CAMEROON: Cameroon Hunt With JKO HUNTING SAFARIS (Or) At Least It Has Air Conditioning...

[K-man]

Hello to all fellow AH'ers, I will attempt to fill the void of hunting reports with a short report of my trip to Cameroon January of 2021 with Jacques Spamer of JKO/Sable Safaris.

My quest to hunt Cameroon began a couple of years ago but began in earnest at DSC January of 2020. I visited with 4 or 5 outfitters at the show while there but just didn't seem to get the right feeling from several of them about the operation, or the concession. Met and contacted another outfitter at another show who would be personally involved in the hunt and also began contacting Jacques about a hunt with him. The more research I did, the more Jacques and his operation became the front-runner. My take on Cameroon is the concession is the biggest advantage (or disadvantage) of the operation. It seems some concessions, while large and in the right locations, have small or nomadic herds of Lord Derby Eland. Cost is always a factor in my hunting plans, but the time and money spent on a fruitless hunt is so much more expensive. Jacques has a pair of bordering concessions owned by a French gentleman named Pascal that doesn't do a lot of hunts, it is more of a personal retreat for him and his friends, and the connection between Jacques and Pascal was a mutual hunting friend. I booked the hunt in October and set the dates for the hunt after I learned DSC was virtual this year. Jacques has a partner in France that arranges the flights and Visa and gun importation requirements. I sent my passport off to him and the process was completed in just a few weeks. After a busy holiday season and getting my Blaser R8 in the .375 h&h configuration sighted in, I boarded flights from the midwest to Washington DC to Brussels to Douala. The biggest surprises of flying are the Covid testing. The requirement for a negative PCR test just before boarding caused me to schedule a test at a site just 15 minutes from my home the night before my flight. When I arrived, they said, "Sorry, we're out of tests" A mad scramble to find another site caused me to drive to Duncan Ok about three hours away 4 hours before they closed. All this now just 8 hrs before my first flight. On arrival in Douala two international flights had landed minutes apart and without anyone's knowledge, we were herded into a long line of about 300 people to get a Covid test. They tried hard to socially distance everyone in a line that was three blocks long in the terminal, then allowed 100 people into a small room standing room only for the Covid test. Three people in white jackets were giving covid tests. On completion we went to baggage where my meet and greet gentleman Salihou met me and took me to meet Jacques where we ate and overnighted in a nice French hotel.

The next day we flew Camair to Garauo which is a daily milk run type flight. Much different than our domestic or international air carriers. I have noticed our domestic/international air carriers have much cleaner planes than a year or two ago. Not so much the Camair.

On arrival to Garauo we were met by Moussa and transported to the local hotel. It was getting dark by the time we were close and when the driver turned off the main road choked with street vendors, small motorcycles and pedestrians to a side dirt street rutted and trash lined I began thinking, if I were to take someone to a back alley to beat the tar out of them and take their possessions, this would be the place to go. We arrived intact to the hotel and climbed the stairs to our rooms. This is where the rest of the title comes into focus. The room I had was, well, iffy at best. Certainly not the place to take your wife. I slept on top of the covers. BUT the a/c worked!! Seems that is the standard for Africa. Later I learned Jacques' room was not as nice, as he put it, "the P.H.'s room." All part of the adventure! We met a French P.H. at the airport who recommended a nice dining establishment across town called La Casa. We had a great meal, and the appetizer we ordered was Camerones. With my limited French but better Spanish grasp of the language it was a great tempura battered shrimp, twice as large as you would get in USA.

Early the next morning we would leave for camp from the hotel. It was to be a 4 to 5 hr drive so lots of emotions arriving to camp and getting ready to hunt. Three across the seat of a Cruiser is a bit cozy but we were loaded in the back with water and Coke and luggage. The tar road turned into a dirt road about an hour in. It progressively diminished as we got closer to camp, with it becoming a deeply rutted two track for the last hour.

