who are you guys booked with ,i am looking for an outfitter for ibex this year.
Any info would be appreciated

conatact Bryan Martin of asian mountain outfitters you can't go wrong top outfitter and a couple of AR guys including myself have hunted through/with him. hope that helps?

I'm booked with Arjun Reddy of Hunter's Network for Ibex and Marco Polo this October/November. He's from NYC area as well FYI.

Brett

I am going in October with Safari Outfitters for Hume Argali and Ibex with Safari Outfitters.

quote:

Originally posted by zhaba:
conatact Bryan Martin of asian mountain outfitters you can't go wrong top outfitter and a couple of AR guys including myself have hunted through/with him. hope that helps?

Yes, I hunted through Bryan last year and Saku, his guy in Kyrgyzstan, is first class. You will definitely have a good hunt through Bryan.

Booked through Arjun / Seladang and can't wait.

Arjun,in October for sheep and Ibex. Hoping we get the Cites permit for sheep.....may 1 was application day.We're spending a week or 10 days with our wives in Istanbul,pre hunt. They then,head home.Any problems with rifles in Turkey? Jim

I wish I was going this next year but I don't think she will be a go. If it does happen I plan on Arjun and Seladang as a couple of you have stated as well.

There are some great deals for 2012. Now is definitely the time to go if you are thinking of it. The political climate is stable....ram populations are good and prices have never been better. I'm so tempted to go back this year but too much else on the go.

I hear the populations are fine but the trophy quality is not what it used to be. Not sure why? Maybe wolves or poaching? You are right though , better go sooner than later. Wish i could go every year.

I think it depends where you hunt and who you hunt with. No doubt some of the more accessible areas have been pounded hard and 45" rams are the norm but there are still lots of out of the way places that have good numbers of 50" plus rams.

It's definitely not Tadjikistan when it comes to trophy quality but neither are the prices. The rams in Kyrg are physically smaller and have smaller horns but it's a very affordable hunt.....on par with a good Dall hunt these days.

Poaching is the culprit. Wolves have always been there. Arguably there may be heavier pressure on ibex and argali due to lower levels of domestic stock and rampant corruption in the wolf bounty system, but this is negligible compared to the levels of poaching.

The biggest threat to hunting in Kyrgyzstan is not the antis but the depletion of resources. The real job of most game wardens is to fill orders for higher-ups in govt and not to protect and manage the game.

Interesting that you think the poaching is the biggest part of it. It would take a lot of sheep getting shot to make that much of an impact. Your right on affordable Sheephunter but the problem is sifting through all of the good and bad with the outfitters in that country. I have heard so many horror stories and for an average joe you can't afford to have a messed up hunt.

"Average Joe" and Argali dont generally go together anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by nube:
Interesting that you think the poaching is the biggest part of it. It would take a lot of sheep getting shot to make that much of an impact. Your right on affordable Sheephunter but the problem is sifting through all of the good and bad with the outfitters in that country. I have heard so many horror stories and for an average joe you can't afford to have a messed up hunt.

Ya, there are some shady operators over there for sure. Sounds like their licencing system might be changing a bit which should get rid of a few of the fly by night operators.

quote:

Originally posted by silkibex:
Poaching is the culprit.

Yes, the poaching is one of the biggest problem in Kyrgyzstan.
The law in Kirghizia forbids hunting on marco polo for local hunters, but I think that about 300 rams every year are shot by local hunters.
For comparison for last year there were only 79 hunters of the foreign hunter who have extracted a trophy argali and 274 ibex.

And the next problem is development sheep breeding.
On the same mountain meadows graze pets.
Yes, the cattle breeding is factor.
It is necessary to tell that value of the factor has decreased last time that has undoubtedly affected on quantity of a livestock of argalies.

I imagine sheep "pets" would cause a lot of the habitat to be lost. Kind of like Wild horses here in Alberta taking up space! What kind of changes are they planning on making Sheephunter that will affect things to help the population grow?

quote:

Originally posted by nube:
I imagine sheep "pets" would cause a lot of the habitat to be lost. Kind of like Wild horses here in Alberta taking up space! What kind of changes are they planning on making Sheephunter that will affect things to help the population grow?

