NZ Trophy Export costs

[buzzy]

Heading to NZ in a few weeks to hunt a 360-400" red stag, Arawapa ram, and feral goat. I talked to the taxidermist that my outfitter uses asking them for an estimate to have the 3 animals euro mounted and shipped to San Francisco International airport. Below is a breakdown of the costs in US dollars:

These costs are known and accurate
Euro stag - $240
Euro ram - $190
Euro goat - $190
travel documents - $220
Trucking to Christchurch airport - $350

These costs are estimates as we don't know the size of the crate or wt
Crate and packing - $450
Air freight - $1350

Total costs would be $3K and this is we me clearing the shipment thru customs and picking up the crate at SFO. I'm finding these costs to be dang high but haven't shipped anything from NZ before. I was afraid of these costs but others have said the prices were a lot more reasonable as of late.

If anyone has any recent knowledge of costs for shipping of trophies from NZ please let me know what your thoughts are. Or if you have a recommendation for a taxidermist in the Christchurch area that is good or more reasonably priced please let me know. For the first time I am seriously considering just taking photos and leaving the horns behind or maybe just splitting the skull cap and trying to take the stag horns back with me for just a horn mount.

Thanks

 

[Nickziegler]

Those costs look spot on. Your getting euros done there and paying that fee which doesnt look too bad. They can't split the skull cap of the stag so your crate will be double the size. I just paid $1000 to ship a split stag and tahr to Chicago. Paid 250 for crate and 250 each per animal. That's already $$1750 without taxidermy. That price seems fair. Alot of guys are charging a lot now days for even euro mounts. If your considering that just don't shoot the ram or goat and problem solved. $1500 less for the animal and $190 less for taxidermy to spend that on costs to get home

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[Torrent50]

I'm tagging along on this one as I have a hunt in NZ in 2025 for stag and tahr. I have a $2000 placeholder for animal care and shipping, so am curious about actual costs and/or options.

 

[bluemaroon]

Your estimates look pretty good. It cost around $3k to get my salted hide and non-split skull and horns back. My dad’s split horns also were able to fit in the crate which helped save some cost. There seemed to be a lot of little fees beyond just the air freight and crating that added up.

The total cost would have been lower if I didn’t want to euro mount which would have meant a cheaper crate fee and shipping cost. I had the euro mount fee with my local taxidermy shop on top of that.

So if you’re getting completed euros and shipping/crating all for $3k, that’s probably not a bad deal.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt! Definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in the world!

 

[WCB]

This was in 2017...but we brought back 1 Tahr skin (fullbody), skull&horns, 1 Chamois cape, skull and horns, 2 Arapawa skins, skulls and horns. weight 93lbs dimensions 1.24m x .51m x .47m+ 50kgs volume it was $687.50 from NZ to Chicago. It was total $400 for the crate/packing/and transport to Christchurch.

No doubt your crate will be bigger...maybe 2x or more what mine was. I have some 300-330" elk euros in my garage and the crate would have to be double. I am also guessing prices have increased obviously so I would be your numbers are close with airfreight being double what I paid.

Sorry no way I am spending the money to go there and then leave the trophies behind...pictures are great and all but not the same. MAYBE if you have already shot a number of them or did the hunting as a side thing while there....I would split the skull and just do a skull mount or see if the taxi can make horns removable on a euro mount alone...not sure if that can be done.