Hunting Problems In Iran

If you have been receiving promotional literature on hunts in Iran, the following letter is must reading. It was sent to us by Iranian-American subscriber Soudy Golabchi who just got back from that country. Golabchi is an experienced international hunter who knows whereof he speaks. We take his timely observations on Iran very seriously and think you should too. He writes: " I have just returned from my annual hunting trip in Iran. If you remember I have always given very optimistic reports about my previous trips. I wish I could do the same this year. I spent five weeks in Iran and hunted different areas. I hate to admit this, but Iran's hunting department is in a shamble. I don't believe they know what they are doing. They are literally pushing people to poach without even realizing it. For starters, there are over 600,000 registered hunting guns in the country, and though most of them are 25 years old or older 95 percent of them are still functioning properly. A local who wants to hunt has to pay $300 to the game department for a permit and then $200 more to get his name in the drawing for a particular area. That's a lot of money in a country where the average monthly income is $65. Moreover, it is widely believed that only those who have good connections can expect their name to be drawn. The upshot is, a lot of people simply poach. Furthermore, because of the severe economic problems in Iran, a lot of these poachers are becoming somewhat professional - that is, they are selling the meat so they can make ends meet. On my last trip, I either saw poachers or fresh sign of poachers in every area I visited except one. That was true even in the Special Reserve I visited. Since hunting was not open, I went there without a firearm. I spent two days there and saw only eight ibex and four rams. The biggest ibex measured about 36 to 37 inches and the biggest urial about 24 inches. There were clear signs of poachers in the reserve. I'm sorry to say........(continued)