Need Help/Info on First Africa Hunt!!

[Draxx11]

Hey guys,

A friend and I got a package hunt with Etosha View Hunting that has to be used this year so we are planning for October. I need some honest opinions on taxidermy. We’re we recommended to use a place in Africa which looks like they do great work. On the other hand I see a lot of people saying to dip and pack then get it done over here in Canada. Also, costs.. don’t want to cheap out on a possibly once in a lifetime hunt but also don’t want to take out a second mortgage. How do you break up the payments? Pay for all taxidermy right on the spot or pay percentage and the rest when product is finished?

For those of you with experience what would you recommend and why?

Also, I’m trying to debate on taking my own rifle or just renting. Things that are keeping me from deciding are the potential to lose a rifle (not cheap) in transport and on the other hand, shooting rifles I’ve never practiced with. Recommendations?

Any tips, things I should know about in advance would be great. I have a budget laid out and the animals I’m after with all those costs associated already as well as accommodations/guides.

[Smoky buck]

Never been to Africa but I have seen some crap mounts and know people with bad experiences with African taxidermy. I was warned South Africa is bad for bait and switch show rooms. My taxidermist friend says he has even received poorly dipped hides from South Africa but the stuff he has received from Namibia is much better. From those I know who have been to Africa they say get your taxidermy done in North America. I don’t doubt there are some good taxidermists in Africa but sounds like it can be a gamble

Good luck on your trip and research

[marky_mark]

Ive never been to africa
But i have done some flying with a firearm
Biggest thing is to have 2.5 hour min layovers
The airlines and governtments your travelling through want you to be with your rifle
Make sure you research which countries and airports are hunter friendly
And what you need for notification for some airlines that your travelling with a firearm.
Some airlines dont like hunters as well
If you get the option, upgrade to business class. Better baggage handling, more luggage allowed free or lower rates etc
Get good luggage as well, that doesnt count as oversize. I know a few guys that bought the nice big sitka suitcase and it oversized. Extra couple hundred bucks for luggage each way.

[oldgutpile]

Even the term "Africa" is too vague. Each country within "Africa" has a different set of rules when it comes to "gun friendly" and necessary permits, etc.
Etosha National Park is the northern part of Namibia, so shoudl we assume that is your destination?
Namibia is extremely gun freindly with minimal time lost at entry and exit. The wife and I were there in June of 2018 and had a great time. We (I) made arrangements months in advance to cover all the necessary permits for travel with a firearm. Most of the carriers didn't even open my gun case to check the firearm, they were only interested in the paperwork.
I chose to have the mounts fully done in Namibia. I was able to visit the actual studio and see the quality of the finnished mounts, get the price list on each mount, and discuss the turns of the forms, etc. The downside is, that they ship when they are all finnished, and you get hit with the big bill in one shot.
The reduced cost of taxidermy in Namibia offset the cost of shipping. I made the final decision to go with this route based entirely on the fact that these are the guys who handle these animals daily, and know what the final product should look like. Every fold of skin, eyelash, and nose tuck is familiar to them.
If I had anything negative to say at all, it would be that the final shipment was wrapped soooo tightly, that some of the maines and beards were folded down tight to the animals, and they are hell getting them to lay properly. The packaging and the crating itself was done extremely well, with no issues to the mounts in transit.

[kaleh01]

Clinton is the Canadian rep for Etosha View hunting in Namibia. Hey’s a great guy and will be glad to answer any questions whether you book with him or not. Tell him Kale sent you. I’ll pm you his #

[Dean2]

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=361267

This should help answer a bunch of your questions on flying with guns, taxidermy and a good SA one etc..


If you want to talk further PM me your phone number. Always happy to talk about hunting.

[Draxx11]

Thanks for the info so far everyone. I guess I should’ve said the location but it will be in Namibia. I have spoken with Clinton a bit already and he’s been very helpful. I’m just try to get as much research and info done in the next couple months before it gets too late.

What are some recommend cases for rifles? I was looking at a couple pelicans at Cabelas but I’ll wait a bit to decide first.

Dean, thanks for sharing your previous post. I’ll have to read through once I’m off at work, lots of info to take in. Much appreciated.

[marky_mark]

I use the pelican vault cases
You can cut out the foam to fit your rifle and other things
They have changed the rules for flying with ammo and it can be stored in the case now with your rifle
the double rifle case has wheels which are nice when going between terminals

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

I use the pelican vault cases
You can cut out the foam to fit your rifle and other things
They have changed the rules for flying with ammo and it can be stored in the case now with your rifle
the double rifle case has wheels which are nice when going between terminals

Mark

You will want to check both the airline and the country you are flying into and through. Some do now allow ammo in the same case, some stridently do not. If you have ammo in the same case landing at Heathrow or transiting you are going to have a major problem.

