Reputable Taxidermist For African Trophies

[sp3worker]

Just booked my first safari down in South Africa last week. I'm looking for a reputable taxidermist, preferably in the NE Indiana area. I haven't had anything mounted for several years and my local taxidermist, who did excellent work, has retired from the business. Anyone have recommendations? I'm willing to travel a bit if necessary. I'd prefer someone who has African trophy experience.

 

[66chevelle]

Check with Hoosier trappers in greenwood. They have always done a great job for me and do some beautiful mounts. Not sure about African mounts but that would be my first call.

 

[den57]

Antler & Fin Taxidermy​

 

[KittySlayer]

The folks at Irving Materials on the northwest corner of the stop sign in Eden, Indiana might know. My guess is the trophies are at least a generation old but they may be able to put you in touch with someone. The pictures below are a small sample.

I have driven by their offices many times and one trip we were in no big hurry so I pulled into the lot on a Friday afternoon. My wife was embarrassed and thought I was crazy. We went in just to look around. The receptionist was quite the chatterbox and we were probably in there 20 minutes as she shared history. Quite the impressive collection, stop in if you are traveling through Eden.

 

[Colt556]

Check with the guys at 500 Guns in Speedway. Their shop is full of trophies they’ve harvested in Africa including a couple lions, zebra and elephant. I think most of their animals were done in Africa and then shipped here but I’m not positive. Good Luck.

 

[BigRed]

Just booked my first safari down in South Africa last week. I'm looking for a reputable taxidermist, preferably in the NE Indiana area. I haven't had anything mounted for several years and my local taxidermist, who did excellent work, has retired from the business. Anyone have recommendations? I'm willing to travel a bit if necessary. I'd prefer someone who has African trophy experience.

Best wishes and good luck on a stuffed trophey.

 

[sp3worker]

Thanks for the replys so far guys. Good place to start.

 

[jwleeper]

When we went on a plains game safari to SA I had my taxidermy done there. They do them all the time and it is easier to ship finished rather than skins and horns. Your professional hunter will give you the best advice. If I wasn't so old I would go back in a heartbeat.
Have a great day.
Jim

 

[two70]

Just booked my first safari down in South Africa last week. I'm looking for a reputable taxidermist, preferably in the NE Indiana area. I haven't had anything mounted for several years and my local taxidermist, who did excellent work, has retired from the business. Anyone have recommendations? I'm willing to travel a bit if necessary. I'd prefer someone who has African trophy experience.

I can't recommend a taxidermist as I'm still waiting to get my trophies from my trip back from the taxidermist I chose but I can tell you that having them done in the States is the correct way to go. At least you have some recourse if things go sideways. If you are planning on hunting a warthog or baboon the hide/skull with have to go directly from customs to a USDA certified tannery, the nearest one is in Michigan. Otherwise you should be able to either pick up your trophies at the airport yourself or have someone pick them up for you. For your first trip, I'd recommend using a custom house broker to clear your trophies and make this process easier.

Since it is your first trip, I'd highly recommend using Rifle Permits to both complete your South African firearm permits and for their concierge service. IMO, it was well worth the extra $ to have them meet me at the plane, walk me to the head of the line and through customs, and take me through the firearm and permit check.

 

[sp3worker]

I can't recommend a taxidermist as I'm still waiting to get my trophies from my trip back from the taxidermist I chose but I can tell you that having them done in the States is the correct way to go. At least you have some recourse if things go sideways. If you are planning on hunting a warthog or baboon the hide/skull with have to go directly from customs to a USDA certified tannery, the nearest one is in Michigan. Otherwise you should be able to either pick up your trophies at the airport yourself or have someone pick them up for you. For your first trip, I'd recommend using a custom house broker to clear your trophies and make this process easier.

Since it is your first trip, I'd highly recommend using Rifle Permits to both complete your South African firearm permits and for their concierge service. IMO, it was well worth the extra $ to have them meet me at the plane, walk me to the head of the line and through customs, and take me through the firearm and permit check.

I definitely plan on getting a warthog, so that's good info to know.

Here's the trip I booked-

https://worldwidetrophyadventures.com/trips/the-hottest-smoking-deal-in-africa/

Planned on Kudu, Gemsbok, Warthog, Impala, Blue Wildebeest and Blesbok. Possibly may try for 2 Impalas. I would like a shoulder and Euro mount of the Impala.

The hunt is through Cabela's WTA service and they have a travel agency and customs handler for everything, which sounds like it takes a lot of BS off my shoulders.

 

[two70]

I definitely plan on getting a warthog, so that's good info to know.

Here's the trip I booked-

https://worldwidetrophyadventures.com/trips/the-hottest-smoking-deal-in-africa/

Planned on Kudu, Gemsbok, Warthog, Impala, Blue Wildebeest and Blesbok. Possibly may try for 2 Impalas. I would like a shoulder and Euro mount of the Impala.

The hunt is through Cabela's WTA service and they have a travel agency and customs handler for everything, which sounds like it takes a lot of BS off my shoulders.

I went through WTA to the same area but a different outfitter I think. IMO, you're in good hands with WTA and the services they use/recommend. That's a good list and the East Cape is a very game rich area. I think I saw a dozen huntable species before noon on my first day and another half dozen before the end of the week!

It's probably a good idea to plan/budget for additional animals because it is a virtual certainty that you'll see something you never really considered before that jumps up to the must hunt list. Cull hunts can be a good way to add species and experience different types of hunting for a very reasonable price. I never planned on hunting a springbok before I got there and then I saw a giant the first morning. Fortunately I was able to swap the springbok for the warthog that was included in my package, unfortunately I never really had a chance at a warthog which was number 2 on my wish list.

 

[Onebad06vtx]

Whitetail impressions taxidermy in Brazil Ind has done alot of africa game and does VERY good work.

