elkeaterco
WKR
Novelty
What is it that drives us as hunters? For me, it’s the novelty of seeking out something new, another ridge, remote and wild country few have touched. It’s the thing that is deep inside my genetic code to keep exploring. This drive, I believe is very common in the hunting community.
For me, it has become a compass for my entire life. From hunting or guiding in Alaska to Mexico and across the big blue. I’m always searching for bigger and more epic adventure. The last 12 years I have done a really cool pack raft moose hunts, float plane deer hunt on kodiak, Zodiac bear hunt in Prince William sound, and super cub sheep and moose guiding in the Alaska range to name a few. Last year, I finally stopped talking about doing this trip to Kyrgyzstan to hunt Mid asian ibex off horse back and sent it.
My good buddy Cody had done this hunt twice and found a great deal with an outfitter. We booked directly through this Outfitter. This saved us a little money and we knew we would be hunting some prime ground in the south that is known for big Ibex.
The worlds biggest Ibex can be found in Kyrgyzstan in nothing but some of the most breath taking, remote and epic mountains on the planet. These mountains the Tian Shan meet up on the southern end of the country bordering China and Tajikistan. These mountains are part of the Himalayas belt with peaks reaching over 24k. Our personal highest was 14,555.
These mountains alone are worth the trip half way around the planet. Huge shear rock cliffs, beautiful green meadows in the bottom, and a feeling of going back hundred of years in time. Add, Ibex and insane horse back rides into the mix and now we are talking about a proper adventure.
Our journey started by flying over the the north pole to Dubai, and then to Biskek and then into Osh. Several hours of driving like we were on fire found us at the base of the mountain range at a beautiful lodge. We verified guns were sighted in and we continued another 2 hours into the mountains with our horses in tow. From there we loaded everything on these horses and then jumped on top of our stuff and rode 7 hours deep into some pure heavenly mountains.
We got to spike camp at dark, set tents up, had a quick bit and hit the sack hard. I believe we travelled for almost 56 straight hours to get into camp. Woke up at 3am, quick chia tea, bread, and back on the horses riding deeper into the mountains by moon light. Fueled by pure excitement and thrill we were taking every little thing in like a fire hose. We rode for a couple more hours with nothing spotted and made it right on the edge of China which was pretty cool to think about.
Unfortunately, their scouting of ibex here had moved off due to a herd of yaks being pushed through the area a few days prior. Heading back, we meet up with the main huntsman who had found a large herd off in the distance. A plan was made on a scree ridge line and a crazy decent was made straight down the scree on horse back and down some wild boulder fields back to camp. The plan was to rest up, give the horses some down time, and head back in early before they made it back into the cliffs.
Next morning we were back up at 3am, bundled up and riding by moon light up a goat trail over a 14k pass. We made it just in time to see them slowly feeding up out of the bottom in the faint light. We grabbed our packs and took off on foot hugging a big cliff wall in the faint light. We could see old sign of ibex along our approach and even found a pile of snow leopard scat. Once we cut the distance and had to climb straight up to the ridge line and waited. Out lungs were burning with the thin air but our spirts were switched on. We build a rock blind and made a plan to wait and have the other huntsman circle below and push them towards us. Hours later, a mass of ibex started flowing up the far end of the ridge line below us towards our location. This was going to be shooting ducks in a barrel I thought. I was already envision holding a big old billy in my hands. But, Murphy is a bastard and something spooked them before we could pick out the biggest. It became a sprint to relocate and shoot while they dropped below and around our location. I got set up, picked a big one out and shot. Feeling it was a good shot, I stopped, but my huntsman told me I had missed and to shoot again. Just then my cousin Scott shot and dropped a fine billy. As they were cresting out of sight, I picked the last one out of the group and dropped him.
High fives were given and we started decending to retrieve our trophies. We found Scotts pretty quickly and were stoked. My huntsman and myself made the haul across the scree and far ridge to find mine dead. We made quick work of skinning out the hides and taking literally every single scape of meat and most of the organs. The only thing left was the lungs for the eagles, gut, and intestines. Horses were hauled in and everything loaded up and us on top of that. The ride back was surreal with the ibex horns hanging out the panniers below us, through this wild angry county.
