International Hunt, need input

[Sierra Hunter]

I’ve been bouncing around the idea of an international mountain for awhile and shortly before Covid was very close to pulling the trigger on ibex in Kyrgyzstan. My goals are to have an an incredible adventure, push myself, and have a real chance at a mature animal, and hopefully keep it around 10-15k … it’d also be nice to not have to drive +10 hrs after a brutal flight. So my request to those more knowledgeable than me is to weigh in on what might be out there, currently on my radar to varying degrees, ibex in Kyrgyzstan, sheep in Russia, Tur in Azerbaijan, chamois in Europe or NZ, mtn goat here and if I really stretched &$ my ultimate would be blue sheep in nepal. Thanks in advance

 

[S-3 ranch]

Planes , trains, automobiles , horses, boots! Are part of life with mountain critters overseas,
my next list is ibex , tur‘s then sheep

 

[Sierra Hunter]

Planes , trains, automobiles , horses, boots! Are part of life with mountain critters overseas,
my next list is ibex , tur‘s then sheep View attachment 499452View attachment 499453View attachment 499454

Those shots of you? because holy Tur

 

[Cactus kid]

I have to say your list pretty much mirrors mine! Im not an international expert, but I do share the same sense of adventure when it comes to mountain hunting.

I have done the Ibex in kyrgyzstan as well as the blue sheep in nepal. Both excellent hunts. Ibex is the biggest adventure per dollar, and blue sheep may be the finest mountain hunt in the world. However, Kyrgyzstan is closed to hunting currently. As is Azerbaijan. Russia may as well be closed to US hunters, and the cost of a snow sheep hunt is, or was, about the cost of an Alaskan Dall. The tag price on Blue Sheep has nearly quadrupled, with door to door cost similar to a dall hunt in the NWT.

For the budget you listed, Id look into Ibex in Tajikistan or the Chamois hunt in New Zealand. The chamois hunt is very high on my list, and my friends who have done this hunt (with out a helicopter) claim it is every bit the challenge of the North American thinhorn backpack hunts.

Hope this helps a little bit. And the crazy travel is apart of the adventure. Embrace it.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Those shots of you? because holy Tur

Not the tur unfortunately
russia had messed up the order of life on uncurled sheep

 

[buzzy]

Call Asif at Global Safaris Azerbaijan as I hunted ibex with him in Kyrgyzstan last year and had an amazing hunt. I posted my trip details in the goat forum.

There are some parts of the country open for ibex as he’s taking hunters and a buddy of mine signed up with him. The part of the country is different from where I was so it appears only certain regions are closed down in Kyrgyzstan this year.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I have to say your list pretty much mirrors mine! Im not an international expert, but I do share the same sense of adventure when it comes to mountain hunting.

I have done the Ibex in kyrgyzstan as well as the blue sheep in nepal. Both excellent hunts. Ibex is the biggest adventure per dollar, and blue sheep may be the finest mountain hunt in the world. However, Kyrgyzstan is closed to hunting currently. As is Azerbaijan. Russia may as well be closed to US hunters, and the cost of a snow sheep hunt is, or was, about the cost of an Alaskan Dall. The tag price on Blue Sheep has nearly quadrupled, with door to door cost similar to a dall hunt in the NWT.

For the budget you listed, Id look into Ibex in Tajikistan or the Chamois hunt in New Zealand. The chamois hunt is very high on my list, and my friends who have done this hunt (with out a helicopter) claim it is every bit the challenge of the North American thinhorn backpack hunts.

Hope this helps a little bit. And the crazy travel is apart of the adventure. Embrace it.

May I ask what year you did the blue sheep and did you give any thought to Pakistan when you did? I’m currently seeing the cost of just the hunt at 20k are those outdated? Without flight how much extra do you budget, including getting your animal home, CITES etc?

 

[WCB]

Been to NZ and did a Chamois and Tahr hunt. If I were you I'd hit both at the same time. You can do this hunt DIY and be into it VERY VERY inexpensively. The mountains are something else on the West Coast of NZ.

If you were to just pick 1 animal in NZ I would go after Tahr.

