Отчеты

My next hunt in Mongolia was traditionally organized by Tukso, a good friend of mine. As usually, he was hospitable and responsible in the organization of the hunt on the Altai Ibex. Soon after the flight from Moscow, we started to register on the flight to Hovd, placed in the western Mongolia. After that we drove about 200 km by cars to the south-east by the splendid asphalt road, almost to the base. The base was placed in the gorge with rare for this season of the year mountain river. In the evening of the first day we started for the reconnaissance. Soon after, we found plentiful groups of Ibex on the different slopes of the mountain ridge. We managed to notice a group comprising six old males, grazing separately from other Ibex in the lower part of the mountains. In the morning of the next day we woke up at 3:30 and went to the mountains soon after the breakfast. A 2.5 hour elevation on the top of the mountains was ahead. Here we hoped to hunt. Two cars went up and one stayed below for the search of the goats and coordination of the crew. After four hours of search, when we have seed different groups of the gouts, we finally managed to find our group of six males. They were grazing almost at the foot of the mountain. We started to think the plan of approach and decided to organize the herding. A group went towards us and stopped at 10 meters before us. It was very uncomfortable to shoot for me: the goat was standing not very well, or the second goat was at the shooting sector. Then, at some moment, they found us and left to the neighboring ridge, separating on two groups: four and two males. Tukso recommended to shoot at the first goat, which leaded the whole group. The goats were running without stop after they noticed us. It is not an easy way to shoot at the running goat. At first I thought that I missed all five shots. However, the ladders found out that my male crossed the ridge and stopped, enclosed to the cliff: this behavior told about the wounding. While we were approaching him, our goat went a bit more and fell down to the bottom of the gorge. An old male of 13 years was my 43th trophy from the list Ibex of the World. Thanks to Tukso and his squad for the outstanding organization of the hunt. I hope that it is not the last hunt in the beautiful Mongolia.

I am grateful to my friend Tobak Aleksandrovich Yakovlevich for the help in organization of the expedition. The hunt on the Cyprus is prohibited since 1945 year, when the number of Mouflons reduced to 15 animals due to active hunting of the British aristocrats and local farmers. At that distant 1945 year two nature reservations were established and the hunt on the sheep was prohibited totally. Nowadays the population is not endangered and the number of the animals is about 3000 – 4000. It is impossible to tell the exact number of animals due to thick  vegetation in the Troodos mountains. At the first day of hunt me and my wife climbed on the highest mountains in the area on the height 1250 meters above sea level. We have seen fresh footprints beds of the animals. Observation with tube and binoculars gave no result. The next day we started early in the morning and drove along the river hoping to see Mouflons near the watering. When the lunch time came, we elevated higher in the mountains, almost at the same area, where we were in the previous day. At first, we managed to see fresh footprints of the group of animals and then we found them on the distance of about 60 meters. The animals were in the shadow of the leafed trees on the mountain slope. I had enough time to make several shots and a short video record. I think, that it is a great luck to find the Sheep in such a thick mountain forest. This was my first wild life photography on the CITES Sheep and I must admit, that emotionally and physically it is not less interesting and hard than rifle hunting. I hope, that it will be not the last in my expeditions. The coordinated of the area, where we found the animals: 35.03.58.95 и 32.63.07.41.