'Fowling Argentina

Three decades ago, the first reports of Argentina's excellent bird hunting began to filter into the US. At first it was the superb goose hunting in Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia that drew hunters to this South American jewel. Later, word of dove flights that blocked out the sun and topnotch duck hunting made sporting news. After that perdiz hunting over pointers was the rage, and eventually decoy pigeon shooting made its way onto the popularity chart. Today Argentina is the undisputed leader of wingshooting destinations outside of North America. Current estimates indicate that nearly 8,000 American hunters travel to Argentina each year specifically for wingshooting.
As mentioned, although mixed-bag shooting in Argentina has become popular in recent years, it was goose hunting that vaulted the country into the international spotlight. Magellan and ashy-headed geese are the species hunted, and gunners get their first crack at them in the region between Tierra del Fuego and the Rio Negro. The shooting commences in... Read More »



March and extends until early May, when the birds head north to their wintering grounds.
Although some geese winter in the mountain valleys of the Andes, the largest concentrations are found along the Atlantic coast between Bahia Blanca and Viedma and inland to the Rio Negro Valley. At first glance the region appears little more than dry farmland and pastures; however, a closer look reveals river valleys, hidden wetlands and fields loaded with waste grain, irrigated alfalfa and sprouting winter wheat. Because of these food sources, geese winter here in impressive numbers and the shooting is excellent. Most geese don't arrive until early May, and they head south again by late August.
A recent trip to Rio Negro Province is typical of what hunters new to Argentine goose shooting can expect. The hunt took place near Viedma, a town of 50,000 people in Patagonia, where farming and cattle ranches dominate the landscape. The goose hunting here is a collaboration between local outfitter Michael Eddy and longtime waterfowl outfitter Andres St. Antonin. The trip was booked by Trek International Safaris.
After a 1-1/2-hour Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires, we reached Viedma and checked into single rooms in the Austral Hotel. Dining was in the hotel restaurant, where the food was good, the variety surprising and the red wine plentiful. Each morning an early breakfast was served and we departed the hotel before dawn. The drives were 15 minutes to one hour to pre-scouted fields, where everyone pitched in to set up the windsock decoys.
The first morning was crisp and clear, and the cold Antarctic air felt no different from an Arctic Clipper blowing out of Canada. In the predawn I could just make out the silhouettes of the decoys in front of the pit and my hunting partner, Ken Mayer, beside me. The pit had been dug the night before in a field of wheat stubble where the birds had fed the previous day. The ground was covered with frost, and I pulled on my hood and zipped up my parka as we waited for the geese to fly. Luckily, geese in Argentina fly early and we knew the action would start soon.
Sure enough, a short while later Ken saw the first flock. "Birds out of the north."
I counted two small flocks heading our way. "You take the birds on the right," Ken said. "I'll take the left."
The first group of six came straight to the decoys. When the geese were 20 yards up and over the spread, Ken said, "Take 'em!" We rose in unison, my eyes riveted on a big white gander that was doing his best to backpedal on the wind that was blowing straight down my neck. My over/under barked once, and the bird folded and hit the ground. I missed with my second shot as Ken finished anchoring a clean double.
A couple of minutes later I spotted more birds heading our way. Behind them were at least five more flocks. When still 200 yards out, a trio of birds began a long slow glide toward the blocks. I peered over the edge of the pit and watched the geese descend over the decoys. They came into focus hanging in the wind, looking for the right place to land. When they were 25 yards from the pit, we dropped two of the geese with our first volley, and then teamed up on the third as it scrambled for altitude.
Within the first five minutes of shooting, six Magellan geese were on the ground... and the sun was still below the horizon. We contemplated retrieving the downed birds, but the flocks stretched across the crimson horizon kept us pinned to the pits. The next flock of a dozen birds was on us before we were ready. I yelled, "Take 'em!" and searched the sky for white ganders. I picked out a huge white bird that was backpedaling to land while Ken tracked a gander on the far side of the flock. The reports of our shotguns sounded like one, and both birds dropped simultaneously. Ken picked out the only other gander and dropped him going away.
During the 2007 Argentine goose season several new regulations were instituted. Most goose hunting in Argentina takes place in Buenos Aires and Rio Negro provinces. During my visit in early July, the coastal areas of Buenos Aires Province were closed to goose hunting, although inland areas were open. Goose hunting throughout Rio Negro Province (where Viedma is located) remained open. The reason for the closures was to protect declining populations of ruddy-headed geese. Because ruddy-headed geese look like ashy-headed and female Magellan geese (particularly on the wing), the bag in Rio Negro Province was restricted to male Magellan geese only. Male Magellan geese are predominantly white and easily distinguished from ruddy-headed geese.
After the morning hunt, a traditional Argentine asado was prepared in the field. Sausages and various cuts of beef and lamb were grilled over an open fire and served with homemade breads, salads and quality red wine. The midday break also afforded the opportunity to hunt perdiz over an English pointer. This was more of a diversion than a hardcore hunt, and we bagged a half-dozen birds. After lunch we were taken back to the goose pits or to roost ponds for more waterfowling action.
The goose shooting in Argentina is about as good as it gets anywhere. Even though geese are considered pests in some areas, the days of high-volume shooting and a hundred geese a day are things of the past. However, limits are still liberal, and most outfitters allow 25 to 30 geese daily-plenty by most standards. The harvested birds are cleaned and distributed to local residents as well as to an orphanage in Viedma.

