Bill C,
What a great hunt report! It's nice to see & read about hunters like you.

I agree, it's the entire hunt experience,(long fruitless stalks, animals getting your
wind, seeing non-trophy animals, the locals,...) that really make
a great safari. Nice LDE as well.

Good Hunting, Jungleboy

Well Bill, I didn't know that when I first opened your hunt report that I would be in the midst of an African hunting novel! I had written down questions for you but as I continued reading, you invariably answered each one!

You had quite an adventure and I thank you for sharing that adventure with us. I also thank you for letting me know what Eland droppings taste like. Although I'll have to admit, tasting them was never on my priority list!

Your Kob is a monster! Your Eland is a monster! What a hunt! Congratulations and thanks again for the in depth report and all of the fascinating pictures. Please return soon as I now need some more reading material!

John

Thanks to everybody for the nice replies, emails and pm's.

JB - Tell your Mama not to worry, there is only one JB! I should have typed "JP" for Jean-Pierre, which I have since corrected.

Below are two pictures emailed to me by Monique and Denis, the French hunters who were in camp with me the second week. After I left Denis shot a nice Lord Derby (his second, he shot one last year too) and Monique a huge old kob (she said 58cm - which would be 1cm larger then mine!).

I heard from Pierre, he and Claire just got back home to France, said he had no problems w/Air Cameroon and the flights went off as scheduled but that they are now flying on Fridays instead of Wednesdays. He is DHL'ing a DVD with 545 additional pictures, which I will go thru and select some to post. I am sure he has some very good ones.

Thanks again guys, and please feel free to offer more feedback or ask me anything regarding the safari or Cameroon in general. I am not yet ready to put this adventure on the shelf just yet!

Regards, Bill

Monique and her 58cm kob:


Denis & Trackers w/his Lord Derby eland:

Hi Bill
Thanks for more report.
A close friend, Guy by the name also, went hunting in Cameroon 12 days ago and supposed to be back on satursday. Today (monday) we are still waiting for news from him???????
He was hunting with Frank Vannier who's well known and hunts this areas for 30 years (previously his father).
So consider You were lucky with Cam Air, not being belated 2-3 days. My option would have been Air France, more expensive but extra-sure...........if one can be extra sure in Africa.
Thanks again

Hey JB! I DID encounter a delay on the return, but Pierre who just came back did not. I hear you about Air France, and while waiting in the Cameroon Airlines terminal in Douala - which has no AC by the way and was like a sauna - the Air France jet parked at their hanger looked very inviting! BUT - per the Report - flying Air Cameroon means a direct flight Paris-Garoua, bypassing Douala (and an overnight) on the way in and the way out is simpler too (check baggage all the way thru, never leave the airport). This is great for English-only clients, especially those w/firearms.

The gamble of course is CamAir - will they fly, are their TWO remaining Boeing 757/767 planes safe, etc - they didn't get the nickname of "Air Maybe" for nothing! I would consider the options carefully next time, have a plan-B, but not dismiss CamAir. 2009 UPDATE - CamAir is no longer an option!

Bill

You are right. In fact my friend Guy has played us a joke, making us believe he'd be back the 23th february. In fact he'll come back on satursday, one week later.
CamAir is not responsible at all.

Great hunt and report, that is, of course, until you decided to mention the SuperBowl.

Hey sorry about that Storms, tuff break man. If anybody TiVo'ed the game and has a DVD copy, I'd love to see it.

Looking back it is funny, when I got off the sat phone everybody in camp wanted to know what the most recent news was regarding Clinton vs Obama (the French do love their politics!), but all I was concerned about was how in the heck the Giants beat the Patriots, and what this meant to my UNDEFEATED 72 Dolphins. After a 1-15 season I'll take what I can get!

Sports fever was high in camp, as the Cameroon Lions national soccer team was doing very well in the Africa cup, defeating Tunisia in the Quarters and host-country Ghana in the Semi Final. They ended up loosing in the Final to Egypt 1-0 after I had left. But it was all the talk.

Camp guys listening to Cameroon Lions vs Ghana:

quote:

Sports fever was high in camp, as the Cameroon Lions national soccer team was doing very well in the Africa cup, defeating Tunisia in the Quarters and host-country Ghana in the Semi Final.

