A Mexico Mixer

Mexico is a land of many contrasts. Some people know The Land of Montezuma only from brief visits to the border towns, with their armies of pedestrians, constant flow of vehicles and brash neon signs. Others know the posh resorts and white-sand beaches of Cabo San Lucas and Acapulco. But for me Mexico is a land of cactus-studded deserts, productive farmlands, pristine freshwater marshes and vast saltwater lagoons that collectively provide some of the best wingshooting in North America.

Many hunters think of Mexico as a place where the driving is dangerous and the water uncertain and where possessing a shotgun is asking for trouble. Others know the country for its bountiful fish and game, friendly people and warm, sunny skies. Today you can drive or fly to productive hunting areas, enjoy first-class accommodations and food, and use shotguns provided by your outfitter.

Many south-of-the-border regions offer excellent hunting, and one of the best happens to be one of the closest to the US. The San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas in northeastern Tamaulipas are located just across the border from Texas. Countless square miles of brush country interspersed with agricultural lands provide abundant habitat for doves and bobwhite quail. Along the coast, quality upland bird habitat meets the shallow salt waters of the Laguna Madre-which, along with scattered inland freshwater marshes, is a major wintering area for waterfowl funneling down the Central Flyway. Over the years primo duck and bobwhite quail hunting have compelled me to return time and again to Tamaulipas.

A recent trip was typical of what visitors can expect. Our destination was Rancho Mescalero, about 160 miles from the Texas border. The Southwestern-style lodge has been owned and operated by Danny Putegnat of Outdoor Mexico since 1992. Built on a hill with a commanding view of a wide valley, the lodge is just off of Highway 180 north of Soto La Marina.

In late January hunting partner Alan Sands and I flew to Harlingen, Texas, where a lodge representative was waiting for us. After loading our gear in the van, we headed toward the border crossing, and in 15 minutes we were in Mexico. A cooler full of cold drinks and a healthy dose of pre-hunt anticipation made the subsequent three-hour drive pass quickly.

Depending on conditions, hunters usually can expect ducks in the morning and quail or mourning doves in the afternoon. Our first duck hunt took place in a freshwater pond only a few hundred yards from the Laguna Madre. The morning started long before dawn, with a 30-minute drive on the highway. East of Soto La Marina, we turned off of the pavement and rumbled down a dirt road, the headlights illuminating a combination of grazing land, farmland and native brush. Ten minutes later the driver stopped the van. "Llegamos," he said; we had arrived. We pulled on our waders and camo parkas and then followed our bird boy, Homero, single file to the edge of the marsh. From there we waded 75 yards to the middle of a long, narrow lagoon.

It was still dark as we put our gear into the blind, fashioned from chicken wire and palm fronds, and Homero placed the decoys-about 20 out front and another dozen trailing off to the left. As the first glow of light appeared on the horizon, a trio of redheads caught us by surprise, but they were gone as quickly as they had appeared. Five minutes later a flock of wigeon materialized and power-dove into the blocks. Our shots sounded like one, and two birds went cartwheeling across the surface of the pond. Homero was out of the blind instantly and sloshed through the knee-deep water for the retrieve.

It wasn't 10 minutes later that Homero pointed to the east and whispered "Cercetas." A flock of 20 blue-winged teal was coming hard from the Laguna. We crouched low in the blind as the birds banked into a steep roll and headed for the decoys. Homero startled me with a crisp whistle that sounded exactly like the incoming teal. Suddenly birds were all over us, as 10 tried to land and 10 zipped by 20 yards out front. I tightened my grip on the 20-gauge over/under and came up shooting. The first bird caught a full charge of shot and fell dead in the decoys. My second shot put down another bird. A third teal was 35 yards out and trying to escape when Alan dropped it with his second shot. It was a great way to start the morning.

As the sun rose higher into the bluebird sky, wigeon, gadwalls, pintails, more teal, a pair of scaup and a redhead visited our setup. At the end of the first hour we had six birds each, and by the time the morning was over we were just shy of our 20-bird limits. Alan and I commented that the hunt had been picture perfect in every way-pristine wetlands, excellent guides, an abundance of birds plus sunny, warm weather... in January.

After the birds were collected, some were given to the bird boys to take home and others were cleaned. (In order to bring birds back to the US they must be cleaned with one wing left attached for identification.) Others were prepared at the lodge and served as hors d'oeuvres-grilled breasts with jalapenos and wrapped in bacon-or as a main course accompanied by fresh salads, rice and warm tortillas.
Northeastern Tamaulipas-specifically the vast Laguna Madre, inland freshwater wetlands and grainfields-support large wintering populations of Central Flyway ducks and geese. This waterfowling hotspot attracts awesome concentrations of blue-winged and green-winged teal, gadwalls, pintails, wigeon, shovelers, Mexican ducks and redheads as well as white-fronted and snow geese.
Following our morning duck hunt, we returned to the lodge for a lunch of beef and chicken fajitas wrapped in homemade flour tortillas and spiced with the tang that only homemade pico de gallo can provide. The meal put us in the mood for a siesta before the afternoon quail hunt.
Rancho Mescalero has exclusive hunting rights on 12,000 acres and access to more than 30,000. Quail hunters are transported in Texas-style rigs that accommodate two to four Guns and carry up to eight dogs, an English-speaking guide and a dog handler. Putegnat maintains a kennel of 16 dogs, and at least four dogs are taken afield per hunt. Two pointers or setters are on the ground at all times, and hunters follow in the vehicle or on foot. It ends up being a good combination of walking and riding.

