Prime Lord Derby Eland hunting in Cameroon with SPAINSAFARIS

LORD DERBY ELAND HUNTING IN CAMEROON

The Lord Derby eland hunt is considered one of the greatest ones in Africa and also a dream for lots of hunters. The Lord Derby eland is the biggest of all the elands found in Africa. It holds thick and spiraled horns that grow upwards. In addition, the mature bulls hold a black mane around their big necks. On the other hand, the body size may be some thinner than the Cape eland, so it may be also some lighter. However, the Lord Derby eland has much longer legs, what makes him taller than any other eland. Along the body, the Lord Derby eland has also very characteristics white stripes over a pale beige coat.
The Lord Derby inhabits the savannah region situated between the Sahara desert and the equatorial western African rainforest. However, Cameroon is nowadays the only country where professional operations are run because of safety and large wildlife populations. The hunting season starts in December and goes up to May, once the rain season has started.

THE HUNT

The Lord Derby eland hunting is one of the most challenging adventures in Africa and a true lifetime hunt for lots of hunters.
The hunt is based on tracking, walking and stalking. From the early morning, we will look for fresh tracks from the vehicle. Once a good male is detected in the herd, he is stalked as fast as possible as the Lord Derby uses to walk all day long, only stopping in the late evening. However, it is very important to not warn them, as they will runaway and it will be very hard to see them again. Hunting can be specially tough due to the high temperatures found at mid day and the long walks during the pursuit (7-10 daily miles). If you are considering going on this hunt, it is highly recommendable to have a good physical condition. Therefore, most of the operations finish in April when the heat is also extreme. The whole hunting season is good for this hunt, although it is preferable the early season due to the lower temperatures.

THE HUNTING CONCESSION

We hunt the Lord Derby eland in two hunting concessions bordering the Bénoué river on its Eastern side that cover a total surface over 250.000 hectares (+600.000 acres). Thanks to their location next to the Bénoué and other rivers that drive water across our blocks, all the game is well provided of water, so the animals stay in our area for all year round. On top of that, we put a low hunting pressure and a good anti-poaching management. All together explains our 100% of success on our Lord Derby hunts over the years.
Hunting in Cameroon is a real adventure since you will be experiencing the deep Africa, where the white man is still an attraction, where the trackers are able to follow the tracks for thousands of miles, where the wildlife is everywhere but not numerous, so the hunt is difficult and demands the best of you, and where you will be able to see and touch how hunting helps developing the local communities. Every day will be a great memory to keep.