Holy Crap, I Like Adventure As Much As The Next Guy, But This Is A Little Much.....

[lwaters]

I

 

[Scott CWO]

Take it for what it's worth, terrorism in Burkina Faso:

https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...el-Country-Information-Pages/BurkinaFaso.html

Doesn't sound too good.

 

[rdog]

Being stupid, my training would want me to shoot back, a good scoped bolt gun is better than a AK used by a poor shot at 300 meters plus but a 375 or 416 is to much gun. it would depend on the situation at the time

 

[edward]

check with spear safaris,he hunts B.F,no more.

 

[IRN-BRU]

Guys,
I was the hunter that narrowly escaped this attack. I wanted to remain anonymous until my bongo was safely in the USA. Glad to say it is here now. I also wanted to avoid any bad press (like the Cecil lion story) just before I got busy with my outfitting season here in the States.

I want to thank all of you for your support and well wishes. It was truly a miracle that the dozens of shots from the 9 LRA cult gunmen that shot at Jacques and I did not hit either of us. I still can't believe the luck we had to survive and not even be wounded. If I would have done one little thing different, I would have been hit by a bullet I am sure. I had no chance to return fire as I only had three rounds in the .375 and had bullets hitting all around me with no cover other than a small beachball-sized rock that I dove behind. The rock helped temporarily but being 6'1" tall with 9 LRA walking towards me while firing AK-47s, I knew I had to get up and run for my life.

Obviously, I will never press my luck and go back to CAR or even other Central African countries. I don't care what any CAR safari operators may say - it is not safe. DO NOT GO until things change significantly. I will go back to Eastern and Southern Africa but not to Central Africa. I also am thankful my wife did not go on this trip because she and I would probably have been killed because I would have never left her behind. She has been with me on all my other African trips.

Good luck to all of you on your upcoming hunts and stay safe! Thanks, Scott L.

A bit more exciting than my usual stalking on the Scottish Borders Did you fire back at them with your rifle ?

 

[Scott CWO]

Being stupid, my training would want me to shoot back, a good scoped bolt gun is better than a AK used by a poor shot at 300 meters plus but a 375 or 416 is to much gun. it would depend on the situation at the time

It was 100-150 meters and too many of them with too much lead in the air. I think I would be dead right now if anything would have happened differently than it did.

 

[Scott CWO]

A bit more exciting than my usual stalking on the Scottish Borders Did you fire back at them with your rifle ?

No chance to fire back. Bullets hitting the rock and all around me.

 

[rdog]

It was 100-150 meters and too many of them with too much lead in the air. I think I would be dead right now if anything would have happened differently than it did.

Yes, Scott at that range you are lucky to be alive, i spent 4 years as an infantry soldier 2 in Vietnam all our training taught us, if you go to ground you will die! take the fight to the enemy, but we were better armed, better trained young & fit, at 75 i do not know what i would do but i think i would try to defend my self. thank God you survived.

 

[CJW]

Just now reading this for the first time. This is the kind of thing that has you kissing the dirt of the good 'ol USA when you get home. Absolutely sad and terrifying what the good people and animals have to put up with over there.

And I think you're correct. I think bongos just might be the most beautiful animal to walk the earth. Right up there with a tiger walking through a green jungle.

Glad you made it back to tell the tale.

 

[HHJ56]

There are less than 200 Bongos left in the world, to hunt you would be a trophy for sure.
Hey buddy glad you made it alive, you sure do have a story to tell.

 

[BourbonTrail]

There are less than 200 Bongos left in the world, to hunt you would be a trophy for sure.
Hey buddy glad you made it alive, you sure do have a story to tell.

I think there are a few more than that, unless you are thinking of Mountain Bongo in east Africa.

If you are thinking of western bongo (which Scott was hunting), you need to add a couple more zeros.

 

[rinehart0050]

I think there are a few more than that, unless you are thinking of Mountain Bongo in east Africa.

If you are thinking of western bongo (which Scott was hunting), you need to add a couple more zeros.

Agreed! Got me nervous there for a sec- bongos on my list of hunts to pursue soon.

The internet tells me there are more like 28000 bongo. Take that for what it's worth

 

[Nomadx2]

No chance to fire back. Bullets hitting the rock and all around me.

Sounds like you did the right thing by evading them and not alerting them to your position.

While harrowing and near death, and this one not being the first, you had a real adventure sir, the stuff books are written about!

 

[Martin77]

That is some story! So happy everyone escaped safely.

 

[HHJ56]

Agreed! Got me nervous there for a sec- bongos on my list of hunts to pursue soon.

The internet tells me there are more like 28000 bongo. Take that for what it's worth

Same here, Never hunted one but some research said they are very little left it the world. Would love to hunt them for Taxidermy. Haven't seen a lot of Bongo Taxidermy.

