Never hunted outside of North America, recommendations for first international hunt?

[Northern Safari]

I’m sure many here are in the same boat as myself and have never hunted outside of North America.

For those that now have several international hunts under their belt, which would you recommend to someone as their first experience?

South Africa Plains Game?

New Zealand Tahr & Chamois?

Spain for Ibex?

Eastern Europe for chamois, boar and mouflon?

Asia for Ibex or Tur?

South America? Australia? Somewhere else?

Let’s keep to a healthy blue collar budget of $20,000 all in.

Curious to hear your ideas.

 

[Cactus kid]

Depends on what you are looking for:

The asian ibex is a HELL of an adventure and much less than 20K door to door. If you are looking to get out of your comfort zone, experience a different culture, eat some weird food, see WILD country- this is it.

Azerbajain for tur is currently closed. Unfortunatley.

New Zealand Chamois and tahr is remarkably like a backback hunt for thin horn NA sheep if you forgo the helicopter. This trip is a hell of a value. Much less than 20K door to door. New Zealand is a mountain hunters paradise.

South Africa will let you pull the trigger a lot. If you are serious about a plains game hunt, Id consider Namibia. All free range, real hunting, and great camps. Wild africa. (or that is what i am told)

Spain for Ibex i hear is a gentleman's hunt. Beautiful country, grand estates, great food, and a very fun hunt by all accounts. A great trip to take the wife on.

 

[buffybr]

Cactus kid posted a good answer to your question. I've gone on 3 of those hunts and had a great time on all of them. South Africa or Namibia would probably be the best bang for your money.

My Azerbaijan Tur hunt was probably the hardest hunt and in the steepest mountains of any hunt that I've ever done, and I've done multiple Bighorn sheep and Mountain goat hunts here in Montana.

My first international hunt was a cancellation hunt in the MacKenzie Mountains of Canada's NWT primarily for a Dall ram, but I also bought tags for Mountain caribou, Wolf, and Wolverine. That was 25 years ago and especially Sheep prices have literally exploded since then. But I have since gone on several other Canadian moose and caribou hunts that were well below your $20K budget.

I think that you could still hunt 2 species of Spanish ibex in the Bronze metal range for under $20K.

 

[Northern Safari]

Cactus kid posted a good answer to your question. I've gone on 3 of those hunts and had a great time on all of them. South Africa or Namibia would probably be the best bang for your money.

My Azerbaijan Tur hunt was probably the hardest hunt and in the steepest mountains of any hunt that I've ever done, and I've done multiple Bighorn sheep and Mountain goat hunts here in Montana.

My first international hunt was a cancellation hunt in the MacKenzie Mountains of Canada's NWT primarily for a Dall ram, but I also bought tags for Mountain caribou, Wolf, and Wolverine. That was 25 years ago and especially Sheep prices have literally exploded since then. But I have since gone on several other Canadian moose and caribou hunts that were well below your $20K budget.

I think that you could still hunt 2 species of Spanish ibex in the Bronze metal range for under $20K.

Ibex are high up on my list and im thinking Spain might make for a good option to ease myself into international hunting. It doesn’t sound like you have to rough it so much on those hunts, might make for a good destination to bring the wife along on.

I’d like to hunt a Beceite and Gredos.

 

[buffybr]

I would also!

 

[Reburn]

Not on your list but if you wingshoot at all its damn hard to not mention Argentina. Extra plus if you fly your wife down after or before and spend some time in BA. Its a beautiful city. With some doing you could probably pull off a sierra bravo hunt and an asian ibex hunt for close to those $.

South africa is fun but can get expensive quick. Nambia sounds much better then SA.

 

[Northern Safari]

I did forget to mention Argentina, I’ve recently discovered that it’s quite the hunting destination. I’ve never considered hunting doves myself but I’ve heard others rave about it.

Looks like they also have a ton of big game like axis deer, black buck, red deer, water buffalo, wild goats, arapawa ram and apparently they even have Moulfon and Dall sheep? I’m guessing those were introduced.

Sounds like it could become quite the safari.

I wonder how these prices compare to Europe and Africa?

 

[406life]

If your lower 48, maybe think AK as a first "international" hunt. Lots to offer and you'll get your feet wet with planning and logistics but still have the fallback of being in the States.

Logistically, UK is very easy to get in and out and hunt. $20k would buy you dang near everything in the British Isles. Plus the history is incredible.

Africa is of course a good option. You could do plains or go right into some great dangerous game hunts. Croc is a good option. Added bonus of most Southern African safaris is the extra circulars for family. Keeps wife happy too.

Those would be my suggestions for first intl hunt, but find what fits your fancy and go. Musk ox in Greenland, water buffalo in Australia, brown bear in Kamchatka, whatever.

 

[Hydra6]

South Africa Plains game for me - went last year. Live in Georgia so flew direct from Atlanta to Jburg. Wife went and we had a great trip.

 

[Northern Safari]

I should clarify that I meant $20,000 Canadian, or $14,736 USD.

 

[Suera]

For me without doubt it will be and ibex in some of the " Stan" countries, for this price it's difficult to defeat it, the price-adventure value is incredible, but sometimes is not the most comfortable hunting but enough.
Africa and plain games if you like pull the trigger a lot but and take a good collection of different animals but the hunt usually is easy but you have the plus that always Africa is like special , the wild Africa only be there to watch their sunsets is magic.
Spain I grow here, maybe for this my opinion is not the best, because for me is normal hunting. Not like an adventure, easy hunting and comfortable, good food and good culture, good for the wife and make some tourism, it will be a great place to start in international hunting but definitely is not the best value money-adventure, Gredos ibex are extremely expensive nowadays , the others still ok, if I have to choose Spain only will be in my list if I want a confortable hunt.

