This hunt started as a quest to do something different for my 50th birthday. I always go hunting for my birthday but the hunts are usually casual and include lots of beer and dice. This was a compromise between wanting to do something different and finding an adventure I could afford. My eye was drawn to a mountain hunt for ibex. Having been on plenty of "vacation" hunts around the world, I wanted to challenge myself for a 50th birthday hunt.

Started my research and found Bryan Martin at AMO. Numerous discussions and calls to previous hunters led to booking an ibex hunt for my birthday. Of course, not a single hunting buddy was willing to visit a "Stan" country with me. Bryan then gave my a contact who was also wanting to go. I ended up booking alone but would be travelling with 2 guys also from Montana. Always good to have some English speaking company in a foreign country!

This hunt was going to be many firsts for me....... First high altitude hunt, first hunt with no English, first long range shooting, first goat, first solo hunt and first time in Asia.

I started by joining a local gym and hiring "Jake" as my trainer. 3 days a week of kicking my butt should help. 5 months later I was ready to invade a Kyrgyzstan if necessary! Honestly, I over-trained for the trip I ended up on. Not a bad thing but my advise to others would be focus on core strength most. Sitting, riding and sleeping on rocks doesn't take semi-pro biceps.

Next was a rifle. My .338 Win Mag has been my best buddy for 35 years. We have shared many cold nights, hot days and heated shoots around the world. I love my wood stocked, Browning A bolt .338 Win Mag with 250 grain Woodleigh Weldcores. However, a different tool is needed for precision shooting out to 800 yards. So a rifle search began with a close friend who dabbles in load development. 300 WM was selected as caliber due to international popularity. I'm also not a fan of small caliber rifles. Accubonds were chosen over Bergers. Synthetic over wood for durability. I am an old-fashioned guy and I like wood. So, if it's going to be different, it's going to be cool. Settled on a Sako A-7 synthetic and stainless. Had the metal cerakoted with a special blend. The stock was dipped in Kryptek Highlander cammo. Added a muzzle brake and found a Falcon bipod from England. This baby looks like it wants to kill. Added some SF Giants duckt tape so I can find it in the grass and headed to the range.

I live in Montana and have hunted all my life. Honestly, my longest shots at game have not been planned and are rarely over 300 yards. The last 20 years have been on guided hunts with zero shots over 200 yards. I had some range work to do. Started by getting some AR steel and setting targets in the hills behind the lake house. Downloaded shooting apps and most importantly shipped my scope back to Leupold. $90 transformed my VX III 3.5x10 leopard scope into a long range CDS target scope. Developed a routine for the summer. Go to the lake on Friday night, wake early and shoot 15-20 rounds before the kids wake and head to the water. My practice was all in field positions, careful rest, known distance and different angles. I learned there is a LOT to learn about long range shooting! By September, I had send over 300 rounds downrange and could hit a 14x14 steel at 747 yards. Ran out of dial on the scope for longer distances and frankly didn't think I would really need to shoot farther on any hunting trip. It is guided? Right?
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My hunting gear is the typical hodgepodge of clothing collected over 30 years. Some wool, synthetic, cammo, heavy, light and used. Not for this trip. I contacted First Lite clothing in Idaho and ended up buying one of everything in the line. Incredible stuff. Light, warm and wearable. Love it! Looked at the popular lines and decided to help a smaller, more local company. Glad I did.
Found a Mystery Ranch pack, Black Diamond tent, Lowa boots and Mountain House meals rounded out my kit.

July hits and Bryan is bugging me about Marco Polo. Sure, I have wanted to hunt MP since I was a kid. Couldn't afford it then and really cant afford it now. But..... I couldn't stand the thought of going all that way and seeing MP without shooting one. Luckily, sold some art to finance the trip and added my first sheep to the list!

August arrives and my dad celebrates his 75th birthday. He was my first hunting buddy and has been with me on almost every travel. Much to my surprise, he wants to go as an observer. We discuss the risks and decide to have him go with the expectation of taking it easy on his body but allowing him to experience as much as possible. I'm tickled.

We leave Kalispell, MT on September 30. Fly to SF and board Turkish Air for Istanbul. 14 hour flight ends with a bump and we are met by Arjun who works for Istanbul For Hunters. Great guy, great service and well worth the money. He takes care of my rifle, delivers us to the hotel, takes us sightseeing and deposits us back at the airport for the flight to Bishkek. Please take the time to see the Ottoman Military History Museum if you visit.

5 hours later arrive in Bishkek and meet the hunting crew. At first glance, they are solid, friendly and look prepared. I get in a large passenger van expecting a drive to camp. OMG! The next 14 hours was the worst time of my life. I literally found myself fighting the urge to scream, tear off my seatbelt and jump from the vehicle. Like childbirth, you can't imagine it unless you have been there. 8 guys, gear, loud foreign music, traffic, herds of animals, winding roads, no roads, construction, police checks, bumps, ditches, gravel, and time. 14 hours. 14 hours. 14 hours. NO REALLY... 14 hours. That was part of the "adventure" military POW training would help prepare for.
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Arrival in camp was just as anywhere else. Nice, warm, kinda comfy bed. Next morning shoot the rifles and get a look around. Your body is constantly reminding you of the altitude. Camp is at 11,300 feet according to my Casio. A chapter could be written about the effects of altitude. Let's just say I never felt 100%. I took Diamox and was never physically ill but my mind was always just not on. Of course, I couldn't breathe after taking 20 steps on a hill. So much for all the treadmill training.

The landscape is incredible. It feels like a big valley surrounded by mountains. All good till you realize the mountains are 20,000 feet and the valley floor is 12,000 feet. I come from "Big Sky Country" and I felt small here. The land is VAST. I really wished I could shoot at 2 miles. 700 yards was a skip across the creek here.

