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Cameroon King Opens Area To Chasse Libre Hunting
July 28, 2009
(Editor Note: We have followed the chasse libre hunts organized by Cam Greig in western Africa for numerous years. In the August issue of The Hunting Report, I report on Greig's latest project in Cameroon, where the Lamido (king) of Rey-Bouba has given him access to a 114,000-acre concession as a hunting block. See the August issue for the entire story. Below is some additional information and photographs as sent to me by Greig.- Barbara Crown.)
I had the pleasure of being born in Cameroon. I speak one of the local dialects as well as French. I have hunted in Cameroon since I could tote a shotgun and have been doing big game hunting there extensively since the late 1980s. Originally, I hunted just by myself with friends. Gradually as a service, I have provided my trained staff to other fellow adventure hunters. In many of the Francophone countries there is a system to do this, typically called "chasse libre." I have a small but very reliable set of clients who do this hunt annually.
My hunts are very nominally priced, especially as compared to typical Cameroon hunts. Make no mistake, these hunts have guides, porters, interpreter, trackers and all the same staff that a full service hunt has, but there is no gun to back you up. With so many ecosystems we hunt about eight to 10 different areas. The new area I have received permission to manage as a hunting concession is in northern Cameroon and only takes up a portion of the Lamido of Rey-Bouba's kingdom. It is in Zone 10.
These are photos of a couple of the bungalows at the King's camp in Zone 10. It is very nicely situated. At one point in time this was a very nice camp. It is on the Mayo-Rey River and is beautiful. I know a bit of sweat labor will bring out much of the potential.
My anti-poaching crew has all accepted to work with me. They are all old hands who have worked for me for many years, some as long as 15 years. Two of them are the best trackers I have worked with.
Their instructions are to open the trails back up and patrol them. Once they find any tracks of humans or cows (the herders in the north are probably a larger problem than the actual poachers), they are to track them like game and bring them in. The king has given us his full backing and one of his "notables" (princes) is assigned to help us with any political issues.
 The Lamido of Rey-Bouba, King of Cameroon.
This is a huge undertaking. I plan to start small with a dedicated staff that has been loyal to me for many years. Having a concession in a protein-starved country is not a straight forward issue. Politics are always involved. Having the blessing of the king makes it a possibility of this actually working. I am just taking the steps one at a time. I plan to go over again in November for a December 1 hunting season start. I would be open to hearing from anyone who thinks this sounds as fascinating as I do. I can be reached by phone at 650-948-4560 or email at cam.greig@yahoo.com .
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