Nostalgia

[CPAjeff]

I LOVE to hunt birds - it’s an addiction. I'm totally fine with suffering with this addiction until the day I die. Yesterday afternoon I was looking back at some hunting pictures and came across some from my trip to Argentina for doves. If you’ve never been, it’s a trip I highly recommend.

Córdoba is gorgeous from the air.

The accommodations were fantastic.



The food was definitely worth the trip.



The shooting far surpassed any expectation I had going down. One case down, 49 cases to go.



And, I guess another picture of food won’t hurt!

 

[Zootownelk]

This is a bucket list trip for me! Was this dove or duck or ?

 

[CPAjeff]

This is a bucket list trip for me! Was this dove or duck or ?

It should be moved to the top of your bucket list!! This was for doves only. My next trip will be a combo for doves, ducks, and perdiz.

 

[Zootownelk]

Absolutely! If you feel like it, I (and I'm sure others) would be interested in a more detailed trip report. Would be interested in the logistics, daily routing, lodging, etc.

 

[CPAjeff]

Sure thing! Our hunt consisted of one afternoon shoot, two full days of shooting, and then one morning shoot.

We left SLC, UT around noon and arrived in Atlanta, GA. later that night. The overnight flight from Atlanta to Buenos Aires was great and we landed with 2.5 hours to get through customs and get onto the plane heading to Cordoba. The flight to Cordoba was on a smaller aircraft, so we were bused out on the runway and climbed into the plane! At this point, it had been six years since I had spent any time in South America, but all the wonderful sights, sounds, and smells began awakening my memories of South America and the love I have for the people and places down here (I served a church mission for two years in Brazil, and loved every moment of it!).

Outdoor asada pit, right next my my room



Once we arrived in Cordoba - about noon - we were greeted by an employee of the lodge (Posta Del Norte) and shuttled to the lodge for lunch. I was fully expecting some type of sandwich lunch, but oh no . . . it was a full on HUGE lunch. After eating what seemed like half a beef, we departed to the field for the afternoon flight. In reality, the birds fly all day long, so I'm not sure why they called it an afternoon flight . . .

Prior to arrival, I had requested two rental guns - it's much easier to rent them than trying to take one of your own - I arrived at the field to find my "bird boy" in a blind with a Browning Citori 28 gauge over/under, Benelli Montefeltro 20 gauge, cases of shells, and a cooler full of Coke Zero. The afternoon shoot far exceeding any dream or expectation I could of imagined. After a few hours of shooting, I looked down to see that I was surrounded by yellow and red hulls. I got a hat that night at dinner for shooting over 500 birds that afternoon.

Speaking of dinner, it was an absolute feast of meats, salads, etc. I went to bed that night dreaming of what lay ahead. Day 2 was our first full day of shooting and after a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, etc. we all loaded into the 15 passenger van and headed to the field. The morning shoot was absolutely insane - birds coming from every direction and I honestly don't think a minute went by without firing a shot. I love shooting a shotgun and try to hit the range as often as possible (skeet, five-stand, and sporting clays), but nothing compares to actual wing shooting. It didn't take too long to figure out the leads and by the end of day 2, I was able to get a hat for shooting over 1,000 birds. For brevity sake, Day 3 was much the same as day 2.

Lunch was served in the trees nearby, classic Argentine asada. After lunch, a nap in a hammock was enjoyed, then back to shooting. By the end of day 3, my shoulder was so sore that I really didn't plan on shooting anything on our final shoot of the trip. Each day we were able to experience a new shooting location, but day 4 was probably my favorite. We were taken to an old farm, and I couldn't help but think about the people who were raised there and how different their lives were/are from mine. I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for those brave men and women who fought, and fight, to allow me the freedoms I enjoy. I shot less than half a case on this final shoot, but I didn't need to fire another shell to enjoy the shoot.




After the shoot, we were taken back to the lodge for one final meal and then shuttled back to the airport in Cordoba to begin our trip back home. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask! Dove hunting Argentina is truly an experience of a lifetime!

 

[Wally Dog]

Spot on CPA. Been twice 13 & 16. 5 day trips both times. Though I had friends that had been and attempted to describe the shooting............I was unprepared for the sheer volume of birds. Both of our trips were dove (and parrakeet) only trips. Use thier guns! Second trip I shot 5,748 dove myself and have the 5000 club vest to prove it. It's indeed a bucket list trip for anyone that is a wingshooter. Thankfully it's not closer!

