After an unsuccessful Bongo hunt in the East of the C.A.R in May I decided to book a hunt with Congo Forest safaris through well known PH Christophe Morio.
This would be the last Safari of the season in late October and heavy rainfall looked promising.
It was the second time I have hunted with christophe and he is good fun as well as extremely hard working.



Getting to camp was easy as we flew from Brazzaville to Ouesso then 3 hours or so by road, Tala Tala is on the border of Cameroon in the north of the Congo.On arrival in camp I was greeted by the Pygmy trackers and healthy well fed dogs.

Jean luc Damy has opened up the Tala Tala concession to hunting through lots of hard work and determination and the success has been high on Bongo and this year 2 fantastic sitatunga were also taken.As is usual on this type of forest hunt we was to drive the roads looking for fresh tracks which we would then follow to determine the size of the bull from the size of the track and the droppings.On the first day we picked up fresh tracks of a dwarf forest buffalo and almost immediately the dogs started barking so we went into the forest in hot pursuit, unfortunately the bull had met up with a small herd and the dogs bayed a calf with the bull getting away, it was still heart stopping stuff and we got the dogs under control which allowed the calf to catch up with the herd. The rest of the day was spent calling duiker and seeing a lowland gorilla which was fantastic as I have now seen both lowland and mountain gorilla.



The following morning we was up at 4:30am to start hunting and looking for tracks, on the way back to camp a Bayes Duiker appeared on the road in front of us and was the first male taken in the area.It was a stunning animal with a beautiful shiny coat.



Now October is supposed to be the month of the year with the heaviest rainfall in the Congo but for whatever reason the rain was sporadic at best with short rains here and there, the Bongo as well as the other animals were not moving. On day 5 we saw a promising track of a good bull but it was 10:30am which can be a little late to catch up with the Bongo , but Christophe said we must try and everyone was keen to get going.We followed the tracks for 5 hours or so covering around 9km with the tracks moving in a constant arch of a mountainous area through rivers and streams but hadn't stopped to lay down and grazed as he moved.he was a distinctive animal with a large left print and a smaller deformed right hoof where a snare had obviously left its damage.The Bongo was known to both the hunters and trackers alike but no one had managed to catch up with him over the years.



It got to 4:30pm when christophe reluctantly pulled the team out of the forest before it got too dark and we would be in trouble.It was tough in the forest but the guys made it great fun and pointed out all of the interesting things to be found there.



On Day 7 we picked up 2 good sets of tracks which we followed but when bayed where actually Bongo cows, they were huge animals.We called the dogs off and got some wonderful pics of the bongos before they disappeared like ghosts into the forest.It was such an amazing experience and my confidence in the dogs and the team was high but as the days drifted by I was anxious as to whether I would connect with a bongo.We just needed the tracks!



And so the days drifted by until the last day of the Safari and with a little rain and a little hungover we headed off to check roads and the salt licks that had been created by christophe and his team.We found tracks...it was the same bongo that we pursued previously, almost immediately the trackers pointed out where he had laid down, still warm, and again 10 minutes later.The Bongo took us on a windy track through the forest and then out onto a logging road.A mongoose appeared on the road and the pygmies disappeared after it but the dogs were uninterested and followed the tracks of the bongo up the road and then disappeared back into the forest.Within a few minutes the barking started as they had bayed , hopefully, the Bongo.In hot pursuit we caught up with the dogs and we could hear the bongo charging back and forth with horns low to the ground as he attempted to gore one of the dogs.After christophe studied the Bongo he instructed me to shoot which I did as he was charging a dog,the bullet entered behind the ribs and travelled through the engine room dropping the animal.



As you can see in the pics below the bongo was magnificent and estimated at 15 years old with worn down tips, hips protruding through the skin,a bald tail and teeth well worn down.It is doubtful whether he would have seen another year and was in my opinion a noble end to a magnificent animal, I was humbled


Bongo in the Congo…Give it a go!…
safaris.morio@free.fr

Great report! Super pictures!

