Urial Sheep Hunting in Tajikistan
Urial are, in our view, one of the great values in international sheep hunting — a genuine wild sheep, in real mountain country, without the cost or the altitude of a Marco Polo hunt.
Where and when
Urial are hunted three to five hours’ drive from Dushanbe at elevations of roughly 5,000 to 7,000 feet, in the same country as markhor and on the same season: 1 September to 1 March, with most hunts run in November.
What the hunt involves
Seven to eight hunting days plus travel. The hunting is hiking and horseback, spot and stalk, with shooting out to 500 yards. Because urial and markhor share ground and season, the two combine naturally into an 11 to 12 day hunt, and Mid-Asian ibex can be added from a nearby area. Wild boar are commonly seen throughout.
This is a considerably less punishing hunt than the Pamir sheep country — worth knowing if you want a wild sheep without committing to 16,000 feet.
One thing to plan for
Under CITES regulations, urial trophies must be shipped after the hunt rather than carried home. We handle that process.