Carmen Island
Nine miles (fourteen kilometres) from mainland Mexico, in the Gulf of California, lies Carmen Island (Isla del Carmen), home of the Weems’ bighorn sheep. Over the past 20 years, the population has thrived thanks to a successful breeding programme, which achieved its aim of increasing the existing populations of Weems’ sheep subspecies in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The Indigenous people of America valued the bighorn sheep, both for their meat and their horns, with the latter being used to make tools. Today, many hunters around the world dream of one day being able to hunt a desert bighorn sheep. Hunting this species is strictly regulated. Blaser Safaris Managing Director Rainer Schwarz is therefore absolutely delighted to be able to offer this special experience in partnership with Sergio Jimenez. “Stalking these sheep, going out in small troops, and having to be extremely alert – this is all incredible exciting,” says Rainer Schwarz. Hunters do need to have a certain level of physical fitness, as there are several hills to climb during the hunt.