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reddy375
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Reged: 31/01/07
Posts: 42
Loc: NY, USA
Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan
      #191824 - 14/10/11 11:47 PM

Folks, Here are some pics to start with I will post more as I get them and will write a full hunt report shortly. Needless to say my friend Jeff and I had a great hunt and shot a Maral stag each, both of them should fall within the top 10 in the SCI record book. Another hunter took one that is probably No. 1 if not larger, we will never know as he is not a member of SCI and it was not measured but you can see the size from the photo. Renaud the outfitter has taken even larger bulls on previous expeditions!!

Outfitter: Renaud Desgrees du Lou
Booking Agent: Self
Airlines: Lufthansa to Europe and Air Astana to and from Asia to Europe
Animals Hunted: Maral, Roe deer
Trophies shot: Maral stag
Range: 749 yards
Caliber: 300 Remington Ultra Magnum
Rifle: Out of the box SS model 75 Sako
Scope: Conquest Z800 – 4.5-14x44
Bullet: 200 grain Nosler Accubond
Velocity: 2964 fps
Charge: 94.5 grains of Retumbo


It was probably one of the toughest hunts I have been on due to extreme horse riding for me, given that I had never ridden a horse before and walking and climbing in the steep mountains. I took the longest shot I have ever taken at 749 yards, two guides and God are my witness. It was lasered and is on video - you will see the footage one of these days. The animal was well hit and went only a few yards. We lost sight of it and closed the distance to 370+ yards where I dropped it with a final shot.

My friend Jeff wounded and lost a great stag on the first evening of the hunt at 30 yards! More below on how it was found...

View from the chopper of the Altai Mountains



Coming into land at base camp in the Altai Mtns



The old russian helihofter as the translator called it.



Dining room basecamp



View from our tent basecamp



Me with local guides



Renaud holds court at basecamp. He has been doing this for 30 years!


Renaud sights his old custom 300 weatherby - as you can see its been up and down a few mountains!


Fly camp - Nicolas (guide) and me


We had snow, rain and sun. It was cold at nights but warmed up nicely once the sun came out


My Maral trophy



With Renaud



Bullet strike on a big Maral



Glassing


View of the mountains and Valleys - they go on forever


Renaud with a happy client


We crossed several rivers some were more perilous than others! Note Renaud's dog in his saddle bag. She goes everywhere with him.



Returning to basecamp



Renaud and Nicolas with some trophies - Jeffs stag is on the right.


The Monster stag of this season


Another view of it - look at the mass



Hunting for Siberian Roe deer from main camp


Scenery



Main camp


Kazakhstan is a beautiful country


Lots of agriculture on way to main camp


My Notes:
Thankful ending:
Renaud and Nicola called me a week later, still in the mountains they had come upon Jeff’s wounded stag. A brown bear was on the carcass eating it. A European hunter fired and missed the bear! It is a Bolshoi 7x7 Maral stag.

Hunting in Asia
It is for the adventurous, if you are not the type simply put do not go as you will return miserable. It requires a certain state of mind that can be simply put as “when in Rome do as the Romans do”. Applying western timelines and mindset will only frustrate you and ruin your experience. Do not get perturbed, relax and enjoy the overall adventure. Expect a tough hunt, the better shape you are in physically the more you will enjoy your hunt. It can be the difference between outright success and total failure. If you have any desire to do these hunts, do them as soon as you can. It gets tougher with age. My friend Jeff who is 70+ did it, hats off to him.

Language is an issue but one can get by. The local guides know their way around the mountains and the game like no one else, but African PHs they are not. Be ready to make your own decisions and live with them. Hunting in Asia is not for beginners. Expect sun, rain and snow during your hunt. Many European hunters enjoy these hunts each year; American hunters who do not go for the fear of travelling to a foreign alien land are truly missing out. At the end of the day you will return with a trophy that few trophy rooms hold.

