In late June, after the July issue had already shipped, I received a delightful report on hunting in
Congo Brazzaville from well-known hunting personality
Jim Shockey, who emailed me from his hotel room in Brazzaville after spending 13 days hunting with Gert Saaiman and Andre van Deventer of Congo Safaris, formerly Saaiman Hunting Safaris. Yes, they are now using the same name as Eric Stockenstroom's old company.
You'll recall the very downbeat report we published in 2011 from
Hunting Report subscriber Bob Caudle and his partner Van Johnson. (See article ID
2708.) Later, I met with Director of Wildlife and Protected Areas of Congo Claude Etienne Massimba at the Safari Club International Convention in Las Vegas, where he cleared up a number of issues about hunting in Congo and said Saaiman's operation should not have any more problems. (See
March 2011 issue.) Now Shockey's report seems to confirm that Saaiman and van Deventer have gotten their operation on track and are providing quality hunting. Here's how Shockey described his experience in his email:
"The hunt was arranged on short notice when my friend, Cam Greig, came down with a last-minute health issue and was unable to come to the Congo for a chasse libre hunt-a hunt that we'd worked on making happen for two years. Thankfully, the people at Congo Safaris had space available, and, after a few emails, we had alternate plans arranged.....
