Argentina Dove Hunt

[sahunter]

tagged

[Low Fence]

Trying to get everything lined out as well. Planning to go this coming April or May. Airfare is as cheap as I’ve seen it since I’ve been looking (as of a week ago)

[El General]

OP if you dont mind me asking for everyone thats been. What is a realistic budget for shells average? This hunt is on my radar for me and my dad soon. Ive heard anywhere from 2-10K

I shot 63 boxes in 3 days, though one of those days was pigeons where you shoot less boxes though pay a fee. My bill was around $2000 for gun rental, shells, and pigeon hunt. That was the low total out of the 11 of us on the trip. I was with a family I grew up with and they had three generations represented. A couple of the high school age kids that still have the blood lust shot 140 boxes in three days.

I shot a 28 ga O/U and loaded myself to help control the budget. The outfit I went with 28 ga shells cost the same as 20's and 12's. Don't be afraid to set the gun down and drink a beer or go on a walk to chat with other blinds. The birds will keep flying.

I didn't really care about running up big numbers, so that was perfect for me. If you want to shoot a bunch, use a 20 ga. auto or two.

They hunt pigeons over decoys down there, but the birds did not cooperate in the morning so we went to some prepared brush blinds on a road that they fly over on the way to a feedlot to pass shoot. The landowner didn't allow hunting at the feed lot itself. Pass shooting pigeons with a 28 ga is sporty as hell and that afternoon was as fun as anything we did. I did borrow Mr. J's 20 ga HK M1 when he went to sit in the blind with his grandson and wow that thing was light and made killing pigeons easier.

Another thing, because of COVID, the outfitter that I was with had not been able to buy their usual number of guns since 2019. Generally speaking, there are beretta and benelli auto's and beretta OU's at most lodges. They had a hodge podge of guns. One of the 20 autos was an old HK M1. A buddy (that was on the trip with me) went to Uruguay a couple of weeks ago and they ran out of 20 ga shells and had to shoot 12 ga.

I would inquire about shell and gun availability beforehand.

There were three of us that wanted to shoot 28's, but they only had two 28's available (Fausti Caledon O/U nice gun), so I deferred and asked for a 20 ga OU. It turned out to be a Browning Citori with a very long LOP English stock. I have short arms and big tits, so with the recoil pad this was a problem for me. It was just way too long and I had to mount it weird even after I took the recoil pad off. I made it work the first day, but my percentage suffered that morning. I did try some of the back up 20 ga autos they bring to the field, but none of them would repeat which was frustrating.

So, be sure to request what you want to shoot before hand and get them to let you shoulder it to make sure it fits the night before. I took one look at that 20 when we got out to the field and new it was going to be a problem. Luckily, one of the dudes shooting a 28 took pity on me and he is 6'5" so he shot that long stocked Citori.

[El General]

I shot around 4,500 shells on a 3 day hunt.
We are going in June of next year and the price of shells as of now is $13.75 a box. For 4,500 shells that would be $2,475.00

Who are you going with? They were $18.00 per box one month ago with David Denies.

[El General]

I don't like shooting with gloves on, but these were so light, stretch well, and fit well that I didn't notice it. I actually took them off for a second then picked up the gun and it felt weird to shoot without them.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0872HBN42?tag=amz-mkt-chr-us-20&ascsubtag=1ba00-01000-org00-win10-other-smile-us000-pcomp-feature-scomp-feature-scomp&ref=aa_scomp&th=1&psc=1

I also took my game bag belt with just one shell pouch leaving the bird bag and other shell pouch at home. It proved a convenient way to store one box of shells.

I also brought a leatherman and ended up gifting it to my field assistant (bird boy). I had heard other people brought them ear plugs, sun glasses, t-shirts, hats, jeans, multi-tools etc. I wished I had an extra pair of sunglasses to give them, as it looked like they needed it. We were in Santiago del Estero (province north of Cordoba) and it is one of the poorest in the country. Average monthly wage was $230 for that area.

