Trophy Hunting in Gilgit Baltistan

Gilgit Baltistan Parks and Wildlife Department introduced trophy hunting program with the involvement of the community of Bar Valley in 1990.

Trophy hunting of Markhor, Blue Sheep and Ibex is permissible in the Gilgit Baltistan (Pakistan), subject to such rules and regulations as are provided in the Gilgit Baltistan Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation, and Management) Act, 1975. The hunting of Markhor , Blue sheep and Ibex is otherwise prohibited under the general ban imp

Trophy Hunting in Gilgit Baltistan

The Himalayan Ibex can be separated from the alpine population by the horn shape which, in adult males, grows much longer, curving round to form ? of a complete arc and tapering to relatively slender points.

The record horn from Pakistan measured 140cm and came from Gilgit. It had a basal girth of 26.5cm and a gap of 63.5cm between tips and certainly in Gilgit a head with horns over this length would be considered an exceptionally good trophy.

Confined to relatively arid mountain ranges of the inner Himalayas, living well above the tree line only in the higher more precipitous regions. They occur from about 3550m to over 5000m in Pakistan, though they sometimes migrate from one mountain range to another in winter and in so doing have been seen crossing valleys below 2135m .

They are fairly wide spread through the higher mountain ranges in Baltistan in the Karakoram Range, the Haramosh Range, and the probably the highest population of Ibex now survives in Northern Hunza, specially in the water shed of Khunjerab, and to the east of Khunjerab. In Gilgit, they are still fairly plentiful in Ishkoman, Yasin and Hunza. Further west they occur in the Hindukush range of mountains and throughout Northern Chitral down to about 32 kilometers north of Chitral and in the higher mountain ranges of Chilas and on the slopes of Malika Parbat Mountain.

Himalayan Ibex has a wider distribution and is plentiful and its future survival is not so threatened in Pakistan largely due to the inaccessibility of its habitat provided by the very extensive concentration of very high mountain ranges in the extreme north western region. Baltistan and Hunza are undoubtedly the strong holds of the Himalayan Ibex in the region today. In the early spring the Ibex are half starved and eagerly seek new sprouting grass when it is available at lower milder elevations. This is the only time when they descend as low as 2450m and are thus much easier to hunt.

Any hunting trip in this inaccessible area needs careful planning. A number of permits from local and federal authorities, specially import and re-export licenses for the firearms as well as permits to carry and use these inside the country are required. These often take several weeks to process and must be obtained before the arrival of hunting party in the country.