Hunt dates: Jan 2, 2007-Jan 10, 2007

Outfitter: Asif Khan, Himalaya Nature Tours Pakistan
E-Mail himalaya@glt.comsats.net.pk
Phone from US : Office 011 92 5811 52946
Home 011 92 5811 55359
Cost: $ 7500 including the trophy fee

Area Hunted: The Karakoram Mountains in the community hunting area known as KVO

Rifle: 7mm Rem Mag, I used a 162 grain RWS Ammo.

I got a last minute opportunity to hunt the Himalayan Ibex in the KVO close to the Chinese border, long considered one of the best areas for the Himalayan Ibex in Pakistan.
The plan was confirmed and I was off to Pakistan within 3 weeks.

I arrived in Islamabad from New York by Pakistan International Airlines ( not the best but the only flight from NY without a plane change, so less risk of lost baggage )

I chose to drive to Gilgit because of the unreliability of flights to this northern mountain town. It is a 2 day drive and takes you through some of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the world including the HinduKush, Himalayas and the Karakoram. Most of the surrounding mountains are between 19,000 to 27,000 feet. The two best known mountains are Nanga Parbat which is 8126 meters high and Rakaposhi at 7788 meters







In Gilgit I stayed for a day at the Serena Hotel. An Austrian hunter had shot a 42 inch Markhor 2 days prior to my arrival, the outfitter brought the trophy for us to see, it was a grand animal.



The next day we drove about 110 km to the hunting area. The Ibex population was excellent and in 3 days I saw about 300 animals.

There had only been one snow fall about a month prior to my arrival so the big Ibex were high up on the mountain slopes.

The base camp is in a comfortable lodge at an elevation of 10,000 and I mostly hunted at an elevation of 11,000 to 13,000 feet.

The third day of the hunt we saw 2 good Ibex the larger one was estimated to be 45inches the smaller one around 41 inches, they were both high up on a rock face, there was no way I could climb this rock face and get above them the gorge was narrow with a fast stream of ice cold water running through it.








My guide suggested a climb on the mountain opposite the rock face about a half mile down wind of the Ibex. The climb took the better part of the morning and as we started walking to a spot across from the Ibex we saw them moving towards us on the opposite rock face. I ranged a ridge that we thought the Ibex would cross at 328 yards. I had a solid rest and there was no wind.
The guide told me that the lead Ibex was the large male. I saw the Ibex horns appear on the ridge and shot as soon as the body was visible through the scope and heard the bullet hit, the Ibex ran down stood for a split second and my second shot hit right behind the shoulder and he froze for a second and then started tumbling down the rock face and fell about a 100 yards and got stuck behind the only Juniper tree for miles around.

At that point it became clear that the smaller Ibex had overtaken the larger one at some point where we could not see them and not knowing what had happened in the excitement I had shot the smaller of the two Ibex.

The retrieval of the Ibex took a full day and efforts of 6 climbers using ropes. A ladder bridge had to be constructed. They had to skin the body on the mountain before bringing it down.








Even though I shot the smaller 40 inch Ibex it was a great hunt and adventure. I would recommend this hunt to any serious mountain hunter and feel that Asif Khan did an excellent job and KVO indeed is one of the best areas to hunt.

I saw many snow leopard tracks some very fresh and have been told that they are abundant in this area.




I also got to hold the potential world record Astor Markhor head, Asif Khan had tried to hunt this particular animal for a number of years and failed, the animal was killed last year in an avalanche and was found by a shepherd.




Regards
Aziz

Great hunt report and photos. Congratulations!!

As always Aziz, congratulations on a spectacular hunt and excellent report. I greatly enjoy reading the stories from different parts of the world, thank you for posting!

Was your guide English-speaking (or one available)?

Is a Markhor in your future?

Regards, Bill

For those who may not have seen it, here is a link to one of Aziz's previous hunts in Pakistan: CLICK HERE

congrat aziz for yet another episode of himmalayan,i still belive kvo is the best hunting area in whole,aziz i have one bigger astor ibex pick which im gonna post soon i wonder what was the measurments of the one u r holding.also is jalal cheif guide still working in kvo or retired from job.thankx

Hello Bill and thank you it was a fun trip. They will provide an English speaking interpreter who can be with you all the time.

I would love to hunt a Markhor but the License fee alone is $ 40,000 for an Astor Markhor the total hunt can run over $ 60,000. Can’t afford it.