That night we had kidneys, potatoes, and bread for dinner and of course chia tea. We discussed if we could continue to hunt and take additional ibex. Thankfully this was an option and we could continue the adventure. Talgar our outfitter walked the entire way out the next day with most of the meat and horns to start the paperwork. We had an easy morning, fleshing hides, cutting up meat, and making a plan to spike out deeper. Our 2 huntsman said we would be hunting like Wolves. Which we later learned meant, light and fast, with little food.
That afternoon we packed up camp and rode deeper into the range and set up a spike camp at almost 14k. Following morning we once again were riding up a goat path by moon light with camp to stay mobile. Once again, we found a large band of Ibex and made a quick plan to scale up some scree, through and cliff bands, and to a little notch they believed they would use. The hiking was slow but we scaled across the mountain to this notch at 14,500. Peaking over the ridge found a large band hanging out directly across the canyon 350 yards away. This time we were able to methodically look over them all and pick out the biggest. The biggest was easily pushing 50” or 130cm. I took aim and drilled him as he was on what looked like a shear rock face, I put one more into the boiler room and he fell in the rock wall and disappeared. I couldn’t believe it. There must have been a fissure right there and he was lost for good. The ibex started to scatter and a group headed off the rock face into the bottom and up the bottom. My huntsman told me to shoot the front one and I took him.
Because of the terrain, our huntsman would not let us decend down the rock face below us to retrieve my second ibex. The one thing I have learned over the years of guiding is never guide the guide. Listen to them, make their tough job easier and less stressful, and help whenever possible but don’t interfere with their plan. Especially, here in a completely foreign country and environment. Once they got back we took photos, shared the load and started the hike back. We got the horses loaded up with everything and heading back to our first spike camp.
Next day we were up early again, packed everything up, and made the 7 hour ride out on sore and tired bodies but with full soles. This trip was everything I wanted and needed to scatch this novelty itch that will hopefully never go away. Epic mountains, horses, animals, Huntsman’s, and enough adventure to fill the soul for some time. This is by far the biggest wildest and epic mountain hunt any blue collar worker can afford. But don’t wait, you’re not getting any younger and most likely this hunt will only get more expensive till it’s not a blue collar hunt. Stop talking and do.
Jake Long
@elkhunter34
Outfitter: Ibex Ridge Adventures
Rifle: Viking Armament 6.5 PRC 147 ELD-M
What is it that drives us as hunters? For me, it’s the novelty of seeking out something new, another ridge, remote and wild country few have touched. It’s the thing that is deep inside my genetic code to keep exploring. This drive, I believe is very common in the hunting community.
For me, it has become a compass for my entire life. From hunting or guiding in Alaska to Mexico and across the big blue. I’m always searching for bigger and more epic adventure. The last 12 years I have done a really cool pack raft moose hunts, float plane deer hunt on kodiak, Zodiac bear hunt in Prince William sound, and super cub sheep and moose guiding in the Alaska range to name a few. Last year, I finally stopped talking about doing this trip to Kyrgyzstan to hunt Mid asian ibex off horse back and sent it.
My good buddy Cody had done this hunt twice and found a great deal with an outfitter. We booked directly through this Outfitter. This saved us a little money and we knew we would be hunting some prime ground in the south that is known for big Ibex.
The worlds biggest Ibex can be found in Kyrgyzstan in nothing but some of the most breath taking, remote and epic mountains on the planet. These mountains the Tian Shan meet up on the southern end of the country bordering China and Tajikistan. These mountains are part of the Himalayas belt with peaks reaching over 24k. Our personal highest was 14,555.
These mountains alone are worth the trip half way around the planet. Huge shear rock cliffs, beautiful green meadows in the bottom, and a feeling of going back hundred of years in time. Add, Ibex and insane horse back rides into the mix and now we are talking about a proper adventure.
Our journey started by flying over the the north pole to Dubai, and then to Biskek and then into Osh. Several hours of driving like we were on fire found us at the base of the mountain range at a beautiful lodge. We verified guns were sighted in and we continued another 2 hours into the mountains with our horses in tow. From there we loaded everything on these horses and then jumped on top of our stuff and rode 7 hours deep into some pure heavenly mountains.
We got to spike camp at dark, set tents up, had a quick bit and hit the sack hard. I believe we travelled for almost 56 straight hours to get into camp. Woke up at 3am, quick chia tea, bread, and back on the horses riding deeper into the mountains by moon light. Fueled by pure excitement and thrill we were taking every little thing in like a fire hose. We rode for a couple more hours with nothing spotted and made it right on the edge of China which was pretty cool to think about.
