CAMEROON: Bongo & Forest Sitatunga - May 15-31, 2024

[TheGrayRider]

Post 1

Bongo - Lokomo, Cameroon, Africa. May 19, 2024. Day 2 of 14 day hunt. Northern Operations Africa.

Forest sitatunga - Lokomo, Cameroon, Africa. Day 7 of 14 day hunt.

I am very extremely grateful, blessed, and thankful to have a successful bongo and forest sitatunga hunt from May 15, 2024 to May 31, 2024 with Northern Operations Africa near Lokomo, Cameroon, Africa. I have been back to the United States about a week and a half now, and I am still reviewing and synthesizing this trip and journey and as everyone does, attempting to catch up with life, work, and family.

I kept a 20 page handwritten journal throughout this hunt so I will eventually post many of my notes. I also have about 50+ photographs to post. I will post first and mainly about the logistics of this hunt including the harsh environment of the jungle, gear that worked well, what a person should most probably bring on a hunt like this in the African jungle, and finally I will post about the actual hunts.

Bottom line/summation: Bongo killed on the second day of the hunt and forest sitatunga killed on the seventh day of the hunt. The other hunter in camp killed his bongo on the first day of the hunt and also killed his forest sitatunga on the seventh day of the hunt. We hunted dwarf forest buffaloes several times but did not get a shot. This outfitter was 100% for six bongo this year but I believe about only 60% killed a secondary animal like a forest sitatunga or dwarf forest buffalo. We also hunted duikers the second week of the safari but I missed a close shot at a blue duiker and had trouble seeing the other duikers in the extremely thick and dark jungle brush.

We also saw a silverback male wild lowland gorilla and a female lowland gorilla. Seeing these wild gorillas was a fulfilled lifelong dream for me. Additionally, we were very lucky to see three bull forest elephants while driving back to camp one evening. My PH has hunted the jungle for 6 full seasons and had only seen forest elephants on 5 other occasions. I will also post about our day trip to one of the viewing platforms at the Lobeke National Park in SE Cameroon near the border with the CAR and Congo.

Animals harvested: bongo and forest sitatunga.

Animals/Birds seen on this safari in jungle/forest: Lowland gorillas, forest elephants, bongo, forest sitatunga, yellow backed duiker, dwarf forest buffalo, blue duiker, Peters duiker, collubus monkeys, snakes (unknown), bay duiker, pygmy antelope, great blue turaco.

Firearms rented from camp: Remington Model 70 .375 H & H with 300 grain bullets for big game, and 12 gauge over-under shotgun for duiker hunting.

Unique Birds seen: Great blue turaco while in Lobeke National Park at one of the raised game viewing platforms.

Price/cost: This journey, trip, and hunt was priceless in the overall scheme of life but if you want a number then budget around the same as a brand new, loaded pickup truck.

Lessons learned or recommendations:

1. Always keep extra ammunition in your pockets. Don’t let the trackers carry the extra ammunition because you might get separated.
2. Always carry a head net in your pocket in the forest. The sweat bees, mosquitos, and other insects get very thick and annoying during the heat of the day. Also, the African black ants are vicious when they bit.
3. Wear gaiters over boots and pants to keep insects out of boots and as an additional layer against vegetation.
4. Don’t forget the following items on a jungle safari: baby powder, head net, malaria prescription, small battery powered fan, knee or ankle gaiters, anti-inflammation tablets (Benadryl), small hunting backpack, duct-tape, first aid kit, digital camera with recharger, solar powered rechargeable battery packs, international power converter, small gifts for local children, hunting knives for trackers and skinners, instant coffee, cell phone recharging cable, stomach medicine (Pepto-Bismol), harness for small binoculars, canteen.
5. Bring extra small bills for the “informal requests” from the numerous persons that want extra money at the airport including baggage handlers, some government officials, etc. It’s Africa. Just go with the flow and the culture. What flys over there will not necessarily fly in the States or Europe.
6. Bring different first aid medicines in your kit for small cuts or other situations. Small cuts and bruises seem to heal much slower in the African jungle environment.
7. (more forthcoming)

More posts and pictures soon. Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.


