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Hunting in Spain – Part Two

Tim Herald
|  
  • Tim Herald

THIS TWO PART BLOG SERIES FEATURES THE ADVENTURES OF WTA CONSULTANT TIM HERALD, AS HE TRAVELS TO SPAIN IN SEARCH OF IBEX.

PART 2 – GREDOS IBEX & RHONDA IBEX

In part one of this story, I wrote about my hunts for the Beceite and Sierra Nevada ibex in Spain. On that trip, I decided I had to come back, and hunting the other 2 subspecies, the Gredos and Rhonda ibex, seemed like a good plan to experience different hunts and see different parts of Spain.

 

I flew into Madrid just the Monday after Thanksgiving 2016, and Vicente Gil picked me up and we drove to the village of La Alberca,  where we would be based for the Gredos hunt. It was a beautiful quaint village with friendly people and wonderful food. I had looked forward to eating some of the delicious Spanish jamon (ham) for a year and a half, and it did not disappoint.

 

Once again, before the hunt we met up with some local game scouts and away we went. The ibex were in rut, and it didn’t take long for us to locate a few groups, and every one seemed to have a big billy as the boss. We found one group about 1000 yards away that had a great billy, and they were actually below us. Vicente said he was a good one, but wanted to press on around the mountain to an area where the scouts had been seeing a lot of animals.

 

We got to a good lookout, and there was a big billy and a smaller one peering over a cliff, skylined about 600 yards away. They were on a ridge above us, so we tucked back in for a chat. I told Vicente that both billies in both groups looked good to me, and he said they were similar in size. He suggested we go after the high one first, and if it didn’t work out, we had a plan B on the low one.

 

We backed around a point and began to climb, and sweat. Once on the ridge, we moved from rock to rock glassing and moving slowly. We saw a small male and some females, but it took a while to find the big billy. When we did, he was only 80 yards away, but we could only see his horns.

 

Eventually he and a buddy moved off, and it took another hour maneuvering around to find them again. When we did, there were more than 50 animals in the herd, and of course one spotted us, and they all took off.

 

They dashed down into a drainage, and I figured they were gone for good, but then some emerged on the other side of the draw to go up and over. I got ready to shoot, and luckily the big billy trotted out in the open, and I was able to make a good shot and drop him.

Tim setting up for his shot
Tim setting up for his shot
Gredos Ibex
Tim’s Gredos Ibex

 

He was absolutely magnificent with hug sweeping horns, and we aged him at 12 years-old by his growth rings. I felt very blessed to have taken such a special old animal.

 

We had a great dinner that evening, and the next morning, we drove about 7 hours south to a small village just north of the city Malaga. This was to be our base for hunting the smallest of the four Spanish ibex, the Rhonda.

 

We found many ibex, but the weather was our nemesis. While I was there, they had a 30-year rain event that flooded the lowlands, and there were days that visibility was under 100 yards due to heavy fog.

fullsizerender-3
Heavy fog in the rhonda area

One day we got a break, and drove around to glass. We glassed a high mountain from the bottom, and spotted a small billy on the highest rock. Vicente told me the we would climb up and hunt. I thought we were going after the small billy, but that was lost in interpretation. It was a LONG and very steep climb to get to the top. It was one of those situations where you just keep telling yourself to just put one foot in front of (or in this case, above) the other, and keep going.

 

Once we reached the top, the area was scattered with huge rocks, and there was patchy fog. We saw some nannies, and we began moving and glassing. I then realized we were not going for the small billy as he was still in sight, and I was quite relieved.

 

We went over the ridge and a huge drainage ame up from the bottom and we began glassing the far side. Suddenly Vicente grabbed my shoulder and hurriedly pulled me behind a boulder and said “grande macho ibex.” I could figure that one out, and I too got excited.

 

I peeked across with my Nikon binos, and saw a band if ibex, but I could not see a big male. I knew these were the smallest of all the subspecies, but all the billies I saw looked tiny. Vicente eventually pointed the big male out, and I ranged him at about 450 yards.

 

We decided to crawl as best we could to try to cut some distance, and we ended up at 325 yards. Luckily a bit of fog rolled in, and it helped mask our movements. Lucky that is until I got ready to shoot. I dialed my turret to 325 yards, and as I was knocking my safety off, a heavy fog bank rolled in and completely blocked my view. I was in disbelief. I literally needed two more seconds.

