Mountain hunting is arguably the most difficult type of hunting, but to those willing to accept the challenge it is also one of the most rewarding. Sheep, goats, and other mountain game are wary and difficult to approach and often live in the most inhospitable and difficult terrain on the planet. Reaching their preferred kingdoms most often is a gut-check and often dangerous, and that is just the beginning! You then have to find them by usually spending hours in uncomfortable positions and often inclimate weather while “glassing” for them. Then once located you walk, climb and crawl some more to get within shot. All this in an environment we’re dramatically ill adapted to, and which can seldom be covered in a vehicle. Altitude alone will influence your stamina and shooting skills greatly, and trying to keep pace with a local guide who is sometimes much older than you, has never set foot in a gym, and doesn’t have the advantage of the most hi-tech hiking boots on the market, but still moves with the agility of an ibex, can be a very humbling experience. In its present form, mountain hunting was born on the European mountain ranges including the Alps and the Pireneas. Adventurous travellers went on to explore the Himalayas and the Pamirs in Asia, and Rocky Mountains in North America. Chamois and tahr have been introduced to New Zealand, and made the island another iconic destination for mountain hunters. It’s safe to say that mountain hunting opportunities exist wherever there are mountains. The epitome of mountain hunting are the sheep. The Bighorn, Desert bighorn, Dall and Stone sheep in North America, and the Marco Polo and High Altai argali in Asia, attract the most passionate hunters from all over the world. Goats, from the majestic corkscrew-shaped markhor to the scimitar horned ibex, run a very close second. But there are a lot of other animals that are objects of mountain hunting. Rocky Mountain goat in North America, chamois in Europe, tahr in Asia and Vaal Rehbok and Mountain Nyala in Africa offer iconic mountain hunts as well. Even animals like mule deer or wapiti may inhabit steep mountain ranges that make hunting as challenging as sheep and goat. Besides the challenge and accomplishment of a great mountain hunt, many conservation successes can be attributed to mountain hunting. From Alpine Ibex that were saved from extinction by the hunting preserve of the King of Italy, to “governor’s tags” that finance many sheep conservation efforts in North America, to award-winning community-based hunting-funded conservation programs in Pakistan and Tajikistan and beyond, mountain hunters do a lot to make sure the mountains will forever be blessed with sheep, goats, chamois, and other mountain game.