In Murghab they restricted my water intake and treated me with something. After a few days they brought me down. It took me a long time to find the film with the photos from that hunt. Other people had packed my things and not everything was found immediately. It was several years before they sent me the rolls of film and the Zenit camera with the telephoto lens I used at that time. I'm glad I was able to go down this difficult road. In those days, not many hunters knew about altitude sickness and I was lucky that I didn't delay my descent.
The film about this hunt is available at the following link: https://youtu.be/n1ic7Nd8vUo
It's time for the third Pamir trophy hunt. After successfully taking down a Pamir ibex with a single shot at 606 meters, our team remained at the base camp "Jarty-Gumbez" at an altitude of 4200 meters above sea level. On that day, I felt that my body had fully adapted to the mountain altitude and was ready for physical exertion, long hikes, and the pursuit of that record trophy. We set out for the hunt in a more comfortable off-road vehicle than in previous days, but the jeep got stuck fairly quickly, and we had to winch it out using a winch attached to the off-road vehicle. Deciding not to take risks further, we continued our journey through the unpredictable Pamir mountains in a less comfortable but reliable off-road vehicle. The ravine indicated by the gamekeepers turned out to be empty. There were no mountain goats there. So, we continued to search for the group of ibexes with the mysterious male. According to the senior gamekeeper, among the animals, there was a certain "enchanted" mountain goat that five hunters failed to obtain over the course of a whole year! After some time, luck smiled upon us - we found the group with that very ibex. However, the distance to the male was too great - 1156 meters. To hit a ibex at a distance of over a thousand meters, one must take into account a multitude of factors such as gravity, air pressure, humidity, temperature, gyroscopic effect, and much more. An hunter must consider all of these factors before taking a long-range shot. And yet, when aiming at a potential trophy, every second counts... Making all the necessary adjustments, I keep an eye on the ibex. For the shot, it needs to stop. However, it keeps moving up the slopes constantly. The angle of the target and the distance are constantly changing. I have to constantly adjust all the scope settings. Finally, the ibex emerges into open space and stops. The distance is 1200 meters, the angle of inclination is +17 degrees, using my Accuracy International AXMC338 weapon, I seize the moment and take the shot. The bullet hits the target perfectly! The Pamir ibex with 100 cm horns is taken from a distance of 1200 meters - this is my personal record. The feeling after this is fantastic. I cannot describe the feeling when you set a goal and achieve it. It was my lucky day. To a large extent, the success of a hunter depends on his team. It's great to know that you can rely on someone in extreme mountain conditions. A healthy sleep in warmth and comfort is priceless for a hunter. I sincerely thank the team of the hunting enterprise LLC "Murgab". During my stay, I saw that for them, it's not just business - it's a way of life. They love what they do. In my opinion, this is the most important thing in any profession - to love what you do. Maxim Vorobiev and his team of partners from the company "Professional Russian Hunters" are always at the top. I genuinely love the hunts organized by Maxim. Even the smallest details are always taken into account in them, a schedule is drawn up, and it's a pleasure for a hunter to participate in such a well-coordinated process.
You can find the film of this hunt at the following link: https://youtu.be/TOisTd_w5KI - This hunt took place in 2019. The aim was to take a Hume’s Argali and a Mid-Asian Ibex. The hunt was conducted on horseback. We spent 8 hours a day in the saddle. It took us 3 full days to find an old trophy male. In the end we found an excellent specimen near the border with China. We managed to approach to a distance of 460 metres. The angle of inclination was +25°. The Argali did not fall after the first shot. The second shot also hit the vital area, but the animal continued to stand. Only after the third shot did it collapse. It was a good trophy male of 8-9 years old. It was a real, laborious hunt. Low temperatures, high altitudes, lack of oxygen, long walks and horse rides.
You can find the film about this hunt at the following link: https://youtu.be/6XpCY0eqhvc. This Mid-Caucasian Tur was taken in the same expedition, on the day following the harvest of an eight-year-old tur at 700 meters. The weather on this day was magnificent – frosty and sunny. We had another license for a Mid-Caucasian Tur, and we decided not to miss our chance. This time, we didn't have to climb high. The herd was located 707 meters away on the mountain slope. The angle of inclination was +26°. I took a comfortable shooting position on a huge boulder. The tur was taken with the first shot. This (second) trophy turned out to be younger than the first, with less remarkable trophy qualities. As before, we took all the meat with us to Yekaterinburg, in a refrigerated car.