 

I lay there impatiently waiting and after about ten minutes, the fog thinned. I was actually surprised that the billy was still there, so I didn’t waste any time. I hit the safety again, settled the crosshairs on his shoulder and touched the trigger. The billy crumbled on the spot, and I could see one horn above the rocks where he lay.

fullsizerender

We were all elated, and after a few hugs and handshakes, we began the hike over to the ibex. It was quite a chore to traverse all the rocks on this mountain, but we finally made it, and he was just gorgeous. Honestly, he was much larger than I expected for a Rhonda ibex, and he was wider than any I had ever seen in photos.  What a fantastic way to end my second trip to Spain.

 

All of the four ibex lived in different terrain and provided completely different hunts, but all were special for their own reasons. Hunting Spain is a true joy, and I will go back one day, if nothing else to eat good food and see good friends, but I’ll probably find a way to squeeze a hunt in too.

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Preference Point Deadline: October 31, 2025

The deadline to purchase Wyoming preference points is October 31. If WTA is already managing your TAGS applications, you’re all set. If not, don’t miss the chance to secure points this year. It’s the perfect time to talk with a TAGS consultant to start a new portfolio or grow your existing one.

Wyoming’s system is unique. Unlike other states, you don’t automatically receive a preference point if you’re unsuccessful in the draw. Instead, you must log in after July 1 and purchase your points separately. Building points is critical if you want a shot at drawing a Wyoming tag. Over-the-counter opportunities are a thing of the past. Today, only 25% of non-resident tags are issued randomly. The other 75% go to applicants with the highest point totals.

If you want to hunt big game in Wyoming, building preference points isn’t optional…it’s essential.

Watch Wyoming Video

While preference points are an investment in the future, don’t let that keep you from starting now. While Wyoming has units that require 18+ points, there are also good opportunities to hunt sooner. There are elk, deer, and antelope hunts that can be drawn with 0–3 points. Think about it this way—the more points you have, the more options you have.

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Serious hunters know that Montana is home to some of North America’s most coveted species: Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, Shiras moose, mountain goat, and antelope. The key to unlocking these dream hunts is building points, and the deadline to secure your bonus point for this year is September 30.

Montana squares bonus points in its draw system, and hunters with more points gain a significant advantage in the draw. If you’ve ever dreamed of chasing a record bull, a giant ram, or a heavy-horned buck in Montana, strategically building points will put you in the best position to find success in upcoming seasons.

Watch Montana Video Rocky Mountain Elk

Montana consistently produces exceptional trophy bulls, making elk the most sought-after species in the state. Archery permits are especially appealing, often requiring only 4–7 years to draw—a remarkably short time period compared to other western states. Rifle permits can often be drawn with a similar point investment, though trophy quality is slightly lower on average. Many of these hunts take place on expansive private ranches, providing hunters with excellent opportunities and high success rates.

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Dialed In: A 360-Inch Bull Elk and the Luck that Made It Happen

Dialed In: A 360-Inch Bull Elk and the Luck that Made It Happen

Winning one hunt sweepstakes through Worldwide Trophy Adventures feels like a long shot, but winning two? That’s the kind of luck I still can’t fully wrap my head around. I started entering WTA sweepstakes a few years ago, taking full advantage of their Bonus Bucks program and hoping to win someday. I’ve hunted whitetails in Minnesota’s flat woods, mule deer out West, and Sitka blacktails in Alaska’s rugged country, but this was different. When Worldwide Trophy Adventures called to tell me I’d won their 2024 Nevada bull elk hunt, just a year after winning a Utah mule deer hunt from them, I was stunned. Two sweepstakes wins in two years? Unreal. And the icing on the cake? I’d be hunting with a crew that truly knows their elk. As Erik Schell put it: “John, when it comes to elk, these guys are paid killers.” He wasn’t wrong.

I opted to drive from Minnesota to keep costs down and bring back as much meat as possible. I loaded my truck with Yeti coolers and hit the road for the long drive, stopping in Denver for a steak dinner with a hunting buddy before tackling the last 10 hours to Baker, Nevada. That stretch through Loveland Pass was sketchy with snow and ice, and on the way back I detoured through Gillette, Wyoming to avoid a 30″ Denver snow dump. Long haul, but worth it to have my truck for the meat.

