Matthews warns, however, that the ibex hunting is quite strenuous due to the terrain. The Altai Mountains are very steep, although he does not think it is particularly dangerous country to negotiate. He describes it as typical mountain hunting terrain, requiring lots of exertion to move around and get on an animal. He says the Gobi offered more undulating terrain but is very rocky country and difficult to get around, with lots of boulders and small rocks that make it easy to twist an ankle. He says the jeeps are essential to traversing the country in both areas.
Matthews says they hunted each area out of spike camps at the higher elevations, stopping at the ger base camp on the way up and back down the mountain. He also says that he saw many gers scattered throughout the countryside in addition to horses, camels, yaks, goats and sheep owned by nomadic herders.
After taking his ibex, Matthews says he wanted to do some more hunting, so they took him northwest of Ulaanbaatar, where he hunted Siberian roe buck. The hunting took place in forested country along a high ridge just as the roe deer were beginning to rut. He also went hunting for white-tailed gazelle in another area where the animals range in wide open country. He says the gazelle were plentiful, and he took a good trophy.
Matthews........(continued)
