The trophy is taken. The cape is salted. The horns are wrapped. The hunt is over. Now begins the longest, slowest, and most easily mismanaged part of the trip: getting the trophy home.
The timeline.
A realistic sequence for an international hunter taking a finished mount home:
- Day of the kill: cape, salt, photograph.
- Days 1 to 3 after the kill: outfitter completes initial drying and re-salting. Cape and horns transported off the hill.
- Week 1 to 4: cape delivered to NZ taxidermist or freight forwarder. If shipping raw, dipping or basic preservation is done at this stage.
- Months 1 to 12: shipping and customs, then the destination taxidermist's queue.
- Months 8 to 14: finished mount ready for delivery.
If you are taking only the horns — no cape, no mount — the timeline collapses to weeks rather than months.
Choosing where the work is done.
NZ taxidermy. Some excellent NZ taxidermists do work at international standard, particularly on tahr. The mount is finished in NZ and shipped finished. Expect 8 to 14 months. Total cost typically NZ$1,200 to NZ$2,000 for a shoulder mount, plus shipping. The advantage is one set of customs paperwork and a finished product when it arrives.
Home-country taxidermy. Cape and horns are dipped, dried and shipped raw or salted to the home country, where a local taxidermist mounts them. Usually cheaper for the taxidermy itself, but adds shipping complexity — raw hides face stricter biosecurity rules — and the mount's quality depends on the home taxidermist.
For most international hunters, NZ taxidermy with international shipping of the finished mount is the cleaner path.
Freight forwarders.
A few specialist firms handle the bulk of NZ trophy shipping. The best-known names — Trophy Shippers International, Coppersmith Global Logistics, Trophy Dispatch, Conservation Force — have long histories in this trade and standing relationships with NZ taxidermists, US Fish & Wildlife, USDA APHIS, EU border inspection posts, and Australian biosecurity.
What a freight forwarder does:
- Collects from the taxidermist or outfitter.
- Prepares export documentation: invoice, packing list, non-CITES declaration letter from DOC.
- Books the air or sea freight.
- Coordinates customs clearance at the destination.
- Arranges pick-up or delivery to your address.
What you do:
- Contact the forwarder before your trip, not after, so they know what to expect.
- Provide a copy of your hunting permit, your passport ID page, and any required customs forms for your home country.
- Pay for the work, in stages — usually a deposit at booking and the balance at delivery.
Country-specific import rules (overview only — confirm with your forwarder).
United States. The trophy is imported through US Fish & Wildlife (Form 3-177 declaration), US Customs and Border Protection, and USDA APHIS for animal-health clearance. Finished mounts and cleaned, dry bones and horns are the easiest path. Raw or salted hides require additional USDA processing and often go via a USDA-approved tannery before home delivery. Allow extra weeks for that stage.
Canada. Similar to the US — declaration to Canada Border Services Agency, Canadian Food Inspection Agency for animal health. Finished mounts move quickly. Raw hides face stricter scrutiny.
Australia. The strictest of the major destinations. Biosecurity Australia requires fumigation, tanning to a specific standard, and detailed health certificates before raw or untreated trophies can enter. Many Australian hunters elect to have all NZ taxidermy completed before shipping for this reason.
European Union. Each EU country has its own border inspection post (BIP). Health certificates issued by NZ MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) are required, and the trophy must clear the BIP at the first EU port of entry. Finished mounts move more easily than raw hides.
United Kingdom. Post-Brexit, similar requirements to the EU. CITES does not apply to tahr but UK biosecurity rules do.
Costs (rough indicative ranges).
- NZ shoulder-mount taxidermy: NZ$1,200 to $2,000.
- Crate and packing materials: NZ$200 to $400.
- International airfreight (single shoulder-mount crate, NZ to US/EU): NZ$800 to $1,500.
- Customs broker at destination: US$300 to $700.
- USDA APHIS or equivalent inspection fees: US$100 to $300.
- Local delivery: variable.
For a single shoulder mount delivered to a US address, all-in cost from kill to wall is typically NZ$3,000 to $5,000 on top of the hunt cost. A full body mount can run twice that. Two animals shipped together — a tahr and a chamois, say — reduce the per-trophy shipping cost.
Insurance.
International freight insurance is cheap relative to the value of the trophy and worth taking. Your forwarder will offer it. The standard cover is full replacement value for damage in transit; declared value for loss. Photograph the cape and horns before crating — those photos are evidence in any claim.
The arrival.
When the trophy arrives at your home airport or port of entry, your customs broker handles the clearance. Usually you do not need to be present. The broker arranges local delivery to your home or to your taxidermist (if the work is being done in your country).
Inspect the crate on arrival. Photograph any damage before opening. If the mount is damaged, contact the forwarder and the insurance carrier immediately; they have a claim process.
The reveal.
The first time you see the finished mount on your wall, it should bring back the ridge, the wind, the bull walking out into the open, the shot, the long walk down. If it doesn't, the taxidermist has missed something — most often an expression problem with the eyes or ears, or a body posture that doesn't reflect a live animal. Reputable taxidermists will adjust at no cost.
The mount is permanent. The hunt is finished. The story stays.