Beating the Heat! Argentina

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Patrick Pitt

Member
The only thing hot in Argentina this year was our gun barrels. I spent nearly 3 weeks down there and saw a diversity of habitat, shooting situations and travel modes. We had ice for two mornings in the south, which was unusual, but the concentration of ducks during a lower water than normal year made for some fabulous shooting. We try and hold our blinds to 50 ducks per man per morning shoot to sustain quality and this was reached most often in a hour or so. Mixed bags of Pigeons, Doves, Perdiz and Waterfowl in the northern province of Entre Rios was spectacular with hunting one 7500 acre wetland on horseback a new experience there and was reminiscent of Uraguay hunting where the horses are the ATVs of the marshes. Great wine, wonderful food and good friends made this a special trip.

My trusty steed, Mud Admiral.

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Pigeons over decoys. Spectacular decoying birds.

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Lunch in the field during break from shooting.

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Lovely village kids met us at one of the boat landings and carried home their evening meals. None were wasted as we stopped at every hut coming up the Parana River for three miles and shared our bag with the locals.

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Duck shooting for a variety of species was top notch and in my several dozen trips there was some of the most consistant shooting day in and day out I have seen.

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Can't say enough about the stylish Pointers we shot Perdiz over. Hard running dogs that would make any bird hunter proud. Delicious eating birds and a challenge on the Pampas, but the dogs worked flawlessly.

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A prize on the Perdiz shoots was a Red-winged Tinamou. They will scare the pants off you when you are expecting a smaller Perdiz to get up!

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I had to mount one of the big Argentina Cinnamons as soon as I returned as they are such a beautiful bird.

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What a fantastic trip that you went on, Pat. Great pics. I really liked that first shot of you. aka John Wayne!
Thanks for posting this.
Al
 
Great pics, Pat. I'd love to go back again. I greatly enjoyed the country, people, food and the gunning. As good as the duck shooting was, I'd go back just for perdiz and pidgeon AND a week is no where near enough time. I'd love to go for a couple months and tour the whole country if I had the where-with-all for it.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Pete, the Mendoza region is a great wine tour as well. I usually go for no less than two weeks. I love the decoying Pigeons and one day I shot them over a little water hole and shot 30+ ducks as well as over 100 pigeons in two hours and didn't even bother with all the doves flying around. The Perdiz shooting is a great way to walk off a few pounds from those great Argentine meals!!
 
WOW! 50 ducks per man per morning!!! That's a lotta bullets :) #1 on my "Do after I retire" list. Only about 30 more years...
 
Geeze, ducks, pigeons, perdiz AND wine? I might have to start drinking again. Now, don't tell me they have Red Stag as well - that has been on my bucket list since before there were buckets.
 
Understand these are decoying birds and I tell first timers to take their time, but many go crazy anyway. Shooting doubles and triples is easy when you let them get in close. We shoot 1 1/16oz of #5 lead and an IC tube and I shoot 7's when I can get them. Wicked and deadly. When with somebody that I shoot with regularily we shoot a very high percentage. Save your money and go when you are young, you won't be disappointed.
 
Geeze, ducks, pigeons, perdiz AND wine? I might have to start drinking again. Now, don't tell me they have Red Stag as well - that has been on my bucket list since before there were buckets. Yes, big Red Stag and Black Buck too plus Dorado fishing.
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What outfitter did you use? Shot dove in Argentina, but your trip sounds great. Would like any info you have, very interested. rgsports11968@gmail.com Thanks
 
Pat, Thanks for sharing. I also had a wonderful time there. I was on the same trip w/ Pete and ditto evrything he said including going back for a longer trip. So far it was my trip of a lifetime, now I have to try to better that one. So many people don't believe or understand the numbers of birds there that I am somewhat careful about who I share the trip with. Thanks again, many fine memories
 
Same outfitter does both. The roar is in their spring, but coulld be hunted in the winter, I suppose. Most prople want to hunt them during the roar. I also have contacts in New Zealand for huge Stags, Chamois and Tahr plus game birds and waterfowl.
 
Pat, Thanks for sharing. I also had a wonderful time there. I was on the same trip w/ Pete and ditto evrything he said including going back for a longer trip. So far it was my trip of a lifetime, now I have to try to better that one. So many people don't believe or understand the numbers of birds there that I am somewhat careful about who I share the trip with. Thanks again, many fine memories
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Tom the reason I don't post up exact numbers about percentages, ducks per box, etc. is that many would throw the BS flag, but those are the ones that haven't been there. I spent a month last year weeding through more outfitters for our website. After nearly 20 trips there I have experienced tha good, bad and ugly. The one thing I hate most is someone spening their hard earned money and have a bad trip. It is very relaxing for me to have to not worry about idiots hunting the same area I am in like many public areas here in the U.S., but I don't hunt them anyway. I enjoy shooting decoying birds and many outfitters put you in a hole and expect you to shoot at everything that flies by which is why I don't hunt with them. George Reiger once said that "Wingshooting in Argentina was like strip-mining with a shotgun." I know what he is talking about and all need to understand the locals don't duck hunt and many farmers have found out that selling hunts is more profitable than poisoning the waterfowl to keep the crop predation down. It is still a very poor country and the visiting wingshooters make an big economic impact.

