Self Guided Hunting update.
I just came back from a Cameroun self guided trip. I took a gentleman named Chris with me from Denmark. In reality he took himself because I was caught in the snow storm that hit the east coast and was three days late in catching up to him.
Due to the fact my staff are used to self guided hunters Chris was met and taken on to the hunting area without me. By the time I caught up with him three days later he already had a buffalo (Northwestern), a hartebeest (Western) and a duiker down.
Realizing he had things totally under control I left him and made my own spike camp. My intention was just to make sure he was OK and go on to a new area that I wanted to explore. On the way out I left camp early with just a tracker, but both of us carrying loads. We jumped a very nice Western Roan and were in the process of tracking it when we cut the tracks of a fresh solitary eland. Turning 90 degrees we took up the track of the eland. He was meandering all over feeding on the fresh shoots of the newly burned area we had set up for him. Once we had to just sit and wait out the wind, but the tracking was favorable in sandy soil. After about 4 hours my tracker spied the bull in the trees ahead and we waited for him to wander on out. The distance was short but he was moving and took only one shot to bring him down.
Here is a photo of the eland: http://s304.photobucket.com/al...ent=camelandbest.jpg
My father had tried numerous times to collect a Giant Eland so this was the culmination of many years of planning and wishing. I consider it one of the best trophies I have ever taken in spite of the fact it is not a true monster. We were 2 days from the nearest road and all by myself with just my tracker. After photos and skinning we took the head back to Chris' camp, which was about 4 miles away. The staff then returned to collect all of the meat and add it to the meat already in camp with Chris.
The day after I left Chris went on to shoot a very nice eland bull as well, so for 2010 at least at the present we are 1200% on eland! Chris had never done a self guided hunt before and had many hesitations, but once in the field he fell in love with the style of hunting where you are truly on foot in the wilderness with your staff. Chris has already booked a forest hunt for elephants next year as the Netherlands will allow importation of the trophies.
Here is a photo of Chris and his trophies at the end of the hunt. http://s304.photobucket.com/al...hrishunttrophies.jpg

For anyone interested in talking about this I will be at the Reno show booth #972 or drop me a line. I help hunters like Chris to set up completely outfitted but self guided hunts in Cameroun.

Cam Greig

Outstanding! How fun. Congratulations!

Brett

What's a ball park figure on cost?

If two of you went and you shot an eland the total cost is $8000 plus $3500 trophy fee. All inclusive except you pay airfare to the country, (there are no charters).
Compare that to the Cameroun outfitters and you will get an idea of what a deal this is, but you are on your own! For some that is worth even more money, but to most there is a level of anxiety that comes with it. My over 50% re-booking speaks for itself on this issue, in my mind. It is a true African adventure.
Cam

Cam

Cam, you're killing me. Congratulations. It sounds as if you're hunters are having more and more success with eland. I really need to do this trip.

George

I started off slowly but have built up an anti poaching patrol that now consists of 8 full time staff and it has made a huge difference. We shot both of the eland where before there were only cattle grazing illegally.
I have also set up a relationship with the King of Cameroun and he is lending his assistance, as my eland areas are in his kingdom. His father and mine were friends in the 1960's as my father was a medical missionary back then.

Cam

Cam,

What other animals are available on these hunts?

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by camshaft:
in my mind. It is a true African adventure.
Cam

Cam

This is a true African adventure. How I've been urging guys to do this here, in some of those vast tracts of Zambezi Valley. Couldn't be self-guided of course, but old day hunting safaris with porters and weeks in the bush....Wow - the epitome
of an African safari. Cam, do you think you'll need an assistant at some point? Say in about a year, once I have completed my walkabout and some other stuff I need to do? I have many years of anti-poaching and hunting experience, and guess I am a half decent writer/photographer as well. I don't need much pay, I just need the experience and the stories....

Cheers, I wish you the best, your style of hunting is truly the real deal.

David

I really sign people up for this hunt as a buffalo hunt. Because the local people are afraid of the buffalo they tend to leave them alone, as they have only homemade shotguns. They make these out of a water pipe heated and enlarged to the size of a 12 gauge shotgun shell. They are terrifying to look at and consider putting your face near it when you pull the trigger. ( I could post some photos if you are interested.)
But back to what is available, it includes most of the Cameroun plains game up in the north and the forest game further south. Where the eland are you have decent numbers of Roan, bushbuck, warthog, Western Kob, Sing-sing waterbuck, Western Heartabeest, red flanked duiker, western bush duiker, and the red river hog. Savannah elephants are there but the ivory is not importable to the USA, it is importable to many other countries with a CITES quota of 80/year. There are some lion and they are on a special request. We hear them regularly, but I have not seen them myself. My clients have, but never when they had a permit.
In the forest to the south there are good numbers of the red forest buffalo as well as forest sitatunga, bongo, forest duikers, and giant forest hogs. I have been doing these hunts for a very long time, over 20 years often up to 3X per year, and have NEVER hunted the same place twice! I have only hunted the north where the eland are for the last 4 years, but it is the most prolific as far as game is concerned of all the areas in Cameroun. It is a unique opportunity to hunt all the African game, including the big 5 on your own. I provide my clients with my personal staff who have done this probably over 100 times, so it is not as risky as it initially appears. They know the drill and have been to the places you will hunt already. They pre-purchase all the food and I have vehicles in the country. You borrow all my large camping gear and bring only your personal effects and gun. I provide permits for the hunt and CITES permits to export all the trophies.

