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Tajikistan
Tajikistan is landlocked, and is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It is covered by the mountains of the Pamir Range, and more than fifty percent of the country is over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) above sea level.
The Republic of Tajikistan is famous throughout the world as a primary country for hunting the coveted Marco Polo argali (giant sheep). The Marco Polo sheep is arguably the most beautiful of all the wild sheep and is one of the great challenges of hunting in Asia. Tajikistan has the highest population of Marco Polo sheep, as well as good populations of Mid-Asian ibex, some Afghan urial sheep, as well as wild boar and Bukharan red deer.
Hunting seasons in Tajikistan vary by species, but generally, run from mid-September through March of each year. The prime time for most species is October through December.
The Hunting Consortium Ltd. has an office in Dushanbe, the capital, and a very experienced team of local employees who serve our clients while they are in Tajikistan. The Hunting Consortium has outfitted more Marco Polo sheep hunts than any other hunting company in the world and our continuing research efforts are second to none. The Hunting Consortium uses three of the very best outfitting areas in Tajikistan and the most experienced operators. Our continuing success rate of 100% (20 years) and more than 400 hunts speaks for itself.
Camps and Safety
All of our camps above 12,000 feet are outfitted with Gamow bags (portable hyperbaric chambers) and expedition medical kits, as well as satellite telephones. Each customer has his own guide team (usually 3 guides) and vehicle, and each will hunt separate areas each day. All of our camps are staffed with highly trained camp managers, as well as fluent interpreters. In camp we provide modern equipment including camp beds and heaters.
MARCO POLO SHEEP
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The Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon poli) is considered the greatest trophy of Asia by most big game hunters. Marco Polo sheep hunting is considered one of the most exclusive and adventurous expeditions in the world. Considerable preparations are needed for this hunt and licenses for these highly prized sheep are strictly limited.
Wisdom from Experience
The Hunting Consortium Ltd. is the most experienced outfitter of Marco Polo sheep hunts in the world – period! This firm was involved in the opening of both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to hunting tourism as the Soviet Union and it’s satellite countries collapsed in the early 1990s. The Hunting Consortium took part in the early scouting in those countries and selected the hunting areas based on first hand knowledge. Nowadays the Hunting Consortium offers more hunting areas and outfits more Marco Polo sheep hunts than any other hunting company. We are proud of our continuing 100% success rate – more than 400 hunts! We are also happy to report that our clients have taken more Marco Polo sheep trophies exceeding 60 inches than customers of any other company.
The Hunting Consortium’s scouting teams select the hunting areas very carefully and secured what we believe to be the best available for our clients. Our staff spend weeks every year in the hunting areas insuring that our information is current and our customer service is the best available. The Hunting Consortium Ltd., is the only company with a team chief in Dushanbe for the entire hunting season and Hunting Consortium representatives in every camp, with every group of hunters. With a resident staff of employees in Tajikistan, we assisted in conducting much of the recent research on Marco Polo sheep and the development of hunting programs for them. This experience has proved very valuable to our clients.
The results of recent Marco Polo sheep hunts reflect the many improvements which have been made to the hunting program over the last decade.
Hunting Areas in Tajikistan
Our three hunting areas lie close to each other in the heart of the Pamir Mountains. This famous region is known as the Gorno Badakh Shan, and it contains approximately half of all the Marco Polo sheep population of the world. Our hunters routinely see more than 1,000 Marco Polo sheep each hunting day! All Marco Polo argali from Tajikistan are classified as true Marco Polo sheep by all standards and associations. The largest Marco Polo sheep ever recorded (over 70″) have come from Tajikistan. Average Marco Polo sheep trophies from Tajikistan exceed 55 inches and several trophies over 60 inches are taken every season with our company. This area has several camp locations, among them the famous Hot Springs Camp, The Observatory Camp, and the new Park Camp. These camps have figured heavily in the history of Marco Polo sheep hunting and are still used today.
Mid Asian-Ibex
In Tajikistan hunters may take Mid-Asian ibex after taking the Marco Polo sheep. The average ibex trophy quality is between 42″ and 50″.
Travel and Arrangements
As a full service travel agency, the Hunting Consortium routinely arranges all necessary international and local flights and hotel reservations, as well as assisting our clients in obtaining the necessary visa and firearm import permit. Our competent, experienced staff in Dushanbe handles coordination with local operators and government agencies to obtain licenses and the required CITES export permits. Trophies will be shipped as soon as the export documents are issued. Reception representatives are on hand in Istanbul, Dushanbe to handle all details of entry and exit procedures for our clients. One of our competent, experienced translator/escorts accompanies every group of hunters throughout the entire Marco Polo sheep hunting program.
For United States residents we also provide assistance in completing the application for the required Federal Import Permit and track the application from our office in Virginia (only a 30 minute drive from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters).
Primary Species List:
- Marco Polo sheep
- Mid-Asian Ibex
- Afghan Urial
- Wild Boar
- Wolf
Special Permit Species:
- Bukharan Red Stag
- Bukharan markhor