Rugged Kamchatka

Mountain Range: Sredinny Range
Area: Anavgay
Altitude: 1501 - 2000
Organizer: Profihunt

Miguel Gonzalez

Transport: Arrival in Petropavlovsk, followed by approximately 7 hours by truck and then a 1-hour helicopter flight to the hunting camp.

Camp: Tented camp, with a separate tent used as a dining area. There was also a cabin available, although we did not use it.

Density: We did not see particularly high numbers of sheep. The guides knew of another area further up where they had located a group of around 10-12 rams, and that was where we originally intended to go. In the end, however, we never made it there, as we found the two rams we would eventually hunt before reaching that area.

Quality: Good. The two rams we found were both good-quality animals, and we decided to make a stalk on them.

Terrain: Typical Kamchatka mountain terrain: tough going, with some technically difficult sections. During the hunt we also had to cross a couple of rivers, including one fairly challenging crossing.

Weather: The weather had a major impact on the expedition. Around four days were extremely poor, with rain, strong winds and fog, to the point that we were unable to leave the tent. On the remaining days, conditions allowed us to hunt normally.

The Hunt: After the first few days were largely lost to bad weather, we left camp and began working our way up the valley. We walked for approximately three hours before spotting two Kamchatka Snow Sheep.

When we first located them, they were between 640 and 680 metres away.

That was when the stalk really began. Over the course of roughly an hour, we carefully closed the distance until we managed to get within 141 metres.

From there, Joaquín and I were able to take both rams, completing a double on Kamchatka Snow Sheep.

My shot was at 141 metres. One shot with the .300 Win Mag and the ram dropped on the spot.

We completed our hunt on Day 5.

However, despite having finished hunting, we were unable to leave camp. We had assumed that we would be able to depart once our hunt was over, but ultimately we had to remain there until the full 10-day period originally scheduled had been completed. The only option offered to us for leaving earlier was to pay for an additional helicopter flight.

This was probably the main negative aspect of the organisation and something that should be made absolutely clear before booking the trip.

Other animals: There were bears in the area and we saw several. Numbers seemed reasonable, although the bears we observed were not particularly large, so we decided not to hunt one.

Organisation: Overall, the organisation worked very well. The food was fantastic, and Alexander, the local outfitter, looked after us extremely well.

The main difficulty was the language barrier. Alexander did not speak English and we did not speak Russian, so communication was quite challenging.

The only other issue I would highlight is the departure from camp: it is important to understand beforehand that even if you finish your hunt early, you may still have to remain in camp until the scheduled departure date unless you are prepared to cover the cost of an additional helicopter flight.

Would I recommend it? Yes.

It is a very worthwhile hunt for anyone wanting to experience Kamchatka and hunt Snow Sheep in a truly remote environment. The mountains, river crossings, unpredictable weather and isolation are all part of the experience.

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