 

[mark-hunter]

@HHJ56
Mountain Bongo - Eastern Africa, Kenya:
Tragelaphus eurycerus
70-80 left in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.

www.iucnredlist.org

Bongo - western Africa
Tragelaphus eurycerus ssp. isaaci
Up to 25.000
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22047/115164600

Western Bongo, is very much huntable, as far as numbers are concerned.
But, now only accessible in Cameroun, as other countries where bongo can be found are security high risk areas, as you can read in the beginning of this thread.

If you research the history of hunting in Kenya, you will see that in seventies they banned hunting, and ever since their wildlife is collapsing, now estimated thier wilflife reduced down by 80%.
Eastern white rhino of kenya, extinct, and mountain bongo on the way to go. Their green anti hunting efforts, pitiful. I am sad, but not surprised for extinction way of eastern bongo.

 

[HHJ56]

@HHJ56
Mountain Bongo - Eastern Africa, Kenya:
Tragelaphus eurycerus
70-80 left in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.

www.iucnredlist.org

Bongo - western Africa
Tragelaphus eurycerus ssp. isaaci
Up to 25.000
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22047/115164600

Western Bongo, is very much huntable, as far as numbers are concerned.
But, now only accessible in Cameroun, as other countries where bongo can be found are security high risk areas, as you can read in the beginning of this thread.

If you research the history of hunting in Kenya, you will see that in seventies they banned hunting, and ever since their wildlife is collapsing, now estimated thier wilflife reduced down by 80%.
Eastern white rhino of kenya, extinct, and mountain bongo on the way to go. Their green anti hunting efforts, pitiful. I am sad, but not surprised for extinction way of eastern bongo.

Well i have never trusting google search ever again.

 

[mark-hunter]

@HHJ56
Indeed, internet is a bich.
I do occasional writing on guns or shooting, and to get reliable information, I always resource to the authorized books and I try to avoid internet, but some times it is not possible.
(my library grows continuously)

So, exceptionally, when having no other option I go to authorized internet source, where the background is known and at least with some reputation.

But on the subject of Bongo, who is rain forest animal, even IUCN reports you can take with good degree of reservation. Western Bongo can have even double numbers.

This is actually the same question, how many of forest elephants are left in the wild?

Nobody can make accurate estimate in rain forests and jungle because of limited or zero reliable means.

For species inhabbiting large plains they have a solid option of areal survey by plane.
In forests, areal survey is impossible.

And most of places where bongo (or forest elephant) live are not accessible due to political and security reasons. And even if they are accessible, the methods to make census of animals, are not accurate.

 

[HHJ56]

@HHJ56
Indeed, internet is a bich.
I do occasional writing on guns or shooting, and to get reliable information, I always resource to the authorized books and I try to avoid internet, but some times it is not possible.
(my library grows continuously)

So, exceptionally, when having no other option I go to authorized internet source, where the background is known and at least with some reputation.

But on the subject of Bongo, who is rain forest animal, even IUCN reports you can take with good degree of reservation. Western Bongo can have even double numbers.

This is actually the same question, how many of forest elephants are left in the wild?

Nobody can make accurate estimate in rain forests and jungle because of limited or zero reliable means.

For species inhabbiting large plains they have a solid option of areal survey by plane.
In forests, areal survey is impossible.

And most of places where bongo (or forest elephant) live are not accessible due to political and security reasons. And even if they are accessible, the methods to make census of animals, are not accurate.

The problem is, Whatever i post can be easily believed my someone else as a real stat. I was bummer thinking there was only a few left, Thanks guys.

 

[Scott CWO]

@HHJ56
Mountain Bongo - Eastern Africa, Kenya:
Tragelaphus eurycerus
70-80 left in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.

www.iucnredlist.org

Bongo - western Africa
Tragelaphus eurycerus ssp. isaaci
Up to 25.000
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22047/115164600

Western Bongo, is very much huntable, as far as numbers are concerned.
But, now only accessible in Cameroun, as other countries where bongo can be found are security high risk areas, as you can read in the beginning of this thread.

If you research the history of hunting in Kenya, you will see that in seventies they banned hunting, and ever since their wildlife is collapsing, now estimated thier wilflife reduced down by 80%.
Eastern white rhino of kenya, extinct, and mountain bongo on the way to go. Their green anti hunting efforts, pitiful. I am sad, but not surprised for extinction way of eastern bongo.

Did you all know that the real behind the scenes reason that Kenya banned hunting was because the First Lady of Kenya at the time was coordinating the ivory poaching and she/they didn’t want the safari operators and PHs in the field to witness what was going on? Yes, the First Lady and the government was supporting the ivory poaching!