 

[manifest destiny]

The wife and I have entertained the idea of a safari. We attended the boat/sport/travel at the fairgrounds and talked with three different booths about hunting and trophies in SA. All recommended having the taxidermy done local. Although, depending on the particular game, there can be restrictions about import, type of mount etc. It seemed the details were specific to the animal.

 

[BJHay]

My wife and I went to South Africa in 2019 for planes game. It was a great experience and we may go back (but probably to a different country). Our outfitter recommend High Veld Taxidermists. We toured their operation and met with the owner. The place was huge. The tour would have been worthwhile as a stand alone side trip. There were many hundreds of mounts from full body rhinos to antelope and everything in between. Many more were in processes. The owner gave us a lot of good suggestion for creative mounting that we wouldn't have thought about otherwise. Their customs broker and freight forwarder did a no-hassle job of shipping.

I'm completely happy with the quality and service but as others have mentioned there was as risk having someone in South Africa do the work. They told us up front it would be one year before we got our trophies. They have a drying processes that takes many months. COVID hit and it was closer to two years but they arrived as promised and look fantastic.

I'll echo what others said. Regardless of who arranges it get a freight forwarder and customs broker that are used to working together and handing trophies.

Have a great time!

 

[two70]

The wife and I have entertained the idea of a safari. We attended the boat/sport/travel at the fairgrounds and talked with three different booths about hunting and trophies in SA. All recommended having the taxidermy done local. Although, depending on the particular game, there can be restrictions about import, type of mount etc. It seemed the details were specific to the animal.

You'll be hard pressed to find an outfitter that doesn't recommend having the taxidermy done locally. You'll also be hard pressed to find an outfitter than doesn't have some form of financial relationship with the taxidermists they recommend. I got the sales pitch from my outfitter on more than one occasion throughout my hunt but I had done my homework and knew that by the time I factored in the increased cost of shipping completed mounts I wouldn't save much if anything having them mounted over their.

Also, I wasn't real impressed with consistency of the mount quality coming from the recommended taxidermist. Most will do a good job on certain species, it is not that difficult to make a kudu or impala mount look good IMO, but other species (like warthog, hartebeest and blesbock) are much more difficult to mount so that they look good. That is not to say that you can't find good taxidermists in Africa, you just need to do your homework. The same applies here of course but at least you have more options for redress if something goes wrong here in the States.

 

[BJHay]

One more point on trophies. We had gone into the week planning on no trophies or perhaps one. By the end of the week and after seeing the taxidermy operation we changed our mind but thought the decision was too late. After all the animals we shot early in the week were gone and processed.
That was when our guide told us they always preserve the hides and heads of every animal until their guests depart just in case they change their minds. I'm sure it's a good sales tactic and it worked. We had several animals mounted or made into rugs and throws.

Another thing I thought was interesting: we heard the PHs for another group having a discussion about which pairs of hunters each would be assigned. I didn't understand why this mattered and the topic came up with our PH. He said the PHs get a cut of any extra animals that are shot. Married couples had a reputation for shooting fewer extra animals then two friends hunting together. I find this very believable.

 

[two70]

I would think there is a market for selling at least the hides if not the horns as well of any animals that hunters don't want to mount as well. I know I saw tanned African animal hides and items made from them for sale at the airport in Dubai and Johannesburg.

 

[manifest destiny]

You'll be hard pressed to find an outfitter that doesn't recommend having the taxidermy done locally. You'll also be hard pressed to find an outfitter than doesn't have some form of financial relationship with the taxidermists they recommend.

Yeah, that part seemed pretty obvious to me. One of the three outfits we spoke with suggested export/import could be better accomplished with their preferred group. He didn't say it specifically but the wording and tone sure sounded like 'hey, we can get things done that might not otherwise be possible'. Did you line up a taxidermist stateside before your trip? And is it difficult to find a U.S. taxidermist that has experience or expertise with African game? I wouldn't think there'd be many that have experience preparing a cheetah or whatnot.

 

[two70]

Yeah, that part seemed pretty obvious to me. One of the three outfits we spoke with suggested export/import could be better accomplished with their preferred group. He didn't say it specifically but the wording and tone sure sounded like 'hey, we can get things done that might not otherwise be possible'. Did you line up a taxidermist stateside before your trip? And is it difficult to find a U.S. taxidermist that has experience or expertise with African game? I wouldn't think there'd be many that have experience preparing a cheetah or whatnot.

Yes, they never really come out and say they have a financial relationship with the service providers they promote exactly but they sure don't hide it very well either. Yes, I had my taxidermist lined up before I left. I was planning on taking a warthog so I knew the hides had to go to a USDA certified tannery. It happened that there was a taxidermist located close to the nearest certified tannery with a reputation for high quality work. I should have done more research as I later found out that his backlog was tremendous and his communication left much to be desired.

I know of three local taxidermists that have done some African mounts. All three have done some good work and all have struggled with some species. Cats of any type are especially tough to mount well and few get them to look good, IMO. Other species can be difficult as well. One of the main reasons I chose the guy I did was because everything on his website looked good, even the tougher animals and cats. I wasn't worried about my kudu or impala as many turn out quality looking mounts of those species and the springbok was only a minor concern, mostly because I'll likely never find a larger one no matter how many times I go back to hunt one. My main concerns were the red hartebeest and the black wildebeest, especially the wildebeest since so few taxidermists have experience with them.

 

[sp3worker]

I'm definitely planning on bringing everything home to be mounted, rather than having it done there. It's a lot easier to "motivate" someone who is local than half the world away.

On another note, picked up a new .30-06 rifle for this safari last week. Going to see how 180gr Barnes Vor-TX and Hornady Outfitter CX shoots. Any other ammo suggestions?