opinions please 1 more time or??

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Do a few skulls and pics
Go hunt again

 

[Scott CWO]

Have your wife get a 2nd job and then you can do both!

Heck, if she would get a 1st job, that would also help!

 

[Hogpatrol]

After four hunts it was all photos and If I had it to do over again, except for a few mounts, all photos or a hired video guy or gal.

 

[DPHunter4570]

Went on my first trip this year. I spent a lot on taxidermy, and planned it that way. Shoulder mounted my Kudu and black wildebeest. Skull mounts for 10 other animals. Multiple backskins. I figured for the first trip I'd go wild. Then, going forward, be more selective about what all comes home or how it gets done.

Like a few people said, the cost of taxidermy can be the same as another hunt. And it was for me, but I planned for that going in. It wont stop me from going again.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Like you I too had, still have, this dilemma. I chose, still choose, to have shoulder mounts done on the big animals and full body mounts or rug or full hide mounts done on the smaller animals.

Since these are the first of the exotic species I have successfully hunted I am more inclined to have the taxidermy to look at versus just a photo on the wall or in an album. Especially when talking about an eland, gemsbok, Sable (I haven't hunted, Yet), etc. When hunting color phases; ie. Springbok: Common, White, Copper, Black; or Blesbok: Common, Black; or Wildebeest, Impala, etc, etc,. Euro mounts photos just don't capture the beauty of the animal, nor just a hide.

Having a hunt video that details in whole or a large part of your hunts might be nice, I haven't done that, Yet, either.

My second impala and both of my kudus qualify as for the record book so those were definitely shoulder mounted. Because my first Cape Buff and first hippo were such bad experience with the outfitter those weren't mounted I only have the photos to reflect back on. However, I do intend to have my second buff and hippo shoulder mounted and have the backskin tanned for future craft projects.

Would I rather have the taxidermy or anther hunt by saving the taxidermy and shipping costs. Being in my later years in life; Yes, when hunting the same species multiple times, since I already have a good representation mount. No, when hunting an exotic (to the US) animal for the first time; I will most likely have a shoulder mount and backskin, rug or full hide taxidermy simply because seeing it brings more life back to the memories.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Firebird]

One of the advantages I am noticing about South Africa is the cheaper and faster shipping, compared to, for example moz in the upper post. It is in your best interests to Ask Ahead about dip and pack, shipping and storage fees.
If you send home skulls, horns and skins, you can have them tanned at your leisure and mounted when or if you decide to do them.
It doesn’t all need to be mounted at one time or even at one place!
I do books, mounts and euros. But I have space and currently can afford to do it. It’s just what you want most and no one else can make that decision for you

 

[Firebird]

I just sold salted, un tanned waterbuck and impala capes to buy a tanned sable cape-in order to mount a sable I didn’t have mounted earlier. It’s good to have some options-

 

[Drywaller44]

With my first safari I am bringing everything home. I did euro mounts on everything and even that way it was still a third of the cost of the entire safari.

To me it was worth it this first trip to actually have some mounts done so that I can see them and have them bring back the memories and instantly bring a smile to my face when I see them. Not sure pictures would give me that same reaction every time. Also it gives you some context to the size of these animals that a picture can have a hard time doing.

With that being said I will probably never bring back any more trophies. I would like to but I would prefer to hunt more in Africa than to have every trophy hung up. So if it’s going to cost you an extra trip down the road there are some other cool ways to remember your trophies, like making a book or blowing up some of the pictures and putting them on canvas.

 

[DillonG]

Personally, I would only do only Euros on everything that isn’t considered exceptional. Your definition of that could the the size or the experience. Pictures work too in substitute of Euros. A Kudu shoulder mount is super expensive, but a skull still looks impressive and is far less. My opinion is try to hedge in between. You will still keep some money back for the down payment on your next hunt and have some fine wall art.

 

[cwpayton]

Have your wife get a 2nd job and then you can do both!

ha ha Im retired and my wife still works,

 

[Green Chile]

I will be bringing back a lot less from Africa going forward. How much stuff can a person keep anyway? Besides the inflation on shipping, etc has gotten heavy. Keep in mind, some countries charge a good sized tax on trophy fees if you do not export the trophies.

 

[cwpayton]

Thinking back (actually, way back) the exceptional trophies were shoulder mounted, and the representative trophies were skull mounts. Today, the truly exceptional trophies get mounted, and everything else is a 10x8 glossy on the wall.

YEA PERSONALLY everything I shot is a trophy, Im not really into inches of horn ,just a good representation of, I was told my waterbuck would make SCI , but I probably wont even measure it. GOT some great
canvas prints back already.

 

[cwpayton]

The more hunts I do, the less taxidermy I plan for. The more hunts I do, the idea of having them recorded by a professional videographer becomes more appealing.

I love seeing my taxidermy. But for me it's reliving the shot, even it's my wife's or son's, that the mounts serve the purpose for. I'm not a "showy" kind of guy. It's nice to get compliments from other hunters who appreciate the mounts, but those compliments are not what I am after.

