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Cost for a Tahr Trophy Hunt
The cost of a Tahr hunt in will run between $4,000 and $6,500.
Himalayan Tahr Hunting Season
All year
Trophy Tahr Hunts
The horns on a Himalayan Tahr are relatively short, coming in at 11 to 18 inches, but they are very exotic and impressive. These short, stocky horns hook around the animals head in a sharp curve like massive fishhooks. They tend to be a light brown or gray in color, and, though they are not ringed, they do have periodic ridges that make them stand out. Both the males and the females have these horns, which grow apart from one another in a triangular design, but the males sport the larger sets.
The winter coats are thick and heavy, so the best hunting is done in late November through to April, before they shed their coats before the summer. After the coats molt, they get lighter in color and far shorter. They’re impressive at any time, but the winter is by far the best.
Physical Characteristics
The animal is typically between three and five feet in length, with the tail running another 3.5 to five inches. At the shoulder, the Tahr is from 2 to 4 feet tall, weighing between 80 pounds and 200 pounds. The head and legs are undersized when compared to the rest of the body, giving it a small and stocky appearance, but some of this is due to the heavy hair, which makes it look larger in mass than it really is.
The Tahr has a dense, wooly coat, especially in the winter months. It runs from red to dark brown, and the undercoat in particular is very thick. The males have long manes that hang down from the shoulders and the neck, and this shaggy hair extends all the way to the front legs. This part of the coat tends to be a few shades lighter than the rest, making the animal really stand out and also enhancing the size and appearance of the mane. The face is generally the same dark tones as the rest of the body, but with light coloring under the jaw and on the ears.
Native Habitat and Countries
As the name implies, the Himalayan Tahr is native to the Himalayan mountain range. They are most often found in the southern part of Tibet, in northern India and even in nearby Nepal. Other than Texas, where the Tahr has thrived, the animal has been taken to both South Africa and New Zealand. Similar animals;the Nilgiri Tahr and the Arabian Tahr;can be found in other regions, but new research has shown that these are not as closely related to the Himalayan Tahr as was previously thought.
The Himalayan Tahr needs a habitat with good vegetation for feeding, and it also tends to stick to rocky areas, where it can lie down and hide in the rocks. They can move quickly, even on tough terrain and prefer some of the same areas as mountain goats. They do have to move through this terrain constantly in search of water sources.
Behavior/Social Characteristics
The Tahr is typically active very early in the morning or in the late afternoon hours. In the middle of the day they will bed down in the rocks. Hunting can be done all day long, but hunters will often use the cover of darkness or the relatively inactive afternoon hours to find likely places where the animals will converge before they begin to move.
The Himalayan Tahr is migratory, moving in the winter to find areas with thick cover to stay out of the snow and ice. They will also stay at higher elevations in the summer and then descend as the winter comes, looking for warmer areas. However, due to their heavy coats, they are able to withstand extremely cold temperatures.
Typically, the animals will stay in small groups with about 10-15 per square mile. They do form herds, but these are generally rather small, as those numbers indicate.