day 8
literally the very first road we started on this morning there was a HUGE track with droppings that indicated an old bongo , now based on the fact that two different occasions we had bayed bongo within an hour of starting the track we all had high hopes …

the logging has a huge impact on the forrest – first a large road is cut in for access and then each and every viable tree of the two main species that they cut is marked , paths are cut to these trees .

each tree makes about 20 cubic metres of wood , its cut and then dragged out of the forest to the road with a bulldozer , leaving a swathe about 6 yards wide of flattened churned up forest.

One area we hunted hadn’t been cut for about 20 years , today we were hunting an area that was cut about 6 months ago and while the small plants had covered the deep scars in the earth , the trees would take many many years to recover. To be honest this makes tracking pretty easy , the tracks led us over several of these freshly cut roads , a LOT less ducking and dviving however within 45 minutes the bull had joined a group of cows and based on the fact that you are 100% likely to bay a calf of young animal if you follow….we decided to leave it and try another track ..

After a hasty lunch , we continued and were in luck , a track from yesterday evening that the trackers thought we could catch …three hours later our lead dog led out a bark and was soon joined by the others and what should come RUSHING in our direction but a HUGE bongo , at least 30 inches , he hesitated about 5 yards from us turned on the dogs for about a second or two and was gone …some just wont bay and this was one of those … to say that the whole crew were disappointed was an understatement and it was a very quiet walk out to the road that night ! as soon as i got over myself i started to reflect on the magnificent sight of a huge mature male bongo - a very different animal indeed to what we have seen before !

I am told that in this area a bongo normally goes down within the first 4 or five days and I must say we are loving the whole experience and I feel I am seeing everything , that’s the 5th bongo we have seen excluding the baby !!!!

Hopefully tommorow , the days are slipping by fast now !!!

Most EXCELLENT Ivan

Ivan, I just love this report.
This is a very different way of using dogs. Being a hound guy myself I find this very interesting. Keep up the good story telling. I can't wait for the pictures

day 9
after the two episodes yesterday , looking at the calendar we have 4 full days left ! we left camp a little earlier than usual and the other vehicle (they are looking for forrest buff) agreed to go through one of the great bongo areas to help scout for us …

sure enough at about 8.30 , the satphone rings and they tell us they have two bongo tracks , both look like reasonable tracks , we were just 20 minutes apart and so before long with packs full of water and hearts full of hope we set off into the forrest ,

just 20 minutes in the dogs started barking and I have to admit I thought it was another duiker , but the pygmies shouted , bongo patron bongo !- we ran through the brush and there in a clearing without a single dog in sight was a huge bongo – he was looking at the other bull around whom were the dogs , we couldnmt see the other but so intent was this one that he didn’t see us ..

the pygmies were telling us tres gros patron shoot shoot , but clint knew better , his (the bongos) head was behind a tree trunk and so we slowly eased into the clearing and sure enough he was too young – no bigger than probably 23 inches , tips still pointing inwards ..

he suddenly saw us and darted off through the tangle of vines to our right , we pushed forward to the next one and this one was truly in the midst of some thick thick stuff , but we could see his face and horns and yes he was old and a good one –

after the first shot he ran about 20 yards left , the second barrel also just behind the shoulder and here he comes , not charging but just choosing our direction for escape , kendall let off one more shot as he ran past at about 2 yards with the dogs in hot pursuit –

we ran after him – let me tell you the vines bush and heavy heavy undergrowth will stop you dead in your tracks without a pygmy cutting in front and man these guys can cut – they don’t cut much but know just what to cut –

the bongo was down in a patch of leafy undergrowth where all we could see were his horn tips and the tops of the dogs , the final shot made tough by the dogs ..

as the final shot went off the pygmies let out a yell of triumph and I have to admit , with tears rolling down my cheeks I walked up to this animal , an animal we had been so deeply engaged with for so many miles and so many hours over the last nine days , yes this was hunting , this was a magnificent animal and possibly one of the most incredible hunting experiences ion the continent today !

I will let the pics tell the rest of the story when I post them in the next couple of days !!!

kendall is very keen on duikers and the mini antelopes so the next couple of days we will be hunting those !

Congratulations! Glad you finally got the bongo Good luck with your hunt for the little ones

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the pics.


Torbjorn

What a great result.

Well done Ivan and the rest the NOA Team
Loved the blow-by-blow. Really looking forward to the photos.

Congrats and I love reading your updates.

Thanks for taking the time to tell us about this adventure. Sounds like a very exciting hunt for a truly special animal. Congrats on getting a good one. Can't wait to see the pics. Bruce

What an excellent account of an arduous hunt! Well done to all for bringing it to a successful conclusion. I can't wait to see the photos. This has been the best read in this section for a long time. Thanks for sharing!