WHY I HUNT

I hunt because my father hunted, and he took me with him, and so we built a bond that I still cherish.
I do not need to hunt to eat, but I need to hunt to be fully who I am.
I hunt because it links me with the boy I used to be and with the young man my father was then.
I hunt because if I did not, I would have seen fewer eagles and ospreys, minks and beavers, foxes and bears, antelope and moose (AND BONGO, LOWLAND GORILLAS, AND FOREST ELEPHANTS)
I hunt because it is never boring or disappointing to be out-of-doors with a purpose, even when no game is spotted.
I hunt for the satisfying exhaustion after a long day in the woods, for the new stories that every day of hunting gives us, and for the soft snoring and dream whimpering and twitching of sleeping dogs on the backseat as we drive home through the darkness.
I hunt because it keeps my passions alive and my memories fresh and my sense alert even as my beard grows gray, and because I am afraid that if I stopped hunting, I would instantly become an old man, and because I believe that as long as I hunt, I will remain young.

Author Anonymous.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Post 2: Mostly pictures. More narrative tomorrow.

Huge trees throughout the African jungle.

Daily chore cutting away fallen trees and limbs along old logging roads. The forest elephants also tear down quite a bit of vegetation.

Hunt location on the map for reference.

PH and trackers discussing options for the hunt one morning.

Bantu (Pygmy) locals on forest road outside camp.

Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[Osama Mahdi]

Very nice. Waiting for more.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Excited to read the rest of your report

 

[LivingTheDream]

The more I read of Jungle hunts, the more I have to give credit to you guys that do it. Congratulations on an amazing trip and taking some great animals!!!

 

[TheGrayRider]

Post 3:

I will continue to write about the logistics of this hunt today and then include a few more pictures with captions. First, I will speak about the accommodations or lodging. Lodging in a major city after we arrived from the airport was in a modern hotel, The Starland Hotel. This hotel had air conditioning, a full buffet for breakfast, an ice cream bar and other amenities like a swimming pool. Security was provided 24 hours a day and the hotel was very nice. We did visit another hotel with a nice swimming pool, and a nice bar and buffet after our hunt But this outfit does not use that hotel anymore because apparently there are too many prostitutes at the hotel in the evening and they are encouraged to try to meet foreign visitors.

The lodging at the camp was much different from the lodging in the city. This camp had a generator, but the generator was only turned on for about an hour and a half in the morning and about three hours in the evening there was no air condition In any of the rooms or in the main eating area. There were ceiling fans in the dining area and also several other places and also smaller fans in the rooms. However, the fans will not work when the generator is not on. The camp had Wi-Fi But like all the other technology would only work when the generator was on.

Each person had a private room to stay in with a shower with hot water, flush toilet, and a sink and a double bed with a Mosquito net. The windows all had fine screen on them so no bugs or insects would get into the room. The first couple of nights were extremely warm because there’s no airflow a portable battery powered fan is probably a good recommendation however, the mosquito netting around the beds restricts the airflow. You had to use bottled water to brush your teeth and a drink at all times otherwise the water from the nearby river was adequate to shower and flush toilets at all times.

Daily the staff would wash clothes and clean the rooms and definitely no complaints in that area. The cooking staff usually provided a quick breakfast in the morning before the hunts, a full cooked lunch if we were in camp after hunting in the morning, and also a fully cooked meal in the evening, usually with some type of game as the main dish. Cameron has bottled beer in Tall, dark bottles, which was adequate, but I found the beer in Botswana Much better. This camp also had some hard liquor provided but mainly vodka or gin or Irish whiskey. I asked if there was a liquor store in the village and they said they only sold hot beer and maybe some gin.

While in the forest hunting, you will sweat from head to toe both morning, noon and evening. Almost no wind In the extremely thick jungle vegetation, high humidity at all times, and oppressive Heat on some days. After the first couple of days you get much more acclimated to the environment I lost probably 10 pounds during the two weeks and think if I would’ve been there another month I would probably have lost another 15 pounds. Just part of the jungle hunting.

More soon. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

Camp private rooms.

Camp Dining Area from outside.

Inside view of private room.

Bongo with picture of Pygmy trackers and dogs.

Old logging roads in the jungle where we would usually start to hunt.

More massive trees in the African rainforest.

Sunset in the African forest from camp.

 

[Wiley64]

What a trip!

 

[TheGrayRider]

Post 4:

I will write this post about the firearms that I used on this forest hunt and then post more pictures with captions.