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by Dean2

Mark

You will want to check both the airline and the country you are flying into and through. Some do now allow ammo in the same case, some stridently do not. If you have ammo in the same case landing at Heathrow or transiting you are going to have a major problem.

For sure
Everyone says to skip Heathrow and amsterdam
Better connections through paris germany turkey austria etc
I got to chat with the police going through warsaw
Had all my paperwork correct and enough notice was given
Not stopping there this time when I go back to russia
Usually the worst is when your coming back and the canadian customs
Ive missed 3 flights because they took their sweet time

[Fowl91]

I had all my taxidermy done in SA and shipped back, and it is all done very well. I was able to visit the taxidermy shop and look around before making the decision. It was way less than getting it brought back, but I was also on a tight budget then. The work I’ve seen of African mounts done here in AB is far better than mine, so as they say.. you do get what you pay for.

I borrowed the “estate rifle” when I went, and it was excellent. I had time at the range to get used to it and had no problems.

[eric-kam]

Don't fly with british airways. They use smaller companies for transfer flights within arfrica, and some refuse to ship any hunting items... that's how my bow got left behind from the Johannesburg to Namibia and I had to resort to rifle hunting.

I never did travel with a rifle, but even a bow was a pain in the butt, unless you are really keen on using your gun I would just rent one. Easier and cheaper in the long run, makes for flight down and back a lot more stress free, and if you plan on going early or staying later it wont be an issue.

[Draxx11]

Thanks again for the info. I’ll do some more research.

If I have to put ammo separate, what would you recommend and how much would you take? If I decide to take my rifle it’ll be a 30-06, ol faithful lol.


I’ll post what I have for budgeting so far:

Tags
Kudu 1900
Eland 1700
Warthog 400
Gemsbok 0
Red Hartebeest. 0
Total 4000

Taxidermy
Kudu 900
Eland 100
Warthog 100
Gemsbok 750
Red Hartebeest 100
Total 1950

Day Rate (Accomadation, food & Guide) 10 days hunting, 3 days are included in pkg.
250x7=1750

Rifle rental, ammo included 40/day.
40x10= 400

Travel round trip from airport to hunting ranch and back to airport is 450
450/2 = 225


4000
1950
1750
400
225


Total = 8325

All prices American.

Current conversion rate is 1.32 to Canadian

For $11,019.39

Flight in Canadian are approx 1600 for a round trip.

Total plus flight
$12,619.39

Still require a decision on tip amount, transport fees to taxidermy (was told this is covered by etosha view), shipping fees for mounts back to Canada/home.

Approx 2500 US for shipping. Which is 3300 Canadian. Will budget 4000 to be safe.

New total
$16,619.39


Any other tips I may have overlooked as a first timer?

[Prewar]

Its not so much how many rounds ...its the weight.You are allowed 5kg. That's not a lot of live ammo, especially if its .375 or larger. I think I was a little over but they just asked if it was under 5, they never weighed it... $1600 to Namibia?? I think your wrong there. They always seem to show the 1 way price. Last August we were $3000 return to Ortambo in S.A. . And don't forget your EXCOL PERMITS from Canada which you will need to come and go from Canada with firearms, ammo, and riflescope's above 3x magnification...

[marky_mark]

I’d bring 2 boxes of ammo
If your shooting 5 animals that avg out to 8 rounds/per lol
Best bet might be something like a 180gr a frame to penetrate deep
I would also go over where to aim for each animal as their anatomy is a little different from here.
Take lots of pictures
I always forget to do this until I get home
I think I’ve taken a lot, but the more the better

[AB2506]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

For sure
Everyone says to skip Heathrow and amsterdam
Better connections through paris germany turkey austria etc
I got to chat with the police going through warsaw
Had all my paperwork correct and enough notice was given
Not stopping there this time when I go back to russia
Usually the worst is when your coming back and the canadian customs
Ive missed 3 flights because they took their sweet time

Nothing to fear going through Amsterdam. Permit is free and easy to fill out. KLM is a very nice airline. Gets to Joberg from Calgary in only 22.5hrs. Try that on any other airline.

They now fly to Namibia without going through RSA. I have some friends going on KLM. Get a good travel agent.

Understand that taxidermy costs will be due at a later date.

Shipping will be at an even later date. Use African Hunting Gazette (AHG) Shipping, they will save you money.

If you live near Calgary or Edmonton, clear the trophies yourself. Surprisingly easy to do (at least in Calgary) and you probably save $250-400 pretty easily. PM me for more details if you are interested.

