Kri Kri's Latin name: Capra Aegagros Cretica Hunting season: November-December
Sapientza Island is the only place in the world where you can find the wild pure Kri Kri ibex. The kri – kri (Capra aegagrus cretica), sometimes called the Cretan goat, Agrimi, or Cretan Ibex, is a feral goat inhabiting the Eastern Mediterranean, previously considered a subspecies of wild goat. The kri-kri has a light brownish coat with a darker band around its neck. It has two horns that sweep back from the head. In the wild they are shy and avoid people, resting during the day. The animal can leap some distance or climb seemingly sheer cliffs. BOOK YOUR TRIP SAPIENTZA
The kri-kri is not thought to be indigenous to Crete, most likely having been imported to the island during the time of the Minoan civilization. Nevertheless, it is found nowhere else and is thereforeendemic to Crete. It was common throughout the Aegean but the peaks of the 8,000 ft (2,400 m) White Mountains of Western Crete are their last strongholds–particularly a series of almost vertical 3,000 ft (900 m) cliffs called ‘the Untrodden’—at the head of the Samaria Gorge. This mountain range, which hosts another 14 endemic animal species, is protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In total, their range extends to the White Mountains, the Samaria National Forest and the islets of Dia, Thodorou, and Agii Pandes.
Sapientza Mouflon Latin name: Ovis Ammon Musimon is a subspicie and looks more like Corsican sheep then European mouflon. Smaller body the same as the Kri Kri ibex is defined from the limited food source of the island. Trophy Hunting season: November-December
Trophies between 60 cm and 80 cm are expected. Hunting for Mouflon is possible in combination with Kri Kri hunting on Sapienza
The hunt
Sapientza Island is approximately at 300 km from Athens. The hunt is for 3-4 days (Tuesday-Thursday or Friday in November). In the event the boat is unable to make the 20-45 minutes trip to the island because of bad weather you can also hunt next Monday. There is no weeekend hunting. It is recommended that you arrive a day or two before the hunt but with a flexible return.During the hunt If a shot draws blood, it will terminate the hunt and start the search for the wounded animal. If the animal is injured and not found while the hunter is present, the animal will be considered dead. The search for the trophy will continue and, if found, it will be sent to the hunter.There will be no refund if trophy is taken or wounded, or two reasonable chances have been missed or passed over. Each of these hunting days starts at 8:00 a.m. in the morning at the Methoni quay where together with the forestry official and the hunting representative of the reserve and all hunters we board the only officially licensed boat and sail off hunting. Depending on our wish and sea waves’ height the captain leaves us at one of the four possible small quays. Our arrival is at about 8.30-8.40 a.m., and at that time the sun raises fast in the sky and shines all over the island with its warm rays.
Ibexes originate from Crete, from there they got their name, but hundreds of years ago there they mixed their genes with the freely walking domestic goats of the locals. Because of that reason all Kri Kri that inhabit some parts of Greece are hybrids and are much bigger, with different colour and larger and twisted horns than the ones at the island of Sapietza. Because of the fact the island is a reserve inhabited only by pure Kri Kri and mouflons, staying here after 14.00 is strictly forbidden. Nobody can spend the night at the island. And the period during which hunting is allowed at the island is from 8.30 to 14.00 three days a week, if the weather is fine and there are no high waves that hinder us from making it by boat. The highest point at the island is 200 meters and we could conquer any peak where we saw an animal in a less than an hour, without being in a hurry.
The preparation for hunting in the island starts several months before the start of the hunting season. At that time you should submit the applications for having hunting licences issued by the state department that is in charge of islands and Kri Kri hunting in order to purchase the number of tags we need that will provide the hunters with access to the island for hunting there. The number of these permits is limited since the number is defined by the hunting programme in the particular year. Several months before that the programme is being elaborated by the particular forestry service and approved by the Greek government and in particular by the Ministry of forests and agriculture, which verifies the rules, terms and conditions for running the hunting sessions in the present year. As a rule, these terms and conditions undergo rare or insignificant changes throughout the years. You could see the translated official documents for the previous years on our web site.
The hunting licenses are limited and all applications for booking are accepted and listed under the booking list of HWCS/Wildlife Hellenic Conservation Society/. The time of received payment of the booking fee for each application defines the priority order.The applicants who are not placed for the current hunting season will be ranked according the priority order for the following season and according the up to date hunting laws.
The rules for hunting in the island are mandatory to all going there, because the island is with the statute of protected area and special access to it is provided by law. Hunting takes place in groups, the way this is described in the programme drawn by the government. Each of these groups is assigned with hunting region it cannot leave. The weapons you could hunt with are also subject to approval in the hunting programme. The thing we provide you with is official representation before the Greek authorities while ensuring all documents necessary for hunting in the island.This hunt is good until trophies are taken or wounded or two reasonable chances have been missed or passed over.
Examples of trophies Kri Kri