I chose to rent firearms for this bongo hunt in the forest. I have previously rented firearms on two other hunting trips to Africa without any problems. I also rented firearms on a trip to hunt in New Zealand without issue. Most lodges have nice large caliber rifles to hunt big game and adequate ammunition without the hassle of bringing firearms from overseas. I am not against bringing firearms from home, but it’s just one less hurdle to jump and limits complications.

This camp had a fairly new Remington Model 70 bolt action in .375 H&H with a Leuopold 1x5 red dot scope. The stock was wooden and may have swelled a little and the humid, wet jungle environment. I think a synthetic stock would be better to hunt with in the jungle.

The ammunition provided was 300 grain soft points, which worked well on the big game. We recovered two bullets that hit the bongo at under 10 yards and they performed excellently. The shots at the forest sitatunga were pass- through shots because it’s a much smaller animal similar to a whitetail deer.

The 1x5 scope worked very well and my PH told me to always keep the red dot illuminated so you will know where you are shooting in the dark jungle. I listened to him and he was right. Great advice.

I hunted with an old over and under 12 gauge shotgun with buckshot on the diuker hunts. I am not fond of double barrel shotguns or over and under shotguns but that was all that was available. I missed a close shot on a blue diuker which was my fault. I found these small antelope extremely difficult to see in the dark, thick jungle canopy and vegetation. Interesting hunt nonetheless.

More very soon. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

Charter aircraft from Douala, Cameroon to hunting area.

Bantu (Pygmy) locals near camp and village.

Pygmy trackers with Forest Sitatunga. I forgot to ask everyone to smile.

Water well next to river that provides all camp water.

Fishing boats along coast at Douala, Cameroon. Post hunt.

Bongo - Day 2 of 14 day hunt. 4 shots, all under 10 yards with.375 H&H. Very tough to see these large antelope in the dense, dark forest brush.

You will see numerous insects in the jungle both day and night.

Salt lick in the jungle utilized by big game such as bongo, forest elephant, dwarf forest buffalo, and red river hogs. The trackers would often check these salt licks for fresh tracks and spoor.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Post 5:

I will write this post about our day trip to the Lobeke National Park in southeast Cameroon Africa, and then post more pictures with captions.

This national park is in extreme south east Cameroon near the border of Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Both of those countries also have large national parks near the border and these parks encompass a vast amount of territory in total.

We got very lucky on this hunt and both hunters killed bongos on the first two days and then killed forest sitatunga on day seven of the 14 day hunt. We still had several species of smaller game license that we hunted on some mornings and evenings. We decided to use up a day to travel to the national park.

We woke early about 3:30 AM and got a quick breakfast and started the 2 Hour drive the park. Please keep in mind that traveling in the jungle is on one lane dirt roads at about 30 km maximum and stopping regularly for holes in the dirt road or other obstacles. Most Distances are not extremely far on the map, but travel is much slower than our modern super highways here in North America.

We arrived at the park headquarters and had to wait for our park guide and the game ranger scout that accompanied us the whole time. Within drove another hour into the park on larger dirt roads, and then travel on a small road into the jungle to a game scout camp. Here we unloaded and had to hike about 8 km to one of the game viewing platforms at a small savanna or what we would call a Marsh. We got to the game viewing platform about 9:30 in the morning and stayed there for a few hours. I understand that there are different game viewing platforms throughout the park but one just have to take time to visit them.

We saw two female sitatunga and several Colobus monkeys, along with unique species of ducks and other birds. One unique bird that we saw was a great blue turaco. Very beautiful bird. if you get a chance, look it up on the Internet.

We then hiked back the 8 km to the game rangers camp and then drove back to headquarters. We met with some of the officials at the headquarters and paid the necessary fees for visiting the park. The total fee was about $250 for six people, which paid for the park entrance fees, The game, Scout Ranger fee, And the mileage for the national Park vehicle. The persons at the headquarters were all very nice and accommodating.

Headquarters area had a display of beautiful, African Grey parrots that were being rehabilitated for future release back into the park and jungle. These beautiful exotic birds were recovered from poachers who captured them to sell on the black market. I understand they go for quite a bit of money, the bird on the top of the Monument at the headquarters, is it one of these African Grey Parrots.

We then drove back the 2 1/2 hours to camp and arrived before nightfall. This day was very fun and interesting but honestly, we probably saw more game and animals in the hunting areas than in the national park. I think you would have to get there quite early at the headquarters to get out in the field to see the animals early in the morning or late in the evening. Another option is to camp near the park headquarters to get an early start.

