Dagestan Tur hunting
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Where to hunt Dagestan Tur
Dagestan Tur is also known as East Caucasian Tur, and is found in the Eastern part of the Caucasian Mountains. It was once believed to be a subspecies of Caucasian Tur proper, but modern genetic research suggests that it is an independent species, and can be roughly described as part goat, part sheep. The range of Dagestan Tur covers a few provinces of Russia (including Dagestan, which gave the species its name), Georgia and Azerbaijan. For a combination of traditional hospitality, safety and hunting, Azerbaijan is the go-to destination for a Dagestan Tur hunter.
Countries
Price distribution
Tur inhabits the most inaccessible parts of the Caucasus, and typically for situations where transport makes up a lion’s share of outfitters’ costs, the price of a Tur hunt depends on the size of the group. If you need to have a camp to yourself, budget around $8,000. However, if you book a group trip for four hunters, it could go below $6,000 per each. If you have good friends, this is a great opportunity not only to save money, but also to share the experience.
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When to hunt Dagestan Tur?
Tur hunting uus begins in late May or early June, and may last until mid-October or November. It is designed to leave the animals undisturbed across every stage of the reproductive cycle, and therefore does not live an option to hunt during the rut. The balance of best weather and comfortable hunting is said to be found between mid-August and early October.
Hunting methods
Historically the local peoples preferred to hunt for the animals from blinds positioned over waterholes, while princes and rulers occasionally carried out large-scale driven hunt. Improvised drives are still an option, especially in August, but the modern hunter’s choice is the traditional spot-and-stalk. This implies a lot of physical effort – like other Capra and Ovi, the tur is too careful to approach from below. The hunter and guide(s) will have to hike well up to the mountains to glass for the suitable animal, and then perhaps raise even higher under the clouds and/or make a broad detour to succeed in stalking it. Long shots from less than comfortable positions are the rule, rather than an exception.
Why hunt Dagestan Tur?
People have always climbed the Caucasian mountains to hunt Dagestan Tur, as evidenced by cave paintings. The Caucasian literary tradition, as early as in the Middle Ages, identified three necessary conditions that must be present in a hunt to make it a true and noble pursuit: a chance for the animals to escape, ‘animal assistants’ (dogs, horses, and birds of prey), and an element of personal danger. Dagestan Tur hunting satisfies all these conditions. Horses will be needed to take you through the impenetrable mountain passes up to the altitudes where the Tur dwell, where thin air and hard terrain put a strain on the unaccustomed body, each careless step may mean a long and dangerous fall, and the careful old animal has much higher chances to escape your bullet than you are to bag him. That’s what it’s all about. Book your Dagestan Tur hunt today.
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