Beceite Ibex Hunt in Spain
The sub-species of the Spanish ibex are named based on the mountain ranges where they are found, like Gredos, Ronda, Beceide and Sierra Nevada. The Beceide ibexes have large ring horns, which expand to the sides like airplane wings, which is quality, which distinguishes it from the other ibex sub-species in Spain. The Beceite mountain range is 300 - 1,200 m above the sea level, it is located on the Eastern sea shore and it is relatively close to the cities of Valencia and Barcelona. Currently, this ibex is very sought-after. Since these mountains are relatively low, the hunt takes place in dense vegetation consisting of bushes, oaks and pines. The color of the country is supplemented also by the traditional Spanish agriculture with its typical grape and orange terraces, which are separated by walls. The best areas for Beceite hunting are the areas belonging to the Castellón a Teruel provinces, bordering with the Tortosa Beceite National Reservation. These are the best and original Beceite ibex hunting areas, which were managed for years in such a way, that today there are hunts with a 100% success-rate. These areas are the cradle of Spanish ibexes, where 28,000 years ago, the local ancestors practiced hunt as a way of living, as can be seen on cave drawings in this area.
The Beceite ibex hunting season is October to May. However, the best hunt is during the mating season in November. The weather depends on the chosen month. In general , you can expect a pleasant, Mediterranean weather, however in the spirit of “there is no bad weather, only bad hunters”, I recommend checking the weather before beginning your trip and adapt your clothing, both hunting and civilian. As is the case with mountain animals, the ibex is shy and very alert at the same time. After millennia of being hunted by people, eagles, foxes, wolves, lynxes and other predators, they developed exceptionally sharp senses. Smell and hearing are fantastic, while their sight is truly a class of its own. Everything together with the terrain where they live makes them a very worthy opponent and a coveted trophy. The hunt itself is a classic mountain hunt, which is done by day-long stalking with a team of professional hunting guides, who perfectly know the terrain, the animals’ preference, their numbers and location, which are necessary for a successful hunt. Using powerful observation binoculars or cameras with an “ultra zoom”, the hunter and his guide assess the quality of the trophy. At this time, your distance from your coveted ibex can be anywhere from a couple of hundred meters to several kilometers. The hunt begins in the form of active stalking, which many hunters consider to be above all other hunting forms. The route to the coveted trophy is not a direct one; due to the surrounding terrain, the path can often be critical, because often the hunter will have no direct visual contact with the ibex for extensive periods of time.
Given the weather and the nature of the hunt, it is important to have suitable clothing, sufficiently breathable for the necessary walking. Layers of quality and functional clothing, as well as sturdy high shoes should be the basis. The animals are hunted for long distances; therefore, it is important to be ready for different shooting situations and distances. I recommend calibers with a flat flight path especially in the case of shooting at longer distances. Personally, I have used my favorite caliber 6.5x55 SE, although I acknowledge that for a distance of 362 m, it could use a bigger impact energy, but I get ahead in the actual hunt.
Spain is renowned by its exquisite kitchen and fantastic wines. Paella, tapas, gazpacho or ripening cheeses and especially the typical Jamon air-dried ham are just some of the gastronomic experiences awaiting you in the land of the toreadors. If you like excellent gastronomy also during the hunt, the Spain is the ideal choice for you. This Mediterranean destination is also ideal for your non-hunting company, as the hunting area is near exciting historical places with fantastic architecture and rich cultural life. In the spirit of “discover and hunt”, I have also visited the classic bullfights; after all, you should experience everything, but I do acknowledge my impressions were perplexed. My friends and I agreed that despite the high artistic performance of more than a four-hour program, once in a lifetime is enough.
