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Cameroon 2017—Lions and Eland..

As others who have traveled to Cameroon will attest to, traveling to and from Cameroon is a very arduous task. In addition to the logistics of travel to and from this country, there are several other factors one must contend with. With corruption being one of the main areas of concerns. It is rampant in many areas. Once you make peace with the fact you WILL be bribed, it does get easier..

My trip started Jan. 14th, 2017 leaving Bozeman, Montana with temps hovering around -14F that morning. Flight was delayed because of weather however as we were having a 6 hour layover in Minneapolis it really didn’t seem to matter. Fortunately we arrived in time for our connection which was a straight shot to Paris. Once in Paris we had a 3 ½ hour layover for our connection to Douala, Cameroon. Before boarding the plane I asked the lady at the desk twice to confirm all of our luggage was transferred. I present my luggage tickets and she looked them up on the computer to verify, yes indeed it was all on board. I waited to board and had another lady also check as I did not want to arrive without my bags and equipment. Air France’s system showed I was traveling with a firearm and again I was told all was on board. With that knowledge I felt comfortable that yes, all would be there when I arrive at my final destination. Man, was I wrong..

Got to Douala and was met by the person we paid for to take us through the process at the airport as we had heard it is utter and complete chaos. He grabbed our gun permits and gun cases and instructed us to wait for our bags. Three, yes, three hours later the final bag came and it was not ours..we got our rifles and that was it. No luggage with clothing and no ammo. Once through all of the individuals we had to see for bringing in a weapon, filing missing luggage reports, etc it was almost 5 hours when we got to our hotel.

The following day I made calls and contacted others via email regarding the missing items. We were picked up at the hotel by the outfitter and taken to his house. We completed more paper work..packed up the vehicles and started the 4.5 to 5 hour journey to camp via vehicles..

Once there the camp was very nice with an incredible view of the river. The fire pit was directly on the bank of the river. We had a light lunch, grabbed our rifles and took the ammo they had in camp to check the zero on our rifles. The ammo available was two boxes of Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claws with a smattering of Federal Solids..we had so few, we both shot once and called it good..

As we sat down to have a beer and relax before dinner, a local hippo from in the river gave us a greeting..it was great to hear and an instant notice, you are in Africa..

My home away from home for 12 days.

The next few days we hunted hard looking for Lord Derby Eland and or Roan, which were the two primary animals I was after.. I shot a Kob on the second morning which I was told was a nice one..so here he is…

O.K...I shot 2

Had an opportunity at a hartebeest on the 2nd day but my PH was a bit too slow and made too much noise..spooked him and that was that..I was a bit bummed as that one was a very large one…and never saw him again…also, in the morning when we were getting ready to leave camp, one of the trackers found where a large lion had walked past our camp overnight..made me think again, anything can happen in Africa and how truly wild of an area this was.

On the 4th night heading back to camp, we spotted a buffalo standing in a clearing by himself. It was getting dark but still enough light to manage to see him. The PH told him he was a very nice one and if I wanted we could attempt to get him. Again the PH was a bit slow on the draw, so the head tracker and I took off on our own..we got to within about 70 yards and there he was looking to our right offering a broadside shot..I pulled up with my Sako model 75 in 375H&H ..made the shot..the buff lunged forward into the tall grass. We could see the area he had run into and the it was not that far before there was a rather large opening..I immediately tried to get another round in my chamber, not sure if I short stroked this or what, but picked up a fresh round and had not ejectd the empty..had a very solid jam with both..I heard noise and looked up ..the buff was coming back out of the grass..he saw us and spun back into the grass just as I cleared the jam…had he decided to come the extra 30 yards our way I am not so sure I would be posting this story today..

It was really close to complete darkness so we decided to wait overnight and find him in the morning..by this time both the trackers and PH were there. We found quite a bit of lung blood on the grass and felt confident he would be dead.

The following morning we got to the area and loaded with solids headed into the grass looking for the bull. The trackers we able to determine that overnight the rest of the herd and come in and were around the wounded bull..their tracks were intermingled somewhat..after about 1 hour of moving slowly through the high grass we found him laying in a clearing, very dead. It was very apparent he died not too long after being shot as he was very stiff when we got to him..to the point it was difficult to get very good pics..but we did get some..so here he is…Also upon closer review, while a nice buffalo, not as big as the PH had led me to believe. Perhaps another year of growth..But it was another buffalo and one that looks completely different than the cape buffalo of Zimbabwe..so all is good..

