Espagne
Sierra Nevada Ibex Hunting in Spain
Three days of spot and stalk for a Sierra Nevada ibex on 44,500 acres of free range ground in Almeria province. One male, no length limit.
Duration
3 hunting days
Hunters
1 à 4
Game
Sierra Nevada ibex
Ground
Almería, Andalousie
Method
Spot and stalk
From
4 900 €
The hunt
What to expect.
Sierra Nevada ibex hunting in Spain, also listed as the southeastern Spanish ibex, is hunted spot and stalk in the sierras of Almeria province, Andalusia. Three hunting days on free range ground, 17 October 2026 to 25 April 2027, from 4,900 €. Univers Chasse Peche is a licensed French travel agency, Atout France n° 031950034, APST member. We build the trip end to end, from the Spanish permit file to the trophy leaving the country. One of the four varieties of the Spanish ibex slam, taken on a flat fee with no medal grading.
Why Sierra Nevada ibex hunting matters to a mountain hunter
The Sierra Nevada ibex, listed by most record books as the southeastern Spanish ibex, is the southernmost of the four recognised Spanish ibex varieties and one of the four animals a hunter needs to complete the Spanish ibex slam. Its range is not confined to the Sierra Nevada massif itself. It also holds the sierras of Almeria province, in Andalusia, which is where this hunt takes place. The trophy is the same animal, the ground is different, drier, more mineral and far less hunted than the units around Granada. For a hunter working through the four Spanish varieties, that matters twice over, once for the animal and once for the pressure on the ground.
The second argument is the price structure, and it is uncommon on Spanish ibex. The male is taken on a flat fee with no length limit and no score supplement. Because the hunt runs on entirely open ground, no medal can be promised. Your guide looks for the best available male during your three days, and if that male turns out to be exceptional the price does not move. The Bronze, Silver and Gold grading grids that govern most Spanish ibex hunting, and that quietly double the cost of a good head, do not apply here.
The hunt in brief, three days of spot and stalk in southeast Spain
The format for this Spanish ibex hunt is short and dense. Three hunting days, one hunter, one guide, one four wheel drive, across roughly 44,500 acres spread over eighteen hunting units. Three days is what the guide recommends on this ground and it matches the reality of rececho. Two mornings of glassing rarely leave enough margin, three give you room to pass a young male without putting the hunt at risk.
The season runs from 17 October 2026 to 25 April 2027 on the Almeria units. The November and December rut is the best window. Mature males come down off the high ground, stay visible longer through the day and let a hunter close the distance further. March and April spread the animals out more, but the light and the walking are more comfortable and dates are easier to secure.
Lodging is deliberately outside the package. Depending on which unit is hunted and when, the right base is not the same address, and morning drive time matters far more than the name of the hotel. Rooms and meals are booked on request once the sector is settled.
Rececho explained, judging and shooting a Spanish ibex
Rececho, the Spanish term for mountain spot and stalk, always follows the same sequence. You climb the tracks before daylight, set up on a high point and open the spotting scope on the opposite faces. Sorting happens through glass, and a male of seven years and older is read by horn mass, base thickness and body outline rather than by length alone. Once the animal is chosen, the stalk starts on foot, played on relief and thermals, usually across a scree slope on the sidehill.
The shot is taken standing or seated, rarely prone, at distances that commonly run from 165 to 330 yards. The 7mm Remington Magnum is the reference chambering here for its flat trajectory and its margin at the far end of that range, and the .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester and .30-06 all work. A hunter who has never fired past 200 yards from an unstable position should book range time before flying. That is the only genuine technical difficulty of the trip, and it is solved at home rather than on the mountain. A mountain rifle can be rented on site at 100 € per day.
Hunting ibex in the sierras de los Filabres and las Estancias
These two ranges form the spine of the interior of Almeria province. The sierra de los Filabres rises above 6,500 feet, topping out at Calar Alto, where the astronomical observatory works under one of the driest skies in continental Europe. The sierra de las Estancias, further north, is gentler, with terraced valleys of almond and olive between the ridges. Together they give the open, readable country that makes an ibex hunt in this part of Spain work.
The habitat is southeastern semi arid, low matorral of rosemary, thyme and broom, reforested pine on the north faces and bare rock elsewhere. That apparent poverty is exactly what makes the ibex visible and the stalk technical, since there is very little cover to hide either animal or hunter. Almeria is the closest airport to both ranges, with Murcia, Alicante and Malaga as alternatives depending on connections. A non hunting companion has the coast, the Tabernas desert and the Cabo de Gata natural park within easy reach.
A licensed agency to organize your ibex hunt in Spain
Univers Chasse Peche is a licensed French travel agency, Atout France n° 031950034, APST member, based in Toulouse, with thirty years on the ground. That registration is not administrative decoration. It imposes a financial guarantee on the sums you pay in advance and professional liability cover, and it puts you in a clear contractual position if the trip is changed or cancelled, which is the difference between an organizer and a booking agent when you are wiring a deposit from another continent.
On this hunt the work starts well before departure. Spanish hunting licence, hunting liability insurance, firearm formalities or rental, choice of unit according to your dates and your trophy expectations, and lodging if you want it handled. We know this type of hunting and we would rather state it plainly. The Sierra Nevada ibex is hunted in the mountains, on free range ground, and it asks for legs and a reliable shot. Described that way, it does not disappoint.
