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- Jan 28, 2003
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First Guinea Hunts
Are Successful!
We reported last fall that the west African country of Guinea had given permission to an Austrian hunting company, Mistral Hunting, to conduct safari hunts in the country for the first time. Reports are now in from the first two hunts, which were conducted in March and early April. Both hunts were remarkably successful, especially considering the difficulty of the terrain and the fact that hunting new territory--and a new country--is an extremely challenging proposition. As Mistral director Anton Ulmer admits, the safari operators still have only the most basic information about the area, game, and best time for hunting.
[See the attached file]The hunts were conducted in the Sabuyah area, which borders Sierra Leone on the south; the region is primarily rainforest and is home to dwarf forest buffalo and several sought-after species of duikers. Hungarian PH Ferenc Gyocsos guided both hunters. The first client, Andrew Kayser of South Africa, shot two nice trophy forest buffalo bulls and had opportunities for yellow-backed and bay duikers. The second client, Mathias Aicher from Germany, shot a red-flanked duiker and a tree civet and passed on a yellow-backed duiker. Although Aicher was close to forest buffalo on four occasions, he was not able to get a shot due to shifting winds and dense cover. Aicher plans to return in November for another try.
A third hunter, Austrian Christian Dick, joined the group while scouting different areas with a local tracker. He had several chances to shoot buffalo bulls but opted to leave them for clients; instead, he shot a very old buffalo cow.
Ulmer reported that hunters flew into Conakry, Guinea, via Air France; customs and gun imports were no problem, and he said the country was politically stable. Because of Guinea's lack of good infrastructure, the ride to camp takes about ten hours, half of it over very rough roads. The hunting area, about 1,600 square kilometers (618 square miles) in size, is forested and uninhabited by people. Buffalo hunting is done by stalking, and visibility is never more than 50 or 60 meters (55 to 65 yards). Because the rainforest is extremely hot, this makes for a very strenuous hunt.
[See the attached file]Finding some evidence of poaching in the area, Mistral has already begun some antipoaching measures. As part of these efforts, the operation has pledged to ensure the local population receives the meat of all game shot by hunting clients and shares in the income from the hunts and trophy fees. Despite the poaching, the hunters found good populations of forest buffalo as well as yellow-backed , red-flanked, and Maxwell's duikers. Bay duiker and black duiker seem rarer. Hunters found evidence of good populations of bush pigs and giant forest hogs, although none were shot; they were also optimistic about the populations of Sing Sing waterbuck. The hunters saw no bongo although they found tracks. Camp facilities consist of wooden bungalows and the camp has a shower, toilets, daily laundry service, and an electrical generator.
"A hunt in western Africa may not be compared with one in southern Africa," Ulmer points out. "You will enjoy a beautiful and almost untouched area, but you need to be prepared to work hard for your success." Interested hunters can contact Mistral Hunting at www.mistral-jagd.at ; e-mail [email protected].
Are Successful!
We reported last fall that the west African country of Guinea had given permission to an Austrian hunting company, Mistral Hunting, to conduct safari hunts in the country for the first time. Reports are now in from the first two hunts, which were conducted in March and early April. Both hunts were remarkably successful, especially considering the difficulty of the terrain and the fact that hunting new territory--and a new country--is an extremely challenging proposition. As Mistral director Anton Ulmer admits, the safari operators still have only the most basic information about the area, game, and best time for hunting.
[See the attached file]The hunts were conducted in the Sabuyah area, which borders Sierra Leone on the south; the region is primarily rainforest and is home to dwarf forest buffalo and several sought-after species of duikers. Hungarian PH Ferenc Gyocsos guided both hunters. The first client, Andrew Kayser of South Africa, shot two nice trophy forest buffalo bulls and had opportunities for yellow-backed and bay duikers. The second client, Mathias Aicher from Germany, shot a red-flanked duiker and a tree civet and passed on a yellow-backed duiker. Although Aicher was close to forest buffalo on four occasions, he was not able to get a shot due to shifting winds and dense cover. Aicher plans to return in November for another try.
A third hunter, Austrian Christian Dick, joined the group while scouting different areas with a local tracker. He had several chances to shoot buffalo bulls but opted to leave them for clients; instead, he shot a very old buffalo cow.
Ulmer reported that hunters flew into Conakry, Guinea, via Air France; customs and gun imports were no problem, and he said the country was politically stable. Because of Guinea's lack of good infrastructure, the ride to camp takes about ten hours, half of it over very rough roads. The hunting area, about 1,600 square kilometers (618 square miles) in size, is forested and uninhabited by people. Buffalo hunting is done by stalking, and visibility is never more than 50 or 60 meters (55 to 65 yards). Because the rainforest is extremely hot, this makes for a very strenuous hunt.
[See the attached file]Finding some evidence of poaching in the area, Mistral has already begun some antipoaching measures. As part of these efforts, the operation has pledged to ensure the local population receives the meat of all game shot by hunting clients and shares in the income from the hunts and trophy fees. Despite the poaching, the hunters found good populations of forest buffalo as well as yellow-backed , red-flanked, and Maxwell's duikers. Bay duiker and black duiker seem rarer. Hunters found evidence of good populations of bush pigs and giant forest hogs, although none were shot; they were also optimistic about the populations of Sing Sing waterbuck. The hunters saw no bongo although they found tracks. Camp facilities consist of wooden bungalows and the camp has a shower, toilets, daily laundry service, and an electrical generator.
"A hunt in western Africa may not be compared with one in southern Africa," Ulmer points out. "You will enjoy a beautiful and almost untouched area, but you need to be prepared to work hard for your success." Interested hunters can contact Mistral Hunting at www.mistral-jagd.at ; e-mail [email protected].
