I'm looking for Bongo

[Arañuel]

Hi everybody, I'm looking for recommendation to hunt Bongo and if is possible also sitatunga , I read some posts about some folks that hunted it in Cameroon and Congo.
What place you recommend more? Some outffiter better than other? If is possible I wild like hunt with bow, we will be two hunters looking for two bongos. I haven't experience in this part of Africa, until now only hunted plain games and some dangerous game in SA
Thank you

 

[Happy Myles]

Contact Mayo Oldiri. They are first class . Also happen to be a Spanish firm . Kindest Regards

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Northern Operations Africa. Great operation and you might get to hunt with the legendary PH Peter Wood

HH

 

[375Fox]

If you want to hunt Cameroon I’d go sooner rather than later. Their president has been in power since 1982 and your guess is as good as mine what will happen to country when he passes away. You can talk with outfitters and PHs directly on their thoughts with bow. It’s a headache to reach the hunting areas in Cameroon and the only country I don’t think I’ll return to. I haven’t hunted bongo but your only shot opportunity on a hunt might be a patch of orange through brush at 10 yards while the dog’s momentarily hold it at bay. For the cost of hunt and difficulty reaching the area and difficulty of the hunting, I think the camp 375 is a much better option. Cameroon and Congo are your only real choices. There is some hunting in CAR but significantly higher cost.
From my understanding, it’s nearly impossible to do any real anti poaching in forest. The remoteness of area is biggest factor in a good or poor area. I really don’t recommend them after my LDE hunt, but Mayo Oldiri still has good areas for bongo and are worth looking into. I’d recommend you check recent references (post 2020) outside those provided directly by outfitter though to know what their current reputation is and what to expect from hunt.

 

[375Fox]

@gillettehunter wrote a great report on his Congo hunt if you look it up here

 

[Arañuel]

Thank you for your answers. I will contact Mayo Oldiri and northern operations Africa.
I know Bongo is not a easy hunt and not cheap but sometimes bow hunters we are very romantics haha but yes maybe better go with rifle. My plan is go next year.

 

[DLSJR]

You may also want to contact Jean Luc DAMY or Christophe Morio of Congo Forest Safaris. They’re very good. I’m booked to hunt Bongo & Forest Sitatunga with them in 2026.

 

[Killo]

Northern Operations Africa. Great operation and you might get to hunt with the legendary PH Peter Wood

HH

Just hunted with Peter in Zimbabwe 2 months ago
Excellent PH and Amazing Person!

 

[375Fox]

Just hunted with Peter in Zimbabwe 2 months ago
Excellent PH and Amazing Person!

Great Eland!

 

[LEFOL SAFARIS]

Hello sir,

We can do the bongo but the sitatunga will be to difficult.

We have hunted this one in February.

Best Regards

 

[Scott CWO]

Contact Mike Fell Safaris

 

[Arañuel]

Thank everybody for the info, I going to contact some of the .

 

[J.Ogilvie]

Cameroon and Congo are your only real choices. There is some hunting in CAR but significantly higher cost.

Not to mention that there is an active civil war in the Central African Republic, and every Five Eyes country has issued a "Do Not Travel" warning.

I know that some members on here have been on hunts there with success, and I understand that the hunting takes place in a part of the country that is very remote and is away from most of the fighting. Still, the security situation is something to keep in mind.

 

[Rem280]

Not to mention that there is an active civil war in the Central African Republic, and every Five Eyes country has issued a "Do Not Travel" warning.

I know that some members on here have been on hunts there with success, and I understand that the hunting takes place in a part of the country that is very remote and is away from most of the fighting. Still, the security situation is something to keep in mind.

Risk is relative. NYC and Chicago seem to have a lawless element to it.

 

[375Fox]

Risk is relative. NYC and Chicago seem to have a lawless element to it.

That might be a fair comparison for South Africa. It is not for central or west Africa. Major difference of a bad area in an otherwise functioning country vs a country where government only holds a loose control. For my hunt in Cameroon, we went through 8 or 9 military check points to reach hunting area, no driving at night is permitted through check points, military was active in area shooting nomadic cattle to push the herders out (all armed with bows), we encountered large poaching gangs (all armed with muzzle loaders or shotguns), kidnapping ransom gangs had been encountered in area in past, nearly all elephants had been poached by Sudanese ivory poachers, and likely a lot I’m unaware of. The last hunting area in CAR might be so remote to be shielded from some of this, but I suspect the country as a whole is much worse. There is a member’s report here where they were actively shot at with fully automatic rifles on a hunt in CAR. Burkina Faso went from a hunting destination to a no go zone nearly overnight from terrorist activity. Saying risk is relative and comparing west and Central African countries to dangerous areas in US cities is not a comparison. There have been no hunting related incidents that I know if but there is a significant step up in risk visiting these countries than the normal African hunting destinations.

 

[J.Ogilvie]

Risk is relative. NYC and Chicago seem to have a lawless element to it.

I think there's a pretty big difference between big American cities with some bad neighborhoods, and a country where a civil war is taking place and the government has very limited (if any) control outside of the capital.

I'm not saying that people should live in fear, and it certainly doesn't hurt to get outside of your comfort zone. But it is seriously misguided to compare rough areas of Western cities to active war zones.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Sunset in the African jungle of Southeast Cameroon - May 2024. I already want to return for dwarf forest buffalo. Very blessed, grateful, and thankful to have hunted the African forest once - tough environment all around, nonetheless.

I will hunt the northern savanna for Lord Derby Eland beforehand but have made a personal goal to return to the forest. Unique place…Happy hunting, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.