Anyone hunted Spain for Ibex

Looking at hunting Spain next year and wanted to get some feedback from anyone that had opportunity to hunt for Ibex.

There is some info at africahuntingforum. Sorry I can't help more.

I hunted in Spain for Beceite Ibex four years ago. Outfitter was Pichi Navasquez, of Great Spanish Hunts.

Hunt area was in the Beceite Mountains of eastern Spain, in some very picturesque and historic mountains. We stayed in the ancient village of Morella, a walled city with a castle at its highest point.

After disastrous travel events which nearly scuttled the whole hunt, lost luggage, and a borrowed outfitters rifle which malfunctioned at a critical time, I managed to take a smoker of an Ibex, shown here. It was a hunt I will always remember fondly, for the hunt part at least.

[Linked Image]

That animal is superb --what did he score do you know ? Also what was the fee the outfitter charged. I had a quote that was in the 7/8k range

I haven't done it yet, but I intend to.

There are 4 species that you can hunt in Spain.

That is a stud of a Beceite you have there Bighorn!

Originally Posted by Bighorn

I hunted in Spain for Beceite Ibex four years ago. Outfitter was Pichi Navasquez, of Great Spanish Hunts.

Hunt area was in the Beceite Mountains of eastern Spain, in some very picturesque and historic mountains. We stayed in the ancient village of Morella, a walled city with a castle at its highest point.

After disastrous travel events which nearly scuttled the whole hunt, lost luggage, and a borrowed outfitters rifle which malfunctioned at a critical time, I managed to take a smoker of an Ibex, shown here. It was a hunt I will always remember fondly, for the hunt part at least.

[Linked Image]

Nice Ibex!

I did the same thing in virtually the same place with a different outfit.

It was a great hunt and yes, Morella is worth spending a half day to see. The area is accessed through Barcelona and it would be a shame to not spend a day or two in Barcelona.

I will dig out some details later this week.

donsm70

PS. My trophy photo is on their wall between Craig Boddington and Jim Shockey both of whom have also hunted there.

Originally Posted by wwartstudio

That animal is superb --what did he score do you know ? Also what was the fee the outfitter charged. I had a quote that was in the 7/8k range

I don't remember the score anymore, other than that it is a Gold Medal SCI class head.
I booked this hunt thru Cabelas, an error I will not soon again make.
The hunt was supposed to cost around $8K, for a Bronze Medal class Ibex.
During this hunt, however, we came across this big billy goat, and there was no way I was going to pass him up.
Costs for Ibex go up exponentially when you are dealing with really big horns. If you go online for various Spanish outfitters, you will see what I mean.

On my recent Bezoar Ibex hunt in Turkey the cost went up $150 for each centimeter for anything over 100 cm.

Since we couldn't find what I was looking for in a trophy, I didn't kill anything so it never mattered but I was prepared to drop quite a lot of coin should we find a real beast.

I hunted a common area not known for huge animals although they can and do show up, especially during the rut. A combination of poachers and wolves have hurt the Ibex population there but we did see small to medium sized billies every day.
This was a trial run of sorts on which all of the specifics were only learned once there. I have a better idea of what to expect in the future and will book my next hunt accordingly. Other than the lack of trophy Ibex, I had a great time in Turkey and really enjoyed the steep country found in the eastern mountains near Yusufeli.

Eduardo de Araoz and Cazatur are excellent and best run outfit in Spain. I took Red Stag and Fallow Deer with him, but Ibex is what they are known for. I can highly recommend them.

http://cazatur.com/en/

Here is a pic of an old dwelling in the cliff, and lookout tower, at sunrise. This vantage point was one from which we spotted Ibex in the mornings- no big billies, however.

The countryside in this part of the Beceite Mountains is dotted with this evidence of ancient conflict.

[Linked Image]

I realize that this thread is pretty much done, but this is my Ibex from the same area;

donsm70

I'd say you woke it back up in fine fashion donsm70!

Those are fine animals, I guess I should look into who you guys hunted with...

Feel free to share info with me whether public or pm.

thanks,
Jeff

Thank you for the feedback guys.

What is the best time of the year to hunt these trophies. I was told February/ March is not too bad, or is Fall a better time and does anyone know when do they go in to rut ?

Dave

The season runs from October 1 through May 31 , but due to the rut November 20 through December 20 are the preferred dates I believe.

Thanks Jeffpg. Will keep that in mind.

Jeffpg and others;

My hunt was with;
SpainHuntingIbex.com

Contact:
Salvator Monforte or Natalia

I hunted the week before Thanksgiving in 2011.

Good Luck. donsm70