Random Reflections
1. Hunting Benin is how I imagine hunting was in ‘the old days.’ All wild, all free ranging, nothing assured or guaranteed. Away from everything, including cell phone signals.
2. The staff at Atacora will go the extra mile for you. I can’t tell you how many times they did something or noticed something to make life just a bit easier for someone suffering from the effects of heat. Maybe it’s the French, but clearly, there are some things no civilized human being should be expected to do without in the wilds, and good food and bread made fresh daily are apparently among those things. French wine is another! Good for them.
3. If you aren’t heat sensitive, go any time. If you are, go in January or earlier in February. The trade-off is that you may get more of the Harmattan, but we got some of that in March as well.
4. Hunting with Christophe is great fun. He clearly loves what he does, knows just about everything there is to know about the animals and birds of the area, and will stop any time, any where, to get that perfect picture. He’s also charmingly juvenile, and I mean that in a positive way. If things get quiet, he will stir the pot to get things simmering again! If he would hunt with me again, I would certainly hunt with him.
5. Tsetse flies. Much is made about tsetse flies, and I was a bit worried about them before I left. It turns out I was right to be worried, but for the wrong reasons. Yes, there are tsetse flies in this area, but they are not spread uniformly throughout the area, so are not of concern all of the time. I was concerned about being stung – I was under the impression that the sting was quite painful – akin to a bee sting. It is not. The sting ranges from painless (at the moment) to a bit like a needle (the injection kind). What I did not know was that the worst was yet to come. The bites become extremely itchy (on most people). This was the big problem. It was difficult to sleep at night with all the scratching, and you risk infection as you scratch yourself bloody. The solution comes in the form of topical cortisone cream and an oral antihistamine. Combined, the issue is manageable. I wouldn’t let the flies deter me from hunting anywhere, although I would be prepared. Oh – one other thing – they sting through fabric.
6. I’m told that about 60 hunters a year come to Benin – in total! Of that number, 17 or so come to Atacora Safaris. Quotas are kept low, so animal numbers and trophy quality is high. As an aside, those hunters have a combined value which far exceeds the 5,000 annual visitors to national parks.
7. Bullet performance. In the my early hunting days, I would often recover a Barnes bullet from an animal. Often all four petals would be present, and the bullets would look like a dirtier version of what Barnes gives out at SCI. It’s been some time, though, since I’ve seen that. Petals come off and bullets deform. I don’t know if the bullets have changed, but I do know that what I see has changed. And on this hunt, the .416 didn’t open up. I actually don’t mind solids, but I want them to be my choice, not the bullet maker’s. I can’t say many animals are getting away, and maybe that’s the ultimate test. But I still have this nagging feeling that all isn’t as it was, or should be.
8. Cost. A number of people replied to Christophe when he first posted this hunt that it was expensive, or too expensive. I’ve done the math, and I really have to disagree with those who say this. Here’s a comparison I’ve done.
Note that this is for a comparable hunt. If you are only after plains game (not including the Roan) then South Africa/Namibia will be cheaper, because of the day rates.
The South African numbers are a composite of different outfitters, all of whom are sponsors on this site. I’ve picked sponsors only because I think most of them are pretty reasonable – you can find higher prices (and lower as well) if you look elsewhere, but I don't think the differences will be enough to change the conclusion. The South African hunts are high fenced hunts, but are large areas. I haven’t used free ranging buffalo hunts which are available from, for example, Coenraad Vermaak Safaris (a first rate operator), but are considerably more expensive in terms of day rates (and I think trophy fees for the buff) than what I’ve shown here for South Africa. In fact, the day rates I’ve used for South Africa are only for plains game, so the comparison isn't entirely fair to Benin.
I’ve converted Euros to US$ at $1.07.
Comparison of Hunt Costs: Benin and RSA 10 day hunt: Buffalo, Roan, Hippo and Plains Game
Benin:
Day rates: $12840
Buffalo: 1007
Hippo: 2675
Roan: 1500
Other Costs: 1000
Total: $19,022
South Africa:
Day Rates: $3800
Buffalo: 12000
Hippo: 8500
Roan: 9500
Other Costs: ?
Total: $33,800
You might be able to get buffalo a bit cheaper (a lot cheaper if you want to shoot one in a pen), and I’ve seen roan in the $8,000 range, but neither of these will change the fundamental conclusion, which is that Benin is a true bargain in terms of hunting this type of game. I haven't included the plains game I shot, but the more animals you take, the better the bargain.
Bottom line: I’m going to return to Benin. The hunting experience is one of the best I’ve had.
Holy SH*T