That night, I learned I would be hunting with Sanzjar and his father. Never could pronounce his name so I called him Papa. What a pair. Papa has been a sheep guide for 30 years. I was special for me to spend time in the mountains with these two. Loved every minute of it.

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First afternoon starts with a 4 hour hose ride to the mountains on the far side of the valley. We see 40-60 MP. All running away at 900 yards. What the Hell? These animals are spooked. How? There are no people anywhere, very little hunting pressure and we are on horses. I never got an answer but also rarely saw one standing still.
They guides stop the horses and indicate we will camp for the night. My packs come off. I have two. One with camping stuff, the other for shooting. Just getting a look around when "Pops" grabs me and points to the horse. He says; "Ibex, hurry, shoot". Huh? What about going for a walk, spotting some critters, making a plan and executing a well planned 500 yard shot across a valley? Nope. Jump on the horse, scramble up a mountain, sneak around a rock and......

There are 20 ibex feeding in a bowl. My pack is back at camp. Thank goodness for Leica rangefinding binos. 350 yards, walking left to right. The guide tells me to shoot. Huh? Which one? Oh! the first one is a billy. It's also the first one I have ever seen. The guides both tell me to shoot with big Asian smiles. Great. I know the range, but am unsure of the correct dope on my scope. Not sure about the animal but have looked at hundreds on the internet... I dial for what I think is 350 and shoot right over its back. The guides get really exited now and the ibex is running to the right. No problem. I place a round cleanly through his nose. He stops. I settle down and place a 180 grain AB through both front shoulders. Not a wiggle from him. New magazine in the rifle, giggles from the guide and I send another AB through the shoulder. The billy wobbles and falls over. We all know that feeling. Wow! I was sooo excited. The guides were excited. It was a very special moment. Not sure what to report on Accubonds. My 3rd and 4th shots were almost touching. Through front shoulder, top of heart, out back shoulder. Never found a bullet.

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Yes, I'm very happy with my ibex. His size? No idea. I think he would tape at 40 but the mass is incredible. I'm not a goat hunter but am impressed with the animal. Beautiful coat, beard and face. Short, stocky and built like an Irish Boxer. That's China in the background. As you can see Roland at TrophyShotPrints did a super job with my photo. I slept well that night. My first night in hunting camp at 13,000 feet above sea level.

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Next day was a long day on horseback watching hundreds of MP run like antelope across the prairie. We arrive back at the main camp to share the stories and take some pictures. Travis, the other hunter, had also connected on an nice billy. Everyone was happy.

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Day 3 was the first full day of MP hunting. Oh the stories! We took horses where you shouldn't. I walked where you shouldn't. I was scared, excited, cold and happy at the same time. I had about a dozen MP in my scope. Not one was standing still and I never really got to study the animal. I ended up shooting mine first at 375 yard and then again at about 450 yards. 14,000 according to Mr. Casio. The hunt was fantastic. Not ashamed to admit I sat and cried a little when it was finally over. All the years, all the time, all the trips, all the books. Every bit of my outdoor experience was put to the test in Kyrgyzstan. All I wanted was right before me. I had accomplished all I had dreamed of. A moving moment for me.

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The night was for celebration. I had a full week to explore and share with my father to celebrate my birthday. Living has never felt so good.
A knock on the door at 1am changed the mood in camp. One of the other Americans was sick. One look told us he needed a doctor. Altitude sickness can be deadly and this guy looked bad. Shallow breathing, gurgling in his lungs and white as a sheet. Dad and I could have stayed behind but after a short conference, we decided to go home early and help. I have been in scary situations and this counts. Off we go on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride down the mountain to a hospital in Bishkek. That is also a story. His condition improved as we lost altitude and the doctors gave him an IV. Two days later he flew home against doctors orders. Happy to report full recovery.

I am not an Asian expert. My advice after ONE hunt would be: Go prepared. Don't make this your first trip across the pond. Know your equipment. Know yourself. You can get in trouble. Relax. This is nothing like Africa. There is no smiling PH telling stories and cracking beers while you sit waiting for things to be sorted out. Be less generous with money and equipment than in Africa or Alaska. Would I go back? In a second. I am willing to drop anything and tag on any MP hunt if you let me shoot another ibex!

Thanks for reading. Here's the compilation Roland put together.

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ok. I still can't post pics. Help?

I'm seeing the pictures. Thanks for the great report and congratulations on the adventure!

Very cool. Great photos and story.

Jeremy

Thanks!
Farbedo..... Will be in touch. Have my sights set on a Tur next. Loved your report and need to discuss specifics with you.

Great hunt and accomplishment!

Thanks for sharing

That was a great story and photos. Especially loved the prep work part, sounds like it payed off for you.

Great hunt and report! Congrats on your accomplishment and a pair of trophies you and your father will recall for the rest of your lives. Well done.

Quite an adventure!

Well done. Great story!!!!

Thanks guys! Appreciate all the help found here. Always learning.

Ski+3

Congratulations on your hunt, Sir.

I applaud all your preparation for the hunt. Very praiseworthy.

well done fine animals

Congratulations on a great hunt.

Arjun

Congrats. Great trophies. .

Awesome. I am booking my hunt. Anyone want to go?

Outstanding! And Roland's work, as always, impeccable!

What an adventure! And those are some great trophies, glad you got to share this experience with your father, congratulations and thanks for sharing!

Rob,

What a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed your report. Awesome!

David

Great hunt and awesome report. Having your father along must have been a real treat.

What a great adventure and outstanding hunt report!

Great report, Rob!

Just great. Makes me whant to do this hunt

Good Hunting

Carl Frederik