[AB2506]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

I’d bring 2 boxes of ammo
If your shooting 5 animals that avg out to 8 rounds/per lol
Best bet might be something like a 180gr a frame to penetrate deep
I would also go over where to aim for each animal as their anatomy is a little different from here.
Take lots of pictures
I always forget to do this until I get home
I think I’ve taken a lot, but the more the better

Better yet, take 60 rounds.

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by AB2506

Nothing to fear going through Amsterdam. Permit is free and easy to fill out. KLM is a very nice airline. Gets to Joberg from Calgary in only 22.5hrs. Try that on any other airline.

They now fly to Namibia without going through RSA. I have some friends going on KLM. Get a good travel agent.

Understand that taxidermy costs will be due at a later date.

Shipping will be at an even later date. Use African Hunting Gazette (AHG) Shipping, they will save you money.

If you live near Calgary or Edmonton, clear the trophies yourself. Surprisingly easy to do (at least in Calgary) and you probably save $250-400 pretty easily. PM me for more details if you are interested.

Learn a new thing everyday
I heard it was a big red flag
Not as bad as London but not good

[thumper]

We hunted South Arica a few years ago. My partner brought his rifle, I didn't want to bother with all the paperwork and hassles, so I rented a rifle from the outfitter - which I was pleased with. Clearing customs in S.A. took about 40 minutes longer because of my pals firearm. No big deal, but he fretted a lot about the rifle, ammo, correct forms and all.

We decided that we'd have our taxidermy done in S.A. for a few reasons.
1) It helps their economy, and ensures that hunting continues in that country. If wildlife didn't add value to peoples lives in Africa - there'd be no wildlife. We were happy to contribute.
2) We didn't want the hassle of shepherding hides & heads through various deposits, customs, dipping, dealing with more government agents and then deposits and taxidermists here in Canada. After our hunt, our outfitter put everything in a trailer, we drove to the taxidermist 'studio', looked at the hundreds of mounts he had, chose the poses we wanted, and what we wanted done with extra hides. The outfitter recommended a fellow who handled all the shipping and customs forms. Some months later, we took 2 trucks into the Calgary Airport and picked up the crates & brought them home. Easy peasy.
3) We got a great tour of the S.A. taxidermy place. We each had 2 shoulder mounts done, and the rest were all skull mounts on S.A. teak plaques. We met a native artist who painted the animals on leather, which is displayed under the skull on the plaque. I had a gun case made from my springbok hide that makes me smile every time I go to the range, a traditional fly swiper made from the tail of my Black wildebeast, (like Michael Caine swishes around in ZULU !) and some tanned hides for coffee tables. All from ideas found at the taxidermists - and all quite inexpensive. We also had the opportunity to point out what we didn't want - for instance, Africans tend to want to paint gemsbok horns black, (sometimes almost a glossy black) - we wanted them left in their natural colours.
4) We weren't looking for high art trophy mounts, with damp dew on the eye-lashes sort of things! We just wanted good, representative shoulder mounts to remind us of our hunt. There's some fantastic Alberta taxidermists that do very artistic work, but we just wanted simple mounts, done by competent Africans who handle hundreds of African game every year. As a result, we kept our taxidermy costs very low.

Hope this helps - have a blast over there!

[Ryry4]

My first trip to Africa was to Namibia. My travel agent had it arranged for my guns and baggage to be checked all the way to Windhoek. If you are traveling via London make sure your gun is checked through to at least Jo-burg. Most travel agents that cater to hunters will have some sort of meet and greet set up to help clear your gun in Jo-burg. It's costs a few extra bucks but I'd prefer to use my own gun, that's what I bought them for. My suggestion is to bring at least 2 boxes of ammo per caliber, if not 3. You never know how bad a scope might be out after travelling around the world.

As far as taxidermy goes I have had nothing done over there. Always had it just dipped and packed and sent to my taxidermist in Alberta. I'd rather spend the extra cash and have the guy I trust do the work here.

Also, don't pack heavy. 2-3 changes of clothes tops. Laundry will be done every day. Our last trip my wife packed everything for 2 weeks in her backpack.


Enjoy every second of it. Namiba is a beautiful place and with the recent rains hopefully they will be recovering from the drought that has plagued them for the past few years. If you have time spend a day or two in Windhoek. Go to Joe's Beerhouse, do some shopping.

And what ever you do; DO NOT DRINK JAEGERMEISTER WITH NAMIBIANS!!

Trust me on this.

