KONYA SHEEP HUNTING

(Ovis Gimelini Anatolica, Konya Sheep, Anatolian Mouflon, Anatolian Wild Sheep, Yaban Koyunu)

Konya Sheep is an endemic sub-species of wild sheep breed in Turkey. Its wool, ears and tail is short but its legs are thin and long. Because of that, it is more similar to a deer than a sheep. White marks on their croups become more visible especially during the mating period and there are blackish marks are on their knees. One of the remarkable features of ram is their elongated and curved horns on both sides. Horns begin to emerge when rams are four months old and they continue to grow throughout the life. Horns of the rams which are 5-6 years old begin to curl upward and outward.

They live in the hills of Ankara-Nallıhan, Konya and Karaman between the altitude of 100 and 1500m where climate is dry and soft. They adapt to the land where they live in, through their snuff colored wools. Steppe plants which grow on the hills where the climate is dry and soft; and steppes and forest are next to each otherconstitude theit food. Male and female heards of Anatolian wild sheep are kept separate from each other during almost 10 months of the year. November and December are usually the mating period. Sheeps give birth usually in May-June after 5 months of avarage gestation period.

Hunting Season: 01 September-31th of January