BLANFORD URIAL
SEASON: Hunting season for Blanford urial starts as early as October 1st and runs through the end of March. However early and late season hunts can be a little hard to handle due to high temperatures in the area and thus are not recommended so much. Best times for Blanford urial hunting in this area is the period between mid November and mid January when the weather conditions will be at its best. This is a hunt with very high success rate so the timing is important only for a comfortable hunt. Hunters should consider this as a hunt with nearly 100% success regardless of the hunting period they choose.
AREA: The current range of Blanford urial in Pakistan is the Baluchistan Plateau and its foothills in south-western Pakistan. Populations are scattered on arid mountain ranges that are isolated by lowlands of southern Baluchistan and Sind provinces. There are about two different areas to hunt Blanford urial. One of them is the well known Dureji area where these hunts have been carried out for more than three decades. The other area is relatively new but has the same quality.
HOW TO GET THERE: Hunters are required to fly into Islamabad. They will be met by our representative at the airport and be asssited for the rifle clearance at the customs. This is a 10-15 minute procedure in general. Later on hunters take a domestic flight to Karachi. Hunting areas can be reached from the Karachi airport within a 3-4 hour ride on highway. Our Caprinae rep accompanies the hunters throughout their trip.
ACCOMMODATION: Hospitality is a way of life in Pakistan. Guests are considered to be a gift from God therefore people treat them with the most phenomenal hospitality one can encounter anywhere. The guests are treated like nothing less than royalty. Ruling families ofr the both area would like to make sure that their guests are well taken care of. So the hunters are accommodated in the family guest houses where they can have their own bedroom with a separate bathroom. The guest houses are located in the middle of the area and hunting areas can be reached from here within a 20-60 minute drive.
WEATHER: The temperatures can reach up to 100 F (38C) during the day by early October but will drop to around 90F (32C) by the end of month. Likewise early March can be quite hot but will get even hotter toward the end of the month. Heat may have some negative effect on the hunt minimizing the animal movements and limiting it only to early morning and late evening hours. However this can be an advantage for bow hunters when the rams are located bedded down in the mid day heat which makes it easier for a stalk. In December and January, temperatures will go as low as 64F (18C) and hunters can hunt all day long without sweating out so much. Early and late hours of the day can be a little chilly but not cold.
ALTITUDE: The highest point on this prime Blanford urial & Sind ibex area is mount Bhuedar with the elevation of around 3,300 feet (1,000 m) while most of the hunting takes place at the altitude of 600 – 2100 feet (180 – 640 meters).
DURATION of the HUNT: Our Sind ibex hunting organisations are for 5 days including the 2 days of traveling time. So actual hunting time is 3 days although all our hunts almost always ends within the first 2 days.
HUNTING METHOD: Any hunting day for Sind ibex starts by a hearty breakfast served in the guest house at a very early hour of the day. A ride of 20-60 minutes in a 4-wheel drive truck on dirt roads takes the hunter to the area by sunrise where most of the time local scouts meet the hunting party. From this point onwards hunters are required to hunt on foot.
Since the terrain is not too rugged or physically demanding and the local guides know the localities of the animals, it does not take hunters too long before they make their first contact with animals. Animals are in good numbers and the trophy quality is good. When all these combined, collecting a good size Blanford urial takes only a single day or two days at the most.