Contact me when you are ready to go back. pat@getducks.com
 
Understand these are decoying birds and I tell first timers to take their time, but many go crazy anyway. Shooting doubles and triples is easy when you let them get in close. We shoot 1 1/16oz of #5 lead and an IC tube and I shoot 7's when I can get them. Wicked and deadly. When with somebody that I shoot with regularily we shoot a very high percentage. Save your money and go when you are young, you won't be disappointed.

This paragraph was music to my ears because for the last two years I have shot 95% of my ducks with Federal Dove loads with #7 steel shot. I agree with everything you said, Pat. Nothing quite like decoying birds and being patient.
Al
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Pat, That trip is on my "bucket list" I must say that your horse looks really pissed at you!!!

Thanks for the great photos

Fred
 
Scott, that can be a difficult question to answer with plane fares, ammo, transfers etc. Here is what I tell people that ask and in all honesty is as close as I can get to a cost. If you figure plane fare from $1200-$1500 that will get you there and back. Understand a lot of people that save for a trip of a lifetime bank their skymiles and/or use accumulated miles on some credit dards which saves a bundle off the top. This year's prices ranged from $650 per day to $950 per day depending on the animities offered. The hunts that I recommend will run from $3200 to $3400 for five full days hunting with one having free transfers from B.A. to the lodge and the other $200 on the transfer which makes both $3400 plus ammo and tips. Realistically you are looking at $5000+/- for five full days hunting unless you go crazy shooting doves which can run your shell bill up. The current record on doves, by the way, is over 13,000 in one day by one man shooting 4 20 gauges which is a lot of shells! At 80% that's over 400 boxes of shells. I have seen conservative shooters turn into mosquitoes in nudist colonies when it comes to the unlimited shooting at many venues. A good combo hunt will offer all the variety of shooting and you can pace yourself and enjoy some of all the scenarios offered. Duck and Perdiz are much easier to budget as you can pretty much guess your shell bill within a few dollars. Ammo is ammo no matter where you go and it is getting expensive everywhere. I ran from $13 to $15 per box this year. I had shooters shooting 12-15 boxes per day at ducks but they killed about the same as what I could shoot with 8 boxes per day. A combination of excitement and trying to kill everything that flew by played a major part in their shooting abilities. Perdiz hunters shoot from a box to two boxes per outing depending on how well they shoot. Those of us that hunt there regularily shoot a much higher average from knowing the ropes and what is coming if we pass on marginal birds. As I said before, I am not going to disscuss birds per box or percentages, but it can be pretty impressive. Sorry to be so long winded but I hate telling someone one thing and then they get surprizes when they get there. I pretty much tip $100 per day that goes to the bird boys, drivers, scouts and house staff. They work hard and I tip on the high end as I appreciate their hard work and their help for these old bones of mine. Usually people tip $100 to the house staff for the week and $25 to $50 per day for the bird boys. It's all a personal choice. Above all, don't plan on a trip and try to save a few dollars and not get the full value of a first class trip.


Also understand dove hunts down there can be quite cheap by most standards, but you shoot a lot of shells that can and most often will equal the base cost of your stay at an Estancia, especially if you are an agressive shooter.
 
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Thanks for the info. That seems reasonable. I have no interest in shooting doves though. Is it possible to go and shoot ducks exclusively? Also, can you bring your own guns or do you have to use theirs? Thanks again Patrick.
 
Scott, I always carry my own gun and getting into the country is simple as we have the registration forms pre-filled out and trips that i excort i go straight to the police station in the airport and register mine. Cost is $90 per gun U.S. and I carry parts for repair if needed. Rental guns run from $50 to $65 per day, but i had rather use my own. Two traveling together can use one hard case and that makes it convenient. I, too don't go for doves any more as I've shot in four figures in one day, got the hat and tee-shirt and don't see doing that anymore. Yes, we can shoot ducks morning and evening at one of my favorite destinations and also a break if wanted for Perdiz in the afternoon. It's a trip I take regularily and am headed there again next year for the third year in a row at this location. Feel free to contact me anytime.
 
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