After the Hunt · 7 min read
Trophy Export: Getting Your Red Stag or Ibex Home
A trophy is not finished when the stag goes down. It is finished when it hangs on your wall at home. Between those two moments sits a process that is well-worn, entirely routine, and worth understanding before you book.
At the ranch: field preparation
Capes are lifted the same day, salted and dried under cover. Skulls are cleaned and antlers left intact for scoring after the sixty-day drying period required before any SCI measurement is recorded.
We photograph every trophy with the hunter before it leaves the field. Those photographs travel with the paperwork and make identification straightforward at every later stage.
Dip and pack
Trophies go to a licensed taxidermy and dip-and-pack facility, where they are treated to meet United States Department of Agriculture import requirements. Dip and pack is the standard route for hunters who intend to have the mount finished by their own taxidermist at home.
The alternative is full taxidermy in Argentina: shoulder mounts, European mounts or full body work completed before shipment. It costs more and takes longer, but the trophy arrives ready to hang.
Documents that travel with the crate
Red stag and Alpine ibex are not CITES-listed for these hunts, which keeps the paperwork straightforward compared with many African species.
- Hunting licence and tag copies
- Veterinary/sanitary certificate from SENASA
- Packing list and commercial invoice
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Form 3-177 at import
- Customs broker appointment at the port of entry
Timing, honestly
Plan on six to twelve months from the day of the hunt to the day the crate reaches your taxidermist. Drying, dipping, consolidation of shipments and port clearance each take time, and consolidating several hunters' trophies into one container is what keeps freight reasonable.
Full taxidermy in Argentina runs longer still. Neither timeline is unusual; both are normal international trophy shipping.
What it costs
Dip, pack, documentation, freight, brokerage and USFWS clearance are billed by the taxidermist, the shipping agent and the broker — not by Parque Diana. Trophy preparation beyond field care, shipment and taxidermy are excluded from the hunting package, and we say so plainly in our inclusions list.
We introduce you to the operators we have used for years and stay in the loop until the crate lands. If something stalls at a port, someone here picks up the phone.
Common questions
- Is a CITES permit required for red stag or Alpine ibex from Argentina?
- No. Neither species requires CITES documentation on these hunts, which simplifies export considerably.
- Can I take antlers home in my luggage?
- Cleaned antlers on a skull plate can sometimes travel as checked baggage, but they still require the correct sanitary documentation and USFWS declaration at entry. Most hunters ship.
- When is my stag officially scored?
- After the mandatory sixty-day drying period. Scores quoted before that are estimates.
Planning a hunt in Patagonia?
Tell us the season you have in mind and we will tell you honestly what is open.
Schedule a Call