Weapons for Hunting in Kyrgyzstan

For hunting in mountainous terrain at altitudes over 3000 meters, a crucial feature of the weapon is high accuracy and stopping power of the bullet. This is due to the fact that the hunter cannot afford to miss, unlike in flat terrain. In high-altitude conditions, pursuing a wounded animal is very difficult, as the injured animal can escape quickly and often to places that are hard for humans to reach: narrow deep crevices, glaciers, steep rock ridges. Based on the experience of conducted hunts, we recommend using weapon calibers from 7.62 x 51, 7.62 x 54, 7.6 x 64, 7 x 57 and above for hunting in high-altitude conditions. This is because there is a wide selection of bullets for these calibers, as well as an acceptable weapon weight (from 2.7 to 4.2 kg), which becomes very important during long transportation of the weapon on the hunter's body during horseback transitions or foot excursions to the shooting spot after dismounting from the horse.

We do not recommend using calibers above 8 mm, as larger calibers with heavy bullets have a pronounced falling trajectory, which is very difficult to calculate without extensive experience shooting at long distances (over 350 meters and often 500 or more). The same applies to calibers less than 7.62, particularly 7.62 x 39, as confirmed by many hunts; a weak cartridge results in many wounded animals and does not allow for accurate shooting at distances over 300 meters.

For hunting in the mountains, we recommend a wooden stock for the rifle, as due to its natural qualities, it is quieter compared to plastics, which can be very noisy in cold and windy conditions. We would also like to note that a wooden fore-end fits more comfortably in the hand, especially when the hand is gloved. After the approach to the animal, there is often no time to remove what is worn on the hand.

If you take hunting weapons made of valuable wood, be prepared for the fact that after long treks through the mountains and bushes, it will lose its aesthetic appearance; the varnish on the stock and fore-end will develop deep scratches from sharp stones, from which you will likely have to shoot.

When considering whether to choose semi-automatic weapons or a bolt-action rifle, the answer is simple: choose the one you shoot better with. If you are a really good shooter or a one-shot shooter who knows the behavior of your rifle and where the bullet will land at a specific distance, then you should definitely take a manually loaded weapon. If you are confident that a second shot will not be needed, this will be the best choice.

The situation is somewhat different if you are not fully confident in your abilities (such as when pursuing a wounded animal); in this case, it is better to lean towards a semi-automatic, as you will be able to shoot even at a running or wounded animal to bring it down within shooting range without reloading the weapon. After you become distracted after the first shot, it is often very difficult to get the animal back in the scope for a second shot.

The weight of the weapon is also very important; the lighter it is, the easier it will be for you to carry it on horseback, and the more accurate your shots will be after prolonged treks in the mountains. We recommend selecting a weapon weighing no more than 4 kg without optics.

Attention should also be paid to the strap to which the weapon is attached; the rings or straps used for attachment should not have brightly chrome-plated parts, and during transportation, they should not make any noise.

Typically, it is not necessary to camouflage the weapon in white or gray colors. An exception is hunting for Marco Polo sheep, in which cases the guides have special material similar to bandages that can effectively camouflage the weapon. This is selected based on the specific location (colors of nature) at the hunting site and the weather.

Transporting hunting weapons to Kyrgyzstan

For hunting, we recommend bringing your own hunting weapons in hard aluminum cases that can be locked. This guarantees the safety of the weapon in case of a fall, although this is practically excluded, as weapons are often handed over for signature to the pilot or crew.

Different airlines have different rules, and this should be clarified before flying with the airline you will be traveling with (often, cartridges need to be packed in the case with the weapon, sometimes separately). According to the rules for registering hunting weapons in different countries, when traveling for hunting, it is necessary to inform the local authorities that you are flying to Kyrgyzstan with a weapon and that you will be away for several days; during this time, your weapon will be removed from registration at your place of residence until your return.