After our three-day goose hunt we returned to Buenos Aires, where we were met by a Trek agent and transferred to a waiting van. Then it was a four-hour ride south to Estancia Monte Laguna, near Carlos Casares, in Buenos Aires Province. Here we were met by Andres (Cane) St. Antonin, our host for the next three days of duck hunting. Monte Laguna was built 10 years ago and has all the modern conveniences, but it was designed to have the "feel" of a classic Argentine estancia. There are four double rooms, two private bathrooms and one shared bathroom. The service is impeccable and the food excellent.
One of the advantages of hunting at Estancia Monte Laguna is that the drives to the hunting areas are only five to 30 minutes. St. Antonin leases about 50,000 acres for hunting, and 30 to 50 percent of them are wetlands. (The amount of marsh acreage fluctuates depending on annual rainfall.) The balance of the land is used for cattle grazing and the cultivation of corn and soybeans. This combination of marsh and agricultural lands provides excellent habitat for a wide variety of ducks and other water birds.
We arrived about dinnertime, and after hors d'oeuvres and gin-and-tonics sat down to a sumptuous dinner of grass-fed Argentine beef, fresh-baked breads, vegetables, fried potatoes and plenty of red wine, or vino tinto. The final course was one of my favorite desserts-flan with dulce de leche, a caramel-like sauce-accompanied by a glass of port.
The next morning we were up early for breakfast and the short drive to the marsh. In the field we met our bird boy, Raul, and before long the decoys were set and we were ready for action. Raul soon spotted a flock of 10 ducks in the distance, and he signaled for Ken and me to get ready. The birds' flight was powerful and direct until they were just outside of the decoys-when they made a wide pass. A few notes from Raul's duck call turned them, and they looked huge as they settled in only 25 yards above the decoys. "Now," Raul said, and I threw my over/under to my shoulder, caught up with a bird, swung past the dark form and pulled the trigger. The bird dropped, and I was happy to see Ken tumble one as well.
K en was out of the blind in a flash, and a few minutes later he returned with a pair of rosy-billed pochards. This was his first trip to Argentina, and he wanted to take a closer look at the rosybills. Rosybills are actually diving ducks, but they behave more like puddlers and are about the size of mallards. Males are handsome birds sporting an unmistakable bright-red bill with a swollen knob at the base. Rosybills are considered the finest eating of the South American ducks, and later that evening we learned just how good pato picasso is when marinated and grilled.
As the gray sky brightened, the birds began to fly in earnest. Some, like the yellow-billed pintails, circled warily before coming to the decoys; others, including the silver and ringed teal, came straight in. The Chiole wigeon and rosybills made wide passes before decoying and presenting 20- to 30-yard shots. At morning's end we gathered up about 40 ducks for the walk back to the pickup and the return trip to the estancia for lunch and a siesta.
I have been fortunate enough to shoot birds in Argentina on nine visits in the past 20 years. One thing that draws me back to duck hunting there time and again is not only the volume of shooting but also the variety of species. Depending on the area, a single day's bag may consist of a dozen or more different types of ducks. These include speckled, silver, cinnamon and ringed teal; Brazilian ducks; red shovelers; yellow-billed and white-cheeked pintails; Chiole, or Southern wigeon; rosy-billed pochards; and white-faced, black-bellied and fulvous whistling ducks. Both coscoroba and black-necked swans are present as well, but neither can be hunted. Add an assortment of water birds, and a day in an Argentine marsh becomes a study in ornithology as well as a hunting trip.
Each time I visit Argentina I am amazed at the quality of the bird hunting that is consistently delivered. Thanks to minimal hunting pressure, good habitat and abundant stocks of waterfowl and upland birds, I have no doubt that Argentina will continue to shine as the jewel of South American bird hunting for decades to come.

Author's Note: For more information on bird hunting in Argentina, contact Trek International Safaris, 800-654-9915; www.treksafaris.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 $26.90 (softcover) postpaid from the author, Box 903, Willows, CA 95988, 530-934-3873, www.garykramer.net.