I was having issues with my PH and made this known on a regular basis to the owner who was guiding my friend. As they were the only two PH's in camp, I was basically stuck with him. Have to say, the PH did not instill a huge amount of confidence with me. He had a very hard time walking in the heat much after 2 hours..and moved very slowly always with his head DOWN watching the feet of the lead tracker..that, and seeing him falling asleep in the vehicle in the mornings was about enough to make my head explode.

The area we chose to hunt in has very few roads and is sold/marketed as a tracking safari..you find fresh tracks on the road and off you go..it was NOT uncommon to hike 12-18 kilometers between 6:30AM and 1PM which is when we usually packed it in and headed back to camp for lunch and rejuvenate. It was unusually warm there for that time of year with temps around 34 to 38C… So by 1PM it was usually very hot.. once introduced to a little swimming hole just below camp in the river, I would go there every day on my return..some days leaving on my clothes and dropping in ..others I would change into swimming trunks and go down..either way it was really nice and refreshing…

Day Four found us finding two guys on a motorcycle coming down the road towards camp about mid-morning..they had my friends bag..but not mine..fortunately I have always packed some extra’s in my carry on so I was good. More importantly, in my friends back was another 30 rounds of .375H&H ammo in 300 gr Swift A-Frames..my bag and ammo was still no where to be found..in fact I was told both Air France and the airport in Douala had not idea where it was.. less than happy but such is life..

We were again headed back to camp and spotted a roan moving through the bush..the two main trackers and myself got out of the truck and headed after him..with Grandpa the PH bringing up the rear…we tracked for about 20-25 minutes when suddenly one of the trackers spotted him up above us on a little hill looking back apparently to see if we were following..it was just enough time to got on the sticks and send 300 grs of love his way..I heard the hit and felt good..but the roan had taken off..we got to the top of the hill and spotted him in the brush standing , quartering away from us at about 100 yards…I off handed him and again heard a hit..he turned to the other side and I fired again..he dropped to the shot…can not tell you how happy and excited I was at that point.. I have wanted a roan for about 15 years ..a bucket list animal for me..one custom by the locals is they consider roan and eland to possess evil powers..when either a roan or eland go down they get dirt and cover the eyes and put it in the ears..also throw rocks at them from a distance..this is so the spirit of the animal cant see them or hear them as they pass into the spirit world...

We got back to camp and I had my usually mid day swim..later that night the staff had prepared the leg bones of my roan over the fire. A custom there is to heat the leg bones, once hot, break them open and drink/eat the bone marrow ..its not that bad once you get past the thought of it..
Heating the bones..

Faro River---and my swimming hole--just keep an eye out for crocs and hippos..you'll be fine otherwise..

One frustrating day after another started to accumulate as my PH seemed less and less enthusiastic about even being there much less hike and hunt..fortunately on day 8 my friend got his eland..and very large bull..he also had been in eland every single day since we got there..the owner and his ph is phenomenal..an excellent tracker, hunter and just a nice guy..My friend and I made an agreement that once he gets his we will swithch PH’s ..as I had not gotten into one single eland at that point..day 8…and switch we did..

Interestingly enough, with my new PH, I was into eland the very next morning..we kept dogging them the first day for what my ph told me was 18-20 kilometers..finally they got into a herd or raon as well and we had horrible winds..so we gave it up..on the way back to camp we came across a hartebeest..I hoped out with the ph and we went after him..after a brief stalk we got a 132yd shot and bagged this hartebeest..I felt good, we actually saw eland and harvested another species..Oh, and I got my luggage..NO AMMO, but got the rest of my clothes… was told customs at Douala kept my ammo..no one knew why.. idiots at that airport are pathetic..make up rules as they go..banana republic at its finest...

Hartebeest...

Day 11..we leave camp in the dark..headed for the far side of the concession..about 30 minutes into it we come across really fresh sign..while looking at the spoor we hear a tree snap..in this area that means either eland or elephant probably..as we were on fresh eland tracks..off we went..

