I am looking for pointers from past hunters of these birds. (Himalayan Snowcock). What shot size did the best and what was the average shot range? I will be working on blisters starting next week.
I have hunted them in Pakistan, 4 shot with modified choke should put them to sleep. Will you be hunting them in Pak or are you hunting the released population in Nevada ?
Locals can fill you in for the best strategy in Pak. I am not sure what their behavior would be in Nevada.
They usually start moving up the mountain sides (where sun is hopefully shining) so if you can situate your self half way up the mountain in the morning then you have a good chance on bagging them. Problem is that once you shoot they will make a bee-line to the bottom (they hardly fly "up") as it is easier for them just to glide down.
If you are shooting them in Aug/Sep then there will be lots of pin-feathers in them so probably will not be great for taxidermy purpose.
In Pak it was a ball-busitng hunt, you needed to be in pretty good physical shape to deal with the mountain terrain. Please take some pics, would love to see them.
Posts: 947 | Location: Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: 12 November 2008
Success. 10,053 feet elevation. 1 bird of the year and one adult snowcock. Very good Mountain Goat training. I will have to try later since the adult had pinfeathers. Well worth it.
Well the picture monster has defeated me. I will email pictures to whoever wants to see the Snowcock or the Blues I shot. I think posting pictures should be easier and not something designed by a US government agency. (Is this an IRS supported web site?)
Anyhow, I decided to hunt these birds since they are the "Polar Bear" of North American bird hunting. Also I drew half of the nonresident Mountain Goat tags in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada and since these birds are there, it would be a good training hunt. I booked the goat hunt with Secret Pass Outfitters who work with Nevada High Desert Outfitters. Then I added a Snowcock hunt. The owner of NHDO, Mitch Buzzetti, guided me on the bird hunt. Great guys and and a great set up. We rode in on horses and set up camp on August 31st. That evening we hiked up and scouted a group of maybe 12 or so Snowcock. This bird is strange. Its big, like a sage grouse without the long tail, but it looks in shape like a giant Chukar. They call like a Chukar as well. The birds roosted on a cliff face at night. We got up at 3:00 am and hiked up to a waterhole we thought they might fly down towards on opening day. The birds made a lot of noise (like turkeys) before flying down from the roost. As it happens they flew elsewhere. We were getting up the courage to hike after them when another group flew from accross the basin and landed maybe a 100 yards below us and 200 yards to our right. We put the sneak on them and I managed to get my 2 bird limit.
These birds were all above 10,000 feet. They walk and hop over the rocks and boulders just like Chukar and are every bit as turned on as any late season Chukar. I shot a bird of the year and a mature female. The males look the same but have spurs. I am going to look at going back this year or next etc. I want to try in November when the feathers are better but it will have to be a low snow year since they really do not migrate and prefer that horrible rocky terrain above 10,000 feet.
We hiked back up in the evening and managed a limit of blues so I did get some low oxygen hiking in on this trip.
I guided for them in Kyrgyzstan last year. There, for the most part it is spot and stalk, then you take your shot with a rifle. Sometimes with a shotgun you get a shot in flight but sometimes they end up taking a huge dive off the side of the mountain and end up in pieces on the rocks. One old guy got two with one shot at 300 meters, I don't think I've ever seen a happier hunter! This year I amgoing back and if I get time I might go for one myself.
Posts: 2286 | Location: Aussie in Italy | Registered: 20 March 2002
