BENIN: Hunting Benin With Atacora Safaris & Christophe Morio

[Hank2211]

Hello Hank,
I am finally home !!! It was still hot and no rain....
Thank you very much for your report, excellent as usual.
I will be very happy to share a hunt with you again.
Kind regards
Christophe

Christophe, nice to hear from you. I have some advice for you. You must be very careful what you say. You just might find yourself hunting with me again!

Enjoy Congo. More heat, but beautiful bongo!

 

[morioc]

Quand vous voulez cher ami, cela sera avec grand plaisir.
But earlier in the season !!!!
Kindest regards
Christophe

 

[morioc]

Hank,

I take the right to post these beautiful pictures of your bushbuck...

 

[neckdeep]

Outstanding Bushbuck, and what a great experience, you have been on some big adventures the last couple years. Congrats on another excellent safari and thanks for sharing.

 

[Hank2211]

A quick update on the broken rifle.

Air Canada has decided (after a bit of pushing) to cover the damage, up to the maximum liability under the applicable international convention. That won't pay to fix the rifle, but it will cover from a third to a half of the cost. So all is not lost!

 

[sierraone]

Well it is good to know that you can recover at least part of the damages to the rifle. What about gun insurance? I have looked at the Martini website several times over the past year or so. Even though I can't afford them, I never tire of the window shopping for beautiful guns and rifles. Martini is up there with the best of them. I hope when it is returned to you that it is as gorgeous as it was before the "incident"!!!

 

[stratton]

Hey Hank, great hunting report. Sound like an excellent hunt, and it's nice that the Hunting Gods were definitely in your favour. I am most envious - I am desperate to go back to Benin again. Many congrats again on the great trophies and hunting experiences.

 

[Hank2211]

Hey Hank, great hunting report. Sound like an excellent hunt, and it's nice that the Hunting Gods were definitely in your favour. I am most envious - I am desperate to go back to Benin again. Many congrats again on the great trophies and hunting experiences.

Thanks. I, too, want to get back. It's funny - there are no particularly unique species there. There are some subspecies - western roan for example, which are only found in West Africa, but they don't always differ markedly from their compatriots elsewhere. So it's not just the game. It's just that this is unspoilt country, and the people I hunted with, and the hunting itself, were great.

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Thank you Hank for a great report!! I use a tufpak and I certainly have been scratching my head looking at that break.

 

[sestoppelman]

Ashamed to admit that I missed this report Hank! Its funny because the way I found it was by putting Benin into the search bar. The main reason I did that is because I have a real vision problem with that long flight to JO anymore, I just don't see myself doing it. But a great hunt and one to be envied. I didn't yet read every post but did you see any spotted hyena while there? Still one of my nemesis.

 

[GA Hunter]

A final footnote to the trip.

Some of you may recall my post when I first received my custom made Martini Gunmakers .300 Win Mag. I love that gun, and it's served me well on a number of hunts since I received it. Well, this is what it looked like when I unpacked it from the Tuffpak it was packed in:

View attachment 179405

The gun (along with a .416 which was undamaged) was well packed in a soft sided case, in a bag, with a pillow at one end to cushion any shocks. It was in perfect condition when I checked it in Cotonou, Benin - the police and security verified it!

I tell myself it hopefully wasn't intentional, but I just don't know how you'd do this if it wasn't.

Not sure who did this - Air Canada or Air France, but thanks guys. Good job.

Your statement about it hopefully not being intentional hits close to home for me.

I returned from a trip a couple of years ago only to find the end of my barrel protruding through the end of my SKB case. Like the damage to your gun, I simply cannot imagine that this was not done intentionally. My case would have had to have been dropped from the top of a building to cause this. Fortunately my gun was not damaged.

Very sorry to hear about the gun but overall it sounds like yo had quite a trip. Thanks for sharing.

BD

 

[Hank2211]

Ashamed to admit that I missed this report Hank! Its funny because the way I found it was by putting Benin into the search bar. The main reason I did that is because I have a real vision problem with that long flight to JO anymore, I just don't see myself doing it. But a great hunt and one to be envied. I didn't yet read every post but did you see any spotted hyena while there? Still one of my nemesis.

We did see hyena. In particular, one very big one crossed the rode in front of us as we were driving into camp for the first time - around 3 pm. There are also hyena tracks around my bed almost every night when I was sleeping outside.

But unfortunately hyena are not available on license in Benin!

 

[sestoppelman]

Yeah, was looking around at Burkina Faso too and don't see them listed there either.

 

[Edge]

Thanks. I, too, want to get back. It's funny - there are no particularly unique species there. There are some subspecies - western roan for example, which are only found in West Africa, but they don't always differ markedly from their compatriots elsewhere. So it's not just the game. It's just that this is unspoilt country, and the people I hunted with, and the hunting itself, were great.

@Hank2211, I have probably read your hunt report at least 3 or 4 times since you first posted. Appreciate the cost comparison, maybe one day...

Edge

 

[geoff rath]

From an Aussie point of view on firearms insurance: for Au$25, Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia Insurance Brokers will give Au$25,000 cover on members' firearms, under any (?) circumstances. I wonder if other National shooting bodies would/could offer similar coverage. I suspect all one would need to do out here is list the extremely valuable items, and ensure full values are declared. With something like the Martini, I have little doubt you'd be covered. My sincerest condolences (under the circumstances that IS the right word), and best of luck with your claim.
Have a brilliant 2018.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

@Hank2211 , a couple friends of mine just got back from doing this same hunt and the big news they reported was the camp huts now have AC, so sleeping should be a bit more comfortable in this warm climate hunt.

 

[English Hunter]

Great report. I will definately go there one day.

 

[neckdeep]

@Surgeon1, This is the Christophe I was talking about

I brought this to the top as a reminder for everyone to go while can, while they are still hunting in West Africa I would guess the days are numbered!!

 

[WAB]

I suspect it’s already too late. Other reports indicated that the violence in BF has spilled over into Benin. Perhaps the French will send the Foreign Legion in to sort things out.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

US State Dept Benin Travel Advisory​

Travel Advisory​

June 16, 2021​

Benin Travel Advisory

travel.state.gov

Northern Benin – Do Not Travel

Extremist groups have carried out attacks in areas of Burkina Faso and Niger adjacent to Benin’s northern border, near Park Pendjari, Park W, and adjacent hunting zones. Attacks may occur with little or no warning. Western tourists have been kidnapped in Park Pendjari, in northern Benin.

Extremist groups have also operated in the northeastern border region between Benin and Nigeria, specifically in the border region north of Nikki. Attacks may occur with little or no warning. Western tourists are at risk of kidnapping in this region.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Benin’s northern border areas. U.S. government employees are prohibited from personal travel and must obtain special authorization for official travel to the regions described above.


An interesting observation: Benin is a Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) advisory and South Africa is a Level 4 (Do not Travel)