Cameroon: 2019
Our tracker recovering Mark’s buffalo
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(210)858-9833of them by the scruff of the neck with one
hand, grabbing the machete with the other.
Once subdued, the herder was ordered to sit
down.
This culprit was a mere seven or eight years
old. Not long after, the second tracker appeared
with another of the culprits, of similar age, the
adults long gone. It must have been agreed that
it is a case of everyone for himself, even if you
are just a child.
Now the hunt had to continue, captives in
tow. I gave the two boys some of our energy
bars, and off we went again on the track.
The time spent with the nomads gave the
eland a break, but it was not long before we
caught up to them seeking shade and a resting
place. For a change, the wind was in our favor,
and we skirted the herd trying to get a side
view of the moving animals. Still there was no
sign of the “Black one”.
We set up shooting sticks in a gap between
the trees and waited, with Mark controlling
his breathing after the pushed march and
excitement of the chase. A few cows passed by,
and then a bull appeared in the space between
the trees. There was not much time, and I
shouted, “Shoot” not expecting the shot to
ring out, but Mark did not disappoint.
I saw the bull buck and disappear. As soon
as this happened I started doubting my call to
shoot. I asked Mark which animal he had shot at.
“The one you told me to shoot.”
“Well, let’s go see what you shot.”
We left the tracker to lead the way up to
the downed animal no more than 100 meters
away. A shout of approval and joy rang out,
and I realized we had what we came for - a
well-earned giant eland bull.
Up until that point there had been a great
many hardships, ups and downs. It was eleven
hard days of hunting eland, walking for an
average of two to six hours a day in difficult
terrain after these very elusive animals.
We never saw that black-faced one again, but
Mark had taken a respectable bull in fair chase.Ernest and Marita Dyason are the owners of
Spear Safaris, based in the Lowveld region of
South Africa. Ernest is the main professional
hunter and operates mainly in three countries,
namely South Africa, Tanzania and Cameroon.
Our motto is to enjoy what we do thus ensuring
a personalized and attention to detail, Safari
experience, to our clientele.