The ground
Why this area.
- Around 44,500 acres across 18 hunting units, sierras de los Filabres and de las Estancias
- Entirely free range ground, no fence, no released animals
- Southeastern Spanish ibex, the southernmost of the four varieties of the Spanish ibex slam
- Arid mid mountain country, the Filabres topping out above 6,500 ft
- Mature males targeted, seven years and older, with no score limit
- Shots to be prepared out to 275 to 330 yards
- Flat trophy fee, no Bronze, Silver or Gold grading grid
Day by day
How the hunt unfolds.
Practical details
In the field.
Hunting method
Mountain spot and stalk, called rececho in Spain. Glassing from ridges and tracks with a spotting scope, then a stalk on foot through matorral and scree. The guide provides the spotting scope and rangefinder, you bring your binoculars. Fitness required is that of sidehill walking on loose ground, with shots possible out to 275 to 330 yards. A mountain rifle can be rented on site at 100 € per day.
Accommodation
Lodging and meals are not included in the package. Good standard hotels and guest houses near both ranges are bookable on request, priced at the quote stage. The choice of base depends on which unit is hunted, so as to keep morning drive time short.
Planning your trip
Paperwork and climate.
Entry and hunting formalities
Spain, European Union. A Spanish hunting licence and hunting liability insurance are compulsory, 70 € in total, arranged before departure and handled with you. Renting a rifle on site at 100 € per day is the simplest route for a hunter flying from the United States.
Climate and season
Semi arid southeastern Spanish climate, dry bright winters, frost possible above 5,000 ft, occasional snow on the tops of the Filabres. The season runs from 17 October 2026 to 25 April 2027. November and December are the best weeks, the rut concentrates the males and keeps them visible longer through the day.
What the hunt includes
Included and not included.
+ Included
- Three guided hunting days, spot and stalk
- Guide and four wheel drive vehicle throughout the stay
- One male ibex, no length limit and no trophy supplement
- Access to the 18 units of the territory, around 44,500 acres
- Guide's spotting scope and rangefinder
- Permit file preparation and Univers Chasse Peche assistance before departure
− Not included
- International flights and airport taxes
- Lodging and meals, bookable on request, priced at the quote stage
- Return airport transfer, on request
- Spanish hunting licence and hunting liability insurance, 70 €
- Rifle rental on site, 100 € per day
- Trophy fee on a second animal, in particular a female
- Trophy preparation, veterinary file and shipping to your country
- Cancellation and repatriation insurance
- Guide gratuities
Open season
When to go.
Season 2026 2027
Ibex hunting is open from 17 October 2026 to 25 April 2027 on the units of Almeria province. November and December remain the best weeks, the rut concentrates the males and widens the daytime observation window.
In pictures
Hunt gallery.
Our previous trips
Trophies taken.
Your questions, our answers
Frequently asked questions.
Yes. The Sierra Nevada ibex, listed in most record books as the southeastern Spanish ibex, is the southernmost of the four recognised varieties, alongside Beceite, Gredos and Ronda. Its range extends beyond the Sierra Nevada massif itself into the sierras of Almeria province, where this hunt takes place, and the animal is the same.
The guide commits to a representative male, from around 20 inches, over three hunting days. No trophy class is guaranteed, because the hunt runs on entirely free range ground. The price of the male stays the same whatever animal is taken, including a head well above expectations.
No, and it is the main commercial difference with most Spanish ibex hunting. The male is taken on a flat fee with no length limit and no score supplement. The Bronze, Silver and Gold grids used on other Spanish ranges, which raise the invoice on a good head, do not apply here.
The 7mm Remington Magnum is the first choice for this hunt, it holds the 275 to 330 yard distances common on this ground. The .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester, .30-06 and 7x64 all work. A mountain rifle can be rented on site at 100 € per day.
Yes. A Spanish hunting licence and hunting liability insurance are compulsory, 70 € in total, and we build the file with you before departure. Firearm formalities for a hunter arriving from outside the European Union are handled case by case, and renting on site avoids them entirely.
Your binoculars, broken in mountain boots, clothing for dry cold with wind on the ridges. The spotting scope and rangefinder are the guide's, you do not need to plan for them. Expect to shoot from an unstable position, so a light shooting bag or sticks are worth carrying.
Yes, subject to space in the vehicle. Almeria province offers plenty away from the hunt, the coast, the Tabernas desert and the Cabo de Gata natural park.
The cape and skull are prepared on site at the end of the hunt. Shipping is then handled by a forwarding agent on a separate invoice. The Spanish ibex is not CITES listed, so the file is a standard veterinary and customs matter.
Almeria is closest to both ranges. Murcia, Alicante and Malaga are alternatives depending on the connections available from your departure city.
Allow two to three months to secure a rut date in November or December, which is the time needed to build the permit and insurance file. End of season dates, March and April, are easier to find at shorter notice.
Univers Chasse Pêche
Let’s go together.
A licensed hunting travel agency based in Toulouse, France. Every hunt is built to measure, and we know personally every ground we offer.
Let’s discuss your project