I watched one of the SCI guys hunt (ambush) a Marco Polo sheep this week on TV. The filming was odd in the way it showed the shot in one direction and the sheep in another. The hunter did not follow up the shot but waited until the next day for his Tajikistan helpers to track down the "wounded" sheep. Did anyone else see that show as a bit odd?

For one thing - the hunter complained of the altitude and shortness of breath. Hello! You are hunting sheep at elevation, what did you expect?

2) He took a strange looking shot at 500 yds. The animal showed no sign of a hit. He did not follow up the shot that day. Why not?

3) He led the locals hunt it down and drag it back for pictures. What gives with that? He sat in the truck all day waiting.

I just thought that was an odd looking way to hunt.

I saw the show last night and I’m skeptical as well. I hunted Marco Polo in Tajikistan and I’ve seen first hand the things that go on there. You would be amazed. PM me if you want more information.

I agree, I thought it was a weird show. I could see no sign that the sheep was hit either.

Dogcat,

While sheep altitude in the Rockies of what is probably tops 8000-12000 feet, we are talking about up to 20,000 feet.

Extreme altitude sickness and death are common enough to be a concern, even Craig Boddington got altitude sickness and had to make a run for lower altitude on his first Ovis Poli hunt. It is enough of a problem that it is considered very stupid not to take some kind of propholaxis for altitude so your lungs don't get filled with fluid causing death.

Now for the second part of this. The majority of the hunters that go on these hunts are very old. As money for 30, 40, and 50 somethings is usually spent on kids, college for kids, or bridezilla. The expectation when you pay $30,000 for a hunt is that you will get a ram, so if your an old guy and you "miss" a ram, the Attobecks are going to make sure you leave camp with a nice ram.

It is all a moot point anyway, the odds are these sheep won't be hunted again this was the last year. At least for Americans.

ya it was a really poorly put together show, funny its not the first marco polo hunt shown on network tv that completely sucked, cliff tupla? was the even worse.

I took it that the camera was on the wrong sheep, or they missed the camera shot altogher and put in that footage trying to piece something together.