Horseback riding through the diverse countryside

My Josie and I have returned from a two and a half week check-out trip in Argentina where we visited 5 big game hunting lodges, 3 bird hunting lodges, and 3 touring destinations! The purpose of the trip was to visit new outfitters and revisited longtime outfitters who have introduced new areas. Continue reading for a short recap of our trip.

Big Game Hunting

Argentina is known for its Red Stag, