On the hunt
From the moment we arrived in Cameroon, I felt my inner Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz saying, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” I have been to Africa many times, but this trip was quite different. Thankfully, my long-time hunting partner is fluent in French and our Zambian outfitter and friend, Peter Chipman, was chaperoning. While all the travel was annoying and the extreme temperatures unbearable, both were less stressful than the ever-present threat of poaching on the concession and neighboring National Park. We had government vehicles in our camp four of the seven days, including one visit to collect a poacher apprehended by my partner’s crew while out hunting. If not for the anti-poaching efforts by the camp and government, the animals would be at serious risk. My partner best summed it up when he said, “Cameroon is not a tourist destination.”
So how should I answer the question, would I recommend this hunt? The answer is simple - “How badly do you want a Lord Derby Eland (LDE)?” For my partner and I, we had already made the decision. My partner loves hunting eland and we had both been advised that LDE is