Plan on tips for bird boy, guides and other field staff, and lodge staff. The lodge recommended $50-60 USD per day per shooter for each of the above groups or $150-$180 per day per shooter. Argentine's love crispy brand new $100 bills. They asked us to give all gratuities to the lodge manager except for the bird boy you pay direct.

[175gr7.62]

OP if you dont mind me asking for everyone thats been. What is a realistic budget for shells average? This hunt is on my radar for me and my dad soon. Ive heard anywhere from 2-10K

Figure on 3000-5000 shells. So 120-200 boxes at ~$15/box. $1800-$3000

This pic was was at our lodge. There’s a few empties there……




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[El General]

I think everyone has pretty well covered everything you'll need for your hunt. However, there is much more you'll want to prepare for when traveling abroad than simply your hunt. What should you do if you get sick? What to do if you're a victim of a crime? Whom do you call if your passport, credit cards, and cash are stolen?

My list--and, yes, it's a lengthy one--helps you address these questions IN ADVANCE of your trip. So grab a comfortable chair, have a seat, and ignore the ribbing I'm about to take from everyone regarding my **** retentive nature. As my father always says, "Forewarned is forearmed."

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Taking medications with you: 1) Research the requirements (and restrictions) for traveling to Argentina with your prescription meds and know that some meds prescribed in the U.S. are considered illegal in other countries. 2) Ask your doctor to prescribe for you additional prophylactic medications in case you get sick. I specifically recommend Cipro (broad-spectrum antibiotic) and Xanax to help you sleep during your flight. It's roughly a 10 to 12 hour flight and you are often scheduled for an afternoon hunt after you arrive. Don't arrive exhausted! (A note about Xanax, if the first one doesn't seem to work, give it time (an hour or more). DON'T take a second one. And definitely don't chase these with Benadryl or the like.)

Take with you any OTC meds you might need but, specifically, your favorite analgesic (ibuprofen, acetaminophen) and an anti-diarrheal (Immodium). A bad headache and explosive diarrhea can ruin a good hunt and you likely won't be close to the lodge when you're out in the field.

All good info. One gentleman on our trip needed Immodium badly the second night in country and none of us had anything. It was a 45 min each way trip from the lodge to the closest town to get something. When we got the medicine it was a brand we did not know and just came in a blister pack as if it was out of a box with two of these blister packs. No drug information. I'm guessing that the guide had to borrow it from one of the bird boy's. I tried to google the name of the drug to figure out dosage rates aside from the verbal instructions given by the head guide, but the only thing that came up was a petroleum company in BA.

Anyway, it worked like a charm, but you should definitely have some of your own on hand.

[El General]

I got lucky enough to be invited to go to Argentina the first part of October to dove hunt. I couldn’t be more excited but I have no idea on what to bring with me to make the most of it.

Any tips on clothes, gear, etc?

TIA!

What outfitter and lodge are you going to?

[Rubi513]

Who are you going with? They were $18.00 per box one month ago with David Denies.

Sierra Brava

[Kdc]

OP, everything above is good advise, and everything you need. The only thing I didn't see covered was your tips, you'll need to tip your bird boy. As far as the shells go, there were 13 of us on the hunt, 2 full days and 2 half days, so you can figure 3 full days. We shot a total of 2534 boxes that figures about 195 boxes each. It's a fun hunt, enjoy yourself.

[Heath]

Sierra Brava

I am going with SB next June.

[Rubi513]

I am going with SB next June.

Sweet!
We are going 6/3 - 6/8

[Rubi513]

Trying to get everything lined out as well. Planning to go this coming April or May. Airfare is as cheap as I’ve seen it since I’ve been looking (as of a week ago)

We were booked in May, but couldn’t get enough seats on plane for our group. Had to reschedule for June.

[Heath]

Sweet!
We are going 6/3 - 6/8

We are 6/19 - 6/22

[jmac24]

I hunted with Sierra Brava back in 2020 right before they closed down for covid. Nice lodge. fields were usually about an hour away, but we shot a lot of birds. In October you may be able to get away wearing shorts in the fields even.