I just heard that the way licences are given out to outfitters will change and operators may have to purchase licences in advance instead of as clients come. This would make the companies financially responsible to government early in the year and hopefully the more professional companies would rise to the top. I know they are looking at some forms of wolf control as well.

It sounds like they are starting to control it a little better which in the end leads to better management and trophy quality. Maybe I should hold off for a few years! lol That would be torture.
Are you planning on going again Sheephunter? Or did you book something while you were at the show earlier this year already?

Saw Vanessa shoot her Grizz the other day as well. That was a close shot and must have made for a fun hunt. I got mine at 18 yards and know exactly how you felt!!

Ya, looks like three hunters and a couple non-hunters in 2014 but man, these deals are hard to say no to right now.

It's not that I "think" poaching is the main culprit, it is a fact. You probably cannot comprehend the extent of it.

Yes, competition from domestic stock does play a role, but in Soviet times levels of domestic stock were nearly 10 times the current level. The competition doesn't come from the sheep and cattle but from the shepherds themselves. Each shepherd's campsite has at least 1 gun and if they used to be single shot 12 gauges, increasingly you find the stock's owner providing the shepherd with a scoped rifle to shoot game with. With nothing to do all day and no meat provided, you can bet the shepherds spend the bulk of their time glassing and shooting.

Then you have hunting operators being caught with 20 ton trucks loaded with ibex and argali carcasses.

Then there are govt officials and their friends shooting herds of ibex and argali from helicopters.

A recent boom in the sale of SUVs has resulted in more and more people engaging in "hunting". Most of these people would not be a danger to the animals except they usually enlist local hunters who have the knowledge but no guns to shoot meat for them while they drink vodka in camp.

I think Profyhunter's estimate of 300 argalis poached every year is too low. It must be at least twice that.

I would not put off going. Any measures taken will be influenced more by cashflow than by interest in conservation. There is no will in govt to truly conserve the country's natural resources. Ironically, govt hunting reserves and parks have less game than unprotected areas. Explain that.

thanks silkiibex for the explanation.
sheephunter are you booked with the same outfitter again or trying something new?

We will definitely hunt with the same fellow in Kyrgyzstan....

quote:

Originally posted by silkibex:

I think Profyhunter's estimate of 300 argalis poached every year is too low. It must be at least twice that.

I would not put off going. Any measures taken will be influenced more by cashflow than by interest in conservation...

Hi Jason,
how do you think? Your estimation is interesting - how many remains to the owner of a local hunting outfitters for conversation, if each marco polo sold for client and he has paid 25K dollars in the USA?

I agree with your estimation of level of poaching.
I can add still shooting of a snow leopard nearby 10-20

Well and certainly struggle against wolves in Kyrg isn't spent today, as was spent to Soviet period.There are many wolves was shot from the helicopters special groups of hunters earlier.

Igor,
I am not sure if your question concerns animals or money. As far as money goes, while the printed cost of a license is not that much, the actual amount an outfitter pays the govt for the license is about half of the advertised hunt price. Amortize the rest over a year and that leaves around $600-1000 per hunter per month to cover ALL operating costs, equipment and depreciation, profit, and, in last place, conservation.

The outfit owner will never spend the bulk of his time in camp. Reliable help is very hard to find. The guys left in the off season to guard the camp, etc., will be shooting any ibex and non-migrating argali for meat and for horns (to sell to unscrupulous foreign hunters).

The snow leopard population has been decimated over the past 25 years. At the end of the 80's there were something like 2000, now more like 200. 10-20 poached per year is probably about right but I'd say closer to 10 than 20 as there aren't that many left to poach.

