BrianM
AH member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2012
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 34
- Media
- 1
- Hunted
- RSA, Namibia, NZ, Canada, USA, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Benin, Zambia, Spain
I had a great hunt in mid-January with Christophe Morio in Benin. I contacted Christophe in December to ask if he would be at DSC or SCI with the idea that I might book a hunt for next year. He emailed back that he had an opening in January if I was interested. I was, but it didn't give me much time. I had to get to get a yellow fever vaccination and send proof of that with my passport to the Benin Embassy in Washington, D.C. to get the visa and the Embassy was closed the week after Christmas. I got my passport with the visa back on Friday before my Tuesday flight. I was beginning to get a little anxious.
I arrived in Cotonou late in the evening after a day and a half in route. Christophe had a man at the airport to help with the firearms permit, then he took me to the hotel van for the short ride to Hotel du Lac, where I spent a couple on nights to get over jet lag. The hotel is nice with good food at reasonable prices and a nice swimming pool.
The day came for the long drive to camp in NW Benin, leaving at 5 am. The driver showed up on time and we took off. I have driven and ridden in third world countries before, but nothing prepared me for Benin's traffic. If there are rules, they are ignored. We drove to a small hotel in a village where I met Isaac about 3 pm. I learned we were still about 3 hours from camp. Into another vehicle, then through a portion of Pendjari Park to get to the hunting concession. We pulled into camp and got stuff unloaded and into my room and Isaac and I headed to the shooting range as Christophe pulled into camp with his German hunter. Both rifles were on target, so it was time to relax. On day one we saw a really good kob, but I didn't want to shoot a kob. We saw a red flanked duiker and put on a short stalk before Christophe told me it was a female. That evening, as we headed back to camp we saw a harnessed bushbuck, but one horn was broken and I passed.
On day two, we saw a big herd of savanna buffalo early in the morning and drove past so we could get downwind and try to cut them off. We got into position and the buffalo were nervously moving in our direction, but still more than 100 yards away in the bush. As we stood there, a honey badger came up the trail towards us and passed about 10 yards to my right. As soon as it was gone, another one came within 3 yards on my left. Neither Christophe nor I had cameras, unfortunately. With that excitement over, Christophe did a calf call to bring the herd in. Several cows and calves came within 20 yards, but no shooter bulls. The herd got nervous and ran a little ways off. We continued the stalk and Christophe saw a couple of good bulls, but I never had a clear shot, given the size of the heard, which he estimated to be 200. Just as we gave up on the buffalo, we saw a roan cow and decided to watch her and see if she led us to a bull. We had not followed her very long when Christophe said "There is a huge western hartebeest, do you want it?" I said yes, he set up the shooting sticks and I saw two hartebeest. Christophe said "Shoot the one on the left," which I did. A whole herd ran off. The bull was quartering to on the shot and there was no exit wound and no blood. It took the trackers about 20 minutes to find him, but he had only gone about 100 yards. Just as we walked up to him, we saw a shooter roan, but unfortunately, I missed. We loaded the hartebeest into the truck and headed to camp. Jean Luc, who owns the concession asked me how the morning had gone. I told him I had shot the wrong animal and killed a baby hartebeest. I headed to my room to wash up. Christophe walked up and Jean Luc asked him what the fuck did we do, what happened? Christophe said, what? We killed a big hartebeest. Jean Luc realized it was a joke and started laughing. When I got back from my room, Jean Luc was okay, but his wife, Valerie did not think it was funny.
That afternoon, we saw another heard of roan and began to stalk them, but after about an hour, I told Christophe that was enough for me. I found out later it was 4o degrees Celsius, with no breeze that day. For those of you who do not speak Celsius, 40 is damned hot. We went back to the truck, drank some more water and I poured some down my back. We drove around for a while and I cooled off. Just before dark as we headed back to camp, a roan bull crossed the road. Christophe said it was a shooter, so I got off the truck and the tracker handed me the .308, maybe not the best choice for the roan. I have killed eland, zebra, and other large plains game with the rifle, but with 180 grain bullets, not 165. I was planning to use it for duiker and bushbuck. We headed toward the bull. He was standing about 100 yards away broadside, looking back at us. Christophe put the shooting sticks up and I shot him just behind the shoulder. Christophe said to shoot him again so we don't have to track him in the dark. I shot him again and he went down. We took some photos in the dark, loaded up and went back to camp. Jean Luc met the truck and said, "I see you shot another baby."