Arriving in camp we were introduced to the rest of the staff and put bags and gear away. Jacques who I will call Mr Jacques to avoid confusion (the camp manager and P.H. from France) told us that we didn't have meat in camp and we were going out to shoot a Kob. That's great news for me as it means trigger time and felt a bit like "old Africa" where your first duty was to get meat for camp. We stopped a ways from camp with a couple shots to verify the gun was on and we were off. Kob were everywhere and it wasn't long before we had a mature Kob standing just off the road. we got off and after a short stalk and a single shot the Kob was in the truck. We continued on and soon located the tracks of a small group of Savannah Buffalo. We stalked for about 30 minutes before the trackers stiffened and began pointing. Mr Jacques began glassing and I saw my first Savannah Buffalo. Not much time to identify the bull and the herd finally sniffed something and were off. As it was too late to allow them to stop and for us to start another stalk we went back to camp.


My chalet in camp

The main dining camp chalet

The river in front of camp. Also the dividing line between the two concessions.

The Kob for camp meat

As this report will require more time to prepare I will divide it into sections

 

[cpr0312]

Loving it so far! Congrats on the kob!

 

[TXhunter65]

Keep it coming!

 

[huntermn15]

Thank you for posting. I'm sure we're all looking forward to the rest of the report!

 

[K-man]

I will not divide the report into days as it would be a bit long and dreary. The main thing I noticed about the concession is the VERY tall grass. In places it was over my head. This would be quickly remedied by all the trackers as they each had weapons of mass destruction, a case of Boxer matches, and they knew how to use them.

As we were the first hunt of the season there wasn't much burning done before arrival. So lots of smoke and ash in the air. Occasionally we were on a stalk and the flames would sort of catch up to us. Fires here are different than at home - they will burn for a few hundred yards then just fizzle out, for no apparent reason.
The ground here is littered, and I mean every step, with a golf ball sized lump of hardened clay

the French call potterie. It is basically a worm casting made by the large African earthworms during the rainy season. Some are two or three balls high, some are so solid they don't break, and some shatter underfoot. This was quite unexpected by me as most African hunts are sandy or rocky but this was quite difficult terrain. I am glad I brought two pairs of boots as I needed a break for my feet daily.

So the daily routine is to wake about 5 am have a bit of breakfast, and leave camp by about 5:45 at first light. The animals are active at night usually going to water which is the river system so the earlier you can cut a fresh track the less distance you have to close. We found fresh Eland tracks every day, some a small herd, some a lone bull. It was interesting to see the difference between the tracks. Even a big cow eland has a large track, but the bulls are so heavy that track will sink in an inch or two. We would usually track until mid-day, these animals would turn downwind just a bit before going into heavy cover to rest, and we had several stalks busted by the wind before we could see the animal. Go back for lunch and a quick break, rinsing the ash off our faces and feet and then go out again about 3:00 until dark at 6:00. According to Jacques' app on his phone, we were averaging driving about 20 to 30 K a day, 5-7k every morning and 2-3K every evening of walking.
Day 3 we got into a herd of Eland with young calves, cows and at least 5-8 bulls. One bull in particular stood out to Jacques as the herd bull, he was busy with the cows and keeping the other bulls at a distance. We belly crawled and crab walked to within 300 yds but the bull kept moving in and out and we could never get a clear shot. we even broke off and went around but couldn't get back on him, just the herd and satellite bulls before dark.
Day 4 we were driving the roads for tracks and I saw a nice red Duiker moving through the brush. I say I saw it although the trackers probably saw it 300 yds before me and just didn't mention it. I showed it to Jacques and we could both see the good horns as he moved away. I said I would like one as they are difficult to get outside of Cameroon, so we stopped and got off the cruiser. I keep a couple of Barnes solids in my belt for just that occasion, so I loaded up and we went about 50 yards before the tracker spotted him peeking at us around a tree. I lined up on the sticks for an 80 yd shot into a 3 inch window. The R8 placed the bullet perfectly and it impacted the chest and exited the rear of the Duiker. He needed a minute to expire but it turned out to be a fantastic trophy. I am not an inches guy but Mr Jacques in camp measured him and said three inches. I looked up Rowland Ward and it takes two and a half to make book. Something good after a few hard days hunt.

