I too have done it that way. The taxidermist from the past is not doing international mounts anymore. He says the Canadian govt. has made things too difficult so he is only doing local. He said for me to bring home a hide, untanned, is simple. But, for him to do the work and then ship to US has many hoops and costs. Itseems cost effective to find a taxidermist in the States. My concern is transporting a skinned out hide.