248 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



of the northern end of the valley of Kashmir roughly 

 from the Pir Punjal Pass up to Chitral, and up the 

 Indus as far as Iscardo. In pursuit of this goat the 

 sportsman must be prepared for a great deal of rough 

 climbing, for the old bucks especially have a happy 

 faculty of selecting the most precipitous ground, 

 often with patches of thick forest, in which they lie 

 all day, only emerging on the grass slopes early and 

 late. However, if the sportsman can get a good 

 Kashmir shikari, puts himself entirely in his hands, 

 follows his advice, has a good head for climbing, and 

 holds his rifle straight at the critical moment, he may 

 still get what he wants in Kashmir. 



A variety of this goat is to be obtained in what is 

 known as the Trans-Indus region. His habitat is 

 the arid ranges of the Suliman as far as Quetta, 

 Beluchistan. The horns are not as fine as the 

 Himalaya specimens, and are more spiral and stumpy. 

 Very few of these are killed by fair stalking, especially 

 of the old bucks, as they frequent very precipitous 

 ground and hide in caves, only emerging late in the 

 evening and at night to feed. They are mostly 

 hunted with beaters driving to posted guns. The 

 natives kill them sometimes by sitting up late and 

 getting a shot in the dusk, when they leave their 

 inaccessible lairs for grazing or water. 



But to return to Kashmir. Now, alas ! owing to 

 indiscriminate shooting of small and great game, 

 there are few markhor left. There are a few good 

 old bucks to be found in the Kaj Nag (which runs 

 along the right branch of the Jhelum), but only a 