You are dead right about wolf control. There used to be a generous bounty system with cash and ammunition rewards. Technically it still exists but the funds are stolen at the top or used by some bigwig (who probably can't shoot well anyway) to fund a one-off helicopter shoot. Not that helicopter shooting is bad for wolf control, but it should be done by real hunters. Besides, wolves aren't all they shoot. Yes, anyone with livestock has an intrinsic incentive to shoot wolves but other than using helicopters collective drives are the most effective way to target wolves. The lone shepherd with his gun only chances a rare encounter.

The govt has plans to privatize some of the govt hunting reserves. Theoretically, it's not a bad idea but I'm afraid that the way these kinds of things are handled here the situation for the wildlife would only get worse.

Igor, do you know the Germans who run that operation in Talas?

quote:

Originally posted by silkibex:
Igor,
I am not sure if your question concerns animals or money. As far as money goes, while the printed cost of a license is not that much, the actual amount an outfitter pays the govt for the license is about half of the advertised hunt price.

Jason,
Here I can't with you will agree.
there are only 5-7 thousand dollars remains from 25 thousand To the owner of the hunting range.
I agree, that licenses costs for marco polo not so much -5000USD, but you have forgotten the officials who should give still.
Well also there is still an agent who sells hunting at exhibitions for example in Rino and has the of 25 %.
There is still an agent Bishkek or in Moscow which too wants money.
As a result the owner of hunting still has all 5-7 thousand but as not half from 25.
Well and still you have forgotten that it is necessary to pay taxes, to pay to the chief of a boundary post that it didn't start up on territory of strangers.
We, for example, bring to frontier guards bags with rice, sugar, a flour and we ask, that they watched a hunting area.

I heard that Otto is a good outfitter,but I am not familiar with him personally.I am assured that you personally were a sign with Cholponbek (which was lost by the helicopter crash), and so I know all his relatives,sisters,children they often happen at my home.

Interesting info here. I am headed over for Mid Asian Ibex in late October with a couple of friends who have done the hunt before. They booked with Blair and had good hunts on both of the last two trips. My contract shows HuntRex as the outfitter in Kyrgyzstan.

Is that you booked with Blair Worldwide as in the booking agent that is talked about on here so much?? I sure hope you didn't book with that Blair!

I didn't book it but I have know Jeff since shortly after he got back from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. He may not be perfect but my buddy who booked the hunt has had good results on a lot of hunts with Blair so he sticks with what he knows works.

I hope it works out for you.

If you have not done so you might want to read up on the Blair Thread!!

Enjoy your hunt. I would love to hear how it went.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...043/m/3471078051/p/1

quote:

Originally posted by zhaba:
conatact Bryan Martin of asian mountain outfitters you can't go wrong top outfitter and a couple of AR guys including myself have hunted through/with him. hope that helps?

Is that guy who worked together with Georg Sevich several years ago?
http://www.canadianmtnoutfitters.com/05newsletter.pdf

The video has been removed in the hunting area Cholponbek ( Naryn,district At-Bashi). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DYhW6ZEad4
On the video it is possible to see a small house from the third minute.
Now nearby there is wagon for a staff,hunting guides.
this video was maked last year in same area Cholponbek .I have received it from Cholponbeks sister when she was at me on a visit in March.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...k-FAQ&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...OXYiY&feature=relmfu

Igor,
I think you didn't quite understand me. We are saying more or less the same thing. After paying off the govt officially and unofficially there is about $600-1000 PER hunt sold PER month to cover expenses and profit. Roughly the same as what you said, but said in a different way.

Yes I did know Cholponbek, but not as well as you. I don't know Otto but I do know he has a good location and invests in anti-poaching measures, truly one of the few here who do.

quote:

Originally posted by silkibex:
Igor,
I think you didn't quite understand me. We are saying more or less the same thing. After paying off the govt officially and unofficially there is about $600-1000 PER hunt sold PER month to cover expenses and profit. Roughly the same as what you said, but said in a different way.

Yes I did know Cholponbek, but not as well as you. I don't know Otto but I do know he has a good location and invests in anti-poaching measures, truly one of the few here who do.

Jason, yes Talas is a good location. From Kazakstan site too.
I have an acquaintance who suggests me to hunt in Osh region this year, but it is necessary to look at first that there is.