What is the most physically strenuous African hunt one can do, if so inclined? What's the "sheep hunt" equivalent in Africa? LDE? Tracking elephant?

Curious what comes to mind, for those who really want to earn their trophy the hard way.

There's a guy in Namibia offering backpack hunts, on foot, carry everything including water on your backs in the Erongo mountains. No vehicle, no trackers, no set camps. I believe a member here did one of those hunts.

Chasse Libre hunts in Cameroon are not for the faint of heart...

Kudu hunt in CAR ... not far from Chad border. that was something ... close to the bahr aouk river ... i do not know how it is now but it was few decades ago ...

In Zimbabwe the Omay makes you work damn hard, and there is a feeling of accomplishment at the end.

quote:

Originally posted by bwanamrm:
Chasse Libre hunts in Cameroon are not for the faint of heart...

+1. By far the hardest hunt I have ever done- and the most rewarding.

http://www.shakariconnection.c...n-nyala-hunting.html


Mountain nyala, often referred to as the vertical bongo hunt.

The attached link has a good write up about the hunt.

Walking is the norm for buffalo and elephant hunts and walking is easy for me. Walking in heat is not, however. Being from Alaska, anything over 65 degrees F is uncomfortable.
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by ijl:
In Zimbabwe the Omay makes you work damn hard, and there is a feeling of accomplishment at the end.

+1

Hunt the rain forest in Cameroon for a couple of weeks for forest elephant if you want to know what physically strenuous really is.

Mike I will second that! My cramps had cramps!

October lion tracking hunt in the Zambezi.
I was in pretty good shape but the miles in super hot conditions were hard.
Who says Lion are lazy???

Lord Derby in CAR in 100+ degree heat and bugs, hiked about 10-12 miles per day....

quote:

In Zimbabwe the Omay makes you work damn hard, and there is a feeling of accomplishment at the end.

+1

Generalities are just that. Hunts that should be hard can be easy in the right set of circumstances. Hunts that should be easy can be difficult in the right set if circumstances.

While I have not done it, I suspect the mountain nyala would be the most difficult.

Personally, the most physically difficult have been elephant and buffalo in extreme heat (in excess of 110) while covering long distances (in excess of 20 miles per day as measured by GPS) in hilly to mountainous terrain.

Trophy Vaal Rhebuck in the Drakensberg mountains can be very challenging, there is the effect of altitude and the mountains - you wll earn your trophy.
Not to be confused with the hunting of Vaal Rhebuck around farms and lands in the Western Cape.

Based on my experience it's definitely LD eland in Cameroon. Pick an area that's rugged.
After that I would say forest elephant in Cameroon.

From what I've done, I would think that forest elephant is the toughest hunt... I don't do that well in high heat plus humidity.

But from what PHs have said, I think doing a combination Bongo and Lord Derby hunt in the CAR would be the toughest...because you are chronically sleep deprived and walking in high heat.

Forest elephant by far. Was only 30 and sfter a day following through the swamps and shooting it I nearlly collapsed on the way back. Made it but exhausted

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Physically most demanding African hunt for me to date was bushpig over hounds! When the hounds have put up a pig and start the chase it can go anywhere but it usually entails running up and down hills, the thickest native bush and brush, two meter plus high sugar cane panels and at the end of the chase likely a bay in the thickest stuff that the pig can get into. Two or three days of running hounds after bushpig - thats tough!

Charlie

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I would have to say tracking lion on foot in Burkina Faso in 120+ degrees heat plus humidity from 8-10 miles a day

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
From what I've done, I would think that forest elephant is the toughest hunt... I don't do that well in high heat plus humidity.

But from what PHs have said, I think doing a combination Bongo and Lord Derby hunt in the CAR would be the toughest...because you are chronically sleep deprived and walking in high heat.

This, and for the exact reasons stated. Its not a normal safari as one would expect in Southern and East Africa.

LDE, the days started early, had to drive 2 hours over tough roads to get to the start of the hunting. Track all day, till dark. back to cruiser, then at least 2 more hours back to camp. Dinner, very little social life, to bed, lather rinse repeat, every day!!

Bongo, Bongo camp was an eight hour drive from Kocho. You basically become nocturnal now. Drive to machan, depending upon Bongo movement and stay all night to get the longest possible opportunity evening/morning.

I was pretty fortunate. Killed LDE day 5?+- and Bongo day 11?+-.

Physically not to strenuous. LDE days were just long. Walking on flat ground isn't too difficult. The Jungle (bakos) are difficult to walk in but there were trails to most machans.

Overland,

I believe Larryshores pretty much answered your question. Pick almost any major species and you can make a death march out of it if you want and the opposite can be true also. Lord Derby eland comes to mind first and everybody has heard of the long hours of tracking in the heat of CAR. The same hunt in Cameroon can literally be done without leaving the hunting vehicle. Tracking elephant in the Zambezi Valley can be exhausting but it can be a spot and stalk affair in other more open areas requiring little walking. The same is true for many species.

Mark