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AH veteran
We just returned from hunting Ibex in the Gredos Mountains of Spain, in an area not too far from Salamanca, Spain. All of it was in very beautiful countryside. We spent time in Madrid after the hunt with a wider family group, touring as well. Details below.
Country: Spain
Dates: December 27th – 30th 2023
Animals Hunted: Ibex (x2), Mouflon and Fallow deer
Method of Hunting: Rifle (Rented PH's Sako in 270 WSM)
Outfitter: HuntinSpain, owned by Alfonso Fabres. A regular DSC exhibitor. Website is: www.huntinspain.com;
PH: Borja
Other Species Seen: Red Stag, fox and rabbit.
Lodging: Local Hotel for two nights and also their beautiful hunting lodge for two nights
Would Recommend to a Friend? YES!
THE HUNT: I booked this hunt about 9 months prior with the intention that my teenage son and I both hunt one Ibex each. I was happy to book a fixed amount for the trophy fee for a representative Gredos Ibex vs. paying by the inch. This was a combo 50th birthday present to myself / dream father-son hunt. Spending time with my son outdoors, specifically hunting, was the main objective. In short, we just wanted to have some fun.
The hunt was scheduled for three full days and another half day if needed. If time allowed, we planned on doing some further hunting nearer where the lodge is located. Fallow deer, Red Stag and Mouflon were all possibilities.
Day 1: We started out at 830am from countryside hotel with our PH Borja. He drove us up into the mountains where we met with the local guide. It was extremely foggy where our hotel was located but once we ascended into the mountains the skies were much more clear. Borja told me the past three days the fog had been so thick that hunting Ibex would probably not have been too practical, and more dangerous. We had gotten lucky with the weather for sure.
Once we dry fired the Sako in 270WSM and a backup Remington 700 in 270 Winchester, mainly to learn the trigger and get familiar with the scope we loaded up in a Land Rover and drove slowly on a mountain road. Within ten minutes or so Ibex were spotted on a ridge probably 1000 meters or less away. We stopped, dismounted and stalked on foot in an attempt to get closer. We quietly worked our way closer to the ridge maintaining cover and crouching low. We eventually got within about 240 yards and set up the rifle on large rock. We were staring at group of approximately ten Ibex, with two males, both shooters.
Borja whispered to me that if things went very well it may be possible that we could both get an Ibex now. He told me to be ready to get on the gun after my son shoots, that is: i) if my son kills his Ibex and ii) if the second male Ibex does not run out of sight. He also told me “let’s not get ahead of ourselves” and I think him and I both thought this was highly unlikely.
The most challenging part was to ensure we were all focused on the correct Ibex as they kept moving, were numerous and as mentioned there was more than one male. My Spanish is pretty good (it has to be as I married a Venezuelan and as I always say, she speaks English but not to me) and my son’s Spanish is okay. Given most of the back and forth about which Ibex, when to wait and when it was okay to shoot was in Spanish this definitely added to the challenge.
Then it came together. My son took his time and deliberately squeezed off a round. I could only partially see downrange as we were trying to stay concealed. Immediately I heard the local guide say “Esta muerto” (dead), and then “Papa”, meaning for me to get on the gun. My son thought he had done something wrong for a second but I told him he did his job, the Ibex is dead and to move over. I then hurriedly tried to find the second male Ibex. It took what seemed like an eternity. I shot and could see Ibex take the hit but he moved forward just a little. I took a follow up shot that I felt good about but he then moved behind some rocks. The rest of the Ibex ran up the mountain and over it. Since we did not see my Ibex run with them we were confident he was either dead or close to it. They told me “tranquilo” and we all scanned the area for any glimpse of the Ibex. The local guide then said he saw what he thought was just a bit of the torso coming out from behind some rocks. After about five minutes we were all focused on this one area and it certainly did seem to be his torso but I was not 100% sure. Then the Ibex turned his head in a way that he was looking square at us and it was crystal clear where he was and that he was not dead. I then put a third round in his chest and it was all over. Congratulations were given all the way around; this had been quite the team effort.
I asked Borja if people got their Ibex this early on normally or what. He told me never in his life had he gotten an Ibex this early into the hunt, but moreover he had never even heard of anyone getting two in the same stalk. We had gotten very lucky. For the record, we later saw where my first shot (broadside) was a little low but went through both front legs, effectively immobilizing him, and the second shot went through his stomach. I will never live it down with my son since his one-shot kill was immediate, and; on our S. Africa hunt this past June he dropped his Kudu with one shot and I shot mine four times (all hits) before it was over. Later that day in Spain he asked me “were you nervous?”. I told him to knock it off and we had 100% hit rate and two dead Ibex. As you can see from the pics these two Ibex were close enough that we could drag one to the other for the pics.
Well, what to do now as it was only about 10:30am on Day 1 and the mission was accomplished? After retrieving the animals and a quick lunch on the mountain, we joined the rest of the family.
