people are more respectful about how they do it. Virtually no foul language, name calling or ridiculing, but still some pretty tough messages nonetheless. I've been the brunt of some of those myself when I've posted something a bit goofy (see a thread on velocity . . .). But I wouldn't have it any other way.

And by the way, I didn't see anything in your post which wouldn't pass at my Aunt's tea parties.
 
Thin skin Wayne?!!

I assumed @RolandtheHeadless meant the lack of caps in the original post . . . but if you feel the need to shout from the rooftops, don't let me stop you!(y)

:ROFLMAO: Thanks for that. I am actually not that slow.
 
I am sorry you have had such bad luck. last yr 2 of us hunted with andri fox and killed 30+ critters. Andri did them for us himself for a very good price, got our exports permits, etc and had our animals back to us in a little over 2 months!! They were all perfect condtion incuding capes, skulls etc and that's not only to our stds but Dennis Harris stds too as we took all of them to him and he was pleased with Andri's work. And Dennis is very particular taxidermist. BY THE WAY ONE OF MY KUDU WAS 59 AND IT CAME BACK 59 PERFECT! So maybe Andri will do some dip pack for others I know Dennis has contacted him about the possibility? I have hunted several other countries and I must be lucky never had anything ruined yet, so fingers crossed my luck continues:)
 
Yes, I was talking about the OP. Didn't mean to be rude, but I gave up reading it. Too much work to figure out where one sentence ends and the next begins.

Writers owe more consideration to readers than that.
 
truth be known i post less and less in here. i feel this should be a sight to help hunters. it has turned into a site that is more worried about everyones feelings than helping hunters to find the right people.

my biggest issue with hunting south africa right now is dip pack. yes thats actually a conpany i use and it appears that their method of dipping seems to be the status quo for africa.

has anyone DEMANDED their skulls be boiled and not dropped in a vat of acid for months on end? please use ur brains here guys when i write. dropped in acid doesnt actually happen but the process they use sure looks the same in the end.

point in case. moz, zambia, and even zim will boil my skulls and not soak my horns in harsh chemicals. when the skulls are boiled the horns of kudu, impala, sable etc are preserved perfectly. however i have yet to get one SINGLE animal out of south africa whos horns arent cracked to hell and back. for instance kudu have natural rings that run around the horn perpendicular to the length of the horn. but after you get it back from acid etching the cracks now run the length of the horn and are deeper than the grand canyon.

is there one single company in south africa that actually does dip pack on a 58" kudu that results in you getting back a 58" kudu instead of a 55" kudu with horns that havent been completely destroyed.


if any of you want to question me on this simply take your kudu horns to your local taxidermists and ask them if all those cracks are normal or good. they will feel u in on what the dip pack is doing wrong. personally dip pack in south africa is great for not loosing my animals and getting them to me but they have yet to do a job on preserving horns that is considered anything less than horrific.

u guys will absolutely bash me and say im rude. but i have several people ask me all the time this very question and it is only asked once they have their once in a lifetime trophies at home. at that point its too late and i honestly feel these guys should know whats going on and have the chance to get a better service before their once in a lifetime trophy is masacred.

i dont know how many times ive been to africa. frankly i dont care. i also have no clue how many kudu and other animals ive shot. all i know is that i've shot more than i can count and the results from south africa have always been the same.


that being said im returning in july for a buffalo and some other things. if there is a dip pack who can boil my skulls and get them to me so that they look exactly as they did when i shot them i would gladly give them a good report and add it to this thread. i can start by saying i wont use dip pack. i do like andrea but i cant handle the chemcial process he uses any more. i will gladly pay more if my trophies can be handled properly.


on another note...... when it comes to cites appendix animals. andreas is the only guy i will use for my leopards. treating hides is fine he does a good job and no one can work wonders to get leopards legally to the us like andreas. however his skull treatments are too harsh. all my euro mounts are in pieces and the dipping process has eaten away everything. andreas can handle my hides especially leopards but from now on someone else will be euro mounting my skulls.

how bout you guys. anything to add or advice to give people on dip pack?

Thanks for the insight. I am expecting my first set this spring and I will take a look at them with these thoughts in mind. It will be interesting and I hope I can subsequently recommend a taxidermist for you!
 
how bout you guys. anything to add or advice to give people on dip pack?

Amen brother.

I do a better job with a $30 turkey fryer set up in my back yard on skulls.

This last trip was the absolute worst mess I have seen in skull work, total joke.

