One of the most under-hunted countries of Central Asia is possibly the best - Uzbekistan. This Kugitang Markhor was taken on the first day of the hunt in December 2025 among many other mature billies seen.
Hi, not very high at all. We hunt different areas to 8,000 max. But we were at about 5800 when this was taken. The walk up the valley was easy; it did not feel like Markhor hunting. But when we carved our way up to the final glassing point, we were in a deep canyon looking straight up on all sides and glassing at 45- to maybe 60-degree angles.
I understand. I guess that's why I first made the statement that Uzbekistan is the most under-hunted country in Central Asia. What is known of it is known by a relative few because of that. We had 3 hunters starting in early November of 2025 though mide-December. All three took their Markhor on the first day. One in 90 minutes. Shots ranged from 165 yards to 700. The one pictured was taken at 700 after a miss at another one at 525.
The Kugitang is the smallest of the Markhors, but no less noble. The upshot is that the Kugitang currently the least expensive to hunt, even when compared to the non-exportable Kashmir in Pakistan. Those non-exporatable Kashmir come at a far lesser cost that than the few exportable tags there available each year, but the NEs have crept up in price due to advances in replica taxidermy. Our outfitter for example takes a perfect 3D scan of the horns to be printed in USA and hunters opt for a taxidermist who can replicate the skin. In other cases, hunters have gone to Texas to shoot one of the Markhors on the exotic game ranches for the skin. In many of these cases, the trophy fee they pay + the 3D printing of the horns comes out to less than the cost of a full-bore replicated trophy.
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