When somebody asks me about the most difficult game, my favorite answer is whitetail deer east of the Mississippi. Eastern whitetail hunting is tough because generations of hunting pressure and plenty of other hunters stack the odds against you.

Of course, hunting sheep is no cake walk either, what with the mountains they like to frolic in and their elusive nature. And if it happens that there are no sheep where you're hunting, the difficulty is only compounded--often right in your knees.

African bongos, with their fondness for jungles, are both mentally and physically hard to hunt. In fact, they are one of the most difficult species to pursue, period. You might go days in the African forest without seeing a living thing, and you may stay wet the entire time--but at least you never get hot.

The top honor of the most difficult hunt, however, must go to Lord Derby's giant eland of Central Africa, which inhabits the savanna woodland and terminalia forest of northern Cameroon, northern Central African Republic and extreme southern Chad.

The giant eland is among the world's most awesome creatures. While he is not more wary or larger in body than other eland (a truly underrated species possessed of excellent senses), and while pursuing him may not be the mental challenge that chasing bongo is, to hunt this particular animal you must go to a truly remote corner of Central Africa where it is unbelievably hot.

The winter months of January, February and early March are prime time for giant eland. At this time of year, the country is dry enough to allow access, and the eland bulls are in their luxurious winter coats. But don't let the word "winter" fool you. This region of Africa isn't much north of the equator, and there isn't much elevation, either.

As for shade--forget about it. It might be barely cool when you pick up tracks in the early morning, but it might reach 110 degrees or more before you catch your eland resting in the midday heat. Maybe you'll get a shot, but you probably won't. Certainly not the first time or two.

After the eland have spooked in the general direction of Sudan or Nigeria and their tracks show that steady, mile-eating eland trot, you must find your way back to the vehicle in that blistering midday heat. The walking is rarely fast, especially not while following tracks, and the ground is usually fairly level. What tends to be so difficult for hunters is the sheer distance of the hike, its duration and the constant heat. Of course, if you got your bongo the first day it wouldn't be so bad. After a couple of weeks of logging 20 miles a day, well...

I do better in heat than I do in cold, so I have not found the Derby eland hunting so horrible that I wouldn't do it again. In fact, I have done it again--three times, only once with success--and I will surely hunt them again. When you see that giant bull with his striped flanks and black neck ruff, it's worth all the sweat, but bring plenty of sun block and be ready for serious walking.