Actually decided to not do a hunt this year after this experience while I decide if just doing some management hunting and leaving it all behind might fit my plans better than the specific animals I would like.
 
Too many outfitters think it's purely the taxidermist job. We do all the boiling ourselves, just like buckdog said his outfitter did it.
 
wow. u guys care enough about ur clients to boil the skulls for them.

seriously, my hats off to you.

also.....no caps here. im on an iphone and quite frankly if it isnt mis spelled then im happy.

small screen, giant thumbs........ what prints prints.

i honestly feel jerome needs to put right at the top of every freaking forum...... beware dip pack IT SUCKS!

gonna just build a campfire in my bathroom a week before i fly out and do all mine in the bathtub at once.


i will tell u guys what! if u want to make more money offer $100 a head for skull boiling. i for one would gladly pay for it!


seriously though. im surprised everyone else is having the same experience. i just assumed everyone thought all those cracks were normal
this is something i really feel needs to stay at the top of a board somewhere as a warning to all before they go on safari.

afterall. why go on safari if all ur trophies will be ruined anyways.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@tap, well being stuck in the Mozambique bush, we don't have a choice.
 
afterall. why go on safari if all ur trophies will be ruined anyways.

Well, after a certain number, the trophies become less important and the hunting becomes more important. I'm off on a trip in a few days, and I have a bunch of animals on quota, but I don't really expect to bring home too many trophies. Western roan? Hope I get a big one, but I have a southern roan mounted in my den. Don't need two.

I've found that as I get older, I just want to hunt. And not worrying so much about taxidermy save a pile of money. And it never seems to go away. First you pay for the dip and pack or some of the taxidermy in Africa. If you're doing taxidermy, you pay part up front and then get a bill when it's done. Then you pay for crating and shipping. And then when it gets home you pay for the broker and a few other odds and ends. Then you open the crates, and decide half of what's there isn't good enough to go on the wall anyway.

Enjoy the hunt, take lots of pictures, and keep only the truly special.
 
All I do is euro mounts, saves space and money. Never had an issue with horns, except one which came with maggots, but yes, I also have complained on this forum about overboiling.

Fortunately, I have an outstanding taxidermist who will fix anything :)
 
Tap,
Thanks for posting! This is THE biggest problem in the safari industry as far as I'm concerned. You can hunt with anyone and they all do the same thing. They hand it off to some so called taxidermist who holds it for a year then messes up the nose bones or does something wrong or careless.

I had this conversation with John @Westfalen Hunting Safaris before I left. I told him of my bad experiences with dip and pack. He said he would see what he could do for me. He got my dip and pack perfectly done and to Texas in 30 DAYS! So folks it can be done and NO MORE BS from those taxidermists who make excuses. They all wait until the season is over then Bach their paperwork and neglect the trophies and you get it in about a year!
Tap you are right, it is high time we hold these people accountable. And yes you got me fired up today!
Regards
Philip
 
Use Swift Dip in the Limpopo Province! They do an excellent job!
 
has anyone DEMANDED their skulls be boiled and not dropped in a vat of acid for months on end? please use ur brains here guys when i write. dropped in acid doesnt actually happen but the process they use sure looks the same in the end.

I thought all D & P companies boiled skulls... I wasn't aware that some facilitates used vats of acid?? I have never heard of this and didn't know it was an option.. Boiling should be a 2-part process if done right, with 2 adequate drying times accounted for in the process. The only acid that I am aware of is a solution of formic acid and sodium carbonate used to treat only the skins. Then after the 28 days of salt drying, they are treated with an insecticide before packing.

He got my dip and pack perfectly done and to Texas in 30 DAYS!

PG, I am definitely no expert, but I'm not certain that the D & P process is supposed to be done that fast? It was my understanding that boiling skulls, dipping skins, drying and retreating was a multi-step process to get the best results? The skins are to soak in the formic acid solution for 3 days before salting and drying for 28 days.... Maybe s this BS?? I don't know... Just what I was told when I inquired.

In any event, I guess that I have been lucky and fortunate with my D & P experiences. I had no idea so many folks had issues with their services. I have used Trophy Pro SA in the Limpopo on my last 4 safaris and always received excellent results. I don't go by my opinion, this is what my taxidermist has mentioned to me upon receiving the trophies. The entire process took on average 3-4 months door to door. The 3-4 months is actually better for me so I have time to save up some more money after shooting too many animals on safari. ;)
 

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