Getting trophies home on plane?

[Sipe]

I know many of you are traveling to Texas for hunts. On my previous trip, my horns fit in a cooler (Corsican). What do you suggest for getting a skull with rack attacked if I'd kill a fallow or axis?

Has anyone ever used a local taxidermist and arranged shipment of finished mount? Any ideas or past experiences welcomed.

[ChadMR82]

On my elk I killed in Colorado I cut the skull plate off and then broke it in half right down the "seam" in the middle. Wrapped each antler in bubble wrap with garden hose type material on tines. Then wrapped the two together. It was kind of like carry on luggage but I gave it to the flight crew right before boarding the plane. I watched it get loaded from my seat on the plane. I was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but it made it safe. I just kept the hide on dry ice in a cooler. Airlines let you have up to 5 pounds of dry ice.

[Buff]

Most of my hunters choose to have their trophy picked up and mounted here, then boxed and shipped to them

[bta003]

I used "Trophy Transport" this fall to move my mule deer from Denver to Houston (already mounted). They did a great job and I thought they were cheap at $250

[the lab]

On my last 2 trips to Texas I made several calls and tracked down a taxidermist that I liked his work and was both willing to and familiar with shipping finished trophies. I used "Black Feather Taxidermy" out of San Antonio. Paul Czaja and I have become good friends and even have a hunt planned together later this year. I will continue to use his shop for any hunts I do in Texas anywhere near the San Antonio area.