Ivan,

What camera are you using? Just anticipating the images and curious about your gear.

I could almost smell the dampness of the jungle and hear the dogs baying ahead.

Thanks Ivan for a little break from the boredum of sitting in the office.

congratulations to all! I understand your feelings Ivan. When you walk up to your bongo after days of intense hunting and the excitement of the fight it is emotional and humbling

Congratulations on a great hunt!

OK Bongo operators, put me on your contact list for 2014 cancellation hunts. Can't hurt to just talk.

Ivan,

Big congrats to everybody involved on one of Africa's most exotic trophies.

I'm thinking of doing this myself. Any particular precautions necessary to protect your feet or keep biting bugs from eating you. Any general tips you'd like to share?

Mark

Chasing Bongo in the rain forest, as good as it gets... Congratulations.

Congratulations to you all.

/Krister

Congrats on one of Africa's "mega-trophies"! Sought after and coveted in hunter's circles.

Congrats to the entire team!!!!

This is great.

I am enjoying this.

folks i have a couple of days to add , but here are a few pics to keep the wolves from the door -

yes indeed i will share all i know and have learned about gear

i am using a leica V-LUX 4 - although one or two of these pics are taken off video

flying in !




a chimp rushing to get down a tree on the roadside


now THAT’S an earthworm !


kendall and his bay duiker


almost every time we returned to the truck the pygmies would have some fruit or other !


the team ! patiently waiting for us to put them on tracks


please can I chased it !


a bayed female – breathlessly beautiful


pic says it all …


dawn in the rainforest !


trailcams – yes indeed they revealed a lot of the forrest secrets !


Gorillas on the trailcam !



checking a saline for tracks


huge tree


at least 20 a day like this leave the forrest !



our first bongo bayed !


incredible life is everywhere you look






large , uneven dropping indicate an older animal


looking for tracks

day 10
having taken the bongo yeaterday we took the afternoon of to put Neosporin on our arms , give our equipment a great clean and most of all give our trackers and dogs a rest ..

even though forrest sitatunga and forrest buff are available here , kendall is more than keen on the duikers and so we decided to spend just one day on buff or sitatunga and then failing that try and collect the duikers for him …

the buff and the sitatunga are both very very tough because they don’t bay very well, I am told that in the case of the sitatunga it can be miles and miles and perhaps two out of ten will stop , in the case of buff you have about 50% chance …anyhow , worth a try , the dogs were tired after nine straight days of bongo and so it really was a token effort .

kendall was more keen on the sitatunga and so we spent time driving around areas in the forrest where there were some swamps and rivers and sure enough a LOT of tracks , the sitatunga are likely to make a huge circle so instead of following right behind them , the pygmies go into the forrest with the dogs and as soon as they start barking one tries to see what direction they are moving and get on a road ahead of them , all on foot ..

indeed we spent a lot of time trotting along roads and then waiting , and by lunchtime nothing , they had run two males and both had simply outrun the dogs into the completely impenetrable swamp , its covered in a small species of palm tree , the stem of which is almost a vine about 5 inches in diameter but covered in tough spines , imagine hundreds of these stems/vines matted together in three feet of water and you have the perfect sitatunga habitat !!!

the afternoon we spent calling duikers and two blues came in but too fast for a shot , they are like tiny bolts of blue lightning !!-

we are still glowing in the aftermath of yesterdays inctredible success and so just enjoyed a day in the forrest !!

hardcore duiker hunting tommorow !!


day 11
late start today , one doesn’t want to be calling duikers when its too dark on the forrest floor , so we left camp aiming to be at our first calling location at about 8.30 am ,

what one does is look for a nice little mound , or the rise at the base of a huge tree , its important to keep your silhouette hidden , then we all sit in a group and the designated caller starts his nasal distress call , this goes on for about 3- 5 minutes at short intervals , then one sits still and quiet , if nothing comes in , just move 200 yards or so and try again ..

first call , here comes a supercharged peters duiker , stops dead behind some brush and kendall shoopts through the leaves , a russle of leaves is all we saw as he departed also at the speed of lightning , no blood and a full load of pellets in a large vine we hadn’t seen behind the leaves …that’s duiker hunting for you !!!

next call just 200 yards away and about 30 seconds in here comes a tiny blue duiker also at the speed of sound , kendall raises his shotgun , the duiker turns on a dime and as he leaves kendall dropped him , a great old male , so incredibly delicate and tiny , and completely what you would expect to be foraging around the leaf liter on the forrest floor –

as we walked looking for the next spot the sky started to darken and thunder and lightning began , after all this is the rainforest !!