How Did I Catch My Beceite Ibex? Like This …
In the afternoon of the second hunting day, we went to an area, which was well known to us, and where we have seen residence signs of ibexes on each of our walks. After about an hour of drive from the hacienda in the mountains, we are arriving at an old farmstead, where we are leaving our car and continue on foot. I’m taking my hunting backpack with a gun in it from the backseat and checking the guide as well as Peter, the cameraman. We silently open the old metal gate and move across the land on foot. From time to time, we stop and check the terrace fields through the gaps in the tree alleys, if we don’t see a trophy male. After about half an hour of free walk we arrive at a cliff drop off and the whole valley opens in front of us; the kitsch view of a beautiful, fragmented landscape, where in each spot, fantasy hand in hand with the hunting fever generates several trophy males in one place. Reaching for my binoculars, I couldn’t help but notice Peter’s blissful sight, as his eyes of a cameraman were taking in all of the photogenetic landscape. Then suddenly, my guide starts informing me by poking that there is a herd of ibexes beneath us. I find the spot with the naked eye and then through binoculars, I find a couple of bucks at a rock massif beneath us, but I see only young males with females. The fact that the adult males, as we know them from our countries, do not form such herds leave me cold. However, the exception confirms the rule! Next to the herd, we see an adult male, which at first glance shows medal values. “Silver, hundred percent silver, minimum.” Jaime assesses the old male, who in the meantime joined the herd. This information, in combination with the tone of my voice increased my pulse, which jumped even higher, when the range finder displayed 370 m in my field of view. I ran over all the available information in my head; the fact that my ballistic scope was 300 m tops disturbed me just as much as the sharp angle and the gusty wind. Before I could process it all, Jamie prepared his backpack at the edge of the cliff on a relatively flat ground for assuming the prone shooting position and Peter set up a tripod for the camera. My feelings did not exactly much my confident exterior, when I gave the gentlemen the impression that I venture to catch the ibex under these conditions. I threw away all of my doubts, put down my backpack and took out my favorite shotgun, I put in my prepared backpack. In my haste, I forgot I also had a bipod. I check the distance once more, which shrunk to 366 m after moving to the edge of the cliff; I quickly estimate the angle and add a couple of clicks on the ballistic scope. I breathe slowly, controlling the relatively high pulse caused by the hunting fever. With Peter behind my back, I’m checking with him the readiness of the camera. As I exhale, I aim at the shoulder blade and pull the trigger. The shot sounds across the large valley and I see in my field of view that the whole herd, with my male at its front, moves into the dense vegetation. Everyone surely knows the feeling, when you have done everything right, but you did not get a positive result right away. This was one of those case. I was sure I handled the shot well in every aspect; the only thing that disturbed me was my omission of the turning body of the ibex. “Yes, I should have aimed more at the shoulder blade than behind it; after all, the ibex stood with his back to me.”, I comment the checking of my shot in the camera, where the hit was clearly visible. The high hour, the rugged terrain and the insecurity, if we won’t have to track the game for hours forced us to leave our spot and go check the color in the spot. The descent into the valley took us a while due to the difficult terrain and dense vegetation. The three of us searched in vain for signs of color on the rock massif. We took off in the direct where the ibex escaped, when after a few meters we heard the cluck of hooves and saw a young male between the trees. The experienced guide noted that where there is a young one, there will also be an old one, so took off in the direction where we have seen the young one. A few movements up the hill allowed me to see the fallen old male Jaime jumped next to me and embracing each other we are calling to Peter that we have him, that he should come to us. The happiness from the catch was replaced by relief that the animal did not suffer, after all it was 70 m from the place where the projectile entered the body right behind the shoulder blade, went through all the vital organs at an ideal height and exited the body in front of the rear right thigh. I accept gratulations where we are not forgetting our traditions of three. We counted 11 ridges on the antlers of the beautiful male, which means only one thing; he left offspring. A couple of pictures at the site, a commentary to the camera and the guides are urging us, reminding us of the setting sun and the trip up a steep slope. I’m putting the trophy, together with the skin, in the backpack; even with these mountain hunts, I’m ready to cary my catch by myself. After at times a mountain-climbing performance we are getting back to the plateau, from where I was shooting; at this time, the sun turned the landscape red. Using a flashlight, we are arriving at the car full of impressions and experiences I’m ready to talk about to other hunters over wine at the hacienda. Again, thank you to both Jamie and Peter for their help and the time we spent together, which will stay in my memory for as long as I will live.
After getting back to the hacienda, I received warm gratulations and hugs from friends, who were anxiously waiting for me with a set table full of Spanish delicacies. We toasted to the successful hunt and exchanged hunting stories until the next morning; after all, I was not the only one, who was successful. In the end, my Beceite ibex received a gold medal with the value of 226 b. CIC, and this is also one of the reasons why it is getting to the pedestal of my life trophies and experiences. Hail to the hunt and to the forest!
