For those unfamiliar with Macedonia, let me point out that it is a small country in southeast Europe that borders Yugoslavia (Serbia) to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west. The country is about 25,713 square kilometers (15,967 square miles) of mountainous terrain, with Korab, its highest peak, at 2,764 meters (9,068 feet). In the southwest you find the Dessartish Lakes, Ohrid and Prespa, which only partly belong to Macedonia. The climate is continental.
The hunting grounds in Macedonia are not very well known to the global hunting community, but they have been hunted by a small circle of mostly European hunters for the past 20 years. In my view, the most interesting species in this marvelous country is the chamois. In Macedonia, you find the Balkan chamois, with a population estimated at about 2,000 animals. They are found in areas from 800 to 1,700 meters (2,625 to 5,600 feet) above sea level in the Karadzica, Bistra, Korab and Pelister mountains. The most well known hunting area for this challenging species is in the Karadzica mountains, which are located near the capital of Skopje, which is where most hunts start.
The hunting area in Karadzica belongs to the government and totals about 45,000 hectares (111,195 acres). The trophy quality of these chamois is very high. The average trophy scores over 100 CIC points. (Don Causey Note: The CIC measuring system is based on mass, length and weight, as opposed to the SCI system, which measures length, circumference and spread. Thus, an equivalency between the two systems is hard to establish.) The biggest male trophy shot here scored 123 CIC points, and the biggest female scored 117 CIC points.........(continued)
