To understand ibex hunting, you have to first understand all of the preparation that goes into obtaining hunting permits, rifle permits, traveling into a foreign country with firearms, and leaving that country with your harvested animals. My father and I began planning this trip two years in advance to ensure all of our documentation and permits would check out.
The next step to understanding ibex hunting is answering one simple question - what is an ibex? To put it simply, ibex is a species of goat. There are numerous subspecies of ibex, and Spain holds four of those subspecies, making it a desired go-to for hunting multiple species in one trip. Imagine a dark brown, short-haired goat with horn shapes and sizes similar to African Plains game, such as sable, waterbok, and Impala.
The final step of understanding an ibex hunt is to understand the terrain they call home. I am not a seasoned vet when it comes to mountain hunts, but I believe I can hold my own after going on some pretty tough hunts, such as Mountain caribou, mountain goat, mountain grizzly, and many more. For anyone who has been on a mountain goat or a Stone/Dall sheep hunt, it’s similar to that, but even more difficult, which, in the end, makes the hunt that much more memorable.
After arriving in Madrid, Spain, we had an off day before traveling to our hunting area for our first subspecies - Gredos ibex. Trying to adjust to a time zone halfway around the world is a challenge in and of itself, and we had to do that while waking up at the crack of dawn to get on the mountain and into ibex country. We headed out, traveling northwest of Madrid to a small village with our outfitter to meet the hunting area game wardens. My father and I were not able to hunt the same location as the hunting permits are limited. We split up and headed to neighboring mountains with our hunting party. Halfway up the mountain, we stopped to confirm my Savage 110 Long Range Hunter made it through the flights overseas without any issues. One shot dead on and we were back on track. We parked the off-road vehicle at the base of the treeline next to a small shack built by domestic sheep herders. The shepherds stay in these shacks throughout their journeys traveling with their herds, making it from one shack to the next while tending to their livestock.
From the treeline, we were off on foot up the mountain. The two game wardens lead the way followed by my wife, Kayt, then our guide, and I was dead last. I thought I was in shape for this hunt until this first hike. I soon realized there is no real way to train for this type of hunting besides actually getting in high elevation and hiking until you can’t walk anymore. Climbing 1,200 feet in elevation took us nearly two hours. Once we reached the first saddle and leveled out the hiking, we started to glass. Seeing ibex for the first time was one of the most phenomenal experiences I’ve had while hunting. Spotting our first group of ibex, we judged their age and maturity based on their horn mass, length, and age rings. We soon determined the bachelor group we found was too young.
We continued our hike through the Spanish mountains towards a large drainage two miles away. Not long after continuing our hike, we jumped another group of five ibex. This group had a definite shooter in the bunch. I threw my pack off and set my camera on the tripod as quickly as I could to capture this moment on film. By the time I had the camera rolling and set up my rifle, the group of ibex took off too quick to get a clean shot. My first opportunity to harvest an Iibex and I fumbled it up. The shooter of the group was a beautiful black ibex with character greater than I can ever explain. Watching this animal flee the scene left me with a pit in my stomach but hope in my heart for another chance with a different billy.
Sidehilling the steep mountains, we crested a ridge and found an even larger group just on the other side of the drainage. We were a mile out and stopped briefly to get a better look at these ibex. We found the most mature billy of the group and made a game plan. We had to close the distance and stay out of sight. With winds blowing from the peaks down the valley, we were in good position to make a stalk downwind. We closed the gap between us, and the now bedded group of ibex was down to 356 yards in a matter of 20 minutes. We set up behind a large boulder as cover and got eyes on the mature ibex. Bedded down with four ibex around him, we did not consider this shot selection to be safe. The waiting game was on. Glancing back and forth from my riflescope to my spotting scope, the ibex lay in the sun, napping. We tried numerous times to wake him up in order to get a clear shot. We tried everything from rolling rocks down the drainage to slapping the rocks and making loud noises.
We finally woke him out of his sleep with a loud whistle. The beautiful ibex stood up from his bed and made a full turn. There was an ibex directly in front of him, causing me to hold off on the shot. Within 10 seconds, the perfect opening cleared. Both ibex in the shooting lane moved. I let the first shot fly from 350 yards and made solid connection right in the vitals and he gave a hard kick. The shot caused all of the ibex in the group to take off. Goat after goat started taking off in all different directions. I relocated the billy and put a second shot through to seal the deal. No further than 30 yards from the first shot, he was down.
I couldn’t believe our 15-day hunt started off with such excitement and success. I threw on my pack, grabbed my rifle, and hiked up to my first ibex of the trip. We got up to him and the gratitude came over me like a tidal wave. We hiked hard, stayed focused, and came out successful. I spent over an hour admiring the animal before we got to field dressing. With the day passing by, we needed to field dress this goat and get off the mountain before the sun set.
This hunt is one that will stick with me forever. The excitement of seeing an ibex in the wild for the first time, the preparation that went into this hunt, and spending it with my wife and father are the reasons why I hunt, making memories that will last a lifetime.
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