My Redneck European Adventure

[Dave N]

Update:

Just booked the flights, rental car, and our room for the first 3 nights. It's official now. WE'RE GOING!

Arrive in London 8:30AM July 19 and leave for home 3:10PM July 29. That should give us plenty of time to see and do lots of things!

 

[devon deer]

Good man!!!!

Don't forget, our currency is still the good old British pound!
But France deal in Euro's.

I have blocked out those 2 days for hunting in my diary, this is going to be fun!

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

After looking into crossing into France, I'm not so sure now. Buying tickets for the Chunnel, driving from the right side on "normal" side lanes, getting back through again all with a set time. Hmm...

Richard, do folks park their cars on the UK side, cross over and rent a car in France? That will mean having 2 rentals at the same time, but only using one. Parking one for a couple of days PROBABLY means a paid lot somewhere. Hoping to not have much luggage, so that makes it a bit easier. Hate to miss out. I'll have to look into it a bit more.

I've also seen references to tolls. How many, how often, and how much? Dang, it's starting to sound like Chicago!

 

[devon deer]

Tolls are few and far between.

I can't advise on France, last time i was there the tunnel hadn't even been planned!

You need to be aware that driving your rental into the centre of London will incur a charge, and a bigger charge if you don't pay it!
When we go to London we use the train and the tube. You can get an oyster card and travel all day on the tube for about $15.

Cheers

Richard

 

[Kiwi]

For what it's worth I would recommend spending your time in the UK. So much to see in England and you'll spend a lot of time rushing to France. So much to see in southern England and London. Either way have a great trip.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Good luck on the adventures.

I never mount anything from overseas and get it shipped back. If you happen to shoot a nice animal with Richard you can always get the full skull treated and boiled, some documentation on your licence and animal species, salt the cape a couple of times and bring it home with you, will be a lot easier then shipping a shoulder mount home. A letter of origin from a vet or primary industries is often all you need to prove what you are claiming is what you actually have.

Also if you have spare time and are interested in the other animals there is some nice muntjac and chinese water deer hunting north of london, not sure what your plans are, but if you go this far for a hunt/vacation, maybe you should look at options for other hunts as well to fill in a couple of days.

I never wear very much camouflage any more, no need to. Just take some drab green or brown clothes to hunt in and that way you won't look out of place walking the streets or going to dinner and sightseeing. I often find its best to blend in with the locals whenever i hunt overseas rather then trying to be like i am back home. (Not that i walk around in camo) And it could save you some space and weight in your luggage.

Good luck, always fun planing overseas hunts.

And well done to you Richard on putting this together.

 

[devon deer]

For what it's worth I would recommend spending your time in the UK. So much to see in England and you'll spend a lot of time rushing to France. So much to see in southern England and London. Either way have a great trip.

I agree, you can only do so much in 10 days

Good luck on the adventures.

I never mount anything from overseas and get it shipped back. If you happen to shoot a nice animal with Richard you can always get the full skull treated and boiled

I can boil out the head no problem, they are only small so can easily be placed in the hold luggage.
But my skills at caping would be a step too far!

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

Thanks for the tips! We're going to my sister's house today for Easter and plan on picking her brain for info. She's taken several trips overseas and maybe we can figure a few more things out.

I/we may look into some kind of a tour package that would get us to Normandy. Now that it's been mentioned it almost seems like it would be important enough NOT to miss. I don't know, maybe my age has made history more relevant.

I would be MORE than happy bringing home a skull if I have any success. I have quite a few whitetail that I've done that way. I have several shoulder mounts and any more would require them to be something special. For example, I have my very first buck mounted, my first archery buck, and one that was bigger than most for where I hunt. That is the one in my avatar pic. Now, it would take a much larger one, or something non-typical that would be worth spending the money and taking up wall space. So, that's why I started doing skull mounts, and would be just fine with one of a Roe deer. I can hang a picture of the animal under it.

I found a site talking about tolls, and saw the "congestion"toll for inner London. It said it didn't apply on weekends, but I would think it would still be very hard to drive let alone PARK anywhere near the Palace. Think we'll be doing quite a bit of walking.

I'll just HAVE to bring a camo sweatshirt along! I'll wear it for the cooler morning hunt, and maybe just to bother the wife. I've got a reputation to uphold!

Have a good Easter, folks!

 

[devon deer]

As already said above, drab colour clothing will be fine, i appreciate some believe we UK hunters dress in tweed, what a load of bollocks i say!

Roe deer are no different to any other deer, wind, sound and movement will ruin a stalk if you aren't careful.

I am no expert on skull preparation, but mdunc8 on here taught me how to bleach a skull.
The skull on the left was dropped by my wife!
The one on the right is a cracker, one of my best.


Cheers

Richard

 

[mixedbag]

Cant wait to see how the hunt plays out.Roe deer are really unique,and I think that would be my choice as a target species.Good luck on the trip/hunt.I don't think US customs would be too happy to find a skull in your luggage,and they WILL check.If its anything like Africa game,your best off to have professional taxidermist treat the skull and ship it.Thats not to expensive anyways.I know if I tried to bring a skull back from Africa,it would have been confiscated.I would definitely look into that further so you don't lose your trophy
Such a great offer.You get a hunt of a lifetime along with a family vacation your wife will love.

 

[devon deer]

I have made some enquiries in relation to taxidermy and shipping, there is a company based in Germany/Denmark, they do a complete package, i have done some rough calculations, $1000, but the hunter has to arrange collection at a US port of entry and shipping to their home state.

Blimey, how much will it cost to get a reversal of that done should i get an Elk!

