Yes, having game mounted in Africa and then shipped home is expensive. First there is the taxidermy cost. Then there is the crating, then the international shipping, then the insurance on your boxes, then the receiving end (mine was in Seattle), then the reshipping via truck to your door. If you have say, 5 animals shoulder mounted it about pays for the cost of another safari in RSA.
On the other hand, I have gone the photo route too. Most recently on a sailfish caught in Costa Rica. Having a mount vs having a photo just doesn't bring the same amount of satisfaction or the same level of return of memory.
By the way, I call my trophy room my memory room since only a couple of my game animals are technically trophies according to one standard or the other. But in my mind, they are memories.
