GILGIT: An American citizen hunted Astore markhor in Haramosh Community Controlled Hunting Area (CCHA) in Gilgit district of Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday under the current trophy hunting programme.
According to GB wildlife officials, Deron James Millman from the US successfully hunted an Astore markhor (Capra falconeri) in Sasi area of Haramosh, with a trophy size of 42-inch horns.’
GB Wildlife Department official Khadim Abbas said that the hunter paid a $160,000 trophy hunting permit fee to the GB Wildlife Department for the hunt. He mentioned that this was the last hunt of the season, as the department had auctioned four hunting permits for Astore Markhor this year.
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Last week, another American hunter, Justin Ryan Falatok, hunted an Astore Markhor in the Bunji Community Controlled Hunting Area (CCHA) in Gilgit after paying a $150,500 permit fee.
Similarly, earlier this month, Bryan Kinsel Harlan from the United States successfully hunted an Astore Markhor in the SKB Community Controlled Hunting Area in Roundu village of Skardu. He also paid a $150,500 trophy hunting permit fee to the GB Wildlife Department.
On January 23, Spanish national Carlos Mallo Alvarez hunted the season’s first Astore Markhor in the Jutal area of the Danyore Community Controlled Hunting Area (DCCHA) in Gilgit. He obtained a permit for $150,500, and the Markhor he hunted had an impressive antler size of 44 inches.
This year, the auction process for Astore Markhor hunting permits was marked by complications, requiring three attempts before completion.
In December last year, the Gilgit-Baltistan Parks and Wildlife Department successfully auctioned the four permits for the highly prized Astore markhor under a “first-come, first-served” policy after two failed attempts to attract higher bids for the 2024-2025 trophy hunting season.
Initially, 118 permits were offered during an auction held on October 30, including four for Astore markhor, 14 for blue sheep, and 100 for Himalayan ibex. These permits have been issued for community-controlled hunting areas (CCHAs) across Gilgit-Baltistan.
Despite selling permits for four Astore markhor, 12 blue sheep, and 86 Himalayan ibexes during the auction, the bids were significantly lower compared to the previous year. Consequently, the department canceled the exportable category permits, which included the Astore markhor.
The October auction saw the highest bid for two Astore markhor permits from the Danyore and Buji CCHAs at $107,000 each, a stark decline from last year’s record bid of $181,000. A re-auction held on November 25 failed to attract any buyers for the markhor permits, prompting the department to adopt a “first-come, first-served” approach. This policy led to the sale of all four Astore markhor permits, with prices ranging between $150,500 and $160,000, slightly above the base price of $150,000.