Cam

David,
My approach to these hunts has mostly been to do them in order to keep my Cameroonian friends employed. With 70% unemployment in the country they had nothing to do between my trips before I started to offer these hunts to my friends. The other thing is it is now a very inexpensive hunt. As soon as you add a guide you jack up the price considerably.
At the same time there are any number of people who would still like to do this if only they had a guide. I am constantly bugged to go along with people who are still a bit hesitant. All that said I am very open to working with someone in a year or so.
I have just been given over 100,000 acres to manage for the King of Cameroun. This is his personal hunting estate, but it has been severely neglected for a number of years and will take at least a year to get it back in shape.
Are you going to be at Reno? Obviously I would like to meet you. Another thing is you need to have a reasonable command of French. I also speak Bouou, a local language and both make dealing in Cameroun much more possible.
Cheers,
Cam

I hunted with Cam in Cameroun in 07, On my hunt I shot Harnessed bush buck, Western heartabeast, Red river hog, Western roan, Northwestern buffalo, I also saw Oribi, Warthog, and several Duikers. I should point out had a little extra help/advantage on my hunt. The village chiefs sacrificed a chicken for good luck! This type of hunt is for the person looking for adventure! Its not about inches or filling trophies rooms. If you go on this type of hunt you will see the real Africa! and you will come back with a new sense of respect for the African people! I would go back this week if I had the money!

Cam also has a traditional hunting ranch in South Africa that is first class. In fact you can see it playing on this weeks Jim Shockeys hunting show.

quote:

enlarged to the size of a 12 gauge shotgun shell. They are terrifying to look at and consider putting your face near it when you pull the trigger. ( I could post some photos if you are interested.)

Could you please post up photos of these homemade shotguns Cam

quote:

Originally posted by Robert johnson:
I hunted with Cam in Cameroun in 07, On my hunt I shot Harnessed bush buck, Western heartabeast, Red river hog, Western roan, Northwestern buffalo, I also saw Oribi, Warthog, and several Duikers. I should point out had a little extra help/advantage on my hunt. The village chiefs sacrificed a chicken for good luck! This type of hunt is for the person looking for adventure! Its not about inches or filling trophies rooms. If you go on this type of hunt you will see the real Africa! and you will come back with a new sense of respect for the African people! I would go back this week if I had the money!

Cam also has a traditional hunting ranch in South Africa that is first class. In fact you can see it playing on this weeks Jim Shockeys hunting show.

Robert,

Are you coming up for the Anchorage SCI show Feb 26-27? If so I'd love to talk about your hunts.

Brett

I think a buff/roan hunt would be just about the perfect trip with this type of setup.
I do think I would rather have another buddy as a second hunter in camp with me, though.. language barriers with the staff, someone to share the adventure with, etc.

What would the length of a trip for buff/roan be?
Sounds intriguing..

Scottyboy,

We need to go!

2 west texans in Camaroon, Language barrier--heck half the people in the US have a hard time understanding Texan!


Ed

This hunt is an awesome thought. I'm way past RSA hunts in high-end manors, and much prefer the tented camps of Mozambique and Tanzania. This hunt looks like it go go that one better!

Brett
I will not be going to Anchorage SCI. Give me a call any time on Sundays or after 6 pm during the week 907-262-1416 I will tell everything I know. If you ever get down to Soldotna be sure to give me a call.

Keep in touch

quote:

Originally posted by 505ED:
Scottyboy,

We need to go!

2 west texans in Camaroon, Language barrier--heck half the people in the US have a hard time understanding Texan!


Ed

Eddie,

this hunt sounds like FUN! I'd be more than willing to give this hunt a go 'round..

Chasing scrappy little red and black buff bulls with the 470 in hand, and then spend the rest of the time trying to find a shooter roan. How much fun would THAT be??!

Should I go out and buy a French Rosestta Stone set and start brushing up? As of current, my french consists of a whopping 5 words..

An early 2011 hunt in the plans?? Hmmm..

Give me a jingle when ya get a chance during the week.