Hello Markhor, Jalal has retired but his son is a Game warden now and was with me. The Markhor I am holding is 55 inches but has very thick bases and carries the mass well up the horns.

Regards
Aziz

Very nice report -- sorry about the snafu on your Ibex but you defintely saw some amazing country and worked for your trophy.

Great report and congrats. Simply awesome!

As usual, a great report and trophy. Congrats Aziz.

Good report and great pics. Could you have hunted leaopard also, if so what are the costs, regs etc

Hey Aziz, looks like an awesome adventure. Could you tell me what the political climate was like since you were in Pakistan, and you're from the US. Any animocity?
Also, do you take the ibex meat home with you or do they donate it to the local communities?

MG

Hello Ammus, the Snow Leopards are protected. Their numbers are high enough in KVO to be able to sustain hunting but the international pressure not to allow Snow Leopard hunting is very heavy on Pakistan.

Madgoat the political situation in Pakistan has improved, at an individual level there is no animosity against Americans on the contrary most people would be very friendly but there is a very small fanatical element, it also depends which part of the country you are in (South East Los Angeles VS Bel-Air). So I would recommend using a reliable Outfitter.

The hunting area is inhabited by a sub sect of Muslims who are followers of Prince Aga Khan. They are a very enlightened and peace loving people and for an American the KVO area is safer than any city in America. The people love foreign tourists and hunters as they are a major source of income in this region. Hunza area which includes the KVO hunting region has one of the lowest murder rates in the world.

Regards
Aziz

Fantastic hunt and excellent report, Aziz. I think we have all made the same mistake of shooting the wrong trophy at some time or another. That ibex is still a trophy you will always remember! How difficult would you rate this hunt, both from a travel and physicality point of view?

Hello Bwanamrm

All mountain hunting is tough but by that standard I would rate this Ibex hunt as moderate in difficulty. I chose to walk into the canyons to look for Ibex, but riding Yaks are available for those who so desire.
Travel to the hunting area takes 3 days but the road is in reasonable condition.

Regards
Aziz

Aziz, too cool! Pictures fantastic, and the hunting sounds like a great time. Thanks as always for sharing your adventures.

KG

Have you hunted any other game in Pakistan besides Ibex

Ammus

I have also hunted Wild boar the Sind Ibex and Blanford’s Urial .

Regards
Aziz

Nice countryside! One day I hope to go for ibex. What a great animal in beautiful mountain scenery.

Frans

Aziz,like you I have also had the pleasure and experiance of hunting the Himalayan Ibex a few years ago.It was a tough hunt because of the cold and the effort involved.Fortunately I managed to bag a 44 incher.The trophy fee at that time was 25,000 rupees though I believe now it has gone up.On the same hunt on the way back I shot a couple of snow pheasents which are really good eating.I also made a bid for blue sheep last year but at the last moment the hunt was called off.

Hello irusto

Welcome to the forum. Where in Pakistan are you located.

Regards
Aziz

Hello Aziz,I live in Karachi but I also spend time in California as my children live there.I shall be going there in May this year and spend a few months there.

irusto,do u know mehmood rizvi,i was inspired with his himmalayn ibex i went and shoot aswell,so far in kvo biggest is 45 incher shot by qabool shah,by standing on the road the day he arrived there and the lagguage was still loaded they broke the rifle case lock as they lsot the key,within the few moments the hunt was done i have seen his ibex that is dark coffee type black colour very heay.regards

Markhor,I know Mehmood Rizvi(baba)and Qabul Shah very well.I have also hunted with Qabool even while he was the minister for wildlife.He is really a fantastic shot,saw him shoot an ibex(sind) at three hundred yards while it was on full throttle.Yes I heard about his himalayan ibex shoot.Well,some people have all the luck.

its nice to know someone from same location,im sikander panhwar,located at hyderabad,i ahve hunted with them,last shoot we had was quails, bag was over 460.regards

Great report and great ibex! Congrats and thanks a lot for sharing..

Hi Aziz,

Great report! What would you think is the success rate on this hunt being a in reasonable shape.

As to the hunt, is it tough compared with, for example, azerbaijan?

Regards,

Hello Bharal76

The success rate is almost 100%. In 3days I saw 300 Ibex in KVO area. The hunting is relatively easy. Azerbaijan is a much tougher hunt.

Regards
Aziz

Aziz
As always a nice Hunt Report with lots of Photos . Thanks for Shareing