Gary Hansen (CO) - OVIS Winter 2009 - Page 6 – Caucasian Chamois, Kuban tur and Mid-Caucasian tur in Russia
Gary Hansen (CO) has now achieved two very lofty goals in the sheep and goat hunting world - an Ovis World Slam Super 30 AND a Capra World Slam Super 20. Gary reached these levels on a hunt he took in September 2008 in the Caucasus Mountains. Gary took a Kuban (Western) tur, Mid-Caucasian tur and a Caucasian chamois. Gary wrote a report of how it all unfolded and I'll let him take it from here:
In September 2008, my good friend George Harms (NJ) and I ventured to the Caucasus  Mountains in search for the Kuban (Western) tur, the Caucasian chamois and the Mid-Caucasian tur. I had previously taken the Dagestan (Eastern) tur in 2004 and since then, always wanted to get back to the beautiful Caucasus to complete my "Quadruple or Grand Slam of the Caucasus. " The hunts were booked directly with ProfiHunt, and Vladimir Koshcheev was my personal guide and interpreter throughout all three hunts and accompanied me from Moscow to all three hunt areas and back to Moscow. On all three hunts, we were in wilderness areas, hunted out of tent spike camps and each utilized a local guide.
On both tur hunts we camped at, or just above timberline near glacier fields and hiked from our spike camp to glass, spot and stalk the tur. On the Kuban hunt, once Vladimir located a band of four rams containing what appeared to be two decent rams, in a high glacial basin, it took us about three hours for the 2,500 foot ascent and to get into a good shooting position. Once there, we had to wait about 40 minutes for the high cross winds to die down before taking the shot on what I felt was the better of two good rams. The weather conditions were perfect throughout that hunt.
The Caucasian chamois hunt took place about 50 miles north of the Kuban (Western) tur hunt but at a much lower elevation and in the spotty timber. As with other species of chamois, they also like the steep terrain. In the afternoon of the third day of the hunt, we  spotted one good lone male across a canyon, feeding out of the trees and into a small opening, which provided me the opportunity I needed. This trophy marked a formidable milestone for me as it placed me at the Capra World Slam Super 20. Of course, later that night, George, the guides and I celebrated by breaking open some of that great Russian vodka!
The Mid-Caucasian tur hunt was very similar in all aspects to the Kuban hunt, except a little more vertical and with more weather. Muaeed, my local guide, felt we needed to be up at elevation and in with the tur by daybreak and Vladimir agreed. So; the three of us were out of our tents at 2 a.m., had some hot porridge and coffee and began our two mile, 5-hour, 4,000 foot ascent in the dark, in the rain, in the fog, into tur country. How Muaeed found his way up that mountain is still a mystery to me. Once we reached the upper basin that Muaeed had in mind and daybreak was only a few minutes away, the fog began rolling out. We quickly located rams, but they were still some 800 yards above us. The sight of those rams and the adrenaline rush it caused, completely wiped out any feeling of exhaustion or chills. After a bit more climbing, I had my opportunity and my ram was down. Because of the extreme steepness, he began tumbling, losing considerable elevation, covering approximately 600 yards during his fall and to my amazement ended up in one piece with horns intact. This was another great moment for me, as well as Vladimir and Muaeed, as this marked the completion of my "Quadruple Slam of the Caucasus" as well as my Ovis World Slam Super 30. There we were: wet, cold and exhausted; jumping up and down hugging one another, while trying not to duplicate the tur s tumble down the steep slope. That night -more great Russian vodka!
Without hesitation, I would say the Caucasus are some of the steepest but beautiful and majestic mountains I have ever hunted in. I would suggest one be prepared for a 400-500  yard shot, bring your range finder as well as an anemometer and a mindset for a little climbing. My sincere gratitude goes out to ProfiHunt and Vladimir Koshcheev for these three experiences. Their hard work and excellent relationships with their local hunt partners made this whole adventure come off without a hitch.
A sad closing note: in our Kuban (Western) tur base camp before moving on up to our separate spike camps, both George and I had the privilege of spending three days with Alexander Grigoryan, head of the Hunting Regulation Department for the region. Alexander was a great friend to the hunters who visited the Caucasus and provided the needed government support, as many previous hunters to that region well know. He became a friend to Geoige and me during those brief days where he spent them with us doing what he loved best - flyfishing and feeding us those delicious brook trout. Alexander left our base camp on Monday afternoon, September 15 and suddenly passed away in his home at 6 p.m. on Tuesday the 16th. Alexander Grigoryan was a true hunter and fisherman who loved his Caucasus and will be sorely missed by many of his family and friends. Gary, I see you are referring to your taking of the four species as a "Quadruple Slam of the Caucasus." We have always referred to someone who takes all four animals there as completing the "Final Exam."' but I have to admit I like the phrase that you have used. |
George Harms (NJ) - OVIS Winter 2009 - Page 49 – Caucasian Chamois, Kuban tur and Mid-Caucasian tur in Russia
George Harms (NJ) hunted in Russia in 2008 for the Kuban (Western) tur, Caucasian  chamois and mid-Caucasian tur. With this hunt, George is up to 19 species of sheep and 16 Capra animals, so I see a couple of Super 20s in the near future for him. George had this to say about his hunt:
In September 2008 1 had the opportunity to hunt the Caucasus Mts. With ProfiHunt.
I headed there looking for my Kuban (Western) tur, mid-Caucasian tur and my Caucasian chamois. I traveled from home with my very good friend Gary Hansen (CO) and we were met in Moscow by Alexey Maximov, my guide for this trip; Vladimir Koscheev, Gary's guide; and the driver, Rifat Dianov.
We hunted these trophies out of spike camps. The first hunt was the Kuban (Western) tur. Alexey and Edkibi were my  interpreters and guides for this area. We were on horseback for this hunt, which was at a high elevation of over 12,000 feet and very steep. The hunt area was outside of Mineral'nyye Vody and the weather was cooperating. I was able to take my Kuban tur on September 14 and moved on to look for my Caucasian chamois a little further down the valley. I got my Caucasian chamois the following day, September 15.
Alexey and Romazan then guided me to the area I needed to get to around Nal'chik for the mid-Caucasian tur I was after. This was a steep climb and weather was not wonderful. It was very early ̣îrning, dark, foggy, rainy and cold. It took us about five hours to get up to the elevation we needed to be at to be able to get a shot at the mid-Caucasian. I was able to get him on September 20.
My hat is off to ProfiHunt, and to our guides, Alexey Maximov and Vladimir Koscheev. They  know the Caucasian Mts. well and have quite a rapport with the local guides. Thanks to their expertise, I was able to accomplish all I had set out to do. I came home tired, but proud of the experience I will remember for a lifetime.
I would also like to pay my deepest respects to Alexander, chief of the hunting department, who passed away a few nights after we arrived in camp, I am so glad I had a chance to have dinner with him and exchange stories.
Shortly after I wrote up this report for George, he contacted me and informed me that he had a successful hunt in Kyrgyzstan for Hume argali. This brings George up to 20 on the Ovis list, so we will run that report in an Ovis World Slam Super 20 Milestone Feature in the Spring issue of OVIS. |