Baker is a speck of a town, population 16, just shy of the Utah line. The outfitter set us up in an Airbnb called The Corner Place. It was homey, with enough beds for me, another hunter, and the guide crew. The kitchen had stacks of premade meals like casseroles and snacks, whipped up by the outfitter’s wife. We heated them up after long days, but if we got back late, we’d hit the Border Crossing, a bar and greasy spoon split between Nevada and Utah. One side had slot machines, the other a gas station. We’d grab burgers and a bucket of Budweiser, the guide Richie’s favorite, and swap stories. It was simple, but it hit the spot.

The outfitter’s team was world-class. They’d been scouting for a week, pinpointing a bachelor group of bulls in a canyon 20 miles north. That first night, we sat around the Airbnb’s kitchen table sipping beers and scrolling through their scouting videos. Three bulls stood out: a beat-up 6×6 they called Bondo, a heavy 5×5, and a narrower 7×7. We decided to hit the canyon at dawn.

Day one was no joke. Richie, my guide, led me up the mountain before light, climbing a couple thousand feet. The air was a bit thinner than in Minnesota, but Richie kept a steady pace. Two spotters, Cameron and Ryan, worked the opposite canyon rim. It felt like I had the dream team for this once-in-a-lifetime elk hunt. We eased onto a rock ledge about 400 yards above a bench where five bulls were feeding: Bondo, the 5×5, a thin 6×6, a young 5×5, and a spike. No 7×7. This was the first time I was faced with taking a bull elk, but Richie talked me through it. “The 5×5’s got 30 inches of mass per side, swords in the 20s, probably 9 or 10 years old. Scores at least 330. Solid first bull.”

I went prone on the ledge, dialing my Gunwerks Nexus in 7 PRC to 387 yards. Richie double-checked: “386 yards.” Right as I lined up, the bull bedded down. Great. I’d waited out a mule deer for five hours once, so I knew the drill. Lying on snow with a 20° northwest wind kicking up, I started shivering after an hour. Richie saw it. “You good? We can back off, build a fire, or shoot him bedded. There’s a branch over some of his vitals. Can you slip a round under it?”

I’d put in time at Gunwerks’ Long-Range University: a hands-on, no-BS school that focuses on real-world shooting conditions, not just benchrest skills. They train you to read wind, manage stress, and make clean, ethical shots in exactly the situations that hunters face in the field. I knew my rifle, my dope, and my limits. “I got it,” I said. I checked the yardage, my level, controlled my breathing, and squeezed. The bull collapsed. “You smoked him!” Richie said. When he tried to get up, a second round finished it.

Reaching the bull was an experience I won’t forget. I’ve taken plenty of deer over the years, but this 360″ elk was in a league of its own—sheer mass, thick beams, and antlers that looked heavy even from a distance. Standing over him, the scale of the hunt hit me. We built a small fire, took photos, and soaked in the moment. Then came the hard part. The canyon was steep and treacherous, slick with snow and loose shale. I took a spill on the descent, and every step down was a test of footing and balance with meat on our backs. It took over three hours to reach the canyon floor and get the bull out, but it was worth every bit of effort. Back at camp, we celebrated the way hunters do—cold beers and a good story to tell.

We caped the bull that night and packed the meat in coolers, though it was cold enough outside to keep everything fresh. I hung around a few days, spotting for the other hunter’s bull, glassing canyons, and enjoying the Nevada backcountry. No pressure, just good times behind the glass. When I left, I strapped the antlers to my truck, crammed the coolers in, and drove 24 hours straight home, still buzzing. Back in Minnesota, I vacuum-sealed the meat, enough for months of meals, and dropped the rack with a taxidermist for a shoulder mount.

This hunt was as good as it gets. The outfitter knew every inch of that country, had bulls dialed in, and gave me options. For a guy who’s now won two WTA sweepstakes, I’ll tell you straight: these hunts are real and the sweepstakes are worth it. Nevada’s elk country and that crew of “paid killers” gave me a bull and a story I’ll be telling for years.

Don’t miss your chance to enter to win this world-class elk hunt in Nevada. The entries are limited…only 1,750 total entries, giving you very good odds of winning this elk valued at $72,000!

Enter the Nevada Elk Sweepstakes

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