SA hunting facts

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trophy export & taxidermists

Your trophies and their preparation are the responsibility of the outfitter (and not your PH) from the time the animal is shot up to the time the field dressed horns and skins are delivered to the taxidermist.

RAW EXPORT

• In the field, your PH and his trackers or skinners will prepare the skin and horns to your specifications and lay them in salt

• It will take a couple of weeks to dry before they are delivered or collected by the taxidermist. Transporting wet skins is not a good idea as hair loss easily occurs if they get too hot (you'll also only notice this once the skins are being tanned prior to mounting)

• For the trophies to be shipped raw, they have to go through a process called "Dip, Pack and Crating" at the taxidermist, which is a cleaning and sterilising procedure.

• Most important, the outfitter has to apply to all the relevant Nature Conservation Authorities in the province where the animals were shot for export permits for each trophy. If you hunted nyala in Natal and kudu in Northern province separate applications have to be made to each Nature Conservation body

• Once the trophies have undergone treatment in the dip, pack and crating process (usually 2-6 weeks) they are packed into crates ready for shipment

• At this stage the relevant export permits have hopefully been issued by the Nature Conservation authorities and your crates are delivered to the shipping company for forwarding to your taxidermist back home

• Outfitters will usually tell their clients that it can take anything from 4 weeks to 3 months before the trophies are shipped and from experience this is the average wait the client can expect

DELAY PROBLEMS
Many small and seemingly insignificant procedures can cause a delay in trophy shipment leading to extreme frustration and ruined friendships.

• The most common problem and frustration experienced by outfitters is the delay caused by some Nature Conservation authorities with the issuing of export permits.

• The speed at which permits are issued vary according to province and the experience and number of staff handling the applications. One must remember that South Africa's complicated set of hunting regulations also requires extra time and investigation for some applications, adding to the delay. Considering their limited staff and the amount of applications, the Nature Conservation authorities often come under undue criticism from outfitters (they often are a handy excuse to many outfitters).

• Another cause of delay may arise if your outfitter and PH do not have their permits in order with the Provincial Nature Conservation. This can refer to either their general operating permits or permits particular to specific species (especially the Big 5).

• Sometimes it is a number of weeks before your trophies are delivered by the outfitter to the taxidermist for the start of Dip, Pack and Crate.

• Often the larger taxidermists cannot stick to their promised completion schedule, especially during the peak hunting season. Remember, taxidermists make more money from mounting work and this is where their priority lies.

• Most of the time, taxidermists require payment for their work in foreign currency before they will commence the final stages of packing and crating. Once you have left the country you will then be required to make a money transfer to their account. This can, in some cases, cause at least 3 weeks delay with faxes and phone calls going back and forth before the money is sent and received.

There is a simple solution to all of the above. Have your trophies mounted by a South African taxidermist. Export permits are not required for finished trophies, except for CITES listed species. Obtaining a CITES export permit is a simple procedure.

• South African taxidermists are exceptionally good at mounting the species of Africa. They have all the correct moulds and experience to perform a fine job and do so at a reduced rate. Usually, even after crating and shipment, South African taxidermists are 20-30% cheaper.

• They can take anything from 6 months to a year to complete the work, but this is a reasonable time period when compared with taxidermists overseas.

• Often, if your skins are damaged they have easy access to additional skins at a nominal fee.

• The Rand exchange rate to the major foreign currencies, especially the US dollar, almost always works in the hunter's favor.

Ask your outfitter or PH to take you to visit one of their recommended taxidermists to have a look at their work and prices. You will not be disappointed.