Hunting Central Asia - Perspectives on Personal Security

The Asian continent covers almost 1/3 of the Earth’s land mass. It is a wildlife kingdom encompassing vast game-rich regions – much of it still pristine and unspoiled by human encroachment and industrial development.

This is the magical theatre of high-voltage hunts for the family of golden-horned Argali sheep, giant coastal brown bears, the biggest moose in the world, multiple species of snow sheep, the iconic markhors, numerous ibex, tur, blue sheep, and Maral stags. And more.

Just as game-rich is the continent’s cultural diversity. What once was the Soviet Union, and before dividing up into the Commonwealth of Independent States and later "the stans", encompassed over 175 distinct nationalities.

Many Mongolians in the west trace their roots to Kazakhstan. Some guides in Tajikistan are of Iranian decent. The great, great grandfathers of many Kyrgyz guides are of Chinese descent. Examples of cultural fusion like these could fill a book.

So, in many ways, Asia is the original “melting pot.” Its cultural evolution traces back to pre-Old World when nomadic tribes wandered wide and deep across invisible borders, settled in enclaves, and created their ethnic identities.

What’s common among the people of Asia is genuineness and warmth. They are welcoming, hospitable, and diligent. The best hunting professionals perform in the field as though they were ambassadors for their country. Countries often thought of as Third World have some of the best guiding talent in the hunting world. Even the average skill level is of a higher standard than what one might expect because guiding and stewarding the areas they hunt is all that they do year-round.

Tiger hunting in India and Chinese hunts for multiple species of Argali and Bharal are gone. Gone also is Afghanistan and for all intents and purposes, Turkmenistan does not offer a structured option.

So, when we speak of Asia, the focus narrows to Russia and most notably, “the stans” of Centra Asia – Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

Focusing in on “the stans”, I am often asked, “is it safe to hunt there”? The hard truth sadly is that a hunter will be safer in any of “the stans” than they would be venturing across a major US city for dinner with the family. Here’s why.

Think of an Asian hunt as a closed loop system with the hunter in the complete chain of custody of the outfitting company. A hunter is considered a valued guest and remains shoulder-to-shoulder with members of the outfitting team from arrival, all through the hunt, up to the point of assisting with check-in for the homebound flight.

A hunter enters the custodial care of the outfitter the minute they exit Immigration at the receiving airport. Everything is highly organized. Logistics in these faraway places work better than they often do in North America.

Reputable outfitting companies have ground teams that provide VIP reception at each country airport to assist with gun clearance at Customs.

Then, depending on the flight plan, a member of the ground team will take hunters to good hotel and pick them up for the journey to camp the next day, or start the trip to camp immediately upon exiting the airport.

Upmarket vehicles like Toyota Land Cruisers stop along the journey to camp for traditional lunches – all with an eye on making sure hunters are comfortable. It’s white glove treatment – only in the wild and among some of the world’s most elite mountain game.

Hunting is also an integral program of government-sponsored tourism managed under the auspices of multi-departmental oversight. Hunting is considered a valuable game management tool financed by important revenues from hunting permits. It provides employment and foreign currency. To the guiding teams and camp staff in the field, a hunter is life.

Just imagine an entire remote Pakistani village in the Himalayas, young and old, coming out to greet you, all the while singing and dancing in happiness as you come down from the mountain from your blue sheep hunt.

Hunters are always amazed at the modernization of the “stans” – modern buildings are going up everywhere in the arrival cities. Hunters will find sophisticated dining, shopping areas, and traffic – just like home. A trip to any of the “stans” will be an eye-opening experience that debunks old beliefs with an awakening that they have had no basis in fact.

True, people in the remotest rural areas of these countries still live a considerably basic life with few to zero amenities. They’re still living off the land, but they are no less skilled or welcoming than those wearing suits to work in the major cities.

These are the people who might look different, but who are just like the rest of us. They realize professionalism and work ethic are keys to providing a decent life for their families.

And these are the people who can lift their head up from a spotting scope and tell you whether you are looking at a 55” or 58” Marco Polo ram at 800 yards.

And above all else, any outfitting company with integrity would never advise a hunter go to any one of the “stans” unless it was just as safe as any other destination around the world.

I sometimes like to think of international hunt safety in the same way that we typically book a flight with a major airline. 99.9% of us don’t examine the safety record of the airline. We focus on schedules and cost. Safety is assumed or the airline would not be authorized to fly. Likewise, a solid outfitting operation will properly advise and only recommend hunts that they know will provide a safe experience equivalent to any other around the world.

Can hunting involve adventure in the “stans”? Yes, hunting is adventure. If it were not, we wouldn’t be so possessed to do it every chance we could get to be thrilled by the sense of accomplishment and fulfilled by the emotion few other endeavors provide. These are the reasons to experience new and different hunting.

We breath rare air when we hunt. And the air in the “stans” or anywhere else in Asia will be the freshest and most exhilarating you will ever breathe.

And with the cost of many North American hunts increasing annually, Asia is moving onto many hunters’ radars. The cost of many Asian hunts is in reach for many of us.

Whatever is said here about "the stans' of Central Asia applies to Russia. Yes, Russia. Every media headline about an American being detained could have been avoided with an ounce of common sense. Almost any county in the world does not permit visitors to bring illicit drugs across their border or tolerate those who beak their laws.

So, don't fear and don't wait. You will meet people just like you and you will be sorry to say goodbye to them.