Taxidermist costs

[grayghost]

Here's something else to consider; Ship all of your capes and horns home. Have euro skull mounts done on the game you do not want to shoulder mount. Then, sell the capes you aren't mounting. US Taxidermists are always looking for good African capes and skins. You can sell them as flint (dried condition they arrive in) or have them tanned. You can add the cost of tanning each cape to the price. As long as you have documentation that they are your personal trophys, I believe it is legal in all States to sell them to a Taxidermist. You might also use them as trade in value to your Taxidermist towards your mounts. This would help offset the cost of your trip. I'm taking the .280 as well. My personal favorite bullet on tough game is the Speer Grand Slam. Since Speer no longer loads their Nitrex cartridge, and Federal dropped it in their Classic load, I'm having to reload all of my cases. I've used the 160gr GS on Elk, Deer and Bear and it performs without any failure. I have full confidence in that load on any plains game. I am also taking my .223 loaded with 60gr Nosler partitions for Duiker, Springbok and Impala. May be too light for some hunters, but my rifle shoots very accurately and bullet placement will be the key as in all hunting. I will not use it at any game over 200 yards. It has served me well on exotics and western deer and antelope (where it was a legal caliber). Since your going with friends, you should be able to combine your trophys and save on shipping. Good hunting, grayghost

[bsterns]

John, the package I chose is for 5 animals. Three are fixed; (1)kudu, (2)gemsbok, and (3)springbuck. Then (4)either an impala or blesbuck, and (5) either a steenbuck or duiker. I may add an eland and/or zebra or subsitute if allowed. There are two locations. Some of the animals are hunted at one site and different animals at the other site. One camp is north and I am not sure where the other one is.

Bob

[John Duarte]

Bob,
The email address of Reiser is: reiser@iway.na. You can ask them for a current price list.
I like your package, it allows some flexibility. The kudu, gemsbok and springbok would be my choice too. If you get a chance at Hartmann's (mountain) zebra I'd go for it. Eland are tough to stalk, but make great trophies.
Hopefully the country will be drier and the animals will be more concentrated at waterholes.
The good thing about zebra trophies is you can just have flat skin done. The price and shipping costs are low, later you could have rug made or hang the skin from a beam; etc.
John

[bsterns]

Grayghost, the selling of hides sounds good. I am sure I will not have them all mounted. That is a good idea.

I have loaded 139 gr. Hornady Interlock BTSP bullets for the smaller game up to kudu with the 280. I was reading the latest issue of Guns and Ammo magazine and Craig Boddington had an interesting article on what caliber guns to take to Africa. He said he has taken as light as .22 Hornet for the real small stuff.He said that on his most recent African hunt in Namibia he took 2 rifles, a light one and a heavy one. The light one was a 7X57 with 139gr. Hornady Interbond bullets with which he took kudu and hartebeest. He used the heavier 338 win mag. on zebra and widlebeest which he considered much tougher. He felt that the lighter gun should be stout enough to take the bigger plainsgame in a pinch since sometimes you stalk one species and end up with a different species and some shots required longer distances than the heavier bullets would normally be used for due to the rainbow trajectory. That article made up my mind to take the 280 with my 338-06. I loaded 200gr. Hornady interlock SP and 250gr. CT goldbond molys for the 338-06. The velocities are 2500 fps and 2900 fps respectively.

Bob

[bsterns]

John, I will email Reiser, thanks. I meant to ask you what did you bag on your recent hunt.

Bob

[bsterns]

Correction grayghost, I gave the velocities in backward order. The 200gr. is 2900 fps and the 250gr. is 2500 fps. I really like the 338-06. The 200gr-250gr. bullets loaded to maximum have a very tolerable recoil and packs a pretty big punch.