[Double Shovel]

I have heard the comment quite a few times that because they live there they know the animals better there for the Taxidermy will be better that can't be more further from the truth. I have seen guys here that have mounted 500 plus white tails still get the nose colour wrong eye colours wrong what you need to look for is a taxidermist either there or here that knows how to determine reference and apply it to your mount .We have just finished quoting out a job to fix an animal that was mounted over there that came with two distinctly different coloured eyes so to say they know better is not really the truth .My mount cost would be a lot less as well if I could pay my workers $5 a day so you have to take that into consideration that the cost here in Canada for the taxidermist are a lot more than over there. I have seen good Taxidermy come from there but just because your Outfitter takes you to their person does not mean they are the best ones again there are good ones over there you just need to do your homework. What I tell people is just remember once it lands here you have to live with the way it shows up versus having a taxidermist here do it where you can stop in and see each animal as they do it and another thing your shipping costs should be higher to accommodate your larger mounts so your savings on the mounts some of it will go to the shipping

[Osky]

I haven't been to the dark continent in over 35 years but are they no longer charging trophy fees?
You mentioned a gun case. Buy the best money can buy, you can resell it upon returning home.
Oh, and most importantly stay up wind of your trackers.
As for mounts, having been a lot of places and having however many heads hanging all over around here were I to do it all again I would do euro mounts and then add a large picture under each mount on the wall. The picture would be me and the animal at the kill site with a nice bit of background for people to take in as much of the event as they can.
Just a thought and a money saver.

Osky

[GooseSlammer]

I have been fortunate enough to hunt in Africa twice already, and can't wait to get back there again soon. Amazing place and really gets into your blood once you've experienced it. Not sure if anyone else made the comment yet about the "once in a lifetime trip", but it's tough to go there and not go back!

But that's beside the point for now...

Regarding taxidermy, I have had very different experiences on my 2 trips, and I would HIGHLY encourage you to be flexible in your plans until you actually see the work the taxidermists do (in person). It will also depend on what types of mounts you are getting done, and which animals - as quality within a shop can vary greatly on different critters!

From my own experience, the taxidermists that my outfitters took me to on both hunts were excellent with shoulder mounts on common plainsgame species. Great quality, reasonable prices, and no concerns.

However, as soon as you started getting into other types of mounts (flying waterfowl, leopards, hyenas, etc.) a lot of the mounts were absolutely horrible and total crap. On my Namibia trip I was planned to hunt both brown and spotted hyenas, and unfortunately tags fell through at the last minute. (That's a story for another day). But in hindsight, had I got both of those hyenas and ended up (on the last day of my trip) in the taxidermy shop on the way to the airport, I would have been horrified at the mounts if I had them done at that shop! My outfitter told me how amazing the cat mounts were that this guy did, and when I showed up I was almost relieved that I didn't get my leopard! They were some of the worst mounts I've ever seen!

So the lesson learned on that one (and why I suggest being "flexible" in your plans) is that if I was put in that situation again (and actually had my hyenas or leopard about to be dropped off at a taxidermist like that) I would want the ability to quickly switch gears and say "dip it and ship it" and then have it sent to my taxidermist in Alberta.

On another note (and this should not be overlooked!) - the shipping costs on shoulder mounts and everything else are often HUGE COSTS. So the money that people often think they have saved on cheaper taxidermy gets killed with shipping fees. It literally costs more to ship the trophies than to get them mounted in many cases, and it blindsides a lot of hunters!

Regarding renting a gun, I have had that debate myself on both trips, and decided to rent a rifle on both safaris. I found that all rifles I shot were sighted in nicely and despite myself not being the world's greatest shot, I made some pretty fantastic shots and hit the mark nicely on most targets. Anything that didn't hit the spot was 100% on me - not the rifle.

Personally, while I haven't gone through the paperwork process, I have different friends from different safaris that have had some nightmare stories with travelling with guns. I find long travel can be tough enough - without the worries of how customs will handle things. Just my input, but the rifles I've shot were dialed in nicely and built to make clients successful.

Hope that helps.

Good luck on your trip. Once you've been there it will haunt you to go back! I think about it every day!

[LOWA]

South Africa is known for good taxidermy according to a friend.

[Prewar]

Originally Posted by LOWA

South Africa is known for good taxidermy according to a friend.

I know I would confidently blow $20,000 on a hunt with this information.. !!!

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by Prewar

I know I would confidently blow $20,000 on a hunt with this information.. !!!

Check out the taxidermy in this thread and pictures. There isw a whole section on Taxidermy. There are more pictures of the work in the Album link at the top of the article. Like every where, some SA taxidermy is great, some is crap. The shipping prices are in the thread, I thought they were actually pretty reasonable but it doesn't include some shipping costs re broker etc if you decide to use one..

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=361267