More About Persian (Bezoar) Ibex

In New Mexico the ibex are called “Persian Ibex”. In their native habitat they are known as “Bezoar Ibex”.  Most hunters who enter their trophies in the SCI record book include the names of their guides and outfitters if they hired a guide.  As of January 2009, among the guides and outfitters listed in that book who are still legally registered to operate in New Mexico , our hunters represent 81% of the total entries. 

There are no landowner tags.  The year-round over-the-counter tag is not a viable option for a good billy.  There are 2 ibex licenses auctioned each year as part of two 5-license packages.  They go for well over $125,000 each.

All eligible applicants should apply for the centerfire hunt IBX-1-525 as their first choice then for the muzzleloader hunt IBX-3-540 as their second choice.  Most applicants should leave the third choice box empty.  Those who really want to do an ibex hunt and are capable of hunting with a bow should phone us before applying for the bow hunt IBX-2-535 as a third choice.

Our centerfire kill success is above 97%, muzzleloader is above 92%.

Most centerfire shots are under 275 yards and the muzzleloader shots fall below 150 yards.  Scopes, in-line ignition, and sabots are permitted on the muzzleloader hunt.

A 40 inch billy is considered a quite nice specimen.  A billy above 48 inches is getting into the world class category.  At least three billies over 48 inches have been taken in New Mexico in the last two years.  There are more billies above 48 inches in the herd.

The highest scoring Bezoar ibex recorded worldwide by SCI was killed in New Mexico.  However, because it wasn’t killed in its native habitat it is not classed by SCI as The World Record animal.  (SCI gets to make their own rules and that’s fine with us)

The mountain is quite rugged and has lots of loose rocks and cactus.  There are many drainages that have pour-offs which keep one from walking out through a canyon bottom.  But, the Floridas really aren't all that big.   A person who knows where to go can walk to a vehicle in the daylight from anywhere on the mountain in under 1 ½ hours. 

Hunters with reduced walking ability need not be discouraged from applying for the centerfire hunt, they just must expect to spend more time glassing prior to making their move on the ibex.  Hunter density is never an issue on the centerfire or muzzleloader hunts.  A hunter usually has nobody else interfering with the animal he is trying to take.

Motel accommodations for the ibex hunts are readily available in nearby Deming, New Mexico.  Our clients are welcome to set up their own tents or park their RV’s at our campsite.

Our ibex hunting school is conducted right at the Florida Mountains and includes access issues, ibex characteristics & behavior, judging of trophy quality, hunting techniques and some safety considerations.   Attending our class reduces the average hunter’s learning curve by at least 3 to 4 days.

The information below is primarily for Bow Ibex Hunters

Any hunter who draws a bow ibex license does himself an injustice if he does not make an effort to speak with many hunters who have hunted ibex  with a bow in the past.  Seek hunters who didn’t hire us and those who did.

The agility of the ibex coupled with their incredible eyesight and instant reaction time provide significant challenges for bow hunters.  Although faster bows and laser rangefinders have brought about increased success in recent years, the 22 year state average kill-and-recover success, excluding our kills, for bow hunting ibex is below 3%.  Some fatally wounded ibex are never recovered.  Our 22 year kill-and-recover success for bow ibex through January 2009 is just above 23%.  Our January 2009 bow success was 50% (2 out of 4 clients killed and recovered billies).  Most of our successful archers have killed at ranges between 25 and 50 yards.

To maintain our very high success rate on the bow ibex hunt, we provide our extensive pre-hunt information packet to each booked hunter at least three months prior to the actual hunt.  Then we schedule our bookings so that each hunter has optimum interaction with us for additional training on the mountain right at the front end of his hunt.  This improves the hunter’s effectiveness and enhances his total hunting experience.  We always have an abundance of guides and other staff on site to plan and execute the tasks required to meet the daily objectives.

Many who draw the bow license make plans with friends who say they will go to the hunt with the license holder.  Sadly, a quite large percentage of those friends back out at the last minute!

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