The next few days, we saw lions, a large elephant, several jackals, several spotted hyenas, and a lot of hippos in the river. We saw Sing Sing waterbuck almost daily. They are smaller than common waterbuck, but are quite beautiful. Some of them are almost black. I saw one Nagor Reedbuck, many cob every day, a few grey duikers and oribi. We also saw warthogs, including one shooter, but I wasn't quick enough. On day five we were driving out early in the morning when we saw a herd of about 40 buffalo right next to the road. We drove on and Christophe and I double back and stopped just as they crossed the road. At one point he identified a big black bull, but there was no clear shot. After they crossed the road, Christophe did the calf call again and the herd moved toward us with several of them coming within 30 or 40 yards. Then they got nervous and started moving away. Christophe told me to shoot the one covered with mud with his head behind the bush. I was already on the sticks, and shot just behind the shoulder. The herd took off. There was a trail of bright red blood, but not as heavy as it should have been. We followed the blood trail through heavy grass for nearly a kilometer when one of the trackers saw a black shape in a small stand of trees. Christophe pointed it out to me and told me to shoot it. The shooting sticks weren't up and the shape was 150 yards+ away. As I brought the rifle up, the bull started to move and Christophe shot. The bull ran on. Approximately another kilometer went by and we saw the bull on the ground. I shot him again, but he was already dead. The first shot had gone through the top of the heart, both lungs and exited the other side. I won't be using that brand of bullet again. If you send me a PM I will be happy to tell you what didn't work. I will say that next time I will use Swift or North Fork. We took photos and once again headed back to camp. This time Jean Luc did not joke. He said, "What a great old bull. I hope you appreciate him." I assured him that I did.
I had the opportunity, but not the budget, to shoot more trophies than I did. My hope was to shoot an old savanna buffalo bull, a roan and one or at most two smaller antelope. I could not be happier with the quality of trophies that I got. The buff was exactly what I was hoping for. The roan is a good 26" bull. The western hartebeest measures 24" on both sides with 12 1/2" bases, well over the Rowland Ward minimum.
All told, I had a great hunt. The camp is very nice. One evening as I looked around, it occurred to me that the camp would be perfect if it had a water hole to attract game. The next day, I realized one was being built and by now it is done. The food was as good as I have ever had on a hunt. The people were great. As I have already said, the trophy quality was what I had hoped for. It was hot, which slowed me down, and it was dusty and smoky. They were burning grass every day. Three or four days in I remembered that I had brought allergy pills. Once I which I started taking them, I stopped sneezing and my nose quit running. I would not hesitate to recommend this hunt to anyone who has been to southern Africa and wants to experience something new.
I arrived in Cotonou late in the evening after a day and a half in route. Christophe had a man at the airport to help with the firearms permit, then he took me to the hotel van for the short ride to Hotel du Lac, where I spent a couple on nights to get over jet lag. The hotel is nice with good food at reasonable prices and a nice swimming pool.
The day came for the long drive to camp in NW Benin, leaving at 5 am. The driver showed up on time and we took off. I have driven and ridden in third world countries before, but nothing prepared me for Benin's traffic. If there are rules, they are ignored. We drove to a small hotel in a village where I met Isaac about 3 pm. I learned we were still about 3 hours from camp. Into another vehicle, then through a portion of Pendjari Park to get to the hunting concession. We pulled into camp and got stuff unloaded and into my room and Isaac and I headed to the shooting range as Christophe pulled into camp with his German hunter. Both rifles were on target, so it was time to relax. On day one we saw a really good kob, but I didn't want to shoot a kob. We saw a red flanked duiker and put on a short stalk before Christophe told me it was a female. That evening, as we headed back to camp we saw a harnessed bushbuck, but one horn was broken and I passed.