Long Range Shots:
For those of you used to shooting running game at 1000 yards I apologize if I bore you. Although I knew where my rifle shot I did not go expecting to make such a long shot, at the time it felt right, I went for it and it worked. I will probably never take another shot like that again; there is a lot that can go wrong at that distance. For those interested in the more technical aspects of that shot, my ballistic program analysis shows:

Range: 750 yards
Caliber: 300 Remington Ultra Magnum
Rifle: Out of the box SS model 75 Sako
Scope: Conquest Z800 – 4.5-14x44
Bullet: 200 grain Nosler Accubond
Velocity: 2964 fps
Charge: 94.5 grains of Retumbo

At 750 yards, the velocity of the bullet had dropped down to 1872 fps, from 2965 at the muzzle! Energy was down to 1557 - the same energy a 95 grain bullet from a 243 has at 120 yards.
Without the Zeiss scope’s Z800 reticule, at 100 yards the rifle would have had to be set to shoot 16.98 inches high to be dead on at 750 yards!
At the highest point ever at 400 yards that bullet was 43.56" high, that’s nearly 4 feet! The TOF (time of flight) of the bullet to 750 yards was .96 of a second, at 100 yards the TOF is only .11 of a second.

Gear:
It is really important to take the right gear. I climbed the mountain in Muck boots which probably accounted for some of my woes! A warm sleeping bag and good mountain climbing gear is the way to go.

Rifle:
Synthetic stocked rifles in a 30 magnum caliber or similar is the only way to go. A good scope, range finder and binoculars are a must. Be proficient to shoot out to 400 yards and know your trajectory. Many of the shots will be way under that range.

The Trophy:
Maral Stags from my understanding have the largest antlers of any of the deer family except probably moose. Some stags have an identical horn configuration to American Elk, although a great many of them have extra points. Truly large monsters have immense mass and palmated antlers. The European method of weighing the antlers and skull in my opinion does not do the trophy full justice. I don’t think the antlers are as dense as say compared to an Indian Sambur stag and what does weight matter when a trophy is on a wall, scoring the antlers using inches is a far better way.

Thank you for reading this report. Feel free to get in touch for information on this hunt.

Arjun Reddy
www.huntersnetworks.com
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: 845 259 3628
email: arjun@huntersnetworks.com

--------------------
Arjun Reddy
www.huntersnetworks.com
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: 845 259 3628
Email:arjun@huntersnetworks.com


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EricD
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Reged: 27/02/04
Posts: 4636
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: reddy375]
      #191828 - 15/10/11 12:44 AM

Thanks for that great report Arjun. It looks like a real adventure! Judging by your pictures, Kazakhstan is truly a beautiful country. What other animals are possible to hunt there? Ibex?

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Supercracker
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Reged: 19/05/11
Posts: 47
Loc: Florida
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: EricD]
      #191835 - 15/10/11 02:50 AM

WOW, that's awesome. Something else to add to the list of things to do before I check out.

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93mouse
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Reged: 17/08/07
Posts: 726
Loc: Slovenia
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: Supercracker]
      #191837 - 15/10/11 05:34 AM

Damn - some SERIOUS trophys - they don't grow any bigger - Congratulations - Weidmannsheil!

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gryphon
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Reged: 01/01/03
Posts: 5487
Loc: Sambar ground/Victoria/Austral...
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: 93mouse]
      #191840 - 15/10/11 07:48 AM

Great report on some great hunting..straight to the wish list!

--------------------
Get off the chair away from the desk and get out in the bush and enjoy life.


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FATBOY404
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Reged: 14/11/09
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Loc: QLD
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: gryphon]
      #191841 - 15/10/11 09:07 AM

That looks like a great hunt in a beautiful place.
The photo's are also very good and thanks for sharing.

That "98 action 300 WM looks to have had a hard life.

--------------------
"WHATEVER BLOWS YOUR HAIR BACK"


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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: FATBOY404]
      #191858 - 15/10/11 07:29 PM

Arjun

Thanks for the detailed report and many photographs.

What a great adventure.

I was interested in hunting there years ago and you have re-ignited the interest.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"


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reddy375
.224 member


Reged: 31/01/07
Posts: 42
Loc: NY, USA
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: NitroX]
      #191877 - 16/10/11 12:43 AM

Thanks Gentlemen it was a great adventure. Very different to most of Africa which seems to be more and more commercialised. In Kazakhstan you can also hunt Ibex in a different area and then transfer by commerical airlines to the Maral area. While hunting Maral you can also shoot Brown bear, wolf and siberian roe deer - for trophy fees.

