A few observations about this hunt.
1. Hunting the spiral horns has provided me with years of enjoyment, both in reading about these fascinating antelope as well as planning for and actually going on hunts. The hunts have taken me throughout Africa, from West Africa, to East Africa to Southern Africa. I’ve tried to hunt each species in its natural surroundings, rather than introduced animals, and each hunt had to be a fair chase hunt. The only exception to this might be the nyala, which I took in South Africa (native country but perhaps at the fringe of its original range) and on a fenced property of about 75,000 acres. So plenty big, but not perfect. I might have to go back to KZN to hunt one in a free range area. All of the other animals were taken in unfenced areas.
The hunts have challenged me physically and mentally. A bongo after 11 days in the jungle was both exhilarating and exhausting, particularly mentally. A lesser kudu in the Danakil desert of Ethiopia was extremely difficult, given the unrelenting heat, but the hunt was mercifully brief. On the other hand, I lucked into one of the toughest spiral horns to find, the forest sitatunga, the day after we took the bongo, so maybe these things balance out.
2. Lord Derby is a tracking hunt. There is always the chance you will find a mature male by driving around, but I believe the chances of that happening are slim. If they see, hear or smell you, they are gone. These animals are less predictable in their habits than buffalo, and can walk just as far or farther. Badly shot, I have no doubt that an eland can outlast a buffalo. Having said that, giant eland hunting is a great opportunity to see some of the best trackers in Africa work their magic.
3. Moving around in Cameroon is very difficult. The roads are a nightmare. The country has very few – usually only one – charter carriers, and a charter, when available, is outrageously expensive. Commercial schedules are nothing more than a hope, it seems. On our way out, we spent an extra day in Douala where we met the next hunters who were supposed to go in to hunt with Guav. Their flight to Garoua had been cancelled, as ours had been, and they were waiting in Douala to get out. You lose hunting days like this, and there’s really nothing you can do – “this is Africa.” But what that means is that you should be ready to spend some time in Douala, or hope you get lucky and your internal flights leave on time. Tight connections or even same day are a challenge. You need to be prepared for unpredictability.
4. Renting a rifle is a practical alternative to bringing your own and is likely the better plan. Bringing your own has at least two downsides. The first is just the time it takes to clear a rifle with the relevant authorities, which is necessary on every flight. I was told that it’s not unreasonable to allow 2-4 hours for this at every stage of a journey. Secondly, Cameroon is one of the most corrupt countries on earth (150 out of 180 on Transparency International’s scale), and every touch point with authority is an opportunity to extract a bribe or “facilitating payment.” You may be able to resist, but if you intend to, you had better have lots and lots of time.
For example, when I arrived in Douala a few years ago to hunt bongo I had my own rifle, along with a permit for 60 rounds of ammo. I had only brought 50 rounds, because regardless of what the permit said, that was the maximum allowed into the country. Even that wasn’t very relevant since Air France had lost my ammo. First, the officer wanted to tear up my permit – both firearm and ammo were on the same permit – because of the 60 rounds. He said that made the whole permit invalid. I said wait just a sec – I only have 50, and even that isn’t relevant since it’s not here. “Not here? Permit invalid." And he stamped it invalid on the spot. It was not invalid, but there was nothing I could do to stop him, and in the end, it cost me over 100 Euros to get my rifle. Welcome to Africa.
5. Getting ammunition is no easier for hunting outfitters than it is for anybody else. What that means is that PH’s will usually be given, or will buy, excess ammo from hunters who have brought their own and have not used it all. The ammo you are given, though, may not be what you need. While the first cartridges I used had Swift A Frames bullets, which is an excellent bullet, they were hand loads from a previous hunter, and these were the loads which misfired. Fortunately, there were also factory loads available. I would ask next time about the ammo.
Having said that, the A-Frames performed as expected. These two bullets were recovered from the the eland.
6. I can’t think of any particular reason to go to northern Cameroon unless you’re looking for LDE. There is lots of plains game, and it’s good quality (especially the buffalo) but Benin, for example, has essentially all of the West African plains game, is cheaper and, at least until very recently, a bit less fraught with Islamic-related issues. I’d put Burkina Faso into the same category as Benin, but it’s essentially closed now due to Islamic-related violence. I would say that north of Garoua is a no-go area as a result of Boko Haram, but most of the hunting is a bit south of Garoua.
7. Mayo Oldiri runs a good operation. The camps are generally basic, but fine. Meals in our camp were all meat I had shot, with the exception of the first two nights, when they were meat shot by an earlier hunter. The food is simple but generally tasty, and there is plenty of it. If you like snacks, you should bring your own. We ran out of peanuts mid-way and weren’t due for re-supply until the end of the safari. Had I known, I’d have picked up a few things to munch on along the way, but you have to do that in Douala or Garoua, or bring things with you. There’s really very little in between. There are other operators which run higher end camps – some even have French chefs and air conditioning, and if you like that kind of thing, and don’t mind paying, it’s available.
8. Completely unrelated, Guav learned at SCI that he’d been awarded the Matestsi Unit 2 concession in Zimbabwe. I’ve hunted there before, and it’s a great area. I’ve heard recently that poaching may have impacted game numbers. I have no doubt that now that Guav is in charge, things will quickly change for the better.
With a gun in good country. What more can you ask for. (Note the manly crocs).
, shirt tails out resplendent with food stains, and those strange plastic around the neck ID/ticket holder things. Had a friend who retired down there to one of those "communities" in the Tampa area, and when I saw him two years later he had aged twenty. Frightening. I don't use a phone carrier either unless it is toting a small handgun (great little company makes a concealed carry holster built like a phone carrier - armed nerd concept). Got to love Texas. Otherwise, that I-phone is in the back pocket where it belongs.
