| It is mid-March and all of the major trade shows have been completed; it’s unseasonably warm and dry on the West Coast. We exhibited at SCI, GSCO and Wild Sheep shows this winter and we are now back in the office doing follow ups, contracts, hunt planning, updating our website, etc. If I met you at the trade shows for the first time, thanks for stopping by our booth. My office manager, Lynzy McCowan, is in the process of emailing follow up letters and updated brochures to all of the people we met. This newsletter is a bit later than we wanted as we are updating our database and newsletter programs. I will try to do another newsletter soon regarding Marco Polo, Tur and a couple other hunts. At SCI, we shared a booth under the name of World Wide Hunts, operated by Ron and Maria Nemetcheck withwww.northriveroutfitting.com. They operate in the old Upper Stikine River area I leased from Jerry G. for many years and if anyone is looking for a stone sheep or mixed bag hunt, they have several openings this year. They eliminated the horses and now use planes, argos, backpacking and jet boats. |
| In this newsletter, I wanted to focus on Ibex hunts. I feel that they are the best value in mountain hunting anywhere in the world. While our specialty is the Mid-Asian Ibex in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, we have great partners in Mongolia, Turkey and Spain also. These hunts are more expensive than Mid-Asian hunts, but also not as difficult. We don’t offer low quality, cheap hunts, however, some of our partners have legitimate last minute cancellations and are offering these hunts at a reduced rate. For hunters looking for a last minute hunt, our main Bezoar Ibex partner in Turkey has one cancellation hunt, in a rough/backpack area, which needs to be taken before the end of March. This remote area has 50” Ibex, but most hunters will shoot a 40-45” animal as it is true, difficult mountain hunting. The price is normally $20,500, but they are offering the hunt for $13,500. *Booked* They also have one other hunt in an easier area with slightly bigger Ibex on average. This hunt is priced at $16,500, the regular price being $20,500. We sent them 5 Ibex hunters in 2014 and the Ibex were all 45-49” in size throughout their different hunting areas. They take just over 30 Ibex per year and about 5 of them broke 50”. They are getting quite booked for the Fall 2015 season and only have 3-4 openings in their best areas left. Prices range from $16,500 to over $30,000 depending on the areas difficulty and trophy size potential; they have about 7 areas where they take hunters. This company is very professional and organized; the owners participate in most of the hunts personally in addition to having excellent vehicles, experienced guides, pre-season and post-season scouting and great accommodations. Also, many hunters add Wild Boar, Chamois, and Gazelle to their Ibex hunts or they can hunt them separately. They also offer a couple of the Konya Mouflan Sheep, which are very rare and very expensive. We sent them one Konya hunter in 2014 and he shot a super, free-range animal. I can’t speak highly enough for this operation. Like all of our partners, you are welcome to talk directly to them after discussing your goals with our office. |
| Over the years I’ve met many great Spanish outfitters. One of our partners has an opening for a Becite Ibex (high Bronze medal to low Silver medal size), which can be taken this March. The price is $8,500 all-inclusive (guides, areas fees, trophy fees, transportation, and lodging). He also offers hunts for High Silver and Gold medal, which are higher in price, but still reasonable. His regular hunt price for Bronze to Gold medal hunts is $9,500 to $14,500. One of our other partners has some of the biggest Gredos in Spain, but these hunts are quite expensive and with fabulous lodging. I also just had an email this morning from a friend of mine in the hunting industry. He is hunting with a Spanish outfitter who is also his client. One of the hunters in this group had to cancel the Gold Medal Becite Ibex hunt that he booked for $30,000. The hunt will be in April 2015 and the price is $17,000. There is no limit on trophy/horn size. |
| In addition to Ibex, some of the best value hunts in Spain are the driven/management hunts where hunters can shoot many stags – up to 15 total (including males and females), as well as Wild Boars all for under $10,000 USD all inclusive. These are typically 2-3 day hunts (shoots) with lots of action; it is a great way for improving your shooting skills. Too many of our hunters miss animals and we feel that trigger time is needed before going on expensive hunts with brand new rifles. I’ll talk more about management and cull hunts in one of our next newsletters. In general, hunting in Spain is an excellent and not very difficult hunting experience. Until I went, I often said that Spain is too easy and not real hunting, but some of the Spanish hunts are not easy and they are also fun. Unlike a Marco Polo hunt, there is no chance for frostbite or high altitude sickness. For hunters worried about hunting in foreign countries and safety, it doesn’t get much safer and more hospitable than Spain. I recommend it highly, especially for people who want a true “vacation” and enjoyable experience, possibly even with family and friends. You can also do fast, 2-4 day hunts, ideal for people on a limited time schedule. |
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| In Mongolia, our partner only has 4 Altai Ibex licenses and a couple Maral Stags for this season. We’ve worked with him for about 7 years; he is very professional, speaks excellent English and is a pleasure to be with. Currently we are not offering Gobi Ibex hunts and the Mongolian Argali hunts, as licenses are very limited and very expensive. However, he can also organize Roe Buck and Gazelle trips, which are not expensive and a great experience. The Ibex and Maral hunts are $12,500 per hunt. This is one of the nicest places in Asia to hunt and also a very safe country. We recommend late August thru early October for Maral and Ibex. We have openings for both 2015 and 2016. |
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| We will be hunting many areas in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for Ibex this fall. We start our hunts in early September and go through late February. It’s a long season and these Mid-Asian Ibex are the biggest species and also the least expensive. They are also the most difficult, in general, due to the higher altitudes, cold weather and steep terrain. I still feel this is the best mountain hunt going. We have quite a few openings as the seasons are long, the camps are many and the guides eager. This year in Tajikistan, we are offering an Ibex hunt, which is a Monday – Mondayhunt rotation, so hunters only miss 6 days of work. This is possible, because the area is only 3-5 hours from Dushanbe and hunters don’t require the long drives and horseback rides needed to hunt Kyrgyzstan. On some of these Ibex hunts, hunters can add Wild Boar or Chuckar Partridge. |
| People are asking me often about safety in the “Stans” and Turkey. I go there every year for 1-2 months per year and have not had any safety, terrorism or political concerns. Hunters provide a lot of economic assistance to these countries and locals do not want to cause problems for them. The most dangerous part of an Asian hunt is the rough roads, high altitudes and winter conditions. |
| I look forward to hearing from you. Please check out our website for more information. We have PDF brochures of most of our hunts on our website as well. For hunters looking for the latest products to help them improve their shooting, please look at the new ACI (Angle Cosine Indicator) by www.snipertools.com. It has a built in level and will tell you the angle of your up/downhill shots. Even though many of the rangefinders compensate for angle, this mechanical device will work in fog/snow and there are no batteries to die in cold weather. Many of you know me as a product maniac and this is a useful gadget (not a gimmick). |
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