More soon. Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

Game scout, Lobeke National Park, Cameroon, Africa.

Game Viewing Platform, Lobeke National Park, Cameroon, Africa.

Trail leading to Game Viewing Platforms in Lobeke National Park. Hot, thick, and humid hiking just like the hunting in the jungle. I loved every minute of it!

Park Headquarters signage.

UNESCO monument at Lobeke Native Park Headquarters.

Game scout ranger camp in the park.

Cameroon Forestry and Parks Department.

Public transportation in the jungles of Cameroon. We could have hitched a ride if we had broken down.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Looks like a great time, thanks for all of the pictures.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Post 6:

I will post about our forest sitatunga hunt today along with more pictures and captions and then post a final narrative tomorrow about our bongo hunt.

Reinald von Meurers writes in his book, Buffalo, Elephant, and Bongo, at page 232, “…Hunting in Cameroon is a dicey proposition; you can’t just say, “I want a certain animal. One has to bag what one comes across, and it can be a very different animal from the desired quarry.”

I have heard the same concept stated, “You take what the forest gives you.” The forest sitatunga presented itself after a few days of hunting and I didn’t wait any longer. The forest sitatunga is a very shy antelope with elongated hoofs for the watery environments. They are often called “forest ghosts” or “forest fairies” because you don’t see them often.

I killed the forest sitatunga On day seven of my hunt. The shot was relatively easy for the forest/jungle because We found the forest sitatunga In the open in a savanna with water up to about his knees. The PH Had set up the shooting sticks, so I had a good rest with the 375 H&H with 300 grain bullets. The shot was only about 60 yards and the sitatunga Was broadside so that did not present any problems.

We had checked the Savanna A couple of days earlier and the PH and the trackers had cleared the trail to the savanna of brush and other sticks, which made our approach much quieter. The PH later told me that he was very glad to had taken the time to clear the trail before hand because if we had not, then we would’ve approached from a different angle and the forest sitatunga Would have busted us. Once the PH had set up the shooting sticks, he looked at the animal through his binoculars and said it wasn’t the largest animal but he did have a chocolate coat. I asked him if it was legal and he said yes, and I said average is good and took the shot.

The sitatunga only ran about 25 yards in the brush and we quickly recovered him after taking an insurance shot. The trackers were happy and we took several photos and then tied the animal to a long pole where we all took turns carrying the game back to the truck. I was very pleased and we headed back to camp for the afternoon With two large game animals taken on license over the past week.

Final post soon. Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

Forest sitatunga - May 24, 2024. .375 H&H.

Carrying out the sitatunga whole.

Elongated hoof of the forest sitatunga.

Chocolate coat on the male sitatunga and females have a tan looking coat.

Savanna/marsh where we shot the sitatunga.

PH and a couple of the trackers.

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[Fixfire]

Fascinating hunt. Thanks for posting!!

 

[TheGrayRider]

Final Hunt Post:

I will post about our bongo hunts over 2 days and then more photos with captions. Again, I am grateful, blessed, and thankful to have the opportunity to hunt and experience the African jungle. Also, seeing the wild lowland gorillas and forest elephants was a lifelong dream fulfilled.

Would I take this hunting trip again? Most definitely. Will I take this hunting trip again? I hope so. I would like to return for a dwarf forest buffalo and a few of the duikers but there are other hunts awaiting in other locations.

In 1967, when Kenya still had big game hunting available, Jack O’Connor wrote in his book, The Art of Big Game Hunting, on page 12, “ Where tall, thick brush or heavy forest or combined… The hunting is really tough. This is why that forest-haunting antelope of Kenya, the bongo, Is considered a trophy of such high rank… Even if the Hunter gets within a few feet of a bongo, he usually gets no more than a fleeting snapshot.”

Craig Boddington writes in his book, African Experience, at page 102, “ burnt orange in color, with prominent white side, stripes, black and white facial highlights, and thick, smooth, gently spiraling horns, the bongo is one of the world‘s most fantastic creatures… The African forest offers some of the most difficult hunting on earth. Visibility is measured in feet, there is Little wildlife to be seen, often for days on end, and the Hunter must constantly stoop and crawl to Negotiate the latticework Vines and branches. There are no easy options for bongo hunting..”

The first day of our bongo hunt the trackers got on the fairly fresh track and we hunted a bongo for about three hours in the jungle. Eventually, we bumped this bedded bongo, and the dogs did not bay him. We heard him runoff, but did not get a sighting.