Day 2: After some touring in the morning, my son, Borja and I drove to another area to hunt Fallow deer that afternoon. Sure enough, in less than an hour of driving and glassing we found a Fallow suitable for my son. He and Borja stalked a short distance on foot and set up on short knoll where my son could shoot prone. After a short while my son dropped him in his tracks with one shot from 150 yards. I have a video of it and it is truly an instantaneous “lights out” ordeal. We spent the rest of the day unsuccessfully looking for a Mouflon for me. We did see some and stalked but it did not come together.
We moved from the local hotel that day to their lodge for the next two nights. Very impressive and comfortable place. Pics speak for themselves.
Day 3: That morning Borja, my son, a local guide “Nacho” and me set out on foot for Mouflon. It was cold, overcast and somewhat raining lightly. We did spot one Mouflon on the move but he was gone before we could make anything of it. After walking and glassing for a good bit of the morning we made it up to the top area of a mountainous area to overlook the vegetation below. We would look one way for a few minutes and then change position, look another way, etc… We were all spread out and at one point just Nacho and I had just arrived at the top of another little rocky area and were looking out onto the area below. I immediately saw a Mouflon who had been walking up towards the top of the mountain but had stopped and was staring at us. I pointed him out to Nacho and he said “shoot” (in English). I set up on the rocks for support but was worried my shot would hit a rocky area in front of us down the mountain as my scope was clear but I did not think the trajectory actually was. I then very quickly moved to the right about five feet, half ass set up quickly and took a shot. He was facing us and I hit him in the chest. He dropped over to the right as the ground was angled that way where he was standing. I could barely see him there and Nacho told me “buen tiro” (good shot). I asked him if I should put another one in him but he said no need to do so. Once we walked down to retrieve him my son ranged it right at 100 yards. The distance was easy but the fact it had all come together in about 10 seconds or less from the time I had spotted him made it quite exciting.
Overall, six rounds fired, six hits and four animals in the salt. I was very proud of my son’s shooting (thanks FTW Ranch) and gave myself a passing grade for my shooting as we were successful, safe and had a great time.
The final morning we shot shotguns at clays as well as live pigeons that were released, “box pigeon” shooting on a course they had at the lodge. It was a lot of fun.
Also, I want to mention that later in Madrid we also shot clays at Somontes shooting club where the outfitter Alfonso had kindly set things up for us to shoot.
Lastly, while in Madrid I stopped in at Serbal which is a gun and hunting clothing store worth your time if you are in the area.
We cannot wait to return to Spain for more hunting of just about anything as the scenery, people and food are a huge draw in themselves! Cheers
Country: Spain
Dates: December 27th – 30th 2023
Animals Hunted: Ibex (x2), Mouflon and Fallow deer
Method of Hunting: Rifle (Rented PH's Sako in 270 WSM)
Outfitter: HuntinSpain, owned by Alfonso Fabres. A regular DSC exhibitor. Website is: www.huntinspain.com;
PH: Borja
Other Species Seen: Red Stag, fox and rabbit.
Lodging: Local Hotel for two nights and also their beautiful hunting lodge for two nights
Would Recommend to a Friend? YES!
THE HUNT: I booked this hunt about 9 months prior with the intention that my teenage son and I both hunt one Ibex each. I was happy to book a fixed amount for the trophy fee for a representative Gredos Ibex vs. paying by the inch. This was a combo 50th birthday present to myself / dream father-son hunt. Spending time with my son outdoors, specifically hunting, was the main objective. In short, we just wanted to have some fun.
The hunt was scheduled for three full days and another half day if needed. If time allowed, we planned on doing some further hunting nearer where the lodge is located. Fallow deer, Red Stag and Mouflon were all possibilities.
Day 1: We started out at 830am from countryside hotel with our PH Borja. He drove us up into the mountains where we met with the local guide. It was extremely foggy where our hotel was located but once we ascended into the mountains the skies were much more clear. Borja told me the past three days the fog had been so thick that hunting Ibex would probably not have been too practical, and more dangerous. We had gotten lucky with the weather for sure.
Once we dry fired the Sako in 270WSM and a backup Remington 700 in 270 Winchester, mainly to learn the trigger and get familiar with the scope we loaded up in a Land Rover and drove slowly on a mountain road. Within ten minutes or so Ibex were spotted on a ridge probably 1000 meters or less away. We stopped, dismounted and stalked on foot in an attempt to get closer. We quietly worked our way closer to the ridge maintaining cover and crouching low. We eventually got within about 240 yards and set up the rifle on large rock. We were staring at group of approximately ten Ibex, with two males, both shooters.
Borja whispered to me that if things went very well it may be possible that we could both get an Ibex now. He told me to be ready to get on the gun after my son shoots, that is: i) if my son kills his Ibex and ii) if the second male Ibex does not run out of sight. He also told me “let’s not get ahead of ourselves” and I think him and I both thought this was highly unlikely.