On day two, we saw a big herd of savanna buffalo early in the morning and drove past so we could get downwind and try to cut them off. We got into position and the buffalo were nervously moving in our direction, but still more than 100 yards away in the bush. As we stood there, a honey badger came up the trail towards us and passed about 10 yards to my right. As soon as it was gone, another one came within 3 yards on my left. Neither Christophe nor I had cameras, unfortunately. With that excitement over, Christophe did a calf call to bring the herd in. Several cows and calves came within 20 yards, but no shooter bulls. The herd got nervous and ran a little ways off. We continued the stalk and Christophe saw a couple of good bulls, but I never had a clear shot, given the size of the heard, which he estimated to be 200. Just as we gave up on the buffalo, we saw a roan cow and decided to watch her and see if she led us to a bull. We had not followed her very long when Christophe said "There is a huge western hartebeest, do you want it?" I said yes, he set up the shooting sticks and I saw two hartebeest. Christophe said "Shoot the one on the left," which I did. A whole herd ran off. The bull was quartering to on the shot and there was no exit wound and no blood. It took the trackers about 20 minutes to find him, but he had only gone about 100 yards. Just as we walked up to him, we saw a shooter roan, but unfortunately, I missed. We loaded the hartebeest into the truck and headed to camp. Jean Luc, who owns the concession asked me how the morning had gone. I told him I had shot the wrong animal and killed a baby hartebeest. I headed to my room to wash up. Christophe walked up and Jean Luc asked him what the fuck did we do, what happened? Christophe said, what? We killed a big hartebeest. Jean Luc realized it was a joke and started laughing. When I got back from my room, Jean Luc was okay, but his wife, Valerie did not think it was funny.
That afternoon, we saw another heard of roan and began to stalk them, but after about an hour, I told Christophe that was enough for me. I found out later it was 4o degrees Celsius, with no breeze that day. For those of you who do not speak Celsius, 40 is damned hot. We went back to the truck, drank some more water and I poured some down my back. We drove around for a while and I cooled off. Just before dark as we headed back to camp, a roan bull crossed the road. Christophe said it was a shooter, so I got off the truck and the tracker handed me the .308, maybe not the best choice for the roan. I have killed eland, zebra, and other large plains game with the rifle, but with 180 grain bullets, not 165. I was planning to use it for duiker and bushbuck. We headed toward the bull. He was standing about 100 yards away broadside, looking back at us. Christophe put the shooting sticks up and I shot him just behind the shoulder. Christophe said to shoot him again so we don't have to track him in the dark. I shot him again and he went down. We took some photos in the dark, loaded up and went back to camp. Jean Luc met the truck and said, "I see you shot another baby."
The next few days, we saw lions, a large elephant, several jackals, several spotted hyenas, and a lot of hippos in the river. We saw Sing Sing waterbuck almost daily. They are smaller than common waterbuck, but are quite beautiful. Some of them are almost black. I saw one Nagor Reedbuck, many cob every day, a few grey duikers and oribi. We also saw warthogs, including one shooter, but I wasn't quick enough. On day five we were driving out early in the morning when we saw a herd of about 40 buffalo right next to the road. We drove on and Christophe and I double back and stopped just as they crossed the road. At one point he identified a big black bull, but there was no clear shot. After they crossed the road, Christophe did the calf call again and the herd moved toward us with several of them coming within 30 or 40 yards. Then they got nervous and started moving away. Christophe told me to shoot the one covered with mud with his head behind the bush. I was already on the sticks, and shot just behind the shoulder. The herd took off. There was a trail of bright red blood, but not as heavy as it should have been. We followed the blood trail through heavy grass for nearly a kilometer when one of the trackers saw a black shape in a small stand of trees. Christophe pointed it out to me and told me to shoot it. The shooting sticks weren't up and the shape was 150 yards+ away. As I brought the rifle up, the bull started to move and Christophe shot. The bull ran on. Approximately another kilometer went by and we saw the bull on the ground. I shot him again, but he was already dead. The first shot had gone through the top of the heart, both lungs and exited the other side. I won't be using that brand of bullet again. If you send me a PM I will be happy to tell you what didn't work. I will say that next time I will use Swift or North Fork. We took photos and once again headed back to camp. This time Jean Luc did not joke. He said, "What a great old bull. I hope you appreciate him." I assured him that I did.
I had the opportunity, but not the budget, to shoot more trophies than I did. My hope was to shoot an old savanna buffalo bull, a roan and one or at most two smaller antelope. I could not be happier with the quality of trophies that I got. The buff was exactly what I was hoping for. The roan is a good 26" bull. The western hartebeest measures 24" on both sides with 12 1/2" bases, well over the Rowland Ward minimum.
All told, I had a great hunt. The camp is very nice. One evening as I looked around, it occurred to me that the camp would be perfect if it had a water hole to attract game. The next day, I realized one was being built and by now it is done. The food was as good as I have ever had on a hunt. The people were great. As I have already said, the trophy quality was what I had hoped for. It was hot, which slowed me down, and it was dusty and smoky. They were burning grass every day. Three or four days in I remembered that I had brought allergy pills. Once I which I started taking them, I stopped sneezing and my nose quit running. I would not hesitate to recommend this hunt to anyone who has been to southern Africa and wants to experience something new.
Last edited by a moderator:
