Guided Mountain Hunting

Mountain hunting is the pursuit of the wild goats and sheep of the high country: ibex, chamois, tur and the great wild sheep. It is hunting on foot, on the cliffs and open slopes above the forest, where you glass for hours, climb for more and take one careful shot at a mature male. It is the ultimate test of a hunter’s fitness, patience and skill, and a personal passion of our founder, Paul Smith.

We arrange mountain hunts across Europe, Turkey, Central Asia and North America, from a first chamois in the Alps to a Marco Polo sheep in the Pamirs.

Where We Hunt in the Mountains

In Austria we hunt Alpine ibex and chamois in the high Alps. The ibex was saved from around a hundred animals that survived in Italy’s Gran Paradiso, and today it is hunted again on small, closely managed quotas. Our Alpine ibex hunt is two days on the mountain with three nights’ accommodation.

The Carpathian chamois of Romania is the largest of the chamois subspecies, hunted across wild, open ridges from September to mid-December. Our Carpathian chamois hunt and the guide to chamois hunting in the Carpathians tell you what it involves. Chamois are also hunted in the high mountains of Croatia.

Spain is the only country where you can hunt four subspecies of ibex, the Gredos, Beceite, Ronda and Southeastern, and taking all four is the Spanish Ibex Grand Slam. Spain has two chamois of its own as well, the Cantabrian and the Pyrenean.

Turkey is the home of the bezoar ibex, hunted in the Taurus Mountains and the high peaks of the east on quotas that are sold each season to licensed agencies.

Russia, the CIS and Central Asia hold the great wild sheep and goats: the Marco Polo sheep in the Pamirs of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, mid-Asian ibex in Kyrgyzstan, tur in the Caucasus, and the Kamchatka snow sheep in Russia’s far east. Our Kamchatka snow sheep hunt is the hardest mountain hunt we arrange. In Mongolia we hunt the Altai ibex.

In North America, British Columbia holds stone sheep and mountain goat.

What a Mountain Hunt Is Like

Most mountain hunts are spot-and-stalk. You glass the slopes and cliffs from first light to find a mature male, then use the ground and the wind to work into range, which can take hours or a whole day. A climb of two or three hours before the hunting starts is common, and above about 2,500 metres the thin air becomes a real factor. On a Marco Polo hunt the hunting can reach 16,000 feet or more. Shots in open country can be long, so practise from the positions you will use on the hill, over a pack and off a bipod.

The mountains punish the unprepared, so start months before you travel. Our guides to training for your first mountain hunt and preparing for the demands of mountain hunting cover the fitness, the kit and the shooting, and what to expect on a chamois hunt is a good first read.

Seasons

Most mountain seasons run from late summer into winter. In Austria the chamois and ibex seasons run from about August to mid-December, depending on the state. Romania’s chamois season runs from September to mid-December, Spain’s ibex from October to May, and Turkey’s bezoar ibex from late summer to the end of March. Marco Polo sheep are hunted from October, with the rut running into December. The rut is often the best time, when the mature males move and show themselves.

Trophies, Permits and Conservation

Mountain trophies in Europe and Asia are measured under the system of the CIC, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation, which is why our special offers give chamois and ibex in CIC points. Mountain game is hunted on quotas set for each area, and some species need extra paperwork to come home. Argali, the wild sheep that includes the Marco Polo, are assessed as Near Threatened and listed under CITES, so a trophy needs an export permit from the country where it was taken. Ask us what your hunt needs before you book.

Plan Your Mountain Hunt

For a first mountain hunt we usually suggest Austria or Romania, where the climbs are demanding without being punishing and the travel is straightforward. For the hunter after the hardest test, there is Kamchatka or the Pamirs. Read where the best mountain hunting is for more, or contact us with the species, your dates and how fit you are, and we will put the trip together.

Species: Alpine Ibex, Spanish Ibex, Bezoar Ibex, Mid-Asian Ibex, Altai Ibex, Chamois, Marco Polo Sheep, Snow Sheep, Tur, Stone Sheep, Mountain Goat