Reports

The hunt was organized in the very professional way and was over in the first day. Thanks to Konstantin and his team. I got the sheep by the first accurate shot from the distance 604 meters.

It was very dynamic hunt in the good company. My friend Nikolay and I got worthy trophies of the Snow Sheep after laying upside down on the slope for about 30 minutes.

Охота организована Геннадием Величко, компания AyHSafari.

It was the interesting hunt for the Barbary Sheep. The guides were sure in 100% of success. But the extra self-confidence had failed us. The whole day we saw just females and the first group of  28 males was detected just in the evening. It was dusk. There were two trophy size males in that herd and we had to remember that females also had horns. The distances to the group was 300 meters and it wasn’t easy to find the needed male through the optics. The guides argued which was the best one. My nerves broke down. It was getting dark by each minute, I had to shoot and I did it. The sheep sat down to its ass and didn’t move. The PH said that we couldn’t take t it from the place where it was, and need to ask for the chopper. I noticed that the sheep stood up and started to went slowly around and fired the second time. I hit to its neck and it fall like a stone from the rock. It was unexpected! It fall to the bottom of the gorge and the guides told that we couldn’t descend there today, too dark. We found it  the next morning. A day before I hunted for the Pyrenean Chamois. I had the feeling that the hunt took place in the winter. It was wind, and snowstorm. Next day the weather had changed and I could get the trophy from the distance 280 meteres. I was charmed by the beauty of  Asturias by its green and nature. It reminded me Abkhazia but too wet and chilly. I got the trophy from the distance 100 meters though they said that the Cantabrian Chamois was the most difficult trophy.

I got the Mallorcan Wild Goat on Majorca in the Tramontana mountains. Everything was organized pretty well. The hunt was nice and easy. I used the rented gun and the shooting distance was about 20-25 meters.

In August 2019 I hunted in the Central part of Kamchatka in the Milkovo region. The outfitter was EVENTUS Company. The guides and I were delivered by helicopter to the hunting area where we spent 3 days hunting in the autonomous regime. At last after the long morning climbing we detected the trophy size male which I got by the first and accurate shot.

I will start my story from the place where we’ve stopped the last time. The habitat of the Desert Ibex was in 40 minutes’ drive from our camp where we hunted for the Kerman Sheep. I wrote about it in my last report.So, next morning after taking the trophy of the Kerman Sheep we moved to the area where were going to hunt for the Desert Ibex. A Desert Ibex is a mountain ungulate with the weight about 30-40 kg and about 70 sm height at shoulder. It reminds the European Chamois with big horns, that’s why the kill zone is not more than 15 sm and you need to remember it.After arrival we detected the group of animals which located on the one of the mountain’s top but they were far from us. It consisted of females and wasn’t interesting for us. The distance between us was about 1,5 km. Later we noticed that a Desert Ibex is very sensitive and timid animal and doesn’t allow a hunter to approach less than 1 km. It’s very interesting but Ibexes in Iran can distinguish people who pose the danger for them from the others. When the locals do the agricultural works or carry woods or something else ibexes can come to them to 300 meters and less.The first hunting day was almost over when we spotted the trophy size male in 800 m from us, then it came even close to 500 m while I was looking for the place from where could shoot. The angle was 16 degrees. I fired twice and missed both. The Ibex which was safe and sound didn’t waste time and left us and we were left with nothing. I didn’t know the reason, it could be not correct setting or I hadn't measured the distance well but the luck wasn’t on our side at that time. The soil there was very dry and the dust cloud lifted each time when I shot. So we couldn’t see the trajectory of the bullet after the first shot. Analyzing video later we all saw that it passed in 15-20 sm above the animal. It proves my idea that we didn’t measure the distance well.After this accident I suggested to check the gun once again and fired to the long distance. The first check, we did, was on 300 meters. We were afraid that there were some problems with the gun or the sight. The check on the distance 100 meters showed that everything was ok like the others long-range shooting. Then we checked the binoculars and the rangefinder. The problem was that I didn’t use them.Next day we started at 7 am. You know that the expectation for getting the huge trophy reduces each day but the desire to get the outstanding trophy was still alive and I hoped. We hiked for a while when detected the group of Ibexes, the guide Murad measured the distance and said we I could try to get the trophy from 1100 meters but the problem was that there weren’t big males and we decided not to approach and come back to the gorge. 2 or 3 groups of animals were seen there a few days ago. We moved to the place which the locals called “The Garden”, because there were fresh grass and some springs, so it looked like paradise on the contrast with the dry relief of the mountains which surrounded that place. The scouts informed us that noticed the group of male and some of them were good enough.Soon we found it. The male, we were interested in, grazed in 900 meters from us. It’s body was hidden behind the rock but I could judge about it’ size by the potent neck and effective horns. I started to prepare for a shot. The shooting position looked comfortable from the one side because I put the gun on the big stone but it wasn’t so from the other because the stone was too big and I had to rise while shooting. It could be the reason of the offset view and it is important when you shoot for such distances. I wanted to finish the game in two day , hurried and missed once again.I fired one more time in that day and also missed. The sun shined to the slope and I could the aim well.The day was nearing sunset and next morning we were going to leave that area, that’s why we decided to hunt as long as possible and try to get the trophy is such not easy conditions. Unfortunately this hunt wasn’t successful and I couldn’t stay there for more days but the circumstances were such.The most important thing to draw conclusions, take the mistakes, improve them and come back before the end of the season. So I flew back to home from Iran just with the one trophy, not two as planned but going to visit that area once again and I’ll be another story.