The real name of the Cameroon soccer team is "lions indomptables" : INDOMITABLE LIONS".
A pity, they deserve to be the best. It's the second time that they are second best behind Egyptia who is not known as a team of legend.

There is presently, and has been for about a week, a general strike in Cameroon. I don't remember why but it affected CamAir as well.

Bill,
Congratulations on an awesome hunt. You took some great trophies and your hunt reports are probablly the best posted on this site. Awesome Photo's too.
Robert

Bill,

Great report! Great photos!.

tim

My Lord Derby Eland Mount is done! My taxidermist and I worked on the pose, fitting it to the last remaining corner of my "African Room". I am very happy with it, Wes did a splendid job!

The base matches another Wes did for me, and reflects excellent "Lancaster County craftsmanship". I wanted some grasses, but nothing too tall that would distract from the dewlap. The form was a standard eland form, cut and turned, then built-up to handle the larger neck of the Lord Derby. The cape was wet-tanned by Carolina Fur.

Wes takes these "studio pictures" in his shop, then I merge them using Photoshop Elements. What these pictures cannot capture is the sheer SIZE and presence of this mount...stunning!

Lord Derby Eland Mount:




Taxidermist:
Wes Good, Wildlife Studios
Myerstown, Pa
717-933-4828
wes@wildlifestudios.com

Website: http://www.wildlifestudios.com

Yet do be completed are the other mounts, in particular a full body mount of the Red Flanked Duiker, as budget permits.

Excellent Taxidermy work !

Seloushunter

Great read, I sure would find a way to do the full mount on that BB. They are a beautiful animial.

Beautiful, Bill, just beautiful...

Beautiful mounts Bill. Fantastic !!!

That's an awesome looking mount. Good choice of taxidermist!

Great storys and pics,
Your great account soothed my soul after a very hectic day yesterday. I even stayed up a little late to finish it.

It always funny to me the stero types everyone attaches to everyone else. Wether it be north/south, east coast/west coast, or different countries.
I have traveled from the artic circle to the carribiean, the applachains to the rockies and been to six different countries in europe. One thing holds true. If you find you a local avid hunter or fisherman. 99% of the time you will hit it off great.

Great story and Beautiful mounts Bill, I enjoyed reading. I wish your taxidermist would lighten things up a little, everything is so Dark, Black backgrounds and dark shadowy photos. His showroom has a black floor and black walls, dark stained wood the pedestal bases. Very nice work though, I'd like to see your trophy room. Thanks for posting.

Thanks guys!

My only regret is that I didn't take the back skin, which would have looked nice on the panels of the base.

I appreciate that Jerry, I actually love the looks, with just the trophy and no background or distractions for the eye, for me almost as nice to look at as the mount itself. Well...not quite!

quote:

I'd like to see your trophy room.

post some pics if you can!

Bill, congratulations on an excellent mount. I like the way you update your hunt reports with trophy pictures, welldone.

Daryl just delivered another of my Cameroon trophies - the mighty Red Flanked Duiker:



The detail and quality of work on this mount is amazing. Shot with a .22Mag, the cape was in perfect shape. Adam Clements sent me pictures of his Red Flanked Duiker mount, which I forwarded to Wes along with a couple of "live animal" pictures that I found. Wes cut the form and sent me picts, then we adjusted the head/neck back just a little bit more.

I like this pose as this is how I recall the Reds, alert, graceful and deliberate...always flicking their tail and in motion. The middle picture, with Red moving away, is how I most vividly recall them!

Looking at this mount brings back fond memories of the low-stress days hunting these cunning little guys on foot, in the bakos along the beautiful Faro River. Just as a good mount is supposed to.

Bill:

Without a doubt the best report I've ever read on AR. I don't know if I will ever get the opportunity to do this hunt but after reading your report it has moved way up on my bucket list.

Thanks for sharing and bringing me along on the hunt.

I REALLY like the duiker mount. Very unique.

Bill
Work can't tell you how much i have enjoied your report I will not be able to get there and do it myself but after reading this i have join you in your fantastic adventure.thanks once again

Thanks, Better than buying the book.
The way it should be done.

Bill
Love the mighty red flanked Duiker!
what other mounts from your cameroon trip are you having done?

The duiker mount looks great Bill. I like the habitat as well.

Outstanding, Bill!