two more calls , to no avail and the rain was starying to just sprinkle , we decided to go back to the vehicle with one more call on the way , that produced a peters duiker than neither clint , kendall or I could see , by now it was almost dark on the forrest floor , his tracks confirmed he was there , these little guys have amazing and uncanny ability in the gloom !!

arriving back in the vehicle the heavens opened , indeed the kind of rain that will give you an inch or two in an hour and slipping and sliding on the red mud we made our way back to camp for lunch …what a great morning !!!

the afternoon hunt to start with was very quiet , until , on our way back to the car in the twilight of early eveing , we were walking along the road and a small red animal the size of a large rabbit jumped up and trotted down the road , shoot was all I heard and the scramble of kendall trying to reload the shotgun (one never ever walks with it loaded in the forrest) the shot went off and kendall had himself a very very nice little bates pygmy antelope , indeed one of the most beautiful and delicate animals I had ever seen – wow this forrest is incredible …then to top it off on our way home some red eyes in a roadside puddle gave us the opportunity to see a whole hatch of dwarf forrest crocodiles , adults only get about 4 foot with rounded snout and black spots , the pygmies jumped down and snatched a few up but we ordered their release much to their dismay , guess they would have made great soup !!!

Wonderful story and great pics to go with! I'm envious and happy for you guys at the same time

Wow a Bates, I drool!

Thank you Ivan for allowing me the vicarious thrill of your Bongo hunt. I felt the humid heat, thick veg, smell of the forest, excitement and adrenaline surge.... What a great hunt.

Great report Ivan. Will this be on one of your shows?

Stunning......simply stunning!

Awesome report and pics.

Excellent Ivan...exciting indeed

Ivan thank you for the wonderful read.

Mike

Thanks for the excellent play by play. A big congratulations to you and your hunter in the forest and thanks for the cool pictures. I can't wait to hunt my own bongo.

quote:

Great report Ivan. Will this be on one of your shows?

yes indeed blacktailer - we were lucky to get some excellent footage and i am sure it will be a great show !

IVAN, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REPORT DAILY, YOUR DESCRIPTIONS MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS THERE AND I LOOKED FORWARD TO CHECKING ON THE PROGRESS EVERYDAY. YOU HAVE A VERY DESCRIPTIVE STYLE OF WRITING AND YOUR RECAP WAS VERY MUCH ENJOYED. DID ANDY DO THE CAMERA WORK ON THIS TRIP?
MARK

A typical hunting road in the early morning – this area was logged 6 months ago and the newer roads made finding tracks a lot easier


a small male that we turned down , this is the one that bayed in a clearing


andy mac getting some GREAT footage –


this photo sums up baying a bongo –


when we would stop , we would often be drenched with sweat and the butterflies were attracted to our sweaty backpacks !


the butterflies were amazing




sometimes simply looking up gave you a sense of wonder !


these pics will talk for themselves






packing the bongo out of the forrest , we can hardly walk without a cut path yet the pygmies can do it with 80 pounds of meat and horns on their backs !


the future generation


in the rainforest when you say that a tree fell across the road it has a whole different meaning !!!!


loading up trackers with huge bunches of fruit they cut from a wild palm


blue duiker !




calling duikers


a dwarf crocodile we found in a roadside puddle !



bates pygmy antelope , without luck and lots of it you don’t stand a chance of even seeing one , let alone shooting one !


mushrooms , they are everywhere and from time to time we would stop and the trackers would gather a whole “leaffull”


watervine!


more wild fruit !


thanks folks , I hope you enjoy !

Absolutely magnificent photos and trophies - if there was ever a five star posting, this is it.
Well done to all, and special thanks to Ivan for sharing the stories and photos.

What an adventure -well written - great photos.

And the way those pygmies make the whole place look like a supermarket ....

quote:

IVAN, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REPORT DAILY, YOUR DESCRIPTIONS MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS THERE AND I LOOKED FORWARD TO CHECKING ON THE PROGRESS EVERYDAY. YOU HAVE A VERY DESCRIPTIVE STYLE OF WRITING AND YOUR RECAP WAS VERY MUCH ENJOYED. DID ANDY DO THE CAMERA WORK ON THIS TRIP?
MARK

yes indeed mark , it was andy -

Ivan.....Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to post the wonderful report and photos!

well done!

Africa at its finest!


Mike

Hi Ivan,

great Report.
It is allways an great fun to read your adventures.

Best wishes.

Thank you for sharing Ivan.
Hunting in the forest must be hard and were patience must prevail, but i am sure, a unique, experience.
Good hunting.