The first afternoon we left the lodge at 2:30 pm and headed south. Twenty minutes later we pulled onto a dirt road, parked and loaded our guns. The guide released two pointers, which in no time were working cover 100 yards out front. Almost immediately one of the dogs went on point in a fencerow of grass and brush and was backed by the second dog. As we moved in, a pair of bobwhites jumped from the grass and Alan was able to drop one. At the shot, the balance of the covey-about a dozen birds-flushed, and I managed a single and cleanly missed a second.

Mexican bobwhites are found along the Gulf of Mexico from the Rio Grande Valley to Tabasco and Chiapas and in the central uplands from San Luis Potosi and Jalisco south and east to Puebla and Oaxaca. The Mexican bobwhite, like its northern counterpart, is a bird that prefers edge habitat. In Tamaulipas bobs often are found along brush or grass borders near farmfields. Most of the coveys we found contained 10 to 20 birds, with about a dozen being the average.

As we continued our hunt we enjoyed watching some superb dogwork. The next point came on the edge of a harvested sorghum field, and both dogs locked up simultaneously 20 yards apart. Not knowing where the birds were located, I headed for one pointer while Alan headed for the other. Of course the covey flushed between the two. Conveniently, half of the birds flushed toward me and the other half toward Alan, and although I came up empty, Alan was able to drop a bird with his second shot. It doesn't take long to realize that averages and egos inflated by pen-raised quail fall by the wayside in Mexico's brush country.

The next covey flushed straightaway, and our shooting improved. Alan dropped a single, and I managed a double, which made my chest swell if only for a moment. We continued hunting the rest of the afternoon, and by the time the sun had slipped behind the foothills, we had tallied 10 birds each.

Although Tamaulipas quail shooting is challenging, opportunities are plentiful. In 2006 the hatch was average, yet we found six to 10 coveys per half-day. In wet years, when the best hatches occur, it's not unusual to find 20 to 30 coveys a day.

The second morning we headed inland to a large cattle ranch. The habitat included grazing and brush lands and a shallow freshwater marsh. As we set out the decoys, the whistle of wings and dark silhouettes of birds overhead made the hair on the back of my neck stand up; I knew we were in for some action. It was then a waiting game-waiting for enough light to shoot as the vanguard flocks of teal and pintails began settling into the marsh. We listened but did not speak, too intent on watching the birds around us.

Finally our guide, Jose, whispered, "Es tiempo"-"It's time"-and I signaled Alan to be ready. Jose spotted a flock in the distance and motioned for us to get ready. We instinctively crouched low in the blind-our eyes barely above the palm thatch. The birds' flight was powerful and direct until they were just outside the decoys... then they veered off. They made a wide pass, and most of them headed east. Four remained interested, and after a few notes from our pintail whistles, they turned into the wind and again approached the spread.

The ducks looked huge as they settled in with wings cupped and feet down only 25 yards above the decoys. I said, "Now!" and we rose in unison. Shouldering my over/under, I caught up to a bird, swung past the dark form and pulled the trigger. Alan followed suit, and we each dropped a pintail into the water.

The next birds to decoy were a trio of teal that nearly landed in the spread before we fired. Again we each bagged a bird, and to our surprise they turned out to be full-plumage cinnamon teal drakes, a species more characteristic of the far West and Pacific Flyway than the Central Flyway. In the next hour we added blue-winged and green-winged teal to the bag. Tamaulipas is one of the few places where all three species of North American teal can be taken on a single trip. We went one better and collected all three in one morning. The rest of the hunt provided good mixed-bag shooting for teal, wigeon and gadwalls.

Tamaulipas-and specifically Rancho Mescalero-offers a fine mix of upland and waterfowl shooting, with a high probability of success between November and February. So this year when the winter doldrums begin to settle in, extend your season and head south to sunny Mexico for a double-barreled fiesta of wingshooting only a few hours south of the border. You won't be disappointed.

Author's Note: For more information on bird hunting at Rancho Mescalero, contact Outdoor Mexico, 800-635-1594 or 956-541-6062, www.mexicobirdhunt.com.

Gary Kramer is the author of FLYWAYS, A Celebration Of Waterfowl And Wetlands, a 135-page coffee-table book published by Ducks Unlimited that includes 195 photos. Signed copies are available for $34.90 (hardcover) or $26.90 (softcover) postpaid from the author, Box 903, Willows, CA 95988, 530-934-3873, www.garykramer.net.