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

I did a bit of research myself today. I went to the U.S. Customs site and followed a link to the USDA Animal Product Manual. It seems to be the rule book for customs agents regarding anything being imported like fruit, meat, as well as animal parts and trophies. What I found seemed to allow up to two skulls (unless paperwork stated so) providing they were:

Clean, dry, and free from undried pieces of flesh, hide, and sinew, and offered for entry as trophies OR offered for consignment to a museum.

USDA defines trophies as the bones (including skulls, antlers, teeth, horns, and hoofs) of an animal carcass that can be used as a remembrance or souvenir of “the hunt” for personal use only. A copy of the importer’s hunting license/permit, or other documentation clearly demonstrating the lawful possession of the trophy from the country of origin must be issued by the foreign government (at the Federal, Regional or Departmental level), not by the outfitter. This documentation must be in English or must be accompanied by a government-endorsed English translation. This documentation should identify the animal species and, if applicable, indicate the quantity of animals allowed to be hunted. USDA limits the quantity of bone trophies allowed to be imported to those taken from two animals
unless a greater quantity is authorized by the hunting license/permit or other documentation as indicated above. Bone trophies not meeting the above conditions will be regulated by species as a consignment of commercial bones.

So, it SEEMS like IF I got something, and it was cleaned and bleached so it was ready to display, that all I would need was a paper from an official government person. Not REAL sure who that may be in the UK. Am I interpreting this correctly?

 

[devon deer]

So, it SEEMS like IF I got something, and it was cleaned and bleached so it was ready to display, that all I would need was a paper from an official government person. Not REAL sure who that may be in the UK. Am I interpreting this correctly?

No idea!
Maybe a vet?
I haven't a clue, sorry.
All i could do to assist you is supply a copy of my firearms certificate you could show them.
What about the cites aspect?
Cheers
Richard

 

[mixedbag]

pm glasseye on here.He would be a lot more help since he does alot of out of country hunts.I know it cost me a small fortune getting 6 trophies back from Africa.My guess would be you need a certified taxidermists to fill out paperwork that skull was properly cleaned.Rules are strict for bringing any animal parts here from what I went thru,and they DO go thru everyones luggage looking for this type of thing
I just don't want your trip ruined by customs

 

[Dave N]

I'll send him a PM. Thanks!

 

[Dave N]

Richard, I stepped cautiously onto the scale tonight. Fresh out of the shower and nekkid as a jaybird it read 213 pounds. I'll give it a go and make an attempt at losing a few pounds, but mainly want to work on my breathing! Don't need to run off to close the distance on a Roe just to have the crosshairs bouncing from my gasping! NO BETTING on who does better!

I forget, when was your elk hunt scheduled again? Got everything squared away with your gear, AMMO!, and whatever else you are taking with you?

 

[devon deer]

Richard, I stepped cautiously onto the scale tonight. Fresh out of the shower and nekkid as a jaybird it read 213 pounds. I'll give it a go and make an attempt at losing a few pounds, but mainly want to work on my breathing! Don't need to run off to close the distance on a Roe just to have the crosshairs bouncing from my gasping! NO BETTING on who does better!

I forget, when was your elk hunt scheduled again? Got everything squared away with your gear, AMMO!, and whatever else you are taking with you?

That's a coincidence, weighed myself yesterday as it was my first day on training for my Montanan adventure, 184lb, so i aim to be at 168lb by the time you arrive in July, provided i don't injure myself.

You will be fine on your hunt, no running across fields i promise

I will be in Montana for the first day of the rifle, after last time don't mention AMMO!
Hopefully i will have a box of Federal waiting for me when i get there, no way am i bringing any with me this time in case i run into the same idiot i did last time at Heathrow Airport.
Next week i will be buying a new rifle, 30-06 again, but not sure what, maybe a Sako....or a Blaser.
I have all the gear except waterproof trousers, i am waiting for the exchange rate to change and then i will order some Sitka or KUIU

The exchange rate for you is superb at the moment, for me it is crap!

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

I've gotten more into the trip planning stage and was wondering about something. I see some of the sights worth visiting are free to National Trust members. It seems like a good idea to get a one month membership for us for our travels. Not sure how many places require getting tickets in advance, free or paid. Any insight for travelers in general on this? I was looking at Stonehenge, St. Michael's Mount, etc.

 

[devon deer]

I've gotten more into the trip planning stage and was wondering about something. I see some of the sights worth visiting are free to National Trust members. It seems like a good idea to get a one month membership for us for our travels. Not sure how many places require getting tickets in advance, free or paid. Any insight for travelers in general on this? I was looking at Stonehenge, St. Michael's Mount, etc.

That is a great idea!
And a little tip, i will leave it up to you to confirm, i have heard that it is cheaper to join the Scottish National Trust, compared to the English NT, but once joined there is a reciprocal arrangement and you can still visit the English sites!
This place is near me http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo but it is having some restoration done, but you can still visit, it's the 'youngest' castle in England, started late 20's finished early 30's

Just in case your wife is a Downton Abbey fan tell her to forget visiting Highclere Castle, A) It's fully booked
B) Very expensive!

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

Latest update. Got a pair of greenish jeans to wear for hunting. Plenty of shirts to use already. Currently working my butt off to make extra money for the trip. 7 days a week and 10 hour days during the week. Went to our local chapter's RMEF banquet last night, and I'm paying for it today. Up at 4:30, drive 55 miles to work, drive home, clean up, drive back ONE MILE from the plant for the banquet! Got home and ran to hit the sack right at midnight. Alarm still goes off at 4:30, back to work. Early bedtime tonight! Once again, I missed out on any guns, but I did win a Work Sharp Knife Sharpener. That thing is slick! My wife and I even got recognized by the Regional Chairman because we've been the first people registering for the past several years. I just like having the bidder number 1 card!

Haven't done much trip planning lately, just too busy!