Cecil Hammonds
AH senior member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2016
- Messages
- 85
- Reaction score
- 440
- Location
- North Texas
- Media
- 61
- Member of
- DSC, NRA, SCI
- Hunted
- Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, Poland, Canada, Mexico, Argentina
My wife and I just returned from our trip to Spain that we had planned almost two years ago. We booked with Bruno Rosich of Trophy Hunting Spain at the DSC show in January of 2022 to hunt in December of 2023. Everything about our trip was terrific. We arrived in Barcelona on December 12th and spent two nights there. We did some touring and enjoyed the various Christmas markets in town. On the 14th, we went back to the airport and picked up a rental car and took off to explore Northeastern Spain. Our first stop was in Tarragona to see the ancient Roman ruins there, and then we hit the road to Valderrobres which is in an area referred to as the Tuscany of Spain. We spent one night there in the old village. The next village over is actually called Beceite, which I found interesting. Next stop was Zaragoza, where we stayed by the Plaza Pilar. We really liked Zaragoza and I would recommend a visit there if you have the chance. Just to be clear, we could have been picked up by the outfitter in Barcelona, but we chose to do some exploring on our own.
Finally the time arrived to start the hunt. I met my guide in a small village, and we went to the hunting area. Since we were doing so much touring on our own, I opted to use his rifle. It was a 300 Win Mag with a Zeiss optic, and it was spot on accurate. On our way to check zero on the rifle, we jumped two monster Ibex billies in the trail going up the mountain. One went straight up a 15 foot vertical rock face to get away from us which I found quite impressive. After shooting the rifle, we set out in search of a suitable billie, but we didn't see any mature animals the rest of the morning. We had a nice lunch on top of a mountain and came up with a plan for the afternoon. After driving and glassing for a couple of hours and not seeing much, I was beginning to think we would come back the next day and try again. Well things changed in a hurry when we came across two separate groups of Ibex both with a good billie chasing the nannies as they were in the midst of the rut. We lost track of them as they started running through the thick draw they were in, but we made a plan to cut them off. We were pretty high above them when we spotted the bigger billie off by himself. He was in a perfect spot to get a shot on him, so we got set up. It was a pretty steep downhill shot; the ballistic range was only 225 yards, but the true distance was much further. We got him killed with one shot, and then the real work began. Getting down to him and getting him out of there was a bit of a chore. All the leg days at the gym paid off on that one for sure. It was well after dark by the time we got back to the truck, but what a great feeling it was.
The rural hotel the outfitter arranged and the food there was amazing. Since we got done on the first day, our guide Robert took us around to see some sights. We went over to the coast at the Ebro River Delta area where they huge flocks of pink flamingos. While there, we had probably one of the best meals I have ever eaten. The next day, we went back by the coast and stayed our last night there before heading back to Barcelona. I know it's something we take for granted, but it is really pretty amazing that we live in a day and age where we can leave Barcelona at 9 in the morning, and be back in Dallas at 3:30 on the same day.
All in all, it was an amazing experience all the way around. Here are a few pics of the hunt, enjoy!
Finally the time arrived to start the hunt. I met my guide in a small village, and we went to the hunting area. Since we were doing so much touring on our own, I opted to use his rifle. It was a 300 Win Mag with a Zeiss optic, and it was spot on accurate. On our way to check zero on the rifle, we jumped two monster Ibex billies in the trail going up the mountain. One went straight up a 15 foot vertical rock face to get away from us which I found quite impressive. After shooting the rifle, we set out in search of a suitable billie, but we didn't see any mature animals the rest of the morning. We had a nice lunch on top of a mountain and came up with a plan for the afternoon. After driving and glassing for a couple of hours and not seeing much, I was beginning to think we would come back the next day and try again. Well things changed in a hurry when we came across two separate groups of Ibex both with a good billie chasing the nannies as they were in the midst of the rut. We lost track of them as they started running through the thick draw they were in, but we made a plan to cut them off. We were pretty high above them when we spotted the bigger billie off by himself. He was in a perfect spot to get a shot on him, so we got set up. It was a pretty steep downhill shot; the ballistic range was only 225 yards, but the true distance was much further. We got him killed with one shot, and then the real work began. Getting down to him and getting him out of there was a bit of a chore. All the leg days at the gym paid off on that one for sure. It was well after dark by the time we got back to the truck, but what a great feeling it was.
The rural hotel the outfitter arranged and the food there was amazing. Since we got done on the first day, our guide Robert took us around to see some sights. We went over to the coast at the Ebro River Delta area where they huge flocks of pink flamingos. While there, we had probably one of the best meals I have ever eaten. The next day, we went back by the coast and stayed our last night there before heading back to Barcelona. I know it's something we take for granted, but it is really pretty amazing that we live in a day and age where we can leave Barcelona at 9 in the morning, and be back in Dallas at 3:30 on the same day.
All in all, it was an amazing experience all the way around. Here are a few pics of the hunt, enjoy!
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