You can find the film about this hunt at the following link: https://youtu.be/6XpCY0eqhvc. The hunt took place in late November, in Karachay-Cherkessia, near the border with Georgia. The hunt was organized for me by the excellent hunter and gamekeeper Edikbiy Kulchaev. Finding a suitable old male was not difficult. At this time, the turs are in rut and they gather in large herds. We approached one such herd at a distance of 700 meters. It was possible to get closer, but I decided to shoot at this distance. It was a very interesting challenge. I had to shoot upwards. The angle of the target's position was +23.5°. By that time, the wind had almost completely died down. I made all the necessary calculations and hit the tur with the first shot. The harvested tour was an eight-year-old male with good trophy antlers. We took all the meat with us. This hunt was laborious, like any other hunt in the Caucasus, mainly due to the complex terrain. Thanks to the rich vegetation, the air here is fresh, despite the high altitudes ranging from 2000 to 3500 meters. Serious physical preparation is needed to overcome numerous descents and steep ascents.
On the 3rd and 4th of March I hunted with Ilya Dmitriev in Iran for red sheep. The hunt was remarkably challenging. We covered 20km on the first day and 22km on the second; we saw quite a few animals, but the hunt organiser, Iman Najmeddin, kept doubting the age of potential trophies. It was only towards the end of the second day that Iman gave permission to shoot. We took a seven year old sheep, not a big one. I would like to express my immense gratitude to all the organisers of this hunt.
"TROPHY HUNTING IN KYRGYZSTAN. HUME'S ARGALI AND CENTRAL ASIAN CAPRICORN" — at this link you will find the film about this hunt.
In November 2019 I returned to Kyrgyzstan for the second time. In January 2017 I hunted the Tian Shan Argali in the Kyrgyz mountains. In 2019 I returned for the Hume’s Argali and the Mid-Asian Ibex. The hunting was on horseback. We spent up to 8 hours a day in the saddle. We climbed up to 4200 metres in search of the ibexes. We finally found them at an altitude of 3680 metres. We managed to get within 335 metres of a small group of 6 males. I was able to harvest a magnificent trophy male with the first shot. It was a splendid specimen aged 9-10 years, with horn length of 110 cm. It was a challenging hunt. Low temperatures, high altitudes, lack of oxygen, long hikes and horse rides, and unpredictable weather made it a true test of skill and endurance.
The hunt took place in the north of the island of Mallorca at an altitude of 800 metres in the most picturesque location. I shot from 200 metres — a comfortable and easy hunt!
From the earliest morning, we began searching various valleys for the presence of sheep. After a few hours, one of the huntsmen contacted us to say that he had found a good group of 10 sheep, including an old male that we had tried to hunt earlier. We went to the place. The sheep were halfway up the mountain. They had a good view of the whole valley. No matter how hard we tried to hide behind the hills, the sheep spotted us. We had to go around the mountain and climb up from the other side (to 2600 meters) and walk along the ridge. When we got to where the sheep crossed the ridge, we found them, but they were 1000 meters away. We waited for the sheep to move further so we could get closer. After an hour, we started following them. The pursuit lasted 6 hours. As we approached the mountain top, we found the animals resting 100 meters away. The shooting position was mediocre, and we also had to choose a trophy male. The sheep suddenly started to run, hiding behind the hollows. I was waiting for them at the last one, having reached the spot where the sheep were supposed to appear. Our sheep walked quietly at the back. As soon as he stopped for a moment, I shot him in the back. The bullet hit just below the neck. The Esfahan Mouflon separated from the group and went behind the mountain. It was clear that it was seriously wounded. Dispatching it was now a technical question. The distance was 510 meters. In total, we covered 16 kilometers that day. Thus, an old 9-year-old male was hunted down.
In the evening, on our way back to the base, we noticed 5 Kerman sheep crossing the road and disappearing behind one of the mountains. In the morning we drove as close as we could to that spot and began our ascent to the summit, hoping to find yesterday's group.And so it happened, only there were many more sheep.The rams were grazing, moving from one peak to another. We took our time and chose an old trophy male. After 30 minutes the male was spotted. The distance was 575 meters. The shot hit the heart. Despite the fatal wound, the Kerman sheep ran 20-30 metres and buried itself in the sand. It was an old male, 10 years old.
Almost immediately we found a group of ibex. They were about 1.5 kilometres away and at the top of the mountain. It was almost impossible to approach them unnoticed. We had to make a detour and start our approach from 2.5 kilometres away. The ibex noticed us and crossed the ridge. It took us 3 hours to get to the area where they were and where we could see them. The group of ibex were resting on the opposite slope. We immediately spotted our trophy male. He was grazing and slowly moving upward. The distance to him was 525 meters. I made all the necessary calculations (the wind was 3-4 m/s) and took the shot. The Beceite ibex ran 10 metres and collapsed behind a rock, where we later found it.
We had long planned to go hunting in Spain. We combined mountain hunting with a montería and gastronomic tours around Valencia. It was warm, sunny, and positive.
The hunting was simple. We went on a trip to Spain and also went hunting. We visited a montería and hunted for a Beceite Ibex. It was warm and sunny. The organization of the hunt was excellent.