I opened hunting season 2019 in the Yakutia mountains. My goal was to get the trophy of the Yakutia Snow Sheep. Three year I studied the market of hunts in Yakutia and chose the Club “Sonor” and its’ leader Spiridon Starostin. Spiridon is the experienced mountains hunter and know all nuances of the successful hunt. It took us 15 hours to get to the base camp by car, including  ferries across Lena and Aldan rivers. Next day we drove further to the hunting area and used the special cars. In the first day we moved about 15 km and gained about 1 km altitude but didn’t meet good trophies. Day #2 we moved to another place. Day #3. In the evening I got my trophy from the distance 300 meters and shot with angle 25 degrees. It was 13 years old male. The used rifle was Blaser R8 300 WM. We came back to the camp in the late night about 2 am next day. Thank you to Spiridon and his team for the great organization of the hunt.

I opened the hunting season in Sayan. It was like from the shop ad “All by the same price”.  5 hours we flew to the place, then sailed 5 hours by boat, and climbed 5 hours.  There was enough food for all animals and the average temperature was high +30C  that’s why all big males, I was interested in , preferred to stay on the tops. Early morning we detected the group of 50 Ibexes which grazed on the top. We could go around and approached them the distance less than 100 meters.  My adrenaline was as high as if I shot from the distance 700 meters. I fired and got it. Thank you very much to V. Dorovsky and the guide Vladimir ( he is know after the video of Sergey Mazurkevich) for the organization of the hunt.

I knew the place where hunted.  The first shot was done from the distance 650 meters and I missed it. The angle of the shot was too high and the chamois  moved behind the bush.  The second trophy, we detected, was in 300 meters from us. I shot twice and got it. I liked the hunt’s organization  and the trophy what I got.

After the previous hunt we arrived to the hotel in Hope Town at 2 pm. The hunting area was in 40 minutes’ drive and we moved there not to waste time. We walked about an hour and a half when detected a male in 50 meters from us. I was ready to shot but the PH asked me to walk 5 meters aside and put the tripod. I followed his advice but the Ibex raw away and we didn’t spot it till night. I had to fire immediately when noticed him and we didn’t lose so much time. I came to the conclusion during the next 8 hunting days that the only shot from 300 WM was enough to the most of big antelopes such as Sable or wildebeest .Next day we spent two hours looking for the Ibex and detected the trophy in 70-80 meters from us. I fired twice and got it. It was my 14th Ibex. The hunt wasn’t difficult.

I opened the world of the Mountains hunts in 2017 together with my son. The first trophy which we had chosen was the Caucasus Chamois. I had long dreamed to take this graceful animal. The hunting process was like in the classical book. We climbed, detected the animal and approached. The most important moment was that our trophy had amazing qualities. We brought it down very carefully and made lots of pictures. The biggest surprise was the results of its measure.After the taxidermy it was measured once again by the official specialist of SCI. I asked Julia Zvereva to help me with it. It got the champion points and updated the record. We discussed everything and send papers for the award of SCI “Trophy of the Year” and Italian Carlo Caldesi Award. The strict jury awarded Carlo Caldesi Award. The Awards was in Neapol in the frames of the 34th SCI Convention of Italy. Lots of outstanding hunters and outfitters from all around the world were invited to that Meeting. The program of the meeting was very interesting and eventful. The organizers included in its some excursions, shooting to the “ running boar”, yachting in the Neapolitan bay and tasty dinners. The descendants of the famous hunter: Lodovico Caldesi, Livia Caldesi, Vincenta Caldesi were also invited. I has to note that hunting with kids gives much more emotions and different feelings. You feel all difficulties, victories and failures in the different way. You feel like the head of the tribe who has to share your knowledge, skills and teach to take responsibility to the wild nature.

I got the trophy of the 14 years old male on the third day of the hunt. The shooting distance was 350m and I had to fire at an angle down.  The Tur jumped after the shot, I fired to the laying male, turned and ran over the mountain. We had to watch video to be sure that I hit it. The guides prohibited to go down to the trophy because of the steepness. Thus, I have the picture just with the skin and horns.

It became the world champion when I got it. The previous record was held for more than 20 years.