The most challenging part was to ensure we were all focused on the correct Ibex as they kept moving, were numerous and as mentioned there was more than one male. My Spanish is pretty good (it has to be as I married a Venezuelan and as I always say, she speaks English but not to me) and my son’s Spanish is okay. Given most of the back and forth about which Ibex, when to wait and when it was okay to shoot was in Spanish this definitely added to the challenge.
Then it came together. My son took his time and deliberately squeezed off a round. I could only partially see downrange as we were trying to stay concealed. Immediately I heard the local guide say “Esta muerto” (dead), and then “Papa”, meaning for me to get on the gun. My son thought he had done something wrong for a second but I told him he did his job, the Ibex is dead and to move over. I then hurriedly tried to find the second male Ibex. It took what seemed like an eternity. I shot and could see Ibex take the hit but he moved forward just a little. I took a follow up shot that I felt good about but he then moved behind some rocks. The rest of the Ibex ran up the mountain and over it. Since we did not see my Ibex run with them we were confident he was either dead or close to it. They told me “tranquilo” and we all scanned the area for any glimpse of the Ibex. The local guide then said he saw what he thought was just a bit of the torso coming out from behind some rocks. After about five minutes we were all focused on this one area and it certainly did seem to be his torso but I was not 100% sure. Then the Ibex turned his head in a way that he was looking square at us and it was crystal clear where he was and that he was not dead. I then put a third round in his chest and it was all over. Congratulations were given all the way around; this had been quite the team effort.
I asked Borja if people got their Ibex this early on normally or what. He told me never in his life had he gotten an Ibex this early into the hunt, but moreover he had never even heard of anyone getting two in the same stalk. We had gotten very lucky. For the record, we later saw where my first shot (broadside) was a little low but went through both front legs, effectively immobilizing him, and the second shot went through his stomach. I will never live it down with my son since his one-shot kill was immediate, and; on our S. Africa hunt this past June he dropped his Kudu with one shot and I shot mine four times (all hits) before it was over. Later that day in Spain he asked me “were you nervous?”. I told him to knock it off and we had 100% hit rate and two dead Ibex. As you can see from the pics these two Ibex were close enough that we could drag one to the other for the pics.
Well, what to do now as it was only about 10:30am on Day 1 and the mission was accomplished? After retrieving the animals and a quick lunch on the mountain, we joined the rest of the family.
Day 2: After some touring in the morning, my son, Borja and I drove to another area to hunt Fallow deer that afternoon. Sure enough, in less than an hour of driving and glassing we found a Fallow suitable for my son. He and Borja stalked a short distance on foot and set up on short knoll where my son could shoot prone. After a short while my son dropped him in his tracks with one shot from 150 yards. I have a video of it and it is truly an instantaneous “lights out” ordeal. We spent the rest of the day unsuccessfully looking for a Mouflon for me. We did see some and stalked but it did not come together.
We moved from the local hotel that day to their lodge for the next two nights. Very impressive and comfortable place. Pics speak for themselves.
Day 3: That morning Borja, my son, a local guide “Nacho” and me set out on foot for Mouflon. It was cold, overcast and somewhat raining lightly. We did spot one Mouflon on the move but he was gone before we could make anything of it. After walking and glassing for a good bit of the morning we made it up to the top area of a mountainous area to overlook the vegetation below. We would look one way for a few minutes and then change position, look another way, etc… We were all spread out and at one point just Nacho and I had just arrived at the top of another little rocky area and were looking out onto the area below. I immediately saw a Mouflon who had been walking up towards the top of the mountain but had stopped and was staring at us. I pointed him out to Nacho and he said “shoot” (in English). I set up on the rocks for support but was worried my shot would hit a rocky area in front of us down the mountain as my scope was clear but I did not think the trajectory actually was. I then very quickly moved to the right about five feet, half ass set up quickly and took a shot. He was facing us and I hit him in the chest. He dropped over to the right as the ground was angled that way where he was standing. I could barely see him there and Nacho told me “buen tiro” (good shot). I asked him if I should put another one in him but he said no need to do so. Once we walked down to retrieve him my son ranged it right at 100 yards. The distance was easy but the fact it had all come together in about 10 seconds or less from the time I had spotted him made it quite exciting.
Overall, six rounds fired, six hits and four animals in the salt. I was very proud of my son’s shooting (thanks FTW Ranch) and gave myself a passing grade for my shooting as we were successful, safe and had a great time.
The final morning we shot shotguns at clays as well as live pigeons that were released, “box pigeon” shooting on a course they had at the lodge. It was a lot of fun.
Also, I want to mention that later in Madrid we also shot clays at Somontes shooting club where the outfitter Alfonso had kindly set things up for us to shoot.
Lastly, while in Madrid I stopped in at Serbal which is a gun and hunting clothing store worth your time if you are in the area.
We cannot wait to return to Spain for more hunting of just about anything as the scenery, people and food are a huge draw in themselves! Cheers
