Sunny to partly cloudy. High 77F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low near 55F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

If there's one piece of wisdom a hunter should hold onto, it's this: put some thought into your trophies before you go hunting. Once you've decided on the species you want to hunt, you must decide how and where you will have them displayed.

If you want your trophies mounted by a taxidermist back home, you must have them dipped and shipped by a registered agent in South Africa. South African shipping facilities can deliver raw or mounted trophies. After a South African taxidermist carefully works on a raw shipment, it will be sent to a taxidermist or tannery of your choice in your home country.

If you decide to have a mounted trophy and have the taxidermy in South Africa, it is imperative that you discuss all options with a South African taxidermist before you leave the country or as soon as they have provided you with a taxidermy order, listing all of your trophies taken. Key to your choice will be the type of mount required. 

There is a wide range of options available: full-mounts; shoulder-mounts; wall pedestal-mounts; floor pedestal-mounts; rug-mounts; half-mounts; skull shield-mounts; tanned skins for display; leather and the making of leather items. The possibilities are endless, and it’s the taxidermist's aim to custom design trophies to meet the client’s preference, most beautifully. View magnificent game pedestals.

The taxidermist will need to ensure that they comply with all South African as well as international legislation regarding the preparation, packaging, export, and shipping of your trophies, as well as the applicable legislation of the country of destination.

Protocols, legislation, regulations, differ depending on the type of game/species being hunted. It is the taxidermist’s responsibility to apply for the appropriate permits (CITES, TOPS, Plains game, Veterinary Certificates, etc.) to ensure that all customs and clearances of your trophy upon exit and entry are successfully conducted and approved by the environmental authorities, without hassle. When it comes to applying for a CITES import permit in your country for species such as Leopard, the taxidermist will then guide you along the process.

A large-scale and professional taxidermist will have a separate packing department at their facility. Custom crates are to be made to minimise the size and volume for shipping purposes and to ensure that it is most cost-effective for the client. Crates are to be IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention) approved. Trophies are bolted and screwed, secured within the crate for the journey abroad. At Life Form Taxidermy, we have a team of people who work together to make sure that your trophy or trophies are packed carefully so that they don't move or get damaged.

Your South African taxidermist will nominate a South African based freight agent who will establish direct communication with you regarding all freight related logistics involved in getting your trophies to your home – please ensure that you provide them with your residential/delivery address in the beginning of your order with them. 

Furthermore, keep in mind that all airline/freight carriers have a specific size for trophy crates. Therefore, if need be, due to the size of a crate and quantity of trophies, the balance may be carried over into two or more crates. Depending on available flights and type of species (as some airline carriers do not accept specific species), freight logistics can take from 14 days to 90 days for shipment. Raw products, though skinned and dipped, cannot be sent in the same container as mounted trophies as per Veterinary regulations, and all Warthog, Bushpig, and Baboon items that aren’t mounted must be packed separately according to USDA requirements, specifically to the U.S. Other countries do not require this action.

When shipping trophies, you can choose between airfreight and ocean freight. If you'd rather use your own shipping agent based in South Africa, let the taxidermist know so that they can make the necessary arrangements.

Lastly, it is advisable to always take out insurance on a trophy consignment. This will also be available in the freight proposal.

You might also be interested in: Reasons to start hunting with thermal optics

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow: Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited. Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules. Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics. Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one. No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary. No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited. Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance. No promotion of commercial goods or services. Our outstanding staff of marketing consultants stands ready to help businesses with effective advertising solutions. If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information. No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. Corrections of inaccurate information in news stories should be sent to news@state-journal.com rather than posted in the comments section.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments.

Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Thank you. Your purchase was successful.

A receipt was sent to your email.