CBeau
AH member
06:00 AM, there is now enough light to see that small herd of Bongo getting into the softest leaves alongside the road. It’s gonna be hot today, the mist is thick and comes over us in waves.
We’re on foot, 60 meters away from those mystical forest antelopes, about 12 of them, mainly females and young, a big male was spotted earlier and could be close by…
We are in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), on the Northern shore of the huge Congo River, facing the massive DRC.
I would have never thought to be able to hunt there one day, too complicated, and even less that I would promote this country to our international hunters … never say never, a first season last year with some issues and a few hunters with already big results. Issues have been all sorted out, a lot more hunters this year and still excellent results. Hunting Bongo in Congo is like hunting Sitatunga in Uganda in a way that the populations are big and action is every day. Have you ever heard of a place where one could spot and stalk Bongos?! No dogs, very few blinds, hardly any tracking in the forest needed, bongos are everywhere, mainly walking on the numerous forestry exploitation roads in the forest, unreal …
13 :00, the sky is getting dark and the humidity is at its peak. Some lightings in the dark sky, beautiful …That strong smell of the tiny little flies when squashed will soon be washed away with the equatorial rain we are about to get. Joseph, ex-poacher and now excellent tracker, is making himself a little shelter out of a few branches and large leaves. He knows the area so well from working as a tracker 20 years ago for the previous hunting company, and then for working in the logging industry in the same area for 6 years. He knows all the roads and tracks, most of the openings in the forest called “bais” (pronounced “Buys”).
Rain is poring so hard that we cannot hear each other talk in the car, the only way is to close our eyes and wait. For the last 4 days, it has rained from 13:00 to 15:30, ideal scenario for hunting in the forest, it makes all animals move after the rain, including Bongo and Yellow Back Duiker.
As often when operating in the rain forest, we are sharing a vast area with a big logging company. Although the cohabitation was complicated at first, we are now working hands in hands turning the situation to a win/win for all. A dedicated team of “eco-guard” are controlling all access to the forest on the Northern side of the Sangha river, and although poaching is always present, it is now greatly reduced, even more with our hunting vehicles cruising around. Access to our concession is simple and fairly cheap since one can use a domestic flight to Ouesso from Brazzaville. No expensive charter flight required.
We have a team in Brazzaville that will welcome you on arrival and will assist with all clearance and overnight planning before getting to camp. ECAIR has direct flights from Paris, connected to AIR CONGO flights to Ouesso where we have an other team that will take over and meet you. 5 minute drive to the Sangha river, a short boat trip over the river and about 2 hours drive (depending on the rain) will get you to camp. We usually get to camp at about 14 :00
Camp is made of private wooden chalets with en suite bathrooms (new camp), dining area is separate with a large bar. There is a barbecue / camp fire area in front of the dining room and a small river run in front of the camp. Generators provide electricity.
It’s starting to snow, let’s go! says Joseph … the “snow” is that fine rain after heavy showers. As we start walking on the road, 3 giant forest hog cross in front of us, at about 20 meters, this sighting is rare enough to be mentioned, it is the third time we found them while hunting, Congo has a healthy population of Giant Forest Hogs and we are hoping to get some quota in a year or two as they are protected at the moment. Then we find a dwarf buffalo lying in the middle of the road, a very old bull with totally warn out horns. We already shot a buffalo and are after a Yellow Back Duiker today…
Lots of fresh tracks every morning on the roads, mainly of bongo, dwarf buffalo, forest elephant, duikers (mainly yellow back and Peters), red river hog, gorilla and also giant forest hog and leopard.
Usually in forest hunting, a fresh track means good tracking opportunity, often the only way to get those elusive forest species. But here in Congo, things are slightly different with such a high density of animals, one will have a chance to spot and stalk any of those key species. The yellow back duiker just love getting out and about after the rain and the road we have chosen today is full of their tracks. In 2 hours of walking slowly, we already came across about 20 different yellow back when a blue duiker pop in front of us at about 30 meters. No time to shot but I soon ask Joseph to call him back, local trackers are very good for calling duikers. Georges’ rifle is on the shooting sticks, we are all ready when our hunting pick up arrive in our back. I did not ask Michael to pick us up, so I’m thinking he saw a yellow back walking behind us. It is a large male, walking in our tracks on our back!
We soon turn around and start walking back on our tracks. 10 minute walk and I can see the little piece of white paper Michael left on the road where the duiker went back in the forest. Rifle on the tripod we keep very quite trying to hear any suspicious noise when the duiker pop out of the forest to walk back on the road only 15 meters away from us.