Choosing cartridges for hunting in Kyrgyzstan

An important detail to pay attention to after selecting rifled weapons is the correct selection of bullets. Our recommendation is to use bullets with a mass slightly above the average for the given caliber. As mentioned earlier, the heavier the bullet, the worse its ballistics. In conditions of shooting at long distances in Kyrgyzstan, this becomes very relevant, considering that one often has to shoot at angles of up to 45%.

We believe that soft-point bullets, as well as expanding bullets, are the best choice for hunting in our region. This is confirmed by a large number of successful hunts, where the wounding effect of the bullet has proven effective in taking Marco Polo sheep and ibex.

We strongly do not recommend using full metal jacket bullets because, in the case of an incorrect hit (in the limbs of the animal or vital organs), a strong bullet can pass through without hitting bone, resulting in a long-living wounded animal, which is very difficult to retrieve later. A wounded animal with broken limbs can be pursued for several dozen kilometers. Even if the wound is bleeding, the pursuit can continue for up to a day. This can be very physically demanding work. When using such a bullet, the only exception is hitting the bones of the spine, which happens very rarely; in other cases, it is a guaranteed wounded animal.

For hunting in Kyrgyzstan, we recommend bringing 50-75 cartridges. This is enough for zeroing in on site and for hunting. Therefore, if you are not familiar with the cartridge, we recommend purchasing at least 200 units, both for preliminary zeroing at home and for actual hunting.



Optics for hunting in Kyrgyzstan

Choosing the right optical sight is an important component of a successful hunt. Let's start from the conditions in which you will be shooting at the animal. First of all, this is the distance; you should plan for 300 meters, but often the real trophy, whether it be Marco Polo sheep or ibex, will not let you get within 400 or even 500 meters. You need to be prepared to shoot at a running target a second or third time. So, what optics will meet these requirements?

For hunting in Kyrgyzstan, a universal optical sight with variable magnification is necessary. The optimal optics have variable magnification, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 9. This is because when the animal is within 300 meters, it is optimal to shoot with a magnification of 3-4, as at this magnification, the size of the animal will occupy 15% to 25% of the total visible image area.

When shooting at distances from 400 to 600 meters, the optimal magnification is 6-8 times. At this magnification, the size of the animal will also occupy about 15% of the total image area. However, it should be noted that at such magnification, you will definitely need to shoot from a rest, as with a higher magnification of 6 or more, the visible image of the animal begins to shake significantly, complicating the possibility of a precise shot.

It is important to remember that the higher the magnification, the smaller the field of view of your sight. This significantly complicates the task of shooting at a running animal. A magnification of 9 is often used to make it easier to observe the animal and its position when preparing to shoot in the absence of binoculars.

We also believe that having a rubber eyecup on the sight is important when hunting in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. The convenience of this detail becomes noticeable when shooting at angles to the sun (small angles make shooting against the sun very difficult). Additionally, a side wind can irritate the pupil, causing tearing. Lastly, when needing to shoot at a running animal, it is much easier to catch it in the eyepiece since nothing distracts the eye.

The quality of the mounting to the weapon deserves special attention. Since sights are often transported separately from the weapon, the preliminary zeroing before transportation and subsequent zeroing at the hunting site should match. Therefore, it is advisable to use a sight mount specific to the brand of weapon and sight. The diameter of the sight also matters; the larger it is, the easier it is to make a shot at a running target or at a long distance.

The lens coating of the sight, like that of binoculars, is an important factor when hunting in the early morning and evening hours, as good coating helps increase the contrast of the image. It is during the early morning and evening hours, when the animal is feeding, that it is easier to take down the animal, as it is preoccupied with eating and looks around less.

The shape of the reticle is not as important; what matters more is the ability to use it for adjusting the point of impact of the bullet at various distances. The ability to illuminate the reticle at night is not fundamentally important, as during trophy hunting, assessing the qualities of the animal is extremely difficult, which does not allow for guaranteed shooting results.



Text: Administration of the Extreme Travel Company