--------------------
Arjun Reddy
www.huntersnetworks.com
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: 845 259 3628
Email:arjun@huntersnetworks.com

Edited by reddy375 (16/10/11 12:44 AM)


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tophet1
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Reged: 15/09/07
Posts: 1873
Loc: NSW, Australia
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: reddy375]
      #191948 - 16/10/11 09:27 PM

Awesome report and animals. Where to next ?

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DarylS
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Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26413
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: tophet1]
      #191961 - 17/10/11 03:07 AM

Excellent report and congratulations on lovely trophies.
I noted many of the pictures looked very similar to the Ashcroft/Cache Creek area of BC, with other more wooded areas quite the same as further South and East, here. Wonderful elk and deer country here as well.
similar to Cache Creek area; arid here.


Looks like the bulkely River - famous here for salmon and steelhead - looks like a bend in the river near Smithers (although greener in Smithers until covered with snow);


--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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capra
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Reged: 13/07/10
Posts: 11
Loc: NSW
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: DarylS]
      #194650 - 23/11/11 06:53 PM

Arjun

Outstanding hunt, congratulations on a fantastic trophy.

Tony


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reddy375
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Reged: 31/01/07
Posts: 42
Loc: NY, USA
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: capra]
      #195896 - 06/12/11 11:10 AM

Finally Photos of my stag





--------------------
Arjun Reddy
www.huntersnetworks.com
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: 845 259 3628
Email:arjun@huntersnetworks.com


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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: reddy375]
      #195944 - 07/12/11 01:59 AM

Wow that's a beautiful animal and trophy.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"


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kamilaroi
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Reged: 18/12/04
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Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: NitroX]
      #195986 - 07/12/11 10:45 AM

top stuff!

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gryphon
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Reged: 01/01/03
Posts: 5487
Loc: Sambar ground/Victoria/Austral...
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: kamilaroi]
      #282377 - 14/05/16 08:46 AM

I had to revisit this thread simply to marvel at those bulls.

--------------------
Get off the chair away from the desk and get out in the bush and enjoy life.


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93x64mm
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Reged: 07/12/11
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Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: gryphon]
      #282408 - 15/05/16 08:35 AM

Monster stags to say the least!
Feed a troop for a while too. I'd hate to cart that one out by hand, feel knackered just looking at the size of it.
Well done
93x64mm


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rigbymauser
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Reged: 15/05/05
Posts: 1970
Loc: Denmark
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: 93x64mm]
      #282677 - 20/05/16 05:22 AM

Kazakstania is definately a place I have on my checklist. Even if i don´t have to bring a rifle for hunting. Thanks for a great report.

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Ripp
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Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: rigbymauser]
      #292105 - 16/12/16 04:15 AM

Was just taking a look at this post..pretty sure Arjun is who we booked our hunt in Cameroon with..

Truly is a small world...

Ripp

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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DarylS
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Reged: 10/08/05
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Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: Ripp]
      #292107 - 16/12/16 04:45 AM

Beautiful Elk.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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Claydog
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Reged: 17/08/12
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Loc: Katherine, Northern Territory ...
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: DarylS]
      #292121 - 16/12/16 08:11 AM

Great report. 749 yards that is some long shot.

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Buchsemann
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Reged: 12/12/08
Posts: 439
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: Claydog]
      #293212 - 06/01/17 01:32 AM

Congratulations and thank you for the detailed report.

Waidmannsheil!

Mark

--------------------
Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

- John Dryden


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DoubleD
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Reged: 23/11/03
Posts: 2386
Loc: Retired in Oklahoma
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: Buchsemann]
      #293216 - 06/01/17 02:48 AM

So where in Montana is Kazakhstan?

--------------------
DD, Ret.


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gryphon
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Reged: 01/01/03
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Loc: Sambar ground/Victoria/Austral...
Re: Back from hunting Maral in Kazakhstan [Re: DoubleD]
      #293222 - 06/01/17 04:59 AM

Its very near Alzada In Madison County,not far from where the B1 bomber crashed in `97.

--------------------
Get off the chair away from the desk and get out in the bush and enjoy life.


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