By the end of day 4 and day 5 of not seeing much fresh Eland sign, Pascal suggested we go for buffalo until they could figure out where the Eland had gone. He dispatched a separate team of trackers and also directed the anti-poaching patrols to look for them. Very nice to have the owner in camp with us helping and translating and directing people. You could tell he was very determined to have us successful. By day 6 we had reports of a pride of 5 lions had moved in and as the cows were calving the herd was an easy target, taking an eland a day. This had the herds moving as much as possible and broke them up into smaller groups. Day 5 we were able to get onto a small group of 7 or 8 buffalo and this time were ahead of them as they came into a small clearing. I was on the sticks as they slowly fed out and Jacques would calmly say, cow, cow, cow until the bull appeared. It was obvious even to me that this was a young bull as he was not even as large as the cows. we watched and filmed them a bit, then we left them to grow up.

More to come....

 

[K-man]

So the amount of game in this concession is diverse and plentiful. We saw Kob around every bend, common and Red Flanked Duiker, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, buffalo, Hartebeest, and Roan. The license in Cameroon is two trophies from group A and 4 trophies from group B but no duplicates. In my case the two main animals I wanted were the Lord Derby and Buffalo, both group A so I was ignoring the Hartebeest and Roan we saw daily. I tried very hard to convince Mr Jacques that we needed a Roan for camp meat, but got nowhere in that discussion. After reports from the scouts that the Eland had moved across the river into the other concession, we began a new search the next day.

We began the day with fresh tracks of a herd of Eland which was a good sign as we knew with young calves they would not travel as far or as quickly. We finally got the break we had been needing when we found the group before the wind swirled and before they saw us. Jacques got me behind him and we began looking for the best bull. He was behind the thick brush with a cow and could only get fleeting glimpses of him. When the cow began to move we knew the bull would follow and there was an opening about 20 yards ahead of them 140 yards away. I got on the sticks and we could see several bulls already in the opening and then the cow stepped out, slowly moving through the cut. Then HE stepped out, large black neck, horns that turned out again and a dewlap that nearly dragged the ground when he walked. I was ready but as both Jacques and I realized, the shot was not clear as there were other eland directly behind him and with the Barnes X I was shooting, it would have been an unfortunate double. The trackers couldn't believe I didn't shoot but eventually understood. We waited for about another fifteen minutes and then saw the cow coming back through the opening. They quartered through the same opening and this time I had the crosshairs on his font shoulder. I was not able to get the shot off before another eland crossed in front. It looked like we might get another shot as the herd began to slowly feed toward us but just as the cow was exiting the thicket, a closer cow smelled something and took off, taking the herd with her. This was one of those soul crushing moments in lots of hunts where you have the opportunity and the right moment and then I was unable to make the most of it. Everyone was very disappointed, but no one more than me. I felt like throwing up, as hard as we had worked just to have it all fall apart. I felt like I had let the whole team down. It was a long quiet ride back to camp. I apologized to the team in camp, but then realized later that at least we hadn't made a mistake, we didn't have a wounded animal, and the herd was still around. Tomorrow was a new day!
After a long walk the next morning, we were at the road waiting for the truck when I looked to the right and saw a very old Kob with his head down, standing in the shade of a tree at about 120 yds. I could tell his horns were much longer and worn off at the tips. I pointed him out to Jacques and Pascal and he said, well, YOU don't have Kob yet....so the sticks came out, and I dropped him where he stood.

Once again the tape came out in camp, and he is just a couple of centimeters shy of RW. Probably before he was worn down he may have made it, but a quality trophy and one I am proud of.

Day 8 dawned much like the others, but soon we were on the tracks of a herd of Eland. This group seemed smaller, but had cows and young mixed in. We tracked for a couple of hours then found ourselves within sight. Again it was difficult to find the bull in the group, but then Jacques said, "there- on the left! head pointing left!" this time I was able to see the large head and the black mane quickly, and said, yes, got him. In only a couple of seconds I was able to find him in the scope, safety off and trying to place the shot. All I had to shoot at was the front shoulder but I fired at the best location I could. The Eland buckled but spun around. The trackers seemed to know where he was, and we hurried up to get a better spot for a follow-up. He was struggling to walk at the bottom of the bowl, and I was able to get a broadside shot into him through the brush. We quickly tried to close the distance and saw he was still up and struggling to get away. If an animal is on its feet I will keep shooting, so I took an offhand shot at about 120 yards as he was going away. He piled into a brush pile about 50 yards further. Eland Down! This turned out that the herd we had been on a couple days before had split again, and this was the good bull! After lots of clearing brush and positioning him for pictures, we loaded him up for camp.