The second day we hunted a different area of the forest in a different direction which was about an hour drive from where we hunted the previous day. The PH And the trackers checked the salt lick near An old logging Road And found a big male bongo track. I will not even attempt to figure out how these Bantu/pygmy trackers can even follow an animal in the thick African jungle where visibility often times is inches or feet.

We follow this track for about 650 m over about an hour and a half and then lost one of the dogs. We took a break for the dog to try to catch up or come back, but that did not happen. We continued on following the bongo track And suddenly a dog started barking about 150 m away very loudly and aggressively. The pH and the trackers then knew that this dog had a bongo bayed.

We then had to attempt to rush through the jungle to get to the location of this dog and the bongo. We got very near to where the bongo was, and the dog was barking, but I still could not see the bongo although we were only about 10 yards from the bull.

Not to be a tough guy, but in full disclosure, this type of hunting does contain an element of danger. The bongo is aggravated and will charge both the dogs or humans. The PH told me before hand once we get up near the bongo to look for trees, the size of your legs to stand behind in case the bull bongo were to charge. Like all hunting situations nothing is perfect, and I could not find the perfect tree to get behind. I could hear the bongo crashing in the vegetation near the dogs. The bongo then seemed to charge toward the pH who was laying on the ground trying to get a look at the bongo. He yelled “shoot shoot shoot” but I did not even see the bongo but for a split second.

The bongo then ran about 10 yards and bayed again. I moved forward with one of the trackers and could finally see a portion of the bongo. I got a shot that ended up hitting the front right shoulder and grazing the right neck of the bongo. The bongo ran off then about 15 yards to another area of the forest. I moved forward, and reloaded the rifle And the PH and a couple of the trackers were yelling “shoot shoot shoot.” Again, I could not see the bongo, although he was only about 10 to 15 yards away. One tracker then grabbed my head and pushed it down to the ground and pointed my eyes where the bongo was. I then saw the Back portion of the bongo and took a shot with the 375 H&H. Apparently I did not have a grip on the rifle and I got scoped above my right eye cut was not bleeding that badly, but I felt like someone had just punched me in the face.

The bongo, then ran another 10 yards in the thick vegetation and the dogs bayed him so the PH yelled at me to run forward and take another shot. I got another shot, but this third shot was far back. Luckily the bongo fell, but was still attempting to fight the dogs. I was out of ammunition and the tracker with the backpack was nowhere to be seen, the PH then yelled for him and found out that he had climbed a tree.

The tracker with the small backpack and ammunition finally arrived, and I was able to load another round into the rifle. The PH then moved me up and I put a final shot into the bongo. The trackers started yelling and celebrating, and everyone was very happy. Controlled chaos Pretty much sums Up the bongo hunt once the dogs had first bayed the bongo.

We then took several photos and the trackers then processed the entire animal. My job during this time was to constantly wave larger leaves and brush to attempt to ward off the hordes of sweat bees and other insects that pestered everyone.

A couple of trackers had cut a trail back to the old logging Road and pick up truck And per the GPS we found out the truck was only about 300 m away from where we started that morning. We drove back to camp and celebrated that evening.

The camp keeps a portion of the meat for meals and all of the other meat and other edible products of the bongo are distributed to the trackers in the local village. Nothing goes to waste. We drank a beverage or two that evening. The bongo measured 30 1/2 inches on both horns and 22 inch bases.

Thanks for reading this hunt report and please PM me if time allows. Just go! You won’t regret it! Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

Bongo, May 19, 2024. Day 2 of 14 day hunt.

One happy hunter.

Bongo skull cleaned by camp skinner.

Tracker with a few of the dogs in back of the truck.

Trackers seem to like riding in the pickup bed.

 

[Nyati]

A great adventure with beautiful trophies taken, congrats

 

[dchum]

Thank you for sharing.

Amazing trip you had into the jungle.
A dream for sure

 

[LivingTheDream]

Amazing Bongo!!! Congratulations!!

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Congratulations on the bongo and culmination of what I’m sure isn’t you last hunt of a lifetime

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Amazing bongo and story to go with it. Taking it on Day 2 is also amazing. Congratulations!

 

[VertigoBE]

Waidmannsheil on some great trophies @TheGrayRider !
Thanks for sharing your adventure.