Also as a hint... look at hunting auctions...NZ Chamois hunts can go for pretty cheap. I bought my hunt for two people 1 Chamois per hunter for the same price as a single plane ticket. I added a Tahr and a couple Arapwa Rams just for kicks. With just the original hunt purchased I would have been into it around $6000 total (again for two hunters). Just adding the Tahr I would have been just over your budget (about $11000).

 

[FLATHEAD]

If I could make it to the actual camp, I'd need a month of rest
before hunting.

 

[Cactus kid]

May I ask what year you did the blue sheep and did you give any thought to Pakistan when you did? I’m currently seeing the cost of just the hunt at 20k are those outdated? Without flight how much extra do you budget, including getting your animal home, CITES etc?

I did my blue sheep 2 months ago, November of '22. I did give thought to Pakistan, but the people who I knew who had done the hunt previously strongly encouraged Nepal. It was the trip of a lifetime and any endorsement I could give would be an undersell. It is very likely I will never have a more impactful hunting experience in my life.

The 20k that is quoted is likely not including the tag price, which is an auction based system. Outfitters bid on tags. Currently the market is very hot for blue sheep resulting in very high tag prices. They may come down in the future, but they may go higher. If idiots like me keep blabbing their mouths about the hunt it will only continue to climb. But if you can afford to go I highly recommend it. A blue sheep will likely be the most prized trophy you ever take.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I did my blue sheep 2 months ago, November of '22. I did give thought to Pakistan, but the people who I knew who had done the hunt previously strongly encouraged Nepal. It was the trip of a lifetime and any endorsement I could give would be an undersell. It is very likely I will never have a more impactful hunting experience in my life.

The 20k that is quoted is likely not including the tag price, which is an auction based system. Outfitters bid on tags. Currently the market is very hot for blue sheep resulting in very high tag prices. They may come down in the future, but they may go higher. If idiots like me keep blabbing their mouths about the hunt it will only continue to climb. But if you can afford to go I highly recommend it. A blue sheep will likely be the most prized trophy you ever take.

Do you take your rifle or do you borrow one?
What's a realistic all-in figure from leaving your house to getting the trophy back to the US, $50K? More?
Also, what is the time commitment? Are you gone for 3 weeks? 4 weeks?

One of our family friends brothers was one of the 1996 disaster climbers, so I have always been fascinated with Everest, the region, and the people who support Westerners. Going there to hunt would be something out of a dream

 

[Cactus kid]

Do you take your rifle or do you borrow one?
What's a realistic all-in figure from leaving your house to getting the trophy back to the US, $50K? More?
Also, what is the time commitment? Are you gone for 3 weeks? 4 weeks?

One of our family friends brothers was one of the 1996 disaster climbers, so I have always been fascinated with Everest, the region, and the people who support Westerners. Going there to hunt would be something out of a dream

I took my rifle. I wouldn't trust borrowing one, the Nepali government does not allow citizens to own guns. They counted rounds both coming and going. It was quite a process..

I was gone for three weeks. It took us 3 days of hiking just to get to our hunting area, with an additional day to get to the area I ended up taking my ram. I took my ram on day 5 after getting to the hunting area.

The hunt was less than $50k door to door. I am not super comfortable on a public forum with the final hunt cost, but I was able to afford it on an RN's salary (thank God for overtime). Shoot me a PM and I can discuss further.

Getting to the hunting area you will fly by the 8000meter mountains like Annapurna and Dhaulgagiri, which borders the hunting areas. The people in the region are nothing short of incredible. We followed some of the same ancient trading routes that Peter Matthiessen took in his book "The Snow Leopard,'' a first hand account of him studying blue sheep in the 70's.

 

[buzzy]

I took my rifle. I wouldn't trust borrowing one, the Nepali government does not allow citizens to own guns. They counted rounds both coming and going. It was quite a process..

I was gone for three weeks. It took us 3 days of hiking just to get to our hunting area, with an additional day to get to the area I ended up taking my ram. I took my ram on day 5 after getting to the hunting area.

The hunt was less than $50k door to door. I am not super comfortable on a public forum with the final hunt cost, but I was able to afford it on an RN's salary (thank God for overtime). Shoot me a PM and I can discuss further.

Getting to the hunting area you will fly by the 8000meter mountains like Annapurna and Dhaulgagiri, which borders the hunting areas. The people in the region are nothing short of incredible. We followed some of the same ancient trading routes that Peter Matthiessen took in his book "The Snow Leopard,'' a first hand account of him studying blue sheep in the 70's.

Let’s see some pics of the sheep!!

 

[Cactus kid]

I don’t want to hijack any further, I’ll make a thread sometime soon, but here is my ram

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I don’t want to hijack any further, I’ll make a thread sometime soon, but here is my ram

Killer ram, well worth the thread distraction. Thanks for sharing

 

[JP100]

I’ve been bouncing around the idea of an international mountain for awhile and shortly before Covid was very close to pulling the trigger on ibex in Kyrgyzstan. My goals are to have an an incredible adventure, push myself, and have a real chance at a mature animal, and hopefully keep it around 10-15k … it’d also be nice to not have to drive +10 hrs after a brutal flight. So my request to those more knowledgeable than me is to weigh in on what might be out there, currently on my radar to varying degrees, ibex in Kyrgyzstan, sheep in Russia, Tur in Azerbaijan, chamois in Europe or NZ, mtn goat here and if I really stretched &$ my ultimate would be blue sheep in nepal. Thanks in advance

I offer a Tahr and chamois wilderness combo hunt that will fit the budget, high success rate and a real mountain hunt. We specialize in taking old bull tahr(10+ years old).

I also have an outfitter friend in Kazakhstan who has very good Ibex hunting, great camps and hunting areas, and an outfitter friend in Kamchatka who does Snow sheep, but I am little hesitant on the whole Russia situation.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I’m narrowing it all down and have engaged with Neal and Brownlee based on some feedback from members here. Tajikistan is looking to be the first choice. Curious if there’s a consensus of a rank order of places to hunt mid Asian Ibex; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan. Thanks for everyone’s time.

 

[buzzy]

I’m narrowing it all down and have engaged with Neal and Brownlee based on some feedback from members here. Tajikistan is looking to be the first choice. Curious if there’s a consensus of a rank order of places to hunt mid Asian Ibex; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan. Thanks for everyone’s time.

I would check in with the costs that this broker and his outfitter charge if the trophies have to be shipped. I know of a fellow hunter who went to Kyrgyzstan with them and got totally screwed on shipping costs. I was there with a different outfitter and my costs were much more reasonable and I had a great hunt.

I should be picking up my skull this week from the airport. If you can bring the trophies back with you that is the way to go. However for some reason many guys couldn’t get the paperwork in order last year in time to bring them back as luggage. Hence the reason neither myself or the other hunter who used Neal and Brownlee could bring them back.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I would check in with the costs that this broker and his outfitter charge if the trophies have to be shipped. I know of a fellow hunter who went to Kyrgyzstan with them and got totally screwed on shipping costs. I was there with a different outfitter and my costs were much more reasonable and I had a great hunt.

I should be picking up my skull this week from the airport. If you can bring the trophies back with you that is the way to go. However for some reason many guys couldn’t get the paperwork in order last year in time to bring them back as luggage. Hence the reason neither myself or the other hunter who used Neal and Brownlee could bring them back.

Appreciate the heads up

 

[JP100]

I’m narrowing it all down and have engaged with Neal and Brownlee based on some feedback from members here. Tajikistan is looking to be the first choice. Curious if there’s a consensus of a rank order of places to hunt mid Asian Ibex; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan. Thanks for everyone’s time.

From what I saw, the average trophy size seemed better in Kazakh.

While I was in Camp, the smallest Ibex was mid 40s, biggest was 50"(8 Ibex shot while I was there).
If you wanted it, there was definitely an opportunity to take a 50" class Ibex there without too much work looking.
From guys I know who have hunted Tajik and Krygz the average seemed much smaller, the hunts in those countries are generally tougher, so I think this may reflect the average hunters 'ability' to operate well in that tougher environment(higher altitude, more basic camps, harder weather etc). Granted there is a chance to kill a big billy everywhere, but the average gives a better view of what to expect.

If you go Kazakh, you can add on a Maral, and those are some beautiful big Elk in a cool setting.