A well done video that is truly permanent and just takes up space on a memory chip is becoming that much more desirable. Of course I say that, but I'm a damn liar if I ever do take that leopard. That'll be a full body mount.

But that's a little less of a challenge to get into the house and keep the good Mrs. Phoenix Phil happy. I think @ActionBob and @Just Gina might agree....

A full body mount of a leopard would indeed be impressive

 

[Green Chile]

A full body mount of a leopard would indeed be impressive

I say I'm done bringing most Africa taxidermy home but when the cat drops, that statement changes. I don't know how the guys feel that have taken multiple cats but the first one has to come home.

 

[cwpayton]

Like you I too had, still have, this dilemma. I chose, still choose, to have shoulder mounts done on the big animals and full body mounts or rug or full hide mounts done on the smaller animals.

Since these are the first of the exotic species I have successfully hunted I am more inclined to have the taxidermy to look at versus just a photo on the wall or in an album. Especially when talking about an eland, gemsbok, Sable (I haven't hunted, Yet), etc. When hunting color phases; ie. Springbok: Common, White, Copper, Black; or Blesbok: Common, Black; or Wildebeest, Impala, etc, etc,. Euro mounts photos just don't capture the beauty of the animal, nor just a hide.

Having a hunt video that details in whole or a large part of your hunts might be nice, I haven't done that, Yet, either.

My second impala and both of my kudus qualify as for the record book so those were definitely shoulder mounted. Because my first Cape Buff and first hippo were such bad experience with the outfitter those weren't mounted I only have the photos to reflect back on. However, I do intend to have my second buff and hippo shoulder mounted and have the backskin tanned for future craft projects.

Would I rather have the taxidermy or anther hunt by saving the taxidermy and shipping costs. Being in my later years in life; Yes, when hunting the same species multiple times, since I already have a good representation mount. No, when hunting an exotic (to the US) animal for the first time; I will most likely have a shoulder mount and backskin, rug or full hide taxidermy simply because seeing it brings more life back to the memories.

Just my 2 cents.

YEA my heart is in the hunt ,still I think a t least a couple or more shoulder mounts , then skulls. and go hunt! Im fasinated by the black wilde beast, great for a mount.

 

[Inline6]

Have ready many people on here say, " leave the mount and do more hunting".

It is easy to say, hard to do. I think it is better to be very selective on what you get mounted. Pictures for the rest. For myself I rather hunt DG, have only DG mounts would be fine for myself. Last time we went it was 16 animals and we brought back 15 mounts. I'm not planning on that again.

 

[Green Chile]

Have ready many people on here say, " leave the mount and do more hunting".

It is easy to say, hard to do. I think it is better to be very selective on what you get mounted. Pictures for the rest. For myself I rather hunt DG, have only DG mounts would be fine for myself. Last time we went it was 16 animals and we brought back 15 mounts. I'm not planning on that again.

Good points but how many buff do we need in the house? I’m doing less for sure and my trip next week for buff and PG might have nothing brought back.

 

[ActionBob]

Have ready many people on here say, " leave the mount and do more hunting".

It is easy to say, hard to do. I think it is better to be very selective on what you get mounted. Pictures for the rest. For myself I rather hunt DG, have only DG mounts would be fine for myself. Last time we went it was 16 animals and we brought back 15 mounts. I'm not planning on that again.

Truth! Very hard to do. What is really biting me now are the little critters and big beautiful ones. Gina wants a Tsessebe, do we do a shoulder or a full mount? If you really want to see the purple coloring, at least a half mount? But if paying for a half it is not that much more to do a full.... but it takes space!

Genet, civit, fox, aardwolf, serval, mongoose, even jackal. Hyena..... the list goes on.....

 

[Hunt anything]

On my first hunt in Mozambique I mounted all of the trophy animals but was able to do several community hunts for meat, have the pictures and memories of those.
My second hunt was in the Eastern Cape and once again I mounted all 10 animals. Third and fourth hunts the same with a total of 6 more trophies. On my next hunt I will cut way down on the numbers of animals but and do a couple of euros on the wildebeest but I’m going to mount a tsessebe if I get one and I can’t have enough bushbuck if I get another. I will try and upgrade an impala if I can get a great one.
Long way of saying it’s an individual decision, what works for me may not work for anyone else, it comes down to space, time(age) and money as my guidelines on this. I pay for my African addiction by not spending much on domestic hunting no leases or anything like that and only take a 3 or 4 day waterfowl hunting trip mainly just to catch up with some friends.
I do some deer and dove hunting around the house to keep the freezer stocked.

 

[grand veneur]

Today the 3000 USD wooden box with the 4 skulls from the hunt in Mozambique September/ October 2022 finally arrived. Now I can take it all to the taxidermist. One really have to think carefully about whether one want to import or not trophies in the future.