Congratulations on the Bongo and a thrilling hunt.

Tell us more about the snake and mushroom. I've never seen these species. Really interesting, and great photos. Thanks!

Well done Ricky, great report and what an adventure. jc

Well done to everyone involved ! a magnificent old Bongo.

Wonderful mass on those horns, worn and blunted, what an outstanding trophy!

Well done on a magnificent trophy!

Superb specimen and the weight of those horns is incredible. Great story and pictures. Well done to the whole team.

Having followed several bongo adventures here over the years I am quite certain that the mass on that is unequaled! Congratulations.

Well done! One of my favorites!

A truly Amazing old Bongo!!! Congrats

Congrats!!!

A great hunt with great photos. By the way, can you identify that snake for me?

Rhinoceros Viper..you have 5 minutes left if he gets you apparently

Great!

Hi All,

I just want to add some clips on Environ post.
Sure we had a great time and what a beautiful Bongo.
https://vimeo.com/241896133
https://vimeo.com/241896292
https://vimeo.com/241896578

Hope it works.
Enjoy
Christophe

Fantastic, can't get over how thick those horns are.

Did you ever post about your CAR experience?

Trophy of a lifetime! Well Done! You were hunting with the Bongo man after all. Well done to Christophe and his team too.

Incredible bongo.

Without a doubt, a trip into the forest is the greatest adventure on the continent.

What a magnificent bongo, the mass on those horns is tremendous. Seeing the gorilla would be a highlight of the trip to me. I'm headed to the forest in Cameroon in May and my main goal is to see the gorillas. Thanks for posting.

Nyae Nyae bull elephant hunt raffle
https://www.tsumeb-gimnasium.c...hant-hunt-in-namibia

WOW- AMAZING

huge! Cogratulations for your hunt. How was your travel? Difficult to reach the hunting area?

quote:

Originally posted by Mario:
huge! Cogratulations for your hunt. How was your travel? Difficult to reach the hunting area?

it was easy Mario, overnight in Brazzaville ,nice dinner then cheap internal flight to oeusso in the morning then 2 hours or so on tar road then an hour on dirt roads

very interesting.

WOW!!!! Congrats!!

Amazing report - thanks for sharing. Is that snake a Gaboon Viper? Eesh!

Rhino viper. Bitis nasicornis.
Quite slow, not agressive but very dangerous....

Great Bongo, well done.

Great looking bongo. Thanks for the report

Beautiful

On the game camera I didn't see any elephant. Did you see any elephant or sign?

Fantastic mass.
Thanks for sharing

Good Hunting
Carl Frederik

Congratulations Ricky Lovely old Bongo.



Arjun Reddy
www.huntersnetworks.com
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: +1 845 259 3628
DSC booth # 1222 (January 4th to 7th)
SCI booth # 5297 (January 31st to February 3rd)

Ricky: As a fellow Sebra Hunting Safaris alumnus, I've followed your Hunting Reports. This Bongo trophy is a once in a lifetime hunt, and you came through at the last minute. Congratulations!

quote:

Originally posted by Bud Meadows:
Ricky: As a fellow Sebra Hunting Safaris alumnus, I've followed your Hunting Reports. This Bongo trophy is a once in a lifetime hunt, and you came through at the last minute. Congratulations!

thanks Bud appreciate it, it was a little wetter than Namibia

quote:

Originally posted by Bama15:
On the game camera I didn't see any elephant. Did you see any elephant or sign?

On the cameras yes Bama and lots of very fresh tracks(literally seconds old) including some big bulls

quote:

Originally posted by RickyClark:

quote:

Originally posted by Bama15:
On the game camera I didn't see any elephant. Did you see any elephant or sign?

On the cameras yes Bama and lots of very fresh tracks(literally seconds old) including some big bulls

. Now that would be exciting. Following ele tracks in the jungle. I'm headed to Cameroon in May and hope to do that very thing

Wonderful report and photos!

Congratulations Ricky. I love the photos.