The Burkina Faso problem has not gone away at this point, but Banks says it is being sorted out. Meanwhile, two hunters have just returned from Liberia on test safaris, and they give the entire operation a qualified thumbs-up. One of the hunters is occasional contributor, Mel Topance, and the other is Hunting Report subscriber William A. Paulin. Topance took a bay duiker with a longbow (apparently a first) and Paulin took three Maxwell duikers, two bay duikers and a civet cat. Both returning hunters have filed lengthy narrative-type reports on their experiences, and they are must reading by anyone contemplating this hunt. Here are some of the major points made in the reports:
First, this hunt requires long, hot and exhausting walks in the jungle, and is not right for everyone. Think long and hard about your physical condition, your patience with problems and your passion for jungle hunting before booking this hunt.
This is not a safari as such. It is a collector-hunt for a handful of duikers. It necessarily involves the use of shotguns rather than rifles, and the PH's employed here are subsistence hunters with no background in hosting international clients. As Paulin puts it, "...they are village hunters whose focus is entirely on meat for the table. When hunting with them, they will try to take the shotgun out of your hands to help you make kills."
The areas currently being hunted are under heavy pressure. To insure the quality of future hunts, new areas must be opened........(continued)
