Mongolia - 2026 Trip Report

Massive Gobi Argali lays still after a proper 500-yard shot

A hunting strategy that played out between the tail end of August and mid-September 2026 marked the 40th anniversary of studying, personal hunting, and professional hunt consulting in Mongolia. The process began a year in advance to mitigate uncertainty and ensure success. Despite a most intensive effort applied to preparation, nothing is ever certain in Mongolia.

But saying "that's hunting" can never be allowed to be an excuse for failure. So, we pulled out all the stops associated with the pre-hunt planning phase of the adventure: area selection, permit acquisition at auction, local outfitter vetting, hunt timing, logistics, scouting, and extra resourcing of one of our own experienced professional mountain hunting guides.

Measurements are but one attribute of trophy quality and too much emphasis is placed on score. For the curious, the massive left horn signified the character of a noble warrior, broken and broomed to a little over 41", marking him as a fighter and a survivor.

The right horn on this grand Gobi Argali was broomed back to 48.5". Bases went 18.5".

The hunt bgan in the Altai region for GSCO's recently minted North Altai Argali. Their boundary begins east of the Tsengel Khairkhan–Khoton/Khurgan ridge, inhabiting the rugged alpine basins, glaciated valleys, high plateaus, tundra steppe, and the mountain systems surrounding Lake Uureg Nuur, extending north to the Russian border and southeast into the uplands of western Uvs.

North Altai Argali, one of over 500 rams seen over three days.

Many of the North Altai rams taken over the last few years lead us to believe that they are a slightly smaller variant of the High Altai Argali. However, 5 back-to-back years of harsh winters have taken a toll on both. Many older rams didn't survive the deep snows that nature unleashed. So, we need to temper trophy quality expectations in hope of the herd recovering.

There was a time when a 58‑inch High Altai ram was not a miracle — it was a realistic possibility 10 years ago. Rams of 60-62+ inches were taken annually. Today a 60‑inch High Altai ram is a true survivor, and the hunting area is so vast that there are some roaming around. But more rams fall in the 52–55" class, with 56–60 or greater possible but very less frequent.

But there's a point where we should not care as much about size as we do and simply immerse in the elite nature of a mature Argali. Any ram taken in the size range that is more realistically predicable today is still a priceless trophy.

This High Altai ram may prove to be the most colossal taken in 2026. It proves that the big ones are still out there if you know exactly where to hunt and put the effort into pre-hunt scouting.

Organizing helicopter charters into and out of camps are getting more common despite cost ranging from $2500-$3500 per hour. We used one to get to our camp in the Gobi Desert, a few clicks north of the China border.

Endless rolling hills and craggy rock require constant long-distance glassing.

Tools used to penetrate vast ancient terrain. The indefatigable Land Cruiser and the Chinese-made, go-anywhere motorbikes used by the scouts.

1986

It takes a village.

Gobi Ibex. Never underestimate their cunning and desire for refuge among vertical high-country rocks.

A never-give-up and do-what-it-takes team of local guides. The trophies are as much theirs as ours.

Despite this up-and-down terrain, it was no match for the Land Cruisers. We could cover ground and get to promising glassing positions where we often spent hours looking for sheep and ibex to emerge from the ridges and canyons that we could not see.

Hyper-busy and modern Ulaanbaatar stands in stark contrast with ageless rural culture. Of Mongolia's 3.7 million inhabitants, 1.7 million have settled into Ulaanbaatar. The traffic and countless construction projects are proof of an evolving society.

The cultural atmosphere of the 80s was influenced strongly by Soviet culture, education, and public life. Social life centered on state institutions, theaters, and parks. Today, Ulaanbaatar is a hybrid of global capitalism, revived Mongol identity and post‑Soviet nostalgia. Ulaanbaatar is now the meeting point — and collision point — of Mongolia’s two identities.

In the hunting camps, the locals still perform like traditional hunters, only with more ambition, method, and tools. So, a hunter will experience something both unmistakingly ethnic and classic. The few words spoken in English by the locals will be uttered genuinely but poorly. But your interpreter will carry the water when it comes to dialog.

Yes, hunting Argali has become expensive but at the same time priceless. But Mongolia’s other major game animals (Maral Stag, Gobi Ibex, and Altai Ibex) are worth the trip. You can experience this mystical land and hunt these iconic species for far less than most North American hunts.

This hunt finished the "Argali Slam of Mongolia" for a dear friend and client. He has now taken all fours of the country's Argali and is set to add Severtzov Argali from Uzbekistan next year. So, it was rather special to be part of this adventurous quest -- some 40 years after my first trip to this marvelous country.