This is one of my favorite pictures as it shows the dark neck and dewlap. Not as good a picture of his horns as this one...

Still more to come....

 

[gillettehunter]

Congrats on some great animals. Wonderful to have a hunt like this to read about. Glad you were successful. Looking forward to the rest of the report.
Bruce

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on a nice eland! Looking forward to more.

 

[K-man]

After pictures and loading up the Eland, we have a chance to go over the shot. Jacques said the first shot was 240M. A bit further than what I was calculating in my head, so the first shot was a bit lower than I had planned. It entered low but broke the offside front leg. The second shot was a good shot into the ribs but missed the heart, The third shot grazed the back right top of the eland just beside his hump and then stitched his left ear. If it had been a couple of inches lower it would have spined him and possibly brained him also. It was confusing to look at on the ground but after replaying the angles made sense. So after we had loaded up the eland and headed to camp, we stopped a few hundred yards away from camp and as is the custom, unload the rifles. This day was no different, so when the truck stopped I leaned forward and unloaded my R8. Jacques next to me said, no, they want you to fire a shot into the air. I was confused and it took me a minute to realize they were serious. I had a practice round of a Nosler in my bag so I loaded it up and Jacques said, "that way" so I did. The truck erupted in chanting and singing as we slowly rolled into camp, and all of the camp came out to meet us with branches and flowers waving and chanting. It was unexpected and overwhelming all at the same time. Something I have not experienced before. Jacques has a video of it possibly on his personal page if you want to view it. The income from these hunts and the meat from an Eland is cause for great celebration. We celebrated with an adult beverage and a full night's sleep. Except I couldn't. The feeling is a bit like being redeemed in football if you are the field goal kicker and miss the shot just before halftime, then get a chance to make it to win the game. The tape came out and at 110 cm just 2 cm shy of RW. A trophy I will not better in my lifetime.

With still 2 hunting days to go I still have time to fill out my license, so out we go again after buffalo. We get on the tracks of a small herd with a deep bull track soon after leaving camp. We have gone several Km into the hunt when the trackers freeze. Jacques says, "reedbuck, and he's a very good one and old" and that's all I need to hear. I am quickly on the sticks and have a broadside shot at 180 yds. The shot broke both front shoulders and he was quickly down. A few steps later and I put the finishing shot into him. He was so old you could visibly see each rib. The secondary growth on his horns is a good sign of age as well as the thickness at the base.

So this species is called the Bohor Reedbuck and while I didn't write down the measurement, it will also go into RW. The trackers show so much respect to all the animals they cut a bed of leaves to put into the truck when bringing back an animal.
We headed back to camp to get the Reedbuck into the skinning shed, have lunch, and return to the Buffalo tracks.
After a break we are hot on the trail of the buffalo, which have headed toward the Oldiri River and the boundary of the concession. Most of the time they simply water and return, but there is always the chance that they can cross. The spoor and dung are fresh and still warm, when the trackers freeze. Jacques begins glassing the thick brush just in front and to the right. There is a branch to his right I get my gun on, not waiting for sticks. Then Jacques says, "there, the one on the right beginning to walk"... I don't have a shot yet as I can barely see its head but at least I have the right animal. The cover ahead of him is a bit thinner and as he gets into it, I estimate where his shoulder is and get a round off. He hunches and exits left following the cows. We immediately begin tracking and find good lung blood after just a few yards. Its a good thing we left quickly as the fires set behind us sweep through where we were standing. After 30 or 40 yards we find the buffalo already done, the shot took out lung and heart. While not as large as a cape buffalo, they are still imposing and stout. If they wanted to, they could quickly damage you.

I especially like the worn off tips of his horns.
The rest of the team from left to right, Bertram who also works the anti-poaching patrol, myself, then Poppy and Sabu the trackers.
So much more information to put into a hunt, will post soon about the travel back and more pictures of the hunt.

A morning conference about what to do today...

A good view of what was (usually) behind us.

 

[WAB]

Well done, outstanding hunt! Thank you for sharing.

 

[lwaters]

That is one impressive animal. Congratulations

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Congratulation @K-man, some great trophies there!

 

[Bullthrower338]

Outstanding!

 

[mark-hunter]

Fantastic hunt, great report, impressive trophies!
Congrats!

