Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa The CAR!

I have been dreaming of a trip to the CAR. Who has been there and with whom did you hunt, for what species, and in which concessions? I would love to hunt bongo,LDE,giant forest hog, and forest sitatunga. I am looking at booking with CAWA in area 40 and 41 on the Chinko river in the Southeast.

avoid Tchad and Soudan borders areas.

a lot of Yaringas (road cutters) poachers and "meat" hunters are on those. plus some other people with firearms than can be unfriendly for western people.

Bangassou area was good for Bongo and Sitatunga in the 80 and 90s.

in the northern Aouk zone (close to the Tchad) they were nice Kudus before but not the best zone today due to problems in Tchad and CAR.

but dont think you ll find LDE in the same are as Bongo or Sitatunga. unless the geography has changed.

wise to choose an area where they use an anti-poaching ops when there is no hunting season.

be sure that the guide is fully licensed under CAR rules.

dont forget to eat captain (fish) cooked on burned rocks with just lemon.

again safety can be a concern and it s better to check what happens with your info from your country :

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_940.html

if you speak french or googled it this is a very advice and knowledge of the actual situation :

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/co...ntrafricaine-republique_12224/index.html

i had to leave very quickly three times in three years so be ready for everything and dont count on anybody if something occurs.

Thanks Phil. I appreciate your input. When you made your fast exits what was the route of departure? One flight to Paris a week does not make for unscheduled departures. I would think that the majority of the risk would be in transit while in Bangui before and after the hunt and with chance of encountering LRA or Sudanese within the hunting blocks. A charter flight to the hunting area avoids road transfer security issues. I am concerned about the elections timing and potential for deterioration. I made my first trip through Whitehorse this past August on the way to hunt Dall with Bonnet Plume Outfitters.

There several areas in CAR that hunt Derby and Bongo from the same camp. You can check the website for Erik Markarv(believe that how you spell it) his company is CAWA. Club Faune also has tremendous areas.

Mike

CAWA and Erik M is who I have an opportunity to hunt with this spring. Have you hunted the CAR Mike?

Our own Hatari has been there I believe.

No I have not been to CAR. I have several friends who have been there and Erik and I have been corresponding for a couple of years. I have made 4 trips to Cameroon and would love to hunt with Erik.

Mike

the very quick leaves were made from the Mpoko Bangui Airport with french legion and red berets ... a puma helicopter flight is something you may want but not very often ....

no planes were leaving the airport so they have to fly us up to Ndjamena or in the northern cameroon then wait for another flight back to europe i ve been flown back to Roma, Paris and Marseille and you take your own decisions when it happens.

there is less "coup d etat" there than before and this is great but the southern northern and eastern is bringing in a lot of armed people...
if you can leave directly the airport and have your bush flight directly that may be great ...

but you ll get a very good fun time in the bush and villagers are so warm and friendly.

same camp with a lot of drive hours and you have to choose the right season because being in the bush while rain season can be a very very bad decision ...
the area consessions is sometimes not that easy and it s better to check who is really owning the hunting rights sometimes you can have some surprises.
Mathieu Laboureur is a good choice too ...

club faune owns the right for one area Bahr Aouk-Oundja-Vakaga (Aouk is one zone you have to think a lot just see my first post on this subject) and dealing on other zones with the guys owning the hunting rights like Mathieu and christophe. those zones are N�goumbiri, Brendja, Zamza and Idongo.
club faune will not operate in 2011 in CAR for safety reasons. infos from 24/02/2011.

i ll go in a snap with Mathieu or christophe they re on zones mostly all the year ... wont comment on other names.

I am familiar with the problems that Club Faune is having. A friend of mine was in there camp a few weeks ago. While they were out hunting a group of trash came in and stole everything that wasn't nailed down. He was having a tremendous hunt, shot something like 7 animals in 10 days. He took a tremendous Derby and saw several bongo. He is going back in a couple of weeks to complete his 28 day safari.

Two people I am impressed with are Erik Mararv and Dave Rademeyer.

Mike

Was your friend hunting in a northern concession? Anybody in camp during the raid get hurt? Did he stop the hunt for security reasons or was it due to lack of supplies to continue from the theft?

I truly don't know which concession he was hunting. A couple of the camp staff were pushed around but nothing serious. I believe they halted the hunt because absolutely everything was taken!

have you been hunting with Eric and Dave for your hunts ?

You know come to think of it, if you were a shifta in need of a resupply in the bush, a safari camp would be a logical source of water,food,booze,tools,etc...

Doclee : money ...

I have not hunted in CAR. I have read several reports and talked with people that have hunted with Erik. One of my very best friends, a tremendously experienced African hunter, hunted with Dave a couple of years ago and just raved about him. I met Dave and his father at the Dallas show and was very impressed. My friend has booked a hunt with Dave in 2012.

Mike

Yes I did leave out the most obvious.

Hunted Cameroon twice, but not CAR. Big Lord Derby Eland in CAR.

Here's a few notes about that part of Africa:

- It is not the same infrastructure as Old East Africa or Zim/Zambia/Bostwanna/Namibia/RSA. When you step off of the plane in Douala or Bangui, you KNOW your are in Africa

- An Outfitter with experience in the country is paramount. I know there are do-it-yourself books about "Chasse Libre" for this part of the world, but unless you are 100% fluent in French and have extensive knowledge of the people and areas you'll be in, you need expert guidance. Knowing who controls the local areas, which chief needs tribute, and how to grease the machinery is essential. I witnessed it.

- The hunting can be fantastic, but these countries have the reputation for poor game management, and areas can be shot out complete in a few years.

- Do your homework on who you book with. Start with The Hunting Report. Phone the guys that file the reports that look good to you. Ask them to give you pro's and con's as well as advise.

- Rent a Sat phone and get Medivac insurance.

Sage advice Hatari. Thank you. I have already utilized the Hunting reports database. The reports do suggest several people that are or have been players in the hunting scene in the CAR; Christophe, Mathiew Laborour, Rudy Lubin. My concern is that the status on game management and security is so fluid that its hard to make an informed decision. If you book a hunt now for next year, the area may be poached out or exceed my security risk tolerance. No Cam Gregg style hunts for me in the CAR! I spoke recently with a seasoned hunter after his return from Bangui; he said that he was nearly overwhelmed by the experience of that city.