Gilgit’s trophy desk opened the 2026–27 season with hard numbers. On Thursday, 10 September, the Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife and Parks Department auctioned hunting permits for 117 animals at the Forest, Parks and Wildlife Complex in Gilgit — and the top Astore markhor permit sold for $356,000, according to Minute Mirror.
What went under the hammer
The department put three Astore markhor permits, 14 blue sheep, and 100 Himalayan ibexes on the block. Minute Mirror reports that another Astore markhor permit from the previous hunting season was also carried forward. A large turnout of hunters and licensed outfitters joined the bidding.
Dawn had previewed the sale on 28 August, fixing base rates at $200,000 for markhor, $25,000 for blue sheep, and $11,000 for Himalayan ibex, and scheduling the open auction for 10 September at the Forest Complex in Jutial. That notice also explained the exportable markhor quota of four — with one permit extended from last season, so three new permits would be auctioned.
The bids
Beyond the headline markhor lot:
- Second Astore markhor permit: $301,000
- Third: $294,000
Chief Conservator of Parks and Wildlife Zakir Hussain told reporters the highest bid for an exportable blue sheep permit reached $31,200, with the lowest at $25,100. For Himalayan ibexes in the prime category, the top permit sold for $13,200 and the lowest for $11,500, Minute Mirror reported. UA.NEWS carried the same figures on 11 September, citing Dawn for the top markhor price.
Season and revenue
The 2026–27 hunting season runs from 15 October 2026 to 10 April 2027, under the GB Trophy Hunting Guidelines 2019. Officials expect the programme to generate around Rs650 million during the current season, according to Minute Mirror.
Trophy hunting here is a regulated permit system: selected species, designated conservancies, and auctioned quotas rather than open season. For valley communities that share conservation areas, the season’s math is not abstract — permit money is one of the few cash flows that scales with wildlife protection rather than against it.
Why it matters up here
Markhor is Pakistan’s national animal, and Astore’s animals sit at the expensive end of the global trophy market. Last season’s top Astore markhor permit famously cleared $370,000; this year’s $356,000 opener keeps the programme in that rarefied band even if it does not set a new peak. Blue sheep and ibex fill out the volume that makes Rs650 million a plausible season target.
What remains to watch is not the auction theatre but the season itself: how many permits are actually used, whether outfitters can move hunters through the valleys once snow and road closures arrive, and whether community conservation funds see the cash the bids imply. gilgiti-news will note official follow-ups when they land in public reporting.