Tajikistan - Marco Polo Sheep and Mid-Asian Ibex Hunt Report

Dates – February 1-12, 2020

Hunt Area – ANCOT Community Development, Alichur Village, Tajikistan

Agent – Greg Brownlee of Neal and Brownlee, LLC - +1 918 299 3580, greg@nealandbrownlee.com

Travel Agent – Kathi Klimes – Wild Travel - +1 708-425-3553, kathi@wildtravel.net

Weapons and Optics Used – HS Precision Takedown in 7mm Rem Mag with Swarovski X5i 3-18x50 with a turret. Bullet was a custom load for this set up using a 180gr Berger bullet at 2929 fps. My binoculars were Leica 10x42 ranging binos that can calculate distance with regard to elevation. Ballistic apps are available, but I have not yet figured out how to use them. I carried a laminated “click table” for the long shots. Comment on this – the back ring cracked while checking zero in -10F temps. This did not affect performance of the scope. Note – ALWAYS take a back up on a hunt like this.

Animals sought and taken – Marco Polo Sheep and Mid-Asian Ibex

Animals seen but not hunted – Yak, fox, and very fresh snow leopard tracks!

Executive Summary

Brutal. This hunt was easily the toughest I have tried. We hunted at 14,000’-15,000’ elevations with temps ranging from -38F to +10F in 18” to 24” of snow. I had excellent gear and suffered only mildly from the cold, but the altitude was extremely testing while climbing in the snow. The guides were exceptional and allowed me to be successful on a 58” sheep and a good ibex.
Due to the weather, we had to drive from Dushanbe to Alichur Village – 600 miles over mostly dirt roads and through the wildest mountains I have ever seen. This took one full day and another half day. Accommodations on the road were excellent. Accommodations at Alichur Village were rustic/stark/local. Due to the cold we stayed with a family in a house rather a yurt. All in all, a great experience, extremely well planned but seriously physically and mentally demanding.



Getting There

Use an experienced travel agent. Kathi Klimes is a magician. She is the best I have ever used and is a wealth of experience. If you do not call Kathi, you better do your research on the one you select. She/he will save your butt. I have made 200 or more international flights over the years as I work in the oil business and had the distinct pleasure to work in Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Nigeria to name a few fun places. Also, I have hunted a lot in Africa, so I understand the rigors of setting flights and hotels and logistics. This trip was a bit more extreme than others due to having to drive across Tajikistan.
The trip started in Denver, to Chicago to Istanbul, then to Dushanbe. This was easy and very nice. Istanbul is a great city with a super airport. Zero issues. Dushanbe is a budding airport but clean and efficient. The VIP service was excellent, fast and cheap ($140 for gun clearance and check in). Greg Brownlee (agent) has been here 11 times and has this set up very well. If you do not use a VIP service, you are too dumb to go on a trip like this. The fees are tiny and worth every penny.
With the cold, charters were not available, so we had to drive from Dushanbe to Alichur Village – 600 miles over tough roads. The amazing part was that we rode in Toyota Land Cruisers (very comfortable) and have decent places to stop along the way. We drove a large part of the trip along the Panj river that separates Afghanistan from Tajikistan. The scenery was stunning, and the mountains were off the scale steep. Chris Klineberger and many other early hunters into this area comment on this in their various books. We were close to the famous Wakhan Corridor where Elgin Gates, Prince Abdorreza Pahlavi of Iran and others trekked through in the pre-Iran Revolution days to hunt Marco Polo sheep. This is very remote and honestly a bit scary as we drove roads that were cut into the mountains and then dropped 1000’ to the river below.

Google Maps is in Tajikistan – this was our route –



We saw a snow slide that blocked the road on the Afghan side and had to navigate rock slides on our side.



Looking across the Panj River into Afghanistan – this village was cut into the mountain-side.



More Mountains



At the 13-hour mark on the drive in, we stayed at a nice hotel in Khorog, before getting further remote on the way to Alichur. This was a good stop on the way in and a better stop on the way out as we could bath and shave here.

We saw several statues along the way – we are in the right place!



A hotel was being built on the side of the cliff. Not sure I would stay here but the scenery was stunning….



We stopped for lunch on the trip in at another part of the hunt area. This area held markour. Here are a couple that the snow leopards got. Stunning animals that are making a comeback in this part of the world.



On the road to the hunt area, we came across some folks in bind. They had skidded off the road and tipped over the Land Cruiser. It was heavily loaded with men and stuff. We saw no one was hurt, then winched them upright. Could have been a mess.



The Country

I have been in several of the “-stan” countries and live in one – Kazakhstan. They are all similar in many aspects due to the Russian influence and the Asian vibe. This country is safe, the airport is good, the roads near the capital are good, the people are friendly, and the mountains are stunning. If you like mountain hunts and mountain sights, you will like Tajikistan. When you look at the map, you see we drove nearly all the way across the country. We did in fact do that. Not a lot of traffic when you get 50 miles away from Dushanbe, so the driving was not dangerous in terms of other drivers. I would not be afraid to go here or bring my wife. The issue on this hunt was the cold and the altitude combined. This made for a tough hunt – which I was fully aware of going in.
At the 13,000’ elevation mark on the drive in.



More clues we were in ibex territory



When we arrived, we checked rifles. I fired two shots, both were dead on. Then I looked at my scope and saw this –



It was -10F when I shot the rifle. I had taken it out of a warm vehicle to shoot. Not sure what caused this, but it was potentially a nightmare. I rechecked and the shots held zero. When I got home, I took it apart and could not tell what happened. Likely a combination of cold and over torqueing. Note – ALWAYS BRING A BACK UP SCOPE AND MOUNTS.

Hunting

Without the snow, the bulk of the hunting would have been driving around the massive area (92,000 hectares or 227,000 acres) checking mountainsides and valleys for sheep and ibex. The snow severely limited where we could get to in a vehicle. So, we went where we could, then hiked where we could in the heavy snow. This limited me badly due to the altitude, but the guides were fine. The cold was another issue. As long as we were moving, we were fine but stopping was a problem. Hands get cold quick in -20F along with noses and eyes. We managed but it was not fun.

We spent a lot of time digging out of the snow. This was tough in the temps we faced. The guides just did it.



Map of the area. The village in the lower left center marked in red.



We saw sheep every day. No issue with that. The issue was finding them where we could actually climb to. Again, the snow was the obstacle. We attempted a couple of stalks, but the footing and distances held me back. Actually, the first shooting opportunity was on the 2nd day for an ibex. Spotting them was not the issue. Getting anywhere close to them was.

Tracks in the snow – lots….



We settled on a representative Billy and I made the shot at 705 yards – way beyond anything I have tried before. However, I had attended the SAAM school in Texas and had fired a lot of rounds at steel at this distance with this gun, so I knew what I was taking on.
Setting a ballistics table for this area is not easy. I had it pretty well settled but did not account for shooting in -10F. The colder the air the more the bullet drop.
My first shot was low but connected on the second and third shots. The Billy went downhill toward some rocks and flung off several more shots but did not connect. The ibex settled in a bad place that I would not be able to get to, so we backed out, marked the spot and went in for the day.
Next day, two guys went one way and I went another with a guide to come onto the Billy from above and below. We hoped this would be a non-event with the Billy being dead. Not so. He got up and staggered around some other rocks away from me. The lead guide, Machan, finished him for us.
I hate that. Not finishing the stalk and shot, but I had no choice. Conditions were such that the safe thing was for me for stay low and let the guides go high. It worked and we had a nice ibex!





The skinners/taxidermist skinning an ibex.



Marco Polo

A similar set of circumstances happened on the sheep. We looked a several decent rams and passed on anything 55” or less. I like the horns that curl then dip at the ends. Machan had pictures of several that fit that description, so the issue was just looking until we found one. Several times, we got within 400 yards of rams that were “ok” but not “Bolshoi big”. They are truly a majestic sheep as we got a lot of views of them standing on outcrops just surveying all that lay below them.
This was at 500 yards. Very majestic and unafraid.



On one group of rams were planned to get a closer look, a pack of 5 wolves showed up and we witnessed an hour- long stalk by the wolves on the sheep we were watching. The sheep eventually saw the wolves, bunched up and drifted off from the wolves. That was seriously cool to see.
Judging these sheep is easier than the North American varieties. A full curl here is a baby. You look for the full curl plus more with the tips dipping into the next curl. Heaviness matters too. However, if you see one that dips, it is likely 55” or bigger and heavy. As they say, big always looks big.
On the sheep I eventually took, the situation unfolded much like the ibex. We spotted them high on the side of a mountain. We got out the spotting scope, saw a big ram and made the climb. This climb was in plain sight of the sheep so they just watched us until we got to where we could not go further on this route. I fired at 600 yards and hit the ram with both shots. I tried a third shot, but my finger had frozen and I could not get a squeeze. Too cold a -20F. He staggered and we prayed that he would drop and roll down off the mountain. Not to be, however. He gathered himself and walked about 40 yards to a high plateau and laid down.

Look at this picture and tell me this sheep should be standing……



Machan said we need to back off, go down and let the sheep die. We would come back tomorrow and recover him, no problem. We have a picture of the blood on the shoulder, so we felt good about this.

Well, the best laid plans did not work out exactly as we hoped. The next day, we came back and the sheep was gone. Further, we could see a large blood trail on the snow and a large red patch where he had laid from 1000 yards away in a spotting scope. Now what??? The guides made a plan to go around the mountain and look from the other side. They did and could see tracks coming down off the mountain to the valley floor where we were standing. We then assumed that the ram would be dead in the valley making an easy recovery. A tough hike into the valley floor yielded nothing, then we see that ram limping up the far side of valley with another ram. This ram was hobbling in 2’ snow on one shattered shoulder and another damaged shoulder with blood dripping out the nose. Tough.

We set back, watched them bed down high on an exposed slope and gave up for the day. Machan said we would get him for sure the next day (my last day).
We went back, found the ram where we left him and planned a stalk/hike. While getting ready, the ram got up, and started down the mountain toward us. We let him come to within 200 yards, then finished him. I froze up waiting and went to the truck, left my rifle with Machan and he put in the finisher.
Again, not the way I like to end a hunt or a stalk but there was not option. The weather was tougher than me, the altitude was tougher than me and the guides darn sure were tougher than me.
All in, no regrets and no apologies. That was a tough, tough hunt.



I had the option to ride a yak to do the recovery. Not sure about this as I am not into horses. This yak did not look like he wanted me around, so I passed.



A Word on Guides

These guides were exceptional. They were a mix of Tajik and Kirgiz men with a lot of experience. They hike the mountains every day all day and are in exquisite physical shape. The gun Machan is holding is an ancient single shot, shotgun. He uses it on follow ups….. He uses SSG or buckshot. He had two rounds.



Machan had a dog to help on follow ups. This dog lived outside in the -35F temps. After getting the Marco Polo, the dog was not keen on getting in the back of the Land Cruiser with it. So, what do you do with a dog that won’t mind you??? Bag him and toss him in the truck!





Every morning I checked the weather. Here is Machan’s dog sleeping outside in -35F. Tough darn dog…



Accomodations

As I mentioned, we stayed with a family with six girls and one son. I think we pushed them out of their rooms and took them over. Here is our “bedroom”. I shared space with a video guy from South Africa.



Fire box and hot water source. Fuel for the fire was yak dung and a type of scrub brush. No wood here as we are way above the timber line.



A unique sink arrangement. You add hot water to the top where you see the handle, then you have hot water. The water drains into a bucket under the sink.



Clothes can be dried outside at -20F if the sun is shining. I never would have thought it.



Milk picked up and delivered the old fashioned way.



Asia and Middle East toilets are a challenge. This one was an outhouse, no roof, just a hole as you see. The challenge when you are my age is 1)getting in position to use this appliance, 2) not missing the target and hitting my shoes or pants, 3) doing this at night in the -35F temps and not freezing certain parts of my anatomy….



The moon rise helped with hitting the target in the outhouse.



As I mentioned, we saw things we don’t see in Denver – Here is a moon rise, note the colors.



Observations

1. Obviously, do this hunt in October if possible. Not as cold and little to no snow.

2. The area is well managed with a factual harvest and a conservation plan. The group running this area was awarded special recognition by the Wild Sheep Foundation.

3. This is not an area clouded by controversy – meaning that there is no scam of replacing wounded sheep with sheep previously killed and kept for such an occasion. This is a legit and ethical hunt. Not casting doubts on others or other outfits, but there are rumors about this practice.

4. Be prepared to shoot accurately at a variety of distances. If you are 200-yard whitetail guy, this is not the hunt for you. If you doubt your skills, go to Gunsite or SAAM for long range training. You may need it.

5. I do not think there are gloves or mittens made for -35F. Mine were rated for arctic conditions and were good quality but my hands still froze. Heaters helped.

6. This is not Africa. The accommodations at sparse, the toilet was a hole in the ground, food is what the locals eat. You will not starve but be prepared for things you normally do not eat.

7. Your gear is critical. Plan for cold. Boots need to be well worn and able to handle cold. The South African camera man working for the other hunters literally had his boots crack due to the cold and fall apart. Further, he was under-equipped for the cold. Be prepared.

8. Greg Brownlee sends you a detailed list of what to bring. Follow it exactly.

9. As to altitude, I had no issues health wise. However, bring Diamox and other meds as needed should you need them. There is no medical clinic here. The closest is 4 to 5-hour ride away. The care is good as one of the other hunters learned on this hunt.

Other Thoughts
1. I always ask, “would I do this hunt again?” In this case, no way. It is too tough and too remote. I cannot bring my wife and it is a Crossfit work out to end all work outs.

2. Now, would I recommend it? Of course! This is for Marco Polo Sheep – the biggest and baddest sheep of them all. If you are a sheep hunter, you have to do this hunt. Take an ibex while you are there too.

3. Am I done sheep hunting??? My wife of 38 years says I am…. And I have to agree with her. I really love/hate sheep hunting. But, at 65+, the legs and body are not in tune with my desires. I have done 10+ sheep hunts and they are work. Africa beckons…. I will do ibex in Spain or Pakistan or Mongolia, but not more hard climbs or sleeping on the ground or humping a pack.

4. This was as well-organized hunt as you can get for the remoteness of this place. Tajikistan is the country that is farthest from an ocean of any country on earth. It is remote and daunting. However, Greg and the guys in Tajikistan make it work.

Bird List - (being a birder, I have to look)

Red-billed Chough (a crow with a bright red bill)
Golden Eagle (like the ones in the USA)
Common Pigeon
Magpie
Common Crow
Plain Mountain Finch
Pamir Horned Lark

Amazing story and Ram. Congrats!!! No flys on a 7mm Rem mag.

Ross, you are really to be congratulated for being able to bring this off. Excellent report and photos as always.

Congrats on a great hunt and you did an excellent job of posting it.

I used to have to ski in -35* F temps when I lived in Colorado, but that was many, many years ago. I like your advise for October.

Thankyou for a great comprehensive report.

quote:

3. Am I done sheep hunting??? My wife of 38 years says I am…. And I have to agree with her. I really love/hate sheep hunting. But, at 65+, the legs and body are not in tune with my desires. I have done 10+ sheep hunts and they are work. Africa beckons…. I will do ibex in Spain or Pakistan or Mongolia, but not more hard climbs or sleeping on the ground or humping a pack.

Hmmm but we have heard this before!

As always you have great reports. Congratulations on your hunt.

Congrats on an excellent hunt and a great report.

I feel your pain on the sheep hunts.

Wow! Congratulations! Thanks for posting this report.

.

Ross, Thanks for positing a great report! And big congratulations on a/ managing the hunt, the weather and the altitude and b/ taking such a great sheep! Well done!

Cheers

.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Congrats on an excellent hunt and a great report.

I feel your pain on the sheep hunts.

Larry - you and I are likely done with sheep hunts that are butt busters. And, I am not sure there are any that are not....

First off, thank you for your report. Between you and Charlie I am thankful that you guys are so prolific with the quality of your hunts and reports. Gives me something to think about as I get a few more green backs in my wallet.

2nd, more importantly congrats. I have seen a lot of dead and taxidermied Marco Polo and your ram is a perfect example. I'd be tickled pink with a ram like that. Everyone dreams of a 60 plus ram, but yours has everything and has a nice shape, good mass and is beautiful to boot. Again Congrats!

Aluminum and stainless steel do not like cold weather. Anything in the minus 20 or so realm can cause shear stresses to happen. Moving from a heated vehicle to -20 probably did it.

Congrats on an adventure for life and a very nice ram !

Well done


Morten

Congratulations! Thank you for sharing.
Leave the Berger bullets at home...…


Ski+3
Whitefish, MT

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Congrats on an excellent hunt and a great report.

I feel your pain on the sheep hunts.

Larry - you and I are likely done with sheep hunts that are butt busters. And, I am not sure there are any that are not....

I am going to do a backpack hunt in AK in August. Yes, I am certifiably insane. After that, the sheep are likely done for me.

Amazing adventure.

Great report! Congrats on your success.

Great report. I did this hunt this past December and echo everything you said. Also shot a nice MP and Ibex. Not for the faint of heart for sure!

Fabulous report and awesome pics Mr dogcat!
Thanks for sharing your adventure!

I did the hunt there in 2003 and had about the same experiences sans the broken scope ring and helping rollover victims.

It's an enchanted place, even in December.

Zeke

Lots of respect for a hunt like that. Even more respect for telling it exactly how it happened with the recoveries and not sugar-coating it. Well done an all accounts.

Best hunt reports in the business.

Congrats!

