Mongolia Wilds Lure Hunters and More

The call of the wild is luring hunters and hikers from around the world to Mongolia, and starting to ring the few cash registers in this isolated country.

Mongolia, a vast but sparsely populated nation wedged between China and the Soviet Union, is making a push to attract hunters, fishermen and just plain trekkers.

“We are seeing a lot of interest in hunting,” said Adhya, a guide for Zhuulchin, the national tourism agency, as he dragged trophies, massive horns of wild sheep, through the lobby of the Ulan Bator Hotel.

“I’ll give you our price list,” he said. “Call me.”

Once largely a Soviet client-state, Mongolia is opening up to the West to lessen its dependence on Moscow.

It has offered hunting vacations for some years, but the lurch westwards will bring more foreign visitors.

About 300 hunters are expected this year to stalk red deer, mountain gazelle, steppe marmot, antelope, wild camel, wolf and snow leopard, a rare animal that roams the snowfields of the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia.

Many of them hand over big fees for big game. It can cost $25,000 for a two-week trip.

Add another $13,000 if you manage to shoot an elusive snow leopard, which is not yet on the list of protected animals in Mongolia.

Hunters bring their own guns and ammunition. Zhuulchin said it supplies everything else from guides and interpreters to cooks, food, transport and tents.

“They say they supply everything, but bring your own beer,” advises a knowing West German businessman who returned from a hunting trip to the Altai.

Mongolians are hardly teetotalers, but their taste veers toward vodka and airakh, fermented mare’s milk.

Some competition is creeping into the hunting market, where similar tours are being run by Mongol Safari, a company set up by the Mongolian Society of Hunters.

“We started up this year,” said manager Gonchigsumla Zorig. “So far most of our customers have been fishermen, but there is lots of interest. That convinced us to go ahead.”

Fishermen and hikers do not pay the same hefty fees demanded of hunters. Tours cost $1,000 to $1,500.

But their numbers are likely to be far greater in the years ahead as Mongolia’s doors swing open to foreign visitors, bringing in badly needed cash for this largely undeveloped country.