This is likely the story you are hearing about. A letter from the hunting agent.
"We were just a few clicks from the Chinese border --- a true untouched trophy area at between 10,000 and 12,000 feet in elevation. I doubt many of the ibex that we saw had ever seen an upright hominid before. My 5 clients all scored on mid-Asian ibex, the largest at 48” and with heavy mass carrying all through to the tips. A 56-incher was taken last year on the exploratory mission just one peak beyond our last position. I knew trophy ibex were there and it was a pleasure to be in such pristine territory.
Unfortunately, I did not take one. Hunt logistics being what they were, I needed my clients to be successful first before the focus could shift to my own hunt. I hunted only as we rode out by horseback, but opted not to shoot an immature animal simply for the sake of taking one. I simply ran out of time. That said; our Kyrgyz guys in the hinterland were outstanding hosts and very hard working. Their exemplary efforts would be a model for others to follow. At 61, it was as tough a hunt physically as I had ever done, but I would gladly go back to hunt one particular mountain that was home to some trophy black-haired ibex some day.
What we were not expecting was an ambush by KGB agents on our way out of the hunt area looking to find something wrong with our paperwork, which was tight and proper as a drum. They camped for 5 days waiting for us to cross and internal border checkpoint. After 2 ˝ days of intimidation, they finally extorted some cash out of the Ministry of Ecology – another government agency actually conducting our hunt – and we were released. The US Embassy was useless in helping us, so don’t expect the Marines to show up if you ever get in such a jam. All they said they could do was to “encourage” their counterparts in the corrupt Kyrgyz government to look into the matter. There are 2 economies there – the official one and the dark, underhanded one. It is a system rifle with the old Soviet mentality despite its status as a republic.
When I finally got back to Bishkek, I held court at the US Embassy and briefed our consular officials on the saga. There was a scruffy looking guy in the waiting room. He was in the Army, responsible for training special US and Afghan forces, and had come all the way from Afghanistan to get his passport renewed. He had been given the run-around by our embassy in Afghanistan, and had taken a chance that he could get better service in Kyrgyzstan. He told me that he had overheard the Consular officials in the office complaining about his application, which did not sit well with me. So, when the Consular official emerged with the Regional Security Officer to greet me, to their dismay I grabbed the soldier and told them that he was on the front line and needed support NOW. I spoke only after he was attended to. My bigger disgust were the pictures of Obama, Biden and Kerry in each office and all the waiting areas.
God Bless,
Mark
Mark Audino
Henley & Delamere
www.henleyanddelamere.com "
Marco Polo hunt gone Horrible wrong?
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