Just to sort out the language thing it is really best to speak French, but 95% of the hunters do not and get along just fine. My main tracker has taken English lessons and gets along fine with the hunters. A number of the staff also get along in English, so although it is rudimentary, I have never had a complaint with language except that they will tell you every animal you see is a "big male" when it is actually just meat they want to eat.
Cam

By way of an answer all the hunts are 15 days in the country, but 4 are dedicated to travel to and from the hunitng area, so you get 10-11 days of hunting. It takes a long 4X4 ride or a long train ride to reach the various areas to hunt.
Cam

Top Predator, this may give you some new insight on the human ingenuity as predator.

OK, here is a complete lesson on how to make your own arsenal. (Click on links for pictures.)
http://s304.photobucket.com/al...=homemadearsenal.jpg
The gun is made from a water pipe. The breech is heated to allow a wooden plug to be hammered in until the size is right. Once loaded it is ready to go and cannot be quickly or easily disarmed, so be careful! This was taken off a poacher in Cameroun and is fully operational.
http://s304.photobucket.com/al...=shotgunhomemade.jpg
The spear is made from a leaf spring of a car or any piece of metal. You are more concerned with the shaft as it must fit the barrel of your home made shotgun perfectly, but not too tight or it will blow up. This spear is genuine and used by one of my Baka pygmy friends to kill elephants. Clue: shoot them in the stomach, run like hell and then track the elephant until it dies.
http://s304.photobucket.com/al...ent=shotgunspear.jpg
The bullet is a rifle cartridge embedded with wax into a 12 gauge shotgun shell. You now can shoot any caliber shell out of your shotgun! It may rattle a bit going down the barrel, but if you are close enough that will not matter. This was taken off a poacher in January of 2010, yes, just a week or so ago!
http://s304.photobucket.com/al...nt=shotgunbullet.jpg
Hope you enjoyed your lesson.
Cam

Thanks for the wonderfull pictures!!

My wife will curse you for adding another country and hunt to my "to do list"

Good afternoon!
I am sorry for my dreadful English. With interest has read the report camshaft about hunting in Cameroon.
I have one question: unless on photo Chris not females of a buffalo and hartebeest?

I wrote here about this photo

You are most observant.
The buffalo was a male, as the savannah buffalo are quite a bit smaller. It actually charged the group unprovoked and had his eye on one of the porters before he was shot at about 30 meters. A through examination did not reveal any previous wounds to have caused the charge.
The heartabeast was a female shot by mistake as it was a solitary animal and not well exposed before the shot. This is one of the main problems with a self guided safari, if the tracker tells you it is a male you tend to believe him, and his tendency is more towards meat than horns, so this was a mistake. You must be very careful before shooting as there is a penalty for shooting a female in Cameroun. It is not illegal, but there is a penalty trophy fee.
Cam

My observation - a consequence of my work. I work РН in company Africam Safaris (ZIC 26)
You are absolutely right - pisters (trackers) always try to convince to shoot as they always need meat

quote:

Originally posted by camshaft:
The buffalo was a male, as the savannah buffalo are quite a bit smaller. It actually charged the group unprovoked and had his eye on one of the porters before he was shot at about 30 meters. A through examination did not reveal any previous wounds to have caused the charge.

Unfortunately, savannah buffalo often attacks without the reason (not having wound or something similar) then it is necessary to shoot without dependence from its sizes and a sex.
Though there are also pleasant surprises - for example when such bull attacks

Camshaft, Is it possible for 4 guys to hunt out of one camp? possibly 2, 2x1's ? What animals are allowed per hunter under that hunting situation? Do you buy the license ahead of time for each specie or pay AFTER the animal is taken? Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by sevenmagltd.:
Camshaft, Is it possible for 4 guys to hunt out of one camp? possibly 2, 2x1's ?

I think it would be 2 x 0 (inasmuch as it is self guided)

Are you saying his PH is a 0 not a hero???



Brett

I have had 3 guys hunt together, never 4. It should not be much different. As it is self guided you can do whatever you want, but I would recommend you go in to the first camp and hunt a few days together, then split up and plan to get together at a pre-designated spot later on in the hunt. The local guides are very good and can meet anywhere later on.
Each hunter would be provided with a local guide who is also a tracker, so you are actually hunting alone unless you want to act as a back up for your friend. This is mostly a tracking hunt, not a spot and stalk. You find fresh tracks and follow them to the game, so a smaller group is usually more successful as you are quieter while actually hunting. You typically divide up the terrain before you head out with each guy taking a different quadrant.
I do all the logistics ahead of time, like get your visa, your gun import permit, your hunting license, and train ticket if needed. All this is part of the fee. I buy all the bulk food and supplies for camp and provide things like the porter backpacks and tarps if a wet weather hunt. You will start your paperwork 3 months before you leave!
You pay the trophy fees after the animals are harvested. The cost of the license is part of the fee noted above.
Hope that helps,
Cam