As always, cramming the most adventure possible into your hunts. An honest account of a very tough hunt and the report reads all the better for that. Thankyou Ross. May you have many more years of adventure and hunting to live and love.

Wow- respect!

Well done

Awesome hunt and report! Thanks for sharing.

Absolutely phenomenal! As always, your report is fantastic. I’m not terribly fond of the cold or mountains but this is a very intriguing adventure...

Thank you for sharing!

Great report as always! Thanks for sharing.

Another fantastic report , Ross. As I was nearing the end of your report, I thought to myself “No way Ross has his usual expansive list of birds with accompanying photos in -30 degree temps”. Well no photos, but you still managed to spot a few birds. Sounds like it was colder than my mother-in-law’s kiss.

+1 on an incredible hunt report and I respect your tenacity for what looks like a brutal hunt!

Just a few thoughts:

What brand scope mounts are you using...steel or aluminum? I would have had a heart attack if I looked down and saw that crack....you so lucky they held!

Also, what part of the rams anatomy did you hit with your shots?? Was it a bullet failure or were they marginal shots that didn't hit anything vital, since that ram lived a long time.

NOT disparaging your shooting in any way....that was an incredibly tough shot in brutal conditions so just wondering what happened.

Are you there Dogcat??

I o not know the brand of rings. They were aluminum.

Shoulder on the sheep, quartering away. Bullet penetrated to one lung only. Hit the diaphragm on the ibex, a bit low.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
I o not know the brand of rings. They were aluminum.

Shoulder on the sheep, quartering away. Bullet penetrated to one lung only. Hit the diaphragm on the ibex, a bit low.

Thanks for the response! Fascinating hunt report about a place I will probably never get too.

Do you think that penetrating only one lung was a failure of the Berger bullet you were using or was the angle wrong for 2 lungs?

THat sheep lived a long time and went pretty far...tough animal only using one lung plus blood loss

Not sure. This was my first use of Berger’s. Also, the shot was 700 yards in very cold conditions. I am not the best shot on the planet but did hit the target. I suspect the bullet broke up on a shoulder blade. I did not do the autopsy due to the cold.
I will try the bullet again this fall and see.

At 700 yards, in the freezing cold, and with wind, that was a GREAT shot LOL! I bet that the average guy would miss that shot 9 times out of 10.

I heard allot of different things about Berger's. They are essentially an un-bonded match bullet that are super accurate but will fragment, which seems to have happened with your shot. Some guys swear by them and other's hate them.

FWIW: If you look at Long Range Hunting Forum there are TONS of comments on Berger bullets

You are right. I would normally never take a shot this long but that was my best chance at a great ram. Having been to the SAAM school and having confidence to 700 yards (at the school I was 75% on hitting 18" steel) with a gun I knew well, gave me the nudge to take the shot. Honestly, I was suprised to hit him twice then seeing the blood on the shoulder. I felt certain he was dead in minutes, but he was not and ended up leading us on a long recovery. Not proud of that but I offer no excuse as I took the shot.

At the end of the day, when you send the bullet down range, it is all on you - just like having a 3' putt to win the Masters. You make it or you don't.

I understand the issue on the Bergers. My go to guy on reloading loves them and uses them. I will do more with them this fall on deer and see what happens.

For sure. On a once in a lifetime hunt like that I would have definitely taken the shot too, especially since you already shot a 700 yards and know your dope for that range. The fact that you even attended a shooting school shows just how serious and responsible you are as a hunter and person who respects the game you are hunting. All of us winded game before and if you are an ethical hunter it bothers you.
I shot a zebra too far back last year and we lost the track and couldn’t find him. A few days later vultures directed us to him and it was a sickening sight...dead and torn apart by hyenas. I could care less that I had to pay the trophy fee but what bothered me was the death and waste of a beautiful animal that I blew a shot on

Great report as usual Ross, thank you
Say Hi To Diane

Thanks for sharing. Hate the Asian style of toilets in the day and the heat, can’t imagine in the dark and cold.


What does the rifle weigh?

Well done Ross, I watched for your result with great interest and a ripper result it was too. Terrific trophy and trip and I expected that after speaking with you. However I just might have something else that may be of interest to you minus the cold and elevation but a trip for the ages.

Huge kudos. Awesome Ram in unbelievably difficult physical and mental conditions. You will have many a fine and hard earned memory looking at this trophy on your wall. Congratulations.

That was a great read and comprehensive hunt report,thank you.

Congrats! That was a truly awesome hunt and adventure.