 

[K-man]

So some of the other tidbits of information about the hunt. We left a bit early as the RULES OF COVID are changing daily. The US government in its infinite wisdom has designated Jan 26 as the date all incoming travelers must have negative Covid tests. I am returning Jan 23rd, so all should be good but Jacques needs a test to return to SA so when we get to the hotel in Garauo Moussa has arranged for a doctor to come give Covid tests where we are. That handled, we go off to the La Casa for a meal. This time I am going straight for the Camerones as a main meal, grilled

That's two shrimp on a plate with a side of fries. 9 euros.

So as not to slight the food in camp, every meal was expertly cooked and without exception, nicely done. Usually every P.H. I have known asks before camp if I have dietary restrictions. I always answer, no vegetables! My wife is not here to make me eat my vegetables. So before every meal there is a lovely plate full of vegetables. Jacques happily ate my portion every time, especially the avacadoes so nothing went to waste.
Mr Jacques spent a bit of time on the river fishing and was able to bring in a very nice Capitan and shared it with camp.
The fresh fruit was always great, Pineapple, grapefruit, Papaya and oranges in abundance
The Mousse was always a treat, chocolate and lime.
As to the travel, every stop required an inspection of my gun case and verification of the serial numbers and counting the rounds of ammunition. EVERY STOP. and then there are the "unofficial" checks by every person with a security badge or who seems in an official position. especially the ones wanting a bribe. (no one got a cent from me) if every traveler who goes would quit offering a bribe to every official they would eventually stop - maybe. Here is a picture of the back of my visa and gun permit with the official stamps - there were just as many "unofficial" checks.

Two checks especially stood out. The security chief at the Garaoua airport called us back just before walking out clear back into his little cubicle office in the back of the dark hallway to "check" my gun. He wanted us to sit down, I refused. he began quickly speaking in language neither of us could understand. I was doing my best to remain calm and Jacques was also but repeating "we don't understand". The guard said at one point "we are all friends here, please have a seat" so I said, "Oh you speak English, so you will address me in English, sir" He immediately began talking faster and louder and finally I opened my gun case and he brought out a piece of printer paper and wrote down the serial number of the gun. He didn't even have a stamp! Then we got to the door and our meet-and greet gentleman Salihou showed up quite late and got us into the parking lot. on the way several teen-age men offered to help with the single bag. I was a bit tense after the exchange inside and squared up in front of them and simply said, "NO" and then continued following to the truck. The teens said, he's our friend and pointed to Salihou. I said, then he can pay you. They stayed a bit further back after that. I am understanding of the need of the average African to earn a couple bucks but after that I was a bit testy. We get to the Hotel Falaise in Douala which has a noticeable security presence and x-ray machines at the door. Guess what, the local police needed to inspect the serial number of my gun. I nicely complied until he told me they would keep my gun. I told them no, that's why I have a permit to have a gun. I would check it at the desk where they would give me a receipt for my gun. He was a bit perplexed that I argued with him without offering a bribe. Wrote down the number on a piece of paper! All part of the adventure!
My flight was scheduled to leave Douala for Brussels in a few hours, so we relaxed in a room and got a bite to eat at the hotel. Salihou arrived to collect me and help me get onto the plane. He was helpful with the airport personnel and paperwork. A covid test was required by the airline to board, luckily I had a current one on me. Boarding was generally smooth once you get through the lines. A notable one was they installed an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser prior to the luggage check. It quit working about halfway through the line and held up the process for 30 minutes. It took a long time for the man in the white coat to realize it wasn't going to work and everyone in the line was showing our personal sanitizer bottles. TIA!! Then we go through the usual x-ray and metal detector line, then 20 feet later another hand check of everyone's baggage. Not sure what the hand check will pick up that the x-rays missed?

All seems well that I am finally on a flight and getting closer to home!
After landing in Brussels, with a short layover I am at my gate getting ready to board my flight to DC when the nice gate attendant (in English) said I am not allowed to board my flight to DC because I have a firearm. (What??) The kind folks at United explained our government has decided that no one is allowed into DC flights this week with a firearm. Nice!! My option is to overnight in Brussels as the no-fly order expires the next day, or there is a flight leaving for Newark in just an hour. They book me on the Newark flight and also rebook my connecting flight. Very helpful people!