 

[Northern Safari]

For me without doubt it will be and ibex in some of the " Stan" countries, for this price it's difficult to defeat it, the price-adventure value is incredible, but sometimes is not the most comfortable hunting but enough.
Africa and plain games if you like pull the trigger a lot but and take a good collection of different animals but the hunt usually is easy but you have the plus that always Africa is like special , the wild Africa only be there to watch their sunsets is magic.
Spain I grow here, maybe for this my opinion is not the best, because for me is normal hunting. Not like an adventure, easy hunting and comfortable, good food and good culture, good for the wife and make some tourism, it will be a great place to start in international hunting but definitely is not the best value money-adventure, Gredos ibex are extremely expensive nowadays , the others still ok, if I have to choose Spain only will be in my list if I want a confortable hunt.

If Id like to hunt a second ibex in addition to the Beceite, which would be the next best choice that’s more affordable than a Gredos?

I’d like to take 2 species.

 

[omicron1792]

I find it funny people will call ibex in Spain wild hunting but South Africa fish in a barrel.

The property I hunted in SA was 35k acres and it was just me on the property. One day I walked over 17 miles tracking an eland.

How many 35k acre sections without roads or towns or houses are there in Spain? Most reports I read is you ride paved roads. Glass. Then stalk in a couple of km and shoot. Then you proceed with your sight seeing vacation.

My SA hunting experience was top notch and it will be more “wild” than 99 percent of hunts in the world.

 

[Suera]

If Id like to hunt a second ibex in addition to the Beceite, which would be the next best choice that’s more affordable than a Gredos?

I’d like to take 2 species.

Beceite and South east without doubt, best price, best trophies and easier to make it in logistic.
Gredos very expensive nowadays and still rising and Ronda ibex the price is ok but trophies usually are smaller because the genetics and due to a disease " scabies" kill many of the population, this disease is now affecting some areas in Beceite...
If you love ibex is ok if not definitely I will choose one ibex ( Beceite or south east) and one chamois instead of other ibex, but chamois is going up in price that some ibex nowadays it's becoming very popular, but the hunt is awesome specially the landscapes,but just my Opinion.

 

[Suera]

I find it funny people will call ibex in Spain wild hunting but South Africa fish in a barrel.

The property I hunted in SA was 35k acres and it was just me on the property. One day I walked over 17 miles tracking an eland.

How many 35k acre sections without roads or towns or houses are there in Spain? Most reports I read is you ride paved roads. Glass. Then stalk in a couple of km and shoot. Then you proceed with your sight seeing vacation.

My SA hunting experience was top notch and it will be more “wild” than 99 percent of hunts in the world.

There are places and places, in SA there are lots of fence areas very easy to hunt other ones very difficult of course also free range with thousand of acres like you said and very " wild"
Spain is the same there are many fence areas that is like a farm just shoot from the car if you want... This is not hunting this is only for trophy image... There are other fence area nice to hunt and of course free range very wild, but here usually hunting areas are small I laugh when outffiters say the have 70000 hectareas in Beceite under his manage where maybe ALL Beceite area is about this surface with 200 villages and 200 different outfitters or landowners.
If you want really wild , Asia is your place or Rusia

 

[Beendare]

Good comments above. Some intl hunts are more of a “shoot” than a hunt adventure. Some- not all- of the SAfrican hunts are like that.

I liked Australia.

 

[Northern Safari]

Good comments above. Some intl hunts are more of a “shoot” than a hunt adventure. Some- not all- of the SAfrican hunts are like that.

I liked Australia.

What did you hunt in Australia?

 

[HornPorn]

My SA hunting experience was top notch and it will be more “wild” than 99 percent of hunts in the world.

Have you ever been on a 12+ day backpack hunt in the Northwest Territories of Canada? Pretty wild I would say

In Africa aren't you getting carted out by a vehicle every morning, and then back in a permanent tent getting hot meals made by a cook every night?

 

[omicron1792]

Have you ever been on a 12+ day backpack hunt in the Northwest Territories of Canada? Pretty wild I would say

In Africa aren't you getting carted out by a vehicle every morning, and then back in a permanent tent getting hot meals made by a cook every night?

Depends.

In South Africa most of the time you are sleeping in the lodge or base camp at night. You ride looking for tracks then stalk. Lots and lots of stalking if you wish.

In wild Africa (other countries) your home base is equivalent to a nice spike camp. Tents. Rudimentary running non potable water. Sometimes you sleep away from camp under the stars. Most hunting is is dry season so tents are not necessary.

I think when the bug gets you like if did me you definitely migrate to other countries besides SA. But I think SA is A+ for your first African hunt. My lodge ran on a generator. It was 100 miles from the nearest paved road. Laws require landowners to fence animals, but many many outfitters run self sustaining herds within their huge concessions. I went with my two best friends and it was trip of a lifetime. Not sure hunting by myself and a PH in a new continent would have been appropriate for my first African hunt. Would be like doing a wild Alaskan raft hunt as your first western hunt.

 

[Northern Safari]

A few international options that I've been looking at that other first-timers may also want to consider (all prices in Canadian):

Spain - Beceite Ibex & South Eastern Ibex - $11,500

Spain - Beceite Ibex & Mouflon - $14,900

Austria - Alpine Chamois - $10,700

Hungary - Red Stag & Mouflon - $8,900

Romania - Chamois - $4,000

Turkey - Bezoar Ibex - $15,800

Kyrgyzstan - Mid Asian Ibex - $9,500

Tajikistan - Mid Asian Ibex - $10,800

New Zealand - Tahr & Chamois - $5,700

Australia - Water Buffalo - $15,500

South Africa - Plains Game X6 - $10,200

South Africa - Cape Buffalo - $14,500