The location was the Tien Shan Mountain range, and the specific hunting area was located in the Kakpak Region, a 4-hour drive NW from Almaty. Half of the ground trip from the airport to the hunting area was over main paved roads. The 500 square mile hunting area had never been hunted before and is owned by wealthy people who only took an animal for meat while visiting the lodge complex. Kazakhstan is known for having the strongest genetics for Mid-Asian Ibex and Maral Stag across their entire natural range, and seeing both the Ibex an Marals there would convince anyone that this particular concession was the African equivalent of Kenya when 100-pound elephant were roaming about. Siberian Roebuck and Wild Boar are also options there.
No issues with gun importation (30-45 days lead time required for permitting). Flew Turkish Airlines from USA to Istanbul to Almaty. Great airline for Asian travel and travelers must simply provide gun details in the ticketing process. We used well-trained and very capable horses to reach elevations holding the Ibex.
The Ibex rut was beginning just as the Maral Stag rut was cooling off. The earlier hunts began on September 5th and the ibex were at higher elevations. In some cases then, the hunters were spiking out for 1-2 days. But by mid-October, they are congregating at lower altitudes. I would still recommend being able to spike out as needed, but the Ibex activity is prolific at the time of this writing. They are said to be very gettable into the first 2 weeks of November. Expect a mix of rain and sun in September and a mix of snow and sun in October.
The horses help, and although no technical climbing is involved, hunters should be prepared to stalk up and side-hill once animals are located.
Shot was just 175 yards with a .300 Win Mag. Shots taken by other hunters ranged up to 500 yards.
I did a lot of hunting when it was far less expensive than it is today, but however more expensive that it is in more recent times, and however difficult it was to find the finances, I made trade-offs that enabled the right trips. For one thing, I sold many of my guns and reduced my guns down to a few reliable tools. And secondly, I tracked the trends in costs, regulations, and hunting conditions that helped me prioritize what to do and when. I don't believe there any experts in the hunting world; it's too dynamic and better to stay humble regardless of successes. But my first international hunt many moons ago was a disaster. After learning my lesson and licking the scar tissue from it, I figured out how to avoid the hunting industry hype, find the truth, and figure out who to trust. What a journey. Thanks, and hoping you have the best in hunting, too.
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