Cantabrian Chamois Hunting, Spain

Hunting Season: May – July & September – November

Although a small animal, the chamois is one of the most important beasts to chase in Europe. His agility and natural intelligence combined with the high and difficult mountains in  which he lives renders him one of the finest quarries of the true hunter. Originally thought to be a forest dweller he has since moved to Alpine environments, generally being spotted in amongst the most in accessable rocks. They can be found of the high ranges of Central and Southern Europe, their range extending Pyrenees to the caucasus and from the southern Carpathians to Albania.

The colour of the Chamois in summer is a greyish dun, with black markings on their face, but in winter their hair grows long and becomes almost black. However many varieties occur, including Albino and Menalistic however these are now rare. Chamois are gregarious and found in small herds.

They are very watchful for their safety and normally post a sentinel to guard against surprise. As a rule old Males prefer a solitary existence for much of the year, joining the females during the rut. The gestation period for Chamois is twenty weeks and the female normally produces one, rarely two kids.

Like all capra, during the winter months chamois will come down from the rocky peaks preferring lower lying and sheltered rocky woodland. A hunt for chamois at any time of year is a challenge and a high level of fitness is required, he has not made Real Big 5 Capra because he is pretty!

The best method of hunting Chamois anywhere in the world is to get above them. The hunt is conducted on foot using a method of spot and stalk. Despite the country that these goats reside, a high level of fitness is not required for this hunt. There is a passable road reaching the highest point in the mountain, allowing us to gain easy altitude at the beginning of the day

Known to be the smallest of all the Chamois, the Cantabrian is an essential addition to any true chamois hunters collection. Found only in the Cantabrian Mountains of Northern Spain, we have access to some of the best hunting reserves for cantabrian chamois. this Chamois can be shot anywhere between 400 – 2400m above sea level. there is a huge disparity in horn size, with many hunters targetting the mature males with the smaller horns. He is the lightest coloured of all the chamois. As with the Pyrenean the biggest threat to the Cantabrian Chamois is disease, and outbreak of mange in 1993 damaged the population, and although the Western population has recovered well, the eastern is only making a slow recovery, with an estimated population of around 16,000 individuals. Licenses are issued under strictly controlled quotas, but we have always been able to obtain licenses for our clients. reasonably priced, for a challenging hunt, the World’s smallest Chamois is a must for the avid capra shot.

We operate throughout Europe, including Turkey and across several continents, including Africa and Oceania.