 

[CPAjeff]

Spot on CPA. Been twice 13 & 16. 5 day trips both times. Though I had friends that had been and attempted to describe the shooting............I was unprepared for the sheer volume of birds. Both of our trips were dove (and parrakeet) only trips. Use thier guns! Second trip I shot 5,748 dove myself and have the 5000 club vest to prove it. It's indeed a bucket list trip for anyone that is a wingshooter. Thankfully it's not closer!

I wasn't quite sure why my "bird boy" was hollering when the parakeets came by the first time. After that, I sent a wall of lead at them! Kind of odd to shoot something from a pet store . . .



Congrats on the vest - that's quite the accomplishment! If my schedule and other hunting pursuits would allow it, I would make a trip down there annually!

 

[JShane]

Ur killing me. This is for sure the bucket list but I want the ducks and the beef. Thanks for sharing dammit, I gotta get down there

 

[CPAjeff]

Ur killing me. This is for sure the bucket list but I want the ducks and the beef. Thanks for sharing dammit, I gotta get down there

JUST DO IT!!

 

[geetar]

Wow this looks nice. I admit I love a good back country hunt and have been on a couple already this fall but this seems like the kind of high living I could appreciate as well.

 

[CPAjeff]

Wow this looks nice. I admit I love a good back country hunt and have been on a couple already this fall but this seems like the kind of high living I could appreciate as well.

I completely agree! I love the backcountry stuff also, but room service, daily laundry service, and a nice hot tub to relax in after a day of shooting isn’t too bad either!

 

[Zootownelk]

Well, I thought I was excited before, but my goodness, this is straight paradise! I'm a duck and pheasant hunter, primarily, and would love to do a combo hunt down there. Bonus that it's a "meat" culture as well. Those meals look incredible! When it gets closer to reality, I'll be asking more specifics questions. Seems like you were satisfied with your outfitter. Is Posta Del Norte the outfit you used? when did you go?

 

[CPAjeff]

Well, I thought I was excited before, but my goodness, this is straight paradise! I'm a duck and pheasant hunter, primarily, and would love to do a combo hunt down there. Bonus that it's a "meat" culture as well. Those meals look incredible! When it gets closer to reality, I'll be asking more specifics questions. Seems like you were satisfied with your outfitter. Is Posta Del Norte the outfit you used? when did you go?

Straight paradise is correct!!

I was beyond satisfied with the outfitter - they went above and beyond every step of the way! Posta Del Norte is the lodge we hunted out of, but the main outfitter is Flyways Argentina (link: https://www.flyways.com ). Flyways has two lodges, Posta Del Norte and Los Chanares. I went in early March 2017. It was 33 degrees the morning I left Utah and 80 degrees the following day when we landed in Argentina! Currently a person can get 3,000 shells included with your hunt package, but that's only 12 cases (typically an average day of shooting). After those 12 cases are gone, you would need to buy the rest of the shells. If my memory serves me correct, I believe I paid $13.50 a box for shells. Honestly, and this total depends on the person, I think 12 cases for each full day and six cases for each half day is probably sufficient. The new lodge record for doves killed in one day by a single hunter was set by the group just before us, something like 7,300 in one day. So it is a very target rich environment.

Please fire away with any questions you have - I love talking about Argentina!!

 

[deer_shooter]

Perhaps a dumb question but what happens with the birds you get? Do you/can you bring any back?

 

[CPAjeff]

Perhaps a dumb question but what happens with the birds you get? Do you/can you bring any back?

Good question - I didn't bring any of the doves back. Some of the birds were prepared as various types of appetizers for lunch or dinner. We were told by the outfitter the birds were donated to local families, bird boys, and orphanages.

 

[glass eye]

Perhaps a dumb question but what happens with the birds you get? Do you/can you bring any back?

I have never been to Argentina but as a taxidermist who travels I can tell you that NO you cannot bring back any native species from Argentina. Also, it has nothing to do with US restrictions, Argentina does not allow the export of native species.

 

[deer_shooter]

Thanks, was curious. It sounds like they don’t go to waste. That’s good

Good question - I didn't bring any of the doves back. Some of the birds were prepared as various types of appetizers for lunch or dinner. We were told by the outfitter the birds were donated to local families, bird boys, and orphanages.

 

[Wally Dog]

To clear the air a bit. The eared dove in Argentina is to them what the starling is to us, vermin. They ravage crops like you have never seen. Millions of them cause real damage to farmers yields. Tho some birds were picked up on my 2 trips for preparation at the lodge, most were left in the field. They do not go to waste as the avian scavengers circle by the hundreds above the shooting area to swoop in when the shooting stops. Next day all you find are wings.