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WHY BOTHER ?
We will have encouraged you to ask for the contact information for the dip/pack facilitator from the Outfitter upon contacting him to discuss booking your safari. Contact the provider and explain that you will be hunting with ???? Outfitter and 1) Do you offer clients of ???? Outfitter a discount on dip/pack services? (or taxidermy, if you are thinking of having your trophies mounted in Africa.) If the answer is yes, get the percentage from them and compare to the pricelist you will receive upon visiting the facilitator. If the answer is no, find out why and say you might look elsewhere to have the dip/pack (or taxidermy done.) 2) What is the turn around time for dip/packing (or taxidermy) ? Then ask what the turn around time is once the facilitator receives the completed paperwork while at their facility ?
After the safari, the client is taken back to town, buys a few trinkets, maybe has lunch with the Outfitter and then taken to the airport. The client’s trophies may be brought into the dip/pack facilitator either when there is a “load“ or months later when the season is over. (it should be noted that once your trophies are delivered to a dip/pack provider or taxidermist, the outfitter is no longer responsible for them) and there they will sit for months waiting on the required documentation if being dip/packed. If being mounted they will typically begin as the taxidermy usually involves a several months turn around.
Have the understanding with the outfitter in place prior to commencement of the safari that you want to have the documentation required by the Game Dept. brought on the hunt and you expect to sit down in the evenings and fill out the documents, it should be part of your “terms and conditions” for booking the hunt. It would be an extremely good idea to have a primary copy (for the outfitter to file with Game Dept.) as well as a "backup" copy (kept by client) should the paperwork get lost in processing. We will (and expect the client to also) emphasis that your trophies are not to be sent to the dip/pack provider or taxidermist unless and until the required documentation and permits are in hand for your consignment.
Keeping your consignment with the outfitter until documentation is in order maintains responsibility where it should be, having the required paperwork on hand during the hunt allows you to learn another facet of hunting by going over the paperwork in the evenings with the outfitter and filling it out while sharing "sundowners" after the trophies of the day are in the salt. Doing this as the trophies are collected tells the outfitter you are interested in this aspect of the hunt and serious about ensuring that paperwork is filled out accurately. As the paperwork is completed tell the Outfitter you would like to accompany him and submit to the Parks department prior to your being taken to the airport. This ensures it was done, allows you to meet the Parks dept. person who receives the documentation (be sure to receive a business card from the supervisor on duty with the time/date and process number for your consignment.
Although there will be resistance to this radical change in "the system" it is your right as a condition for booking with this Outfitter to expect prompt processing of documentation and furthers your involvement in the safari process.
Once said documentation is in hand is when your consignment moves onto the next phase in getting back to you the client. Having the completed paperwork means the dip/pack provider is not in effect "warehousing" our clients trophies along with everyone else while waiting for the paperwork to come in, which as those who have hunted Africa knows the consignment can sit for months. The dip/pack provider knowing our consignments are ready to go upon arrival will more likely process them promptly, not just those who rebooked with the outfitter and therefore earned preferential treatment in getting their paperwork processed.
Once the raw consignment reaches Denver, Colorado it is immediately picked up at the airport and brought to our approved facility where the necessary inspections have been requested. We get a consignment on the way to the client within 24 hours of clearance. Mounted consignments are cleared through the closest Designated Port to the client.