Markhor....what's the big deal?

[Kevin Peacocke]

Stinky goat

After a day hunting in the hot sun I stink too!

 

[crs]

I like shooting stinky goats and sheep - with my Model 19 .357 . PAC hunt story saved for another time.

To the point, I once saw a dead Markhor on a West Texas high fenced exotic ranch.
I did not know the shooter, but he shot other exotics on that ranch. One fellow actually shot a giraffe and other African game on that ranch; I saw the pix, but not the actual event.

One world record goat/sheep came from a ranch bordering our deer lease in Comanche County.
Those exotics occasionally escape and amaze the deer hunters that see them. At the wind down of the ostrich craze, it was common to see those big birds running the county road bar ditches.

 

[jeff]

There are several varieties of markor and some are more spectacular than others.

 

[Professor Mawla]

I have shot three , in the last 45 years . Two were taken with a .30-06 Springfield ( a sporterized Springfield Model 1903 ) and 220 grain Remington Core Lokt soft nosed factory loads . The other was taken with a 9.3x62 mm Mauser ( a BRNO ZKK - 600 ) and 286 grain Nosler Partition soft nosed factory loads . Their mutton is some of the most flavorsome , in the entire world .

And they make excellent trophies .

 

[daawg1963]

I priced a hunt while in Asia................at $280K. While it sounds ridiculous to me.................I also watched as someone bought a mule deer hunt for exactly that............$280,000 5 months ago. So,..................if that kind of money was nothing to me, I would rather hunt a Markhor than a deer...........and the horns are like nothing else. ...................................FWB

i hope they got to shoot 20 muleys for that price haha crazy

 

[Randy F]

Markhor may look like a back alley Kudu on meth to some, but given the finances, opportunity, and physical ability to take one I’d be on my way in a heartbeat.
Since I don’t possess any of those I’ll resign myself to cheering on those that do.

 

[Philippe]

My ticket is no longer valid for this hunt ...

 

[CBH Australia]

I'm not a trophy hunter but it does have impressive and unique horns.
I think for some it's the thrill of the chase, in this case it's probably the rarity, the unique trophy and collectors just being collectors or hunters being hunters.
If you can afford to drop 280k on a hunt you may well have achieved most of your goals and have the means.
If you are content dropping that sort of cash you must really appreciate it or just don't know really what to do with your wealth once you have made it, you only live once and you can't take it with you.
I shot impressive Billy goats for dog food before there was a market, just common old stinky goats and a feral animal in this country.
The Markhor has a goat body but it's an interesting head.
Convert that to Aussie dollars take in expenses that's gonna round out at half a Mill'
Yeah I can't raise that for a hunt, oh well.

 

[Roller]

I have seen pictures of Markhor horns being hung outside wooden houses in Nuristan in the same fashion as Americans hang whitetail antlers on a barn or shed. I do plan to return to the "stans" to hunt mid-Asian ibex. A Markhor hunt in its natural habitat is way out of my price range.

 

[Roller]

I like shooting stinky goats and sheep - with my Model 19 .357 . PAC hunt story saved for another time.

To the point, I once saw a dead Markhor on a West Texas high fenced exotic ranch.
I did not know the shooter, but he shot other exotics on that ranch. One fellow actually shot a giraffe and other African game on that ranch; I saw the pix, but not the actual event.

One world record goat/sheep came from a ranch bordering our deer lease in Comanche County.
Those exotics occasionally escape and amaze the deer hunters that see them. At the wind down of the ostrich craze, it was common to see those big birds running the county road bar ditches.

I lived in Texas for a few years. There was a former ranch that had been subdivided into 5 acre lots with McMansions on them. They never got rid of all the axis and blackbuck on that property. It was a hoot watching a herd of blackbuck cross the road around dusk in the middle of a high end sub-development.

 

[crs]

Yes, Blackbuck are pretty animals and I have a nice shoulder mounted buck. They are also tasty, but also small-not much meat. I love watching them bound through cover- very fast and graceful. There are many free range herds of both Axis and Blackbuck and since they are exotics, there is no closed hunting season.
Same for elk, not native to Texas, so they are exotics - also many free range animals as well as on high fenced ranches. Planning to shoot a meat elk later this month down near Junction.

 

[Roller]

Yes , I have a blackbuck mounted as well and they are tasty. They are elegant animals. I have seen one running at a full clip before and can understand why royalty used to hunt them with cheetahs back in their home range. They can move.....

 

[flatwater bill]

 

[flatwater bill]

This is what the quarter mill $ guys are after..............................FWB

 

[edward]

Bravo Ed.

dont feel bad,im 81 and know what your talking about.to keep on hunting you might haft to cut some corners,so be it!!!

 

[jeff]

View attachment 370328

Who wouldn't dream of that beast of a markor!

 

[crs]

Speaking of exotics, I just spent yesterday driving from East Texas to Junction, TX and back to pick up taxidermy from a 2019 Pronghorn hunt - a 1,000 mile round trip. My son drove more than half of it.

The area from Comanche west to Junction was mostly new to me including:
1. Rarely out of sight of exotic game ranches, often high fences on both side of Road .
2. Unusual number of roadkill deer on road sides. A few per mile, especially in mesquite forests !
3. Lots of other roadkill - coyotes, skunks, coons, armadillos and some so flat as to evade identification.
4. Locals usually cruising pickups at 80 MPH+, sometimes with stock trailers. We took it easy in Tahoe at average of 75 mph. Made good time on trip, even getting 18 MPG.
5. Saw only Trump signs, no others.
6. Junction A-Z Taxidermists is also hunting outfitter and already swamped with big bucks to mount by noon of opening day of deer season.
7 Lunched at Lum's BBQ - biggest BBQ sandwitch ever!

For the heck of it, I drove different route from Junction to Comanche (area I hunted for 20+ years) and Colin drove us on back to his house north of Dallas. I took it on to the farm.

Tip- If you plan to hunt far west Texas, fly in or take off a week for the outing.

 

[crs]

PS We had to cancel the Junction area elk hunt due to limited time. Guess I will hunt closer to home this year,