After landing in Newark. my trip through customs ends up being called into a side office to wait for an "interview" with an officer. Apparently my flying into my own country with my own weapon and 4457 was cause for consternation with Customs. They had no issue with any contraband and didn't even check my weapon! It was all about my choice to fly home with my own weapon with a connecting flight in a couple hours. Amazing after all I went through in Africa to be treated like that in the States. I fear for what our country will become when this becomes easier and commonplace.
A side note- the two travel agents that were involved in this flight booking should have been on top of this - that is what we pay them for- not for me to find out about it halfway through getting home.

All of this sounds negative and I certainly don't want to convey the feeling that way! Jacques and the concession owner made a remarkable effort that every item under their control was properly done. I am impressed with the amount of details that were handled by Jacques and his team. I merely want people to know that a hunting trip to Cameroon will be an adventure and you must be prepared for delays and curveballs. It is an adventure!!
If I have left out any further details I will add them later and Jacques may have a different perspective about details so I welcome his input as well
Thanks for reading this report and thanks for the positive comments already! If anyone wants to visit more please P.M. me!

 

[mark-hunter]

if every traveler who goes would quit offering a bribe to every official they would eventually stop

That is impossible, it goes for decades, in numerous creative ways....
Few examples.
Ship comes in port, prepares documents required for authorities, which includes store declaration, and in this case, a separate paint store declaration.

Paint must be declared in closed cans, and in open cans in liters per can and in total amount.
For example: 37 closed cans, 20 liters each, 740 liters total, plus
1 can, white paint, open - 15 liters
1 can, red paint, open, 11 liters
etc, etc
15 other open cans listed, and given total, for example 221 liters of paint in open cans.

Then they ask, and give list for "requirements" for "presents" from ship store: For example - they will "require": 10 cases of beer, 25 cases soft drink, 25 cartons cigarettes, 1 case of whisky.
Master says, no! Thanks, but no thanks, in a polite manner.

The team goes then for "rotuine" check - directly to paint store, checks the first open paint can, and says, in this paint can it is declared 12 liters of paint, and you really have 14 liters, indicates you are smuggling paint.
The fine will be X.XXX dollars.. no receipt. Or in the best case, hand written on paper.

Problem solved.
And next time, the goodies will go out with a smile, and without question as per requirement list, directly to pick up truck...

Similar games will be around medical stores and declaration of legal medical narcotics...
But aspirin is not Narcotic! O, but overdose with aspirin is dangerous, so we keep on narcotic list under local regulations, and not reporting it, the fine will be.. x.xxxx dollars... Until this is not paid, there is no free pratique... meaning, cargo operations are on hold...

Knowing all this, having seen all this, and to start thinking about firearms declaration entry permits, number of cartridges, or possible empty casings, hunting permits, etc etc.. this could easily turn to nightmare, for a rightful sportsman.

Bottom line, you cannot beat them on their own turf, in their own game... the final outcome in second round can prove to be a very bitter pill to swallow.

If locals dont wear uniform, another game is "tipping", discussed at length on this forum.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

@K-man What a grand adventure! Thanks for sharing.

 

[cpr0312]

Thanks for sharing all aspects of the travel and adventure! I enjoyed the read and now have a hankering to go to Cameroon!

 

[375Fox]

I’m really glad you got to go and were successful. Did you have an opportunity to take bushbuck and waterbuck or you choose not to buy the special license? Harnessed bushbuck is one of my top animals to take someday in addition to lord derby eland.

I was scheduled to hunt there this year with a different outfitter. I moved my hunt up to avoid joe Biden taking office. I was going to borrow a gun to eliminate any issue from changing travel. I had to cut planned hunt short to work around international and domestic air routes and add some hotel stays to make sure I could get a covid test before departing USA. Then when I tried to apply for my visa, they would not process application at embassy in USA. Outfitter asked me to send it to Brussels and had a minister sent official letter to embassies about hunting, but I was scared away by that point since the country borders are technically closed and I would have been one of first hunters for year. I see now maybe I should have tried Brussels. I’m really glad you were successful and found a way around all the issues. I’m rescheduled for 2 years out, but hopefully I can go next year.

 

[AZDAVE]

International travel is always an interesting adventure. some place more than others.
Thank you for sharing. Sounds like you had a great trip.