Flying from Smithers BC back to US

muleyczy · Jun 8, 2011

Ill be flying to Smithers BC this Fall for a Mountian Goat hunt and Im concerned about the return flight back to the US bringing the head and cape through customes, as with a head and cape I really cant afford to much dely without spoilage. Has anyone done this or similar trips before that would be willing to provided some pointers or advice?
Im not sure if it would be wise to arange the shipment of my cape and horn with a broker or attempt to do it myself with my luggage.

Thanks for the advice

dwalton · Jun 8, 2011

Your cape will more than likely be completly dried and salted, and the skull cap will be boiled clean (no chance of spoilage).

My experience of taking my sheep and goat horns back into the US was problem free. Just packed them into an extra duffle bag. Of course, that was back in the days before 9/11 & wearing a Leatherman on your belt was no big deal.

I beleive there are a couple of taxidermy shops in Smithers that will crate and ship your goat to your taxidermist in the US.

littlebighorn · Jun 8, 2011

My son and I brought our sheep horns, capes and caribou capes on as checked luggage from the NWT in August. We took a duffle with us for that purpose and they required a tag labeling them, but they were salted and dried with no blood on them, we had no problem. The caribou horns, however were a totally different (expensive) story.

muleyczy · Jun 9, 2011

Thanks for the replys.

At what point during your travels did the cape and horns get inspected, in Smithers or Vancouver? and who does the inspection?

Thanks again

bighornbob · Jun 9, 2011

I very much doubt the goat hide will be salted and dry if you plan to bring the goat back with you. It takes a least a couple of weeks of salt to completely dry a hide.

It can be salted but it will be very much wet still even a week after your hunt.

BHB

littlejoe · Jun 9, 2011

Have a taxidermist boil the skull and get it cleaned up. Prepare the hide and split the lips, etc and then have it shipped home. Better safe than sorry. I used Ron's Wildlife Service when I was up there. My outfitter arranged to get it to him.

muleyczy · Jun 10, 2011

Littlejoe,
What was the cost of having it shipped?
Thanks

littlebighorn · Jun 11, 2011

Muleyczy,
We never did have our horns or capes inspected. They were just tagged on the outside of the bag and we had to have customs in Edmonton check them, but they only looked at the tags and never looked inside.
And yes our capes were not totally dry, but they were heavily salted and most of the moisture was out of them, from hanging about 3 or 4 days before we flew out. We had them in plastic bags in the duffle bag.
But one of the guys in our group shot his ram on the last day of the hunt. They just salted it overnight to get alot of the moisture out of it and then he bagged his just like ours and brought it out the same way.
As I said, we had no trouble with our heads and capes.

muleyczy · Jun 13, 2011

Excellent, thanks for the info.

grdslam1367 · Jun 17, 2011

Depending on who you are hunting with you may not have much of a choice. A lot of outfitters up there seem to be keeping everything in camp until the end of the season and bringing everthing out at once. A goat is a compulsary inspection animal I believe and that makes it easier on them than having to run every hunter around town to get their animals inspected. I would check with your outfitter as to what his policy is. For what its worth my opinion is to leave it there and ship it. With the extra airline fees, even if they will take it they soak you for all they can. At times I have seen guys getting hit with an extra "$150.00 horn charge" even if the horns are in their bag. That is in addition to an extra bag or overweight charge.And if you have to leave it with a taxidermist up there who will charge you to "clean it up" make sure your taxidermist when you get home gives you some kind of credit on the prep work.

Jim

dwalton · Jun 17, 2011

Jim,

I'm pretty close to your GS number. I'm 1393.

grdslam1367 · Jun 17, 2011

I'll have to look you up. Latest issue goes to 1646. did not seem that long ago!

Jim

muleyczy · Jun 17, 2011

grdslam1367,
Thanks for the advice. Im leaning towards having it shipped and have an email into a taxidermist that the outfitter recommended. In your experience what is the average or reasonable asscociated cost of having it shipped to the lower 48?

Thanks

littlejoe · Jun 17, 2011

I cannot remember for sure as I had a goat cape and horns and a moose cape and horns shipped and I think it was around $400-500 but the moose horns I would not allow them to split them and it made the crate much larger than it could have been. I had a taxidermist salt and prepare a bear hide for me on Prince of Wales island and ship it via regular postal service and it was around $50 which I thought was a steal of a deal.

grdslam1367 · Jun 19, 2011

I think littlejoe is close on the price.Ask the taxidermist what his cost will be. My grizzly cost about $1000.00 to get back from Smithers but the taxidermist did a great job preping it, boiled and bleached the skull , got the cites permit and shipped it. That also included a goat.

Another thing to ask is how they ship it. A few years ago I shot a great Stone sheep. Outfitter kept it in camp and at the end of the season brought it to the local taxidermist. In speaking to him I told him I would be driving to Hinton,AB to deer hunt in November and if he could ship it to me there I could bring it home with me. The day I got to Hinton I called, gave him the address where I was, and asked him tho ship it. The next morning we were heading out hunting and got a phone call from the bus station that they had a package for me. My friend and I looked at each other and said "Nah, couldn't be". Well it was. He had shipped a B&C ram by Greyhound! I almost had a heart attack. If it were not for the fact I was so happy to see the ram again I would have had a fit. You have to ask and not assume anything.