Yajko reports taking "average" Armenian mouflon and Persian ibex, but he was unable to take another variety of mouflon because the best hunt areas were closed (too close to Iran's nuclear facilities) and red sheep because of heavy snow and "incompetent guiding." Yajko tells us he experienced some difficulty with the permitting process, waiting five hours for a permit at one point, and had trouble with his sheep guides. His hunt was hampered by "too many people on the mountain and game guards who walk but don't hunt and have no idea where game is or how to approach." Despite these problems Yajko says he would recommend the hunt and rates the outfit and service (with the exception of the guiding) as "excellent." He gives the basic cost of the hunt as $800 per day, with a $4,800 trophy fee for his mouflon and $3,000 for his ibex.
By contrast, subscriber and booking agent Ken Wilson of Shunneson and Wilson Adventures (830-792-4200; www.shunnesonwilson.com) filed a very upbeat first-hand report on a hunt in Iran his agency had listed among their offerings. Wilson was in Iran with his son from November 1 to November 23 with Jasmin Safaris (www.iranjasminsafari.com). Wilson doesn't mention any of the permitting problems that seemed to plague other hunts in Iran this past fall. Instead, he reports taking an SCI Gold red sheep, settling on the last day for a representative (six-year-old) Esfahan mouflon after having passed up an eight-year-old animal earlier, and a 14-year-old SCI Gold Kerman sheep. (See photos in our online Trophy Gallery.)
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