For those who love to travel, the discovery of new countries, distant corners of the planet is a real gift. Thanks to my professional activity, thanks to which I often manage to visit places where I myself could hardly be. And accompanying a trophy hunter on a hunt is a special level of travel and an opportunity to improve your professional skills by immersing yourself in the features and nuances of exciting trophy hunting.
Pakistan – at the hearing, one of, and not such a large number of places on the planet, which necessarily need to visit. But, unfortunately, in the minds of many people, since the very times when India was "for our people" and Pakistan "for theirs", stable cliches have taken root, which can scare away those who want to make a trip there.
In fact, there is no reason to worry at all. Pakistan is a hospitable country, very attractive for the world tourism industry. People come here for the sake of conquering the Himalayan peaks, exploring the ancient history of mankind and, of course, for hunting, the organization of which is at a high professional level, the trophies are diverse, and the trophy indicators can satisfy the most demanding hunter.
Collectors of domestic and international awards and helmets can not avoid traveling to Pakistan. Almost all captured animals have only a local "registration address".
The Himalayan mountain goat, Karakurum blue ram, Sindhi mountain goat, Blandford's urial, Punjabi urial, Afghan urial, Nilgau, Astor marhur, Kashmir Marhur, Sulaiman Marhur are hunted here.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to get all the desired trophies in one trip to Pakistan. These are issues of seasons, optimal hunting dates, and logistics. By area, it is the 34th out of a hundred and fifty countries in the world, and the areas of captured animals are scattered throughout the country.
If you want to replenish your collection to the maximum, the hunter must have sufficient time, patience and be ready to adjust the plans in the direction of changing the planned number of days in the direction of increasing.
As a rule, most people try to include 2-3 types in one trip. Many hunters return to Pakistan several times until the trophy plan is 100% completed.
For the first hunt in Pakistan, a combination of the Sindhi mountain goat and the urial Blanford is very often chosen. For each species, three days of hunting are allocated, but according to many years of practice, it is possible to get these animals much faster. It happened that the goal was achieved in one day!
sind ibex and urial of Blanford live in the South-East of the country. The drop - off to the land is carried out from Karachi – a giant metropolis with an international airport.
The small number of days of hota per animal should not be misleading and speak of the relative ease of this hunt. Hunting takes place in open areas. The undoubted advantage is that the density of the animal is very high, the heights are also not critical-the hunt takes place at 700 – maximum 1200 meters above sea level. There are no rocks, scree or steep slopes. The disadvantages are the long marches and the breath of the sun-scorched Thar desert. It was the march through these lands that once killed more than one phalanx of the army of Alexander the Great.
For the first trip, a combination of the two mentioned types with the addition of Punjabi urial is an excellent option. However, it should be borne in mind that in the area of hunting this sheep, the mountains are steeper than in the south, the ascents and descents are more tedious. The slopes are covered with dense thickets of shrubs and stunted trees.
When planning a trip, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of logistics. And it is very important to decide whether the carbine will be rented or your own. If a hunter goes after the Sindhi ibex and the Blandford urial and rents a weapon, then he boldly flies to Karachi. But if his favorite hunting rifle is also in his luggage, he will not escape the destination airport of Islamabad. Only there you can officially import hunting weapons into the country. And it turns out that after Islamabad there will be a domestic flight to Karachi, and after hunting for southern species, you will have to return to Islamabad again. I suggested adding a third Punjabi urial because this species lives in the north, and the transfer to the hunting area for it is carried out just from Islamabad.
Quite different features with another popular combination – blue ram and Himalayan ibex. The hunt takes place in the very north. The starting point is the city of Gilgit. The flight is operated by domestic airlines from Islamabad. But often the unpredictable Himalayan weather makes its own adjustments to the plans. Flights can be canceled, and then the only way to get there is only by car. This way will take 14-17 hours in one direction.
An interesting feature or tradition: in Pakistan, the hunter is accompanied not just by a few huntsmen, but by a whole team. During the hunt for the Sind ibex and Urial Blandford, I counted 12 people in the "entourage" of one client-a hunter – huntsmen, representatives of the authorities, local guides. And when hunting Himalayan ungulates, the number of porters alone can reach 20 people, plus a huntsman and representatives of the local community and environmental organizations.
In the South-West of Pakistan is a hunt for the Afghan urial. The drop-in to the land is carried out from the city of Quetta. In the same area, you can also get Suleiman marhur.
The markhor is the auction hunting types. To book a hunt for one of them, you first need to take part in the auction. In addition to the Sulaiman Marhur, Pakistan offers hunting for the Astor and Kashmiri Marhur. To get to the Astor range, you need to arrive in Gilgit. And Kashmiri lives in Chitral.
The decision about hunting in this country should be made in advance, especially for the hunter, who rarely goes hunting without his carbine. The paperwork of the relevant authorities of Pakistan takes an average of 3-4 months.
Now it has become easier to get a visa. In addition to the traditional method-submission of documents to the consular department of the embassy in Moscow, you can also apply for an electronic visa through the government website.
I hope the information I offered was interesting, and if Pakistan is in the plans, do not hesitate, feel free to prepare for the trip. Pakistan will not disappoint you!