About an hour into tracking we saw eland moving here and there in front of us in the thick bush..we were slowly moving in when suddenly a cow eland came blowing out of the bush like satan himself was after her. The PH and I looked at one another and could not figure out what spooked her as the wind was in our face and the sun at our backs..suddenly a bull and others come flying out of the bush as well..they were roughly 100 yards off moving from our right to left..the PH told me to take the bull if I got a shot.. I stood up and fired hitting him, per the ph just behind the shoulder, I immediately shot a second time hitting the bull through the front shoulders, causing him to flip head over heels in mid air and come down on his back.. I jacked a third round in the chamber. As I brought the rifle up I notice something to my right in my peripheral vision..it was an adult lioness coming after the bull eland roughly 60 yards off the eland.I yelled at her and turned to shoot the eland one final time..after the shot I immediately reloaded and turned to the lioness..now seeing there were 2..a lion and lioness, but both were retreating to the bush after my third shot… My PH said in his 30 years of guiding that was only the 3rd time this has happened with lions chasing out the quarry.. he said he will never forget this hunt…he was smiling ear to ear as was I..I got an eland..he is NOT a monster but very old..about 14 yrs per the PH..The horns were worn flat from wear in the front..I am very happy..another bucket list animal…and an incredible story to boot..
Again we had the usual celebration of champagne and bone marrow from the eland leg bones..

It is custom on the harvest of a eland - they blacken your face with ash form the burning of the bush ..

The final couple days we hunted and accumulated a few other species..while trying to get a buffalo for my friend..to no avail..we got into them several times but always wind made it impossible..the final day we got into them in the high grass..they would not come out..just keep circling in the grass ..in 8-12 ft grass it was impossible to get a shot..so we decided to leave but not before setting the grass on fire.guessing the next group of hunters will have better luck in that area..

Western Duiker

Oribi

Three of the bullets I recoverd from roan, eland and buffalo..90-93% retention-Trpphy Bonded Bear Claws..

One of the A-Frames..92% retention

An idea of what the grass was like while there..one day in particular we tracked a bull through the grass over my head for 1 1/2 hours...once out of it we also set it on fire..as we were the first hunt of the season we were setting fires every day..

The final night of our stay the locals through a party for us..come over from their village to our camp..drinking, singing and dancing..it was very fun..and big difference that what I am accustomed to here in the US..I asked the owner what they were singing..and I am paraphrasing here but some to the meaning.. “the white man has come and God is please ..the white man has come and we are happy.”…..I might not have gotten that exact but its along those lines..

General Takeaways
The FIRM I hunted with was really good—I would hunt with Frank and his company again and plan to one day..the PH he had sub-contracted for the season I would NOT….I will not mention names or more specifics..and who knows, perhaps he has medical issues or whatever..Frank is probably one of the best PH’s I have ever hunted with ..incredible tracker, hunter and all around nice guy..joy to be around..note to self, make sure you ask who your guide will be and what he can and can not do..never ran into this before in Africa…have heard about it but this was my first …
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First time I have used a .375H&H on an African hunt…have to say, there is a very noticeable difference in knock down power between a .375 H&H vs a .416 Rem..for what and where I was hunting I would choose a .375 again…flat shooting, plenty of power on even the biggest plains game..and if the shit hits the fan, should get you back out of most of it..not so sure again what happened on the buffalo and what caused the jam..first jam I have had actually in 5 African hunts…Love the gun..very gentle to shoot..and fairly accurate..

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Also was very glad I brought a .375 for a couple reasons..did run into elephant and lions numerous times…never know when things can go south..and in lieu of my PH, the old story of your PH will always be there to back you up. .bullshit. .not always the case…and if your ammo doesn’t show up, it’s a common enough caliber where you can find more…usually..which is one of the reasons I brought it to begin with..
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Always bring extra clothing, etc you will need on your carry on..I have had numerous issues with stuff not showing up BUT, this was the worst I have ever had..They had no reason as to why they didn’t send my ammo.. my ammo was packaged the exact same as my friends, same case, same amount, same locks..his come, my did not..
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Getting in and out of the airport in Cameroon is a joke.. we hired a firm and it was still a joke..but it would have been a lot worse had we not..we got checked and rechecked leaving ..trying to either bribe or steal..
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I am sure I will have more and add more to this post as it comes to me..busy and in a hurry to get this done..so this is it for now.. sorry for the typos as I am certain there are plenty..
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Finally, there was lots of game in this area… saw lions on 5 different occasions. Lots of elephants, and plains game as well as buffalo. On the final morning there I was sitting by the early morning fire having a cup of coffee ..just down the river on the opposite side about 300 yards was a male lion calling…that may be just enough to make me go back at least one more time

Edited by Ripp (28/02/17 01:27 AM)