I've booked a hunt through Cam Greig to hunt in Cameroon. He's the West Africa field editor for African Hunter magazine. He writes for the magazine, in addition to having written the forest buffalo chapter for their buffalo hunting book. He's an American who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area when he isn't hunting in Africa. His dad & grandfather were medical missionaries in Cameroon. So his family has been hunting there since 1901. Cam and his brother grew up there, and have gone back for decades to hunt it.

He isn't a PH and he doesn't go with you. He takes care of the legal formalities from this end and arranges for his usual crew of trackers to meet you, help you through customs, etc, and go with you. He's also got a 4x4 you use to get to the village you're jumping off from, as well as some other gear including a rifle that he leaves there. You hire porters when you get to that last village, then start walking.

What he offers you, essentially, is a chance to hunt Africa the same way his grandfather did in 1901. Without learning the ins & outs the modern bureaucracy designed to separate the unwary from their cash, or spending a month putting together your own safari after you arrive in country. Because those are the parts he takes care of.

In addition to having a really nice house in the SF Bay Area as well as really good contacts in Cameroon & a few other countries, the lucky bastard also owns a beautiful ranch in South Africa. You can go to his website at http://www.bombaziwilderness.com/ and see it as well as get info about hunting, both Cameroon & on his RSA ranch.

I hate him.

This is probably a language difference. You don't have a guide of any sort. You do have to bring a game warden along with you. Part of your government concession fee pays for that legal requirement. But he's not there to help you find game, avoid a dangerous situation, or help you shoot your way out it if you get into one. Just to observe that you're obeying the game laws.

Frankly, if he does anything besides make up reasons to arrest me unless I bribe him, I'll be surprised. Because based on my conversations with Cam, it doesn't sound like these guys are so motivated to do their jobs that they're anywhere close by when you're actually hunting. The only thing they're interested in collecting is the paycheck.

But who knows? I could get the one government functionary who's enthusiastic about his career in law enforcement.