Just got my passport back from renewal today. That was a relief. I got my custom forms taken care of for the two rifles and now await the big trip. I am flying from Corpus Christi to Atlanta on American then recheck everything in Atlanta to Delta and on to
Frankfurt. Baggage will pass through to Capetown on Lufthansa and I will recheck everything (for the third time) in Capetown for South African airways to Windhoek. Luckily the two long legs of the trip are at night. The other two fellows going in our group go straight to Johannesburg from Atlanta. I could not make that connection so I will go it alone via Frankfurt. When did you say you were leaving for Africa?
Bob

[John Duarte]

Bob,
I took a 30+" waterbuck, an ancient Burchell's zebra stallion, a warthog with huge tusks, the left one was broken, but he still looks great. Fred the PH wanted a non-trophy oryx for meat and bagged one with a broken horn.
As far as rifles go, I've only brought one one each trip. The first two trips I used a .300 Weatherby Mk V loaded with 200 grain Nosler partions hand loded to 2820 fps. The next two hunts I used a .300 Win Mag. M70 Stainless classic loaded with 220 grain bonded core bullets of my own make. They were loded to 2660 fps. This last trip I used a new Remington M700 in .30/06 with a 220 grain bullet like the others, but not bonded. These had a MV of 2360 fps.
I took animals ranging fron springbok to eland with mostly one shot - four required two shots. The 30/06 seemed to perform as good as the magnums.
I've watched guys register two rifles in Windhoek and it is not too difficult. You can down load the form at www.napha.com.na. The real pain in your itinerary is going to be Cape Town. The new gun laws for RSA are Draconian. I did the Cape Town thing just once and will avoid it if possible forever. There is a flight from Frankfurt am Main to Windhoek, did you try to book it?
John

[bsterns]

John, I tried every connection I could come up with and ended up with this one. If I ever do it again I will know better. I am not sure why I have to recheck the guns and fill out the temporary import/export forms in Capetown when the other two fellows in my group that booked earlier do not have to. They just wait "in transit area". They are going through Johannesburg. It must be how the flight was booked. Also it seems South African airways have quit honoring or sharing Delta tickets. The other two were recently notified that they would have to return a day earlier than booked in order to use the Delta tickets they had. They were flying a direct round trip from Atlanta on South African Airlines booked through delta.

RE the guns, I might just take the one gun. Sounds like just more to bother with by taking two.

Bob

[John Duarte]

Bob,
The problem with transfering through Cape Town is lack of a secure baggage storage area. Johannesburg has this and you just transfer yourself. Cape Town was supposed to get a secure area three years ago.
When I was there someone from the police took the firearm cases from the baggage carousel to the SAPS office. There we did the forms and inspection. Then I was issued a permit good for 24 hours. I think the form are vastly more complicated. There is a service you can hire to assist you. I think the forms can be downloaded.
You return the form and they handle the transfer of your firearms to the plane to Windhoek. You have to rebook all your luggage and sit with it for a few hours. It's a real pain.
John

[Dom]

For those trophies where you will have the European mounts done, check and see if you can take them home with you. If you can, then pack a long duffle for them. That is what I will be doing in August, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

[bsterns]

Dom, that is an interesting point. I wonder how that is possible. Doesn't it take a long time to treat the skins and skulls for export? Even after I boiled a ram skull it would have been too smelly to pack in a duffle bag for even one day. I put it in my office shortly after I thought I was finished and I had to take it outside for a week or two. Even then I ended up reboiling and rebleaching and disinfecting the horns again. I am not sure I am rid of the smell today. It is still sitting outside in the sun. Anyway let me know the procedure you are talking about. It sounds good if it is possible to do.

Bob

[bsterns]

Skyline, never heard back from Reiger. Sent him two emails.

[John Duarte]

Bob, I'm surprized you didn't get a reply from Reiser. I will email them today to see about shipping of last year's trophies.
John

[bsterns]

John, I did get a response from Reiser. I mentioned it in the thread about insects in Namibia. I thought the fees were reasonable. I am waiting to see what recommendations my PH has. I am sure he works with one. I appreciate your help. Just two weeks from today.

[John Duarte]

Bob,
I haven't heard from Reiser yet, maybe today they'll contact me. I'm wondering when they plan to ship last years trophies. Good luck on your hunt. I suspect you may become addicted.
John