It is a big male, I give the go ahead and wait, wait and wait for the shot … video camera is recording that superb yellow back duiker going back into the thick forest … when finally bang, the duiker went down. What happen?! Scope was still on 4 and Georges could only see fur … This is a very nice Yellow Back Duiker with horns going 6 inches.
Hunting was closed for about 20 years in Congo, wildlife is booming and animals are fairly relaxed. We thought of using dogs to bay bongos the way it is done in Cameroon and CAR, we even had 2 dogs at camp but before we could start training them, a resident leopard decided to use them for lunch … We then started last year’s season without dogs, and every hunter harvested their bongo in within 3 days. Most of them are spotted on the road and stalked on foot. We would also stop on fresh morning tracks and walk. Often, a few minutes will be sufficient to find the animals. We also have some permanent blinds over water (openings in the forest called « Bays ») and natural salt lick, very good for bongo and dwarf buffalo.
T.D. is an American hunter and it is his second safari in Congo with us. This time, he is looking for Sitatunga and Bongo, with a few forest duikers to round off the hunt. We have had a lot of rain and the water level is high on all the forest streams. Current is also a bit stronger making it more difficult to reach the better spots deep in the forest through water channels. We’ve added a float in front of the wooden mokoro to gain stability, Michael and his hunter Oleg tested the Wessel and got a very nice sitatunga the day before, shot from the boat at 50 meters. We also have a wooden platform over looking a flood plain with nice long grass, but it is currently used by a zillion of very selfish ants…
Oleg will also harvest a very nice dwarf buffalo, a good yellow back duiker, a big red river hog and some forest duikers.
PH André try to get T.D. as comfortable as possible on the mokoro, but T.D. does not really have good sea legs and a few hundred meters will convince the party to abort the mission. The remaining of the day will be spent seating on the side of the road close to the river, waiting for a black fronted duiker. We often see then crossing the road near the wooden bridges made out of huge logs allowing the big logging trucks to cross those waterways. André quickly point his binocs on a crossing duiker … and got a sitatunga blocking his view!! What a luck, T.D. will gladly take this opportunity and will harvest a nice old sitatunga bull.
Tielman only has a week to spend with us, he is after a Bongo and a dwarf Buffalo. He knows his time is limited to come right with his bow on the bongo, but that will be a first since as far as we know, no one has managed yet to walk and stalk a bongo and take it with bow and arrow. Only bongos taken with a bow were either from a blind or over dogs… First day, Tielman does not get anything, although they saw bongos, being his second bull, his expectations are a bit higher this time. Next day, he comes back with a dwarf buffalo taken with his rifle at 45 meters, his bow was in the car …
Wake up call at 04 :00 AM, departure from camp at 05 :00 AM looking for bongos. 40mn drive takes you to the exploitation area where the logging company has left lots of good roads for us to use. We ha drain last night and find lots of fresh tracks this morning. It has been decided to walk and spot this morning, Tielman has his rifle and his bow with him this time. The mist is starting to dissolve allowing to see a bit further. A beautiful lone bull is feeding on the side of a secondary road. A quick stalk and the big bull is only 80 m away now, getting closer will now be difficult without making too much noise, so our hunter decide to line him up with the .375 H&H Magnum. The bongo will drop in its tracks, Tielman will have to come back to try with his bow again …
Just around the corner was that big Peter’s Duiker that caught the corner of our eyes. We stop the car immediately hoping it will come back to mind its own business again in the middle of the road … very unlikely, but with not after all, we are in Congo aren’t we … We just get ready, wait about 10mn and here it is, a very nice Peter’s duiker popping out of the forest in front of our eyes… Georges will pull a great shot and take this beautiful ram. An other great trophy harvested from the Congolese forest.
We have 4 concessions in Congo over a huge piece of ground. Not even sure how big it is in total since it will be impossible to explore the whole area, way too big and wild! Main activity is hunting with 20 bongos on quota, same for dwarf buffalo, sitatunga and yellow back duiker. We also have enough forest duikers and red river hogs for everyone. Other projects include a photographic camp for Gorillas and Chimps that we see pretty much every second day while hunting.
An other project is to establish a fishing camp on the Sangha river where different species of tiger fish are to be found. The biggest of all is the giant Goliath Tiger Fish, endemic to the Congo river system and by far the biggest of the family. Biggest fish caught is over 70kg for about 1,5m, it is said they can reach 130kg!! Our biggest catch right now are around the 30kg mark, already fair size fish … and they can fight!
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