Guys,
in 2011, I will be heading to Kyrgystan for an Ibex hunt.. So far, we are going the "traditional" route with a hunt in either early to mid Oct.. Lets the weather come in a bit, and lets the goats get some good hair on them.
With that said, I was curious if it was available, if one was so inclined, to have the choice to hunt there in March or April? If it IS possible, would the capes still be good with a winter coat? How does the weather differ during this time of year as opposed to the late Sept-early through mid October timeframe?

Reason being, if I can get an early calander hunt instead of the Oct hunt, I may be able to squeeze in another hunt in Oct or Nov!!

Thanks for the input, guys.

As far as I know, the hunting is closed in April, I believe the ibex opens in August, but not many hunt them at that time of year. You need to be willing to work a lot harder and get to higher altitudes.
I was there in October when there was very little snow and it was unseasonable warm, and the ibex were up over 13,000ft and in summer they will be higher still.
As for the caots, I don't know how much difference there is, but not a whole lot.

Thanks Express.. I may just have to keep it with the original dates in October to be safe.
Thank you for the reply.

Scottyboy,

I spoke with a friend that has connections in Kyrgyzstan and she says the fall hunts are much better than the Spring hunts. After the middle of October the rut kicks in and the dominant males come down from the peaks. Her father has a hunting lodge so I suspect she knows about the hunting there.

Good Hunting,
Hawkeye 47

Dude! You booked without me????

quote:

Originally posted by bwanamrm:
Dude! You booked without me????

Nothing "penned" in yet.. just penciled!! You're MORE than welcome to add to the group.. In fact, we could use one more. There's 3 of us thus far. Come on, Russ.. you know you want to go!!
I tell ya what, we'll pencil you in. I'll fill ya in on the in's and out's. We've got plenty of time still ahead of us before its time to go.

Hawkeye, thank you for that. I wa thinking that was going to be the case. Looks like we'll stick to October as our month to go.

Scottyboy,
There used to be season for foreign hunters during March, but I do not know if it still exists. Things have changed for the worse in Kyrgyzstan (government and animal numbers come to mind quickly) in the past several years. Hawkeye is correct that the rut is late fall, mid-Nov to mid-Dec. It brings greater mobility for the billies who generally seem to stay higher up than the herds. Also, heavy snowfall will bring the goats down lower. However, it is hard to beat March for the experience of being on horseback in the mountains: snow, bright warm sun, and biting wind. There will not be much coat difference between November and March, but both should be fuller than October.

quote:

Hawkeye is correct that the rut is late fall, mid-Nov to mid-Dec.

Yes, fall-hunt is in December, but the hunting season is closed by December.

In April hunting is closed always.
This year hunting season open
till March.

quote:

Nothing "penned" in yet.. just penciled!! You're MORE than welcome to add to the group.. In fact, we could use one more. There's 3 of us thus far. Come on, Russ.. you know you want to go!!
I tell ya what, we'll pencil you in. I'll fill ya in on the in's and out's. We've got plenty of time still ahead of us before its time to go.

Keep me posted Scott!

I have the pleasure of spending to Uncle Sam funded camping trips to Manas AFB which is just outside the capital.

The weather there is not much different than season East coast northern weather here in the USA.

The time frames I have spent there are from April thru Mid-sept., during that time it was HOT! but it was a good kind of heat, not humid. But it was still hot enough to make the pavement tacky while you walk across it.

My 2nd trip there was Early January thru early June. This is not a time I would recommend being in that country. Lots of snow, -15 degree temps. and its doesnt thaw till early to mid May.

Now when I was leaving in September, it seemed to be typical fall weather. Kinda rainy and overcast most of the days I was there. But its wasnt too cold to make things not cool.

That country has some of the prettiest country side I have ever seen. There was days when the vizability was clear enough to see snow capped mountains on a regular basis. Stuff you only see on post cards and in movies.

Thanks for the info, Brando.. I repeatedly hear that the Kyrgy countryside is like stepping back in time 200 years in central MT with pristine mountains and grasslands without a single fence or powerline as far as you can see.

As for the weather, we are looking at Oct/Nov now. The spring hunt was just an option I was toying with.

Thanks for the info.

Oct. should be prime and not too cold.

Nov. you might be playing with fire a little. THere is a real chance of some heavy snow, and well below zero temps. But its a craps shoot, you may have awesome weather!

Scottyboy,
I would try to push your trip as far into November as possible if you want a better chance at a nice billie and fuller coats. November weather can be unpredictable.
September--more or less beautiful dry fall weather
October--mix of good and bad
November--mix of more bad than good
December--mix of more good than bad
The bad in October/November can be rain. Lighter precipitation in December and it will be snow.

Shoot me a PM if you want