To the next lucky person
This message is for those of you that have ever dreamed of exploring the hunting opportunities in the faraway lands of Russia. Based in North America, I had reservations of this adventure when the opportunity came up. You see for me Russia was not on my bucket list of hunting destinations……to be honest, not even in my top five!!
This opportunity came on the heels of our TV show (The EDGE, a production owned and operated by the WILD TV network). Now I’ve always heard of the massive brown bears and moose Russia had to offer but when the snow sheep species came across my desk I snapped to attention! I completed my FNAWS or North American Sheep Slam in 2016, so the thought of pursuing the Kamchatka Snow Sheep, on a peninsula that jets out into the Bearing Sea……well for me…..BAD ASS!!
The intrigue was definitely in place but I had massive reservations about making this trip. I was ignorant on all aspects. At this point I was speaking with multiple people trying to figure all of this out. I was hearing some good accounts of the Russia hunts as well as some bad. After speaking with all the organizers of this hunt included; Antares M Inc., as well as Artistry in Motion Taxidermy, I decided to take the plunge.
The area they hunt is the largest leased property on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the promises of grandeur and success rates were almost too good to be true, and that’s exactly how I prepared myself for this adventure.
To my pleasant surprise here is the no BS report
Antares M Inc. had us looked after from before we even left North America. They booked our flights from Anchorage AK to Russia for us to ensure all was accurate for what we needed, they met us at the airport upon arrival, took us to the hotel and got us checked in……right down to helping us to the room with our gear and setting us up for dinner in the hotel……totally first class considering the language barrier.
The next day they came and picked us up, took us to a gravel pit in order to check our rifles, then continued to the helicopter landing where we would be picked up as a group and flown into sheep country.
Upon arrival at sheep camp high in the mountains we were greeted with a meal and the all the help one could ask for. We were shown to our private tents (yes one for every hunter) giving us lots of room to stretch out and get comfortable.
With good weather above us we were urged to hunt that same afternoon. Broken English reports that their “mountain scouts” had spotted a small band of rams not too far from camp were spilling through camp! So let me rewind this story a bit……we were originally told that mountain scouts would be in the field for at least two weeks prior to arrival, this at the time went in one ear and out the other with me…..after all, what outfitter is going to put that much time and effort into a hunt……the cost involved alone to do such a thing is not something the average outfitter is willing to do. You might get the odd outfitter to say that’s what is going to happen but that’s usually all that is….talk. These guys actually did it!!!!!
We loaded up and took to our climb. Camp was in a beautiful bowl at about three thousand feet elevation (remember you start at zero with the ocean) we climbed up to approximately seven thousand feet in order to come over the top and glass a huge basin and valley below. Once we crested the top and settled in to glass, the guide got on the two way radio and contacted one of the scouts. A short time later the scout shows up, him and the guide start talking a million miles a minute, we can tell something exciting is going on but both myself and my hunting partner can’t understand a single word of RussianJ
The guide loads us up and we proceed to drop in and skirt the edge of the mountain. Only a few hundred yards around the corner and the landscape opens up into a long valley. Within five minutes we spot the band of rams just as the scout reported. With one really dandy of a ram in the group my partner was first up. We made a game plan and started down the mountain to get ourselves within a comfortable shooting distance. At a certain point our guide turned to us and said, “This is as far as we can go without being detected”. We belly crawled out as far as possible and laid the gun over a backpack, all we can do now is wait for the bedded ram to stand.
Five minutes later the report of the gun is echoing throughout the valley and we have ram number one on the ground. A beautiful nine year old Kamchatka Snow Sheep. The celebration is brief and we decide to split up. My partner heads for his ram with the help of the guide and a scout. I stay behind in hopes of locating a ram of my own.
Long story short……within forty five minutes it’s my partner that is surprised with the rumble of my 6.5 Creedmoor. I find myself standing over a sheep of grand proportion, a once in a lifetime calibre of snow sheep.
Two magnificent rams in one day!!! It definitely made for a long day and an even longer hike back up and over the mountain to base camp but worth every painstaking step. We reached the base camp at about 2am, exhausted and ready to hit the bed roll.
The next morning we woke to a hearty mountainside breakfast, guides completed our trophy field prep, with the fleshing process, turned the lips and ears, saluted everything well. That afternoon we were asked if we wanted to leave the mountains as a bad storm was to hit that was suspected to unfold over the next five days. That said, five days in a tent or go back to the outfitters main lodge (where they river fish) was a no brainer for us, we loaded our gear and within a few hours the helicopter was landing again.
We took the 45 minute helicopter ride and saw some beautiful country, only to land in a setting that can only be described as a movie set. Nestled alongside the river are some great looking cabins as well as the main lodge. This place was unreal with all the amenities and then some including a steam bath that will make you want to add on to your own house when you get home.
They have a dedicated cook that looks after your every need. Full private rooms that are as nice as any hotel you have ever been in and wait for it………world class river fishing for Arctic Char.
This lodge is the primary location for the fall moose hunts as well as the spring and fall brown bear hunt. Just so happens that the river provides the groceries wanted and needed by the hunter as well as the bear!
This lodge is the primary location for the fall moose hunts as well as the spring and fall brown bear hunt. Just so happens that the river provides the groceries wanted and needed by the hunter as well as the bear!
We spent two full days here and saw multiple brown and black bears; we fished our hearts out both with a spinning rod and a fly rod. We ate like kings including the caviar right from the female char……this was WAY outside my comfort zone to even try, but I was shocked at how good it was.
When the dust settled we were looked after right to the gates of our return flight home. It was truly a blessing having these folks walk us through every step of the journey never giving up on us through all points.
We had the pleasure of meeting a few other hunters in the airport that were not hunting with the Antares M Inc. group. The stories they had were definitely not as favorable as our own experiences. From being left in hotels for days to unsuccessful hunting excursions (tag soup), difficulties of all kinds…..I immediately recognised that we were amongst the lucky ones……lucky to find this group of dedicated individuals. They truly made this a trip a once in a lifetime experience.
Over all, this trip is easily amongst the very best I have ever had. The crew at Antares M Inc., in conjunction with CJ at Artistry in Motion Taxidermy that set all this up, are undoubtedly one of the most dialled in groups I have ever had the pleasure to hunt with…….hands down!
Looking back at my hesitations, the unknowns, my fears…….all of that normal stuff that we as hunters going to foreign areas obsess about, I have to chuckle…….I literally had hundred dollar bills stuffed in my underwear, socks and backpack and never once did I have to pull it nor did I ever even remotely feel we were in a dangerous situation.
My hat is off to these folks with much respect. Plans for my return trip are already in the works, I must chase the Kamchatka Brown Bear.
To those that have ever thought about Russia as a hunting destination, look no further, Antares M Inc. These are the right guys for the job.
Please feel free to contact me directly if you want to discuss this hunt in further detail.
Steve Ecklund
Cabela’s Big Game Hunting Ambassador
Host of Wild TV’s “The EDGE”
Book your hunt or simply call and enquire for yourself;
CANADA:
Antares M Inc.
by phone (Toronto Canada) (English speaking) 1-647-202-277
(hunt.antaresm@bell.net), info@hunting-experience.com
RUSSIA
7-915-459-15-94 or Email (huntkamchatka@gmail.com) (English speaking)
English 
Chinese