Kazakhstan Ibex 2024 - Mountains put my ego in place

aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
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Oct 17, 2016
Messages
282
Location
queensland
October 17th till 27th hunt for Ibex and Siberian Roe Deer with Pro Hunt Kazakhstan - Camps Tastau in the Dzungarian Alatau and Karatastek. Tastau is 15 hour drive from almaty and Karatastek 2 hour drive from Almaty.

The journey began with a 14-hour flight from Brisbane to Doha, followed by a 13-hour layover, and then a 5-hour flight to Almaty. Finally, it culminated in a 15-hour drive to the base camp nestled in the Dzungarian Alatau, right on the border with China. Set at an altitude of 1,800 meters, our camp was surprisingly modern, complete with running hot water, a sauna, and a generator. From the moment I landed i was greeted by almira my translator, quickly went to customs checked my firearm and ammo and was out in 10 minutes. Sergei our driver was waiting in a 4x4 to start the 15 hour drive to camp.

Once at camp at 6pm, after arriving at Almaty at 0230 am that morning. I was greeted with open arms by Natalya and Maxim, the husband-and-wife team who run the operation at Tastau. Daniel was the camp hand who cleans and boils the trophies , cleans the skins.

The next morning, it was time to sight in my rifle. I managed to get it dialled in after six shots, though I wasted three due to my nerves. With the guides leading the way, I rode up to hunt camp at 2,100 meters and prepared to climb even higher. Admittedly, I forgot to take any horse-riding lessons beforehand, but there was no backing out now—I mounted my horse and set off into the mountains. Thankfully, it wasn’t as difficult as I’d feared; it turned out to be a fantastic experience.

I had five days of hunting ahead. Day one was a bust, with snowfall and fog blanketing the mountains, making it unsafe to venture out. On day two, we woke at 5 AM to a crisp morning and an impressive 30+ centimetres of fresh snow. After a ride up to 2,550 meters and a trek over a ridge, we spotted a few billies, including a 105 cm one, which I decided to pass up in hopes of finding a larger trophy. In the afternoon, we pushed to 2,600 meters, but my head started spinning from dehydration at 2,800 meters, prompting the guides to call off the hunt for the day, as much as i wanted to continue at my own pace they called the hunt off due to possible other issues arising.

On day three, we rode for three hours to a new location at 2,200 meters, where we spotted two nice billies in the 115 to 120 cm range. Unfortunately, the guide miscalculated our approach. If he had let me peek over the left ridge were they were secluded , I could have taken a shot at 50 meters, but instead, we ended up climbing higher on the right ridge and ibex kept getting further. When a 350-meter opportunity arose, I was too exhausted to steady my aim and missed. The frustration was palpable—I knew we could have had a better chance if we’d taken a different route. We returned to camp after another gruelling three-hour ride, having seen only females and young ibex, though we did catch a glimpse of a small Maral bull.

On day four, we climbed back to 2,500 meters, but the ibex were higher than usual, over 3,000 meters, but we all thought they would be lower due to snow and rut starting soon. We spotted a group of 20 billies along with a magnificent Maral bull. While we considered pursuing them, the terrain was precarious. After breakfast, we packed up camp and moved to a different location. That afternoon, everything changed—I successfully harvested my ibex at 300 meters at 2200m with a single shot from my Sauer 404 270 win 130gr GMX. In that moment, I was the happiest man on the planet, yet a small part of me felt bittersweet, wishing for a larger billy.

As for the outfitter, Kazhym Jumaliev of Pro Hunt Kazakhstan runs operations in the Tastau region of the Dzungarian Alatau, covering an impressive 50,000 hectares. I chose to book directly with him, and I can’t recommend him highly enough. The entire experience, from the warm welcome at the airport to the farewell in Almaty, was exceptional. The guides worked tirelessly to help me succeed, and I am grateful to Kazhym, Almira, Feruza, Sergan, Farhat, Maxim, Natalya , Ivan , Vasili and Stanislav for an unforgettable adventure. I’ll definitely be back for a Maral hunt in the near future!

The mountains taught me a valuable lesson not to have a hug ego beforehand, i wanted a large billy and ended up with a smaller one. All in all it's all part of hunting, we just got beat by the mountains and ibex were not plentiful as we would have hoped. For me it was a great adventure that i am proud off,bigger billy would have been nice but i am happy with what i have.

My ibex does not represent their trophy quality, ,as the outfitter takes good billies each year and in 2024 2 clients got 140cm billies and others 130cm + .
 

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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
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282
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queensland
More camp Tastau photos.
 

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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
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Scenery while out hunting in both camps
 

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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
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More scenery. We stayed in a hut for one night.
 

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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
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Ibex along with Sergan and Farhat my guides.
 

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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
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282
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queensland
Camp Karatastek and Siberian roe deer with Stanislav and Vasili my guides.

Karatastek camp is at 1700 meters, not as modern as Tastau for the ibex hunt, but it’s still cozy and comfortable. All the hunters stay in the green container you see in the photos; it has a wood stove inside, making it feel like a sauna once the fire gets going.

We start each day at 4:30 a.m. with tea, then a 4x4 drives us up to about 2500 meters with the guides, who are also the area’s rangers. From there, we hike the mountain tops with the guides glassing for roe deer. The terrain is similar to ibex country—steep, high-altitude, lots of loose rocks, and plenty of side-hilling. The photos don’t really capture it, but it’s challenging terrain.

This year, there’s been a lot of rain, so the grass was unusually tall, and recent snowfall hadn’t pressed it down as much as usual, making spotting more difficult. I missed a nice, non-typical buck with points all over at 300 meters—quite different from the usual three points per side. About an hour later, we spotted an old buck with a female at 500 meters.

They were in tough country, so it took time to close the distance. We had to climb over two mountain tops to reach the third, then descend to set up for the final stalk. When we finally reached a good position, I struggled to get a stable rest due to the 30-degree angle on loose shale. I ended up resting my feet on the guide for better support. The old buck was lying down, so it was a waiting game. After about 20 minutes, he finally stood, and I took a shot at 240 meters. It felt solid, but he started running, so I took a second shot at 290 meters as he moved—and down he went.

The hunt was planned for three days, but I took the buck on the first day. The guides asked if I wanted to go after another roe deer, wild boar, or wolf, but I decided to wrap things up.

Stayed in Almaty in a hotel for 4 days and changed my flights back to Australia.

I confidently recommend this outfitter without hesitation. From planning to execution, they demonstrate professionalism in every detail, ensuring a top-notch experience. Their team is knowledgeable, reliable, and well-prepared, making the whole process smooth and stress-free. Their commitment to providing exceptional service shines through, and you can trust them to deliver a high-quality hunting adventure.
 

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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
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Oct 17, 2016
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queensland
Thanks for sharing. Siberian Roe are on my bucket list! Any maral in that country?
Cheers Brady, Siberian Roe Deer are a lot of fun, not small deer, but hard to see in the vegetation especially when the grass is tall.

Lot of Maral , this season 12 to 13kg was their average with heaviest bull being 16kg. I saw a 10kg in camp shot buy a Russian hunter and man that thing was thick and heavy

I will be back for Maral in the coming years. Karatastek also has Maral but not as big bulls as in Tastau. Tastau has best Maral hunting in Kazakhstan.

Both videos of 2 years ago but shows you the quality they have.

If you have facebook or instangram, look up Westfalia Jagdreisen and Aventure boreale they are outfitters who book their clients there with Pro hunt KZ and you can see the Maral and ibex they take each year.
 

Suera

FNG
Joined
Nov 27, 2021
Messages
96
Congrats for that ibex!!! True adventure. Not the biggest ibex in the area but is a good ibex and the most important at the end is the awesome experience
 
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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
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Messages
282
Location
queensland
Congrats for that ibex!!! True adventure. Not the biggest ibex in the area but is a good ibex and the most important at the end is the awesome experience
Thank you, agreed it was an amazing adventure and i hope each hunter can experience least once in their life. Plenty bigger roaming around , but i was happy with the outcome as i really wanted a great adventure, experience which i got and topped it off with a good representative ibex.
 

MntHunter

FNG
Joined
Jan 18, 2024
Messages
38
Thanks for sharing!!! You are a better man than me, I would have shot the 105cm on the first day! Congratulations and a great Roe Deer!!
 
OP
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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 17, 2016
Messages
282
Location
queensland
Thanks for sharing!!! You are a better man than me, I would have shot the 105cm on the first day! Congratulations and a great Roe Deer!!
Thank you Sir much appreciated! I should have done the same , this ibex is smaller at 86cm. I thought we would see bigger billies after my missed shot on day 3 , but it was not the case.

I did not want to leave after my hunt was finished at both camps, the country just draws you in like a drug and something about riding horses in the mountains draws you in even more.
 

gentleman4561

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 18, 2022
Messages
122
Looks like an amazing hunt! If you don’t mind me asking, what is a ballpark price point for an Ibex hunt in Kazakhstan?
 
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aussiehunter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 17, 2016
Messages
282
Location
queensland
Looks like an amazing hunt! If you don’t mind me asking, what is a ballpark price point for an Ibex hunt in Kazakhstan?
Thank you sir!I have nothing to hide so here is the pricelist that they have for 2024. Kazakhstan charges in Euro due to mainly european hunters coming with some american , canadian , australian and new zealenders.
 

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