Stark says permits have been issued for three new species (Armenian sheep, Ovis gmelini gmelini; red deer, Cervus elephus; and roe deer, Capreolus capreolus), and the number of ibex permits has been greatly increased. For many years now, the only species hunted in Turkey were ibex, boar and chamois, although there are seven other major big game species here. Some of you may remember Turkish hunter, Ali Ustay, hunting these other animals, but he did so on special permits issued to him for the purpose of collecting them for a museum.
One of the species Ustay hunted is Armenian sheep. And the good news is, animals from Turkey's herd are importable into the US. Although Armenian sheep are also hunted in Iran, they are definitely not importable from there. Ironically, at least some of the Armenian sheep in Turkey are reported to migrate back and forth from northern Iran into eastern Turkey.
Armenian and red sheep (a naturally occurring hybrid of Armenian mouflon and trans-Caspian urial from northern Iran) are also available in the Davis Mountains of Texas - imported from Iran into Texas years ago by Clayton Williams. Some Armenian sheep also may be hunted in Armenia, but the trophy quality in Turkey appears to be much more promising.
Stark says two permits will be issued at Mount Ararat (called Agri locally), the famous mountain where Noah's Ark is reputed to have survived the Great Flood in eastern Turkey. Two more permits will be issued near Van, a region in southeastern Turkey, close to the Iranian border. Stark and Konacki are offering these hunts on........(continued)
