Taxidermy of African Animals

[hunterjmj]

Do you typically bring your rifles with you or use rifles provided by the outfitters? Id like to hunt Cape buffalo someday in Namibia or Mozambique. Not sure if it'll ever happen but I can hope.

 

[fmlyman]

Do you typically bring your rifles with you or use rifles provided by the outfitters? Id like to hunt Cape buffalo someday in Namibia or Mozambique. Not sure if it'll ever happen but I can hope.

This will be my first trip to Africa and I'm doing it with a bow so I can't respond. A friend that's going with us is hunting buffalo and is renting the rifle - knowing that they won't have another need for a rifle that big.

 

[tpicou]

I'm doing an African Safari in South Africa in May and will be shooting 5 animals, all archery. For those that may have done this before did you have your taxidermy done in Africa or have it dipped and packed and shipped back to the states? What did you choose and why and what were the results? Will be north of Johannesburg. Thanks in advance for any input!

We get it done there (only have experience in SA and Namibia though). If you talk to the PH they'll know what places do good/decent work. You most likely won't get the quality that you can get here with one of the premier wildlife artistry taxidermists, but it's also A LOT cheaper to do it there. We only usually do like 1-2 shoulder mounts, the rest euro, and then hides if we think they'll make good rugs or whatever.

Shipping is a bitch though, ngl. I recommend working with one of the importers who specialize in the paperwork if you don't feel like dealing with that type of thing. The Africa Hunting forums usually have like $50 off or whatever with an importer or two and they make it easy to deal with. Basically a pay and forget it situation.

 

[fmlyman]

We get it done there (only have experience in SA and Namibia though). If you talk to the PH they'll know what places do good/decent work. You most likely won't get the quality that you can get here with one of the premier wildlife artistry taxidermists, but it's also A LOT cheaper to do it there. We only usually do like 1-2 shoulder mounts, the rest euro, and then hides if we think they'll make good rugs or whatever.

Shipping is a bitch though, ngl. I recommend working with one of the importers who specialize in the paperwork if you don't feel like dealing with that type of thing. The Africa Hunting forums usually have like $50 off or whatever with an importer or two and they make it easy to deal with. Basically a pay and forget it situation.

I've heard that it used to be a lot cheaper but the prices have gone up for taxidermy in SA in the recent years that make it almost a wash for the added shipping cost that gets tagged onto full taxidermy mounts. Have you seen prices increase?

 

[tpicou]

Do you typically bring your rifles with you or use rifles provided by the outfitters? Id like to hunt Cape buffalo someday in Namibia or Mozambique. Not sure if it'll ever happen but I can hope.

Have done it both ways. It's really just preference on what you're comfortable with. I'd recommend paying someone to help with firearm importation, though. I don't necessarily trust shady governments to not throw me in jail over a small error.

 

[tpicou]

I've heard that it used to be a lot cheaper but the prices have gone up for taxidermy in SA in the recent years that make it almost a wash for the added shipping cost that gets tagged onto full taxidermy mounts. Have you seen prices increase?

I haven't experienced the price increases, no, but ymmv depending on where you're going, who you use, what you get, local prices, etc.
For example, last week we paid for taxidermy from our 2023 SA trip: 5 euro mounts, a white blesbok shoulder mount, a couple full hides (including zebra with leather backing for rug to give my dad), a mounted ostrich wing, and a tanned ostrich hide for like $2k not shipped.

I did a woodcock mount here in maryland a month ago and it was $500.

 

[Kilboars]

I had mine done in SA. Mostly euro mounts but had two wart hogs done and a Sable. They packed the Sable poorly and crushed the mane which I was not happy about. I think you can go either way.

 

[Mojave]

Skull mounts, cheaper shipping, pay for more animals.

If you shoot a zebra ok, but that's really the only one worth doing.