Unfortunately, their scouting of ibex here had moved off due to a herd of yaks being pushed through the area a few days prior. Heading back, we meet up with the main huntsman who had found a large herd off in the distance. A plan was made on a scree ridge line and a crazy decent was made straight down the scree on horse back and down some wild boulder fields back to camp. The plan was to rest up, give the horses some down time, and head back in early before they made it back into the cliffs.
Next morning we were back up at 3am, bundled up and riding by moon light up a goat trail over a 14k pass. We made it just in time to see them slowly feeding up out of the bottom in the faint light. We grabbed our packs and took off on foot hugging a big cliff wall in the faint light. We could see old sign of ibex along our approach and even found a pile of snow leopard scat. Once we cut the distance and had to climb straight up to the ridge line and waited. Out lungs were burning with the thin air but our spirts were switched on. We build a rock blind and made a plan to wait and have the other huntsman circle below and push them towards us. Hours later, a mass of ibex started flowing up the far end of the ridge line below us towards our location. This was going to be shooting ducks in a barrel I thought. I was already envision holding a big old billy in my hands. But, Murphy is a bastard and something spooked them before we could pick out the biggest. It became a sprint to relocate and shoot while they dropped below and around our location. I got set up, picked a big one out and shot. Feeling it was a good shot, I stopped, but my huntsman told me I had missed and to shoot again. Just then my cousin Scott shot and dropped a fine billy. As they were cresting out of sight, I picked the last one out of the group and dropped him.
High fives were given and we started decending to retrieve our trophies. We found Scotts pretty quickly and were stoked. My huntsman and myself made the haul across the scree and far ridge to find mine dead. We made quick work of skinning out the hides and taking literally every single scape of meat and most of the organs. The only thing left was the lungs for the eagles, gut, and intestines. Horses were hauled in and everything loaded up and us on top of that. The ride back was surreal with the ibex horns hanging out the panniers below us, through this wild angry county.
That night we had kidneys, potatoes, and bread for dinner and of course chia tea. We discussed if we could continue to hunt and take additional ibex. Thankfully this was an option and we could continue the adventure. Talgar our outfitter walked the entire way out the next day with most of the meat and horns to start the paperwork. We had an easy morning, fleshing hides, cutting up meat, and making a plan to spike out deeper. Our 2 huntsman said we would be hunting like Wolves. Which we later learned meant, light and fast, with little food.
That afternoon we packed up camp and rode deeper into the range and set up a spike camp at almost 14k. Following morning we once again were riding up a goat path by moon light with camp to stay mobile. Once again, we found a large band of Ibex and made a quick plan to scale up some scree, through and cliff bands, and to a little notch they believed they would use. The hiking was slow but we scaled across the mountain to this notch at 14,500. Peaking over the ridge found a large band hanging out directly across the canyon 350 yards away. This time we were able to methodically look over them all and pick out the biggest. The biggest was easily pushing 50” or 130cm. I took aim and drilled him as he was on what looked like a shear rock face, I put one more into the boiler room and he fell in the rock wall and disappeared. I couldn’t believe it. There must have been a fissure right there and he was lost for good. The ibex started to scatter and a group headed off the rock face into the bottom and up the bottom. My huntsman told me to shoot the front one and I took him.
Because of the terrain, our huntsman would not let us decend down the rock face below us to retrieve my second ibex. The one thing I have learned over the years of guiding is never guide the guide. Listen to them, make their tough job easier and less stressful, and help whenever possible but don’t interfere with their plan. Especially, here in a completely foreign country and environment. Once they got back we took photos, shared the load and started the hike back. We got the horses loaded up with everything and heading back to our first spike camp.
Next day we were up early again, packed everything up, and made the 7 hour ride out on sore and tired bodies but with full soles. This trip was everything I wanted and needed to scatch this novelty itch that will hopefully never go away. Epic mountains, horses, animals, Huntsman’s, and enough adventure to fill the soul for some time. This is by far the biggest wildest and epic mountain hunt any blue collar worker can afford. But don’t wait, you’re not getting any younger and most likely this hunt will only get more expensive till it’s not a blue collar hunt. Stop talking and do.
Jake Long
@elkhunter34
Outfitter: Ibex Ridge Adventures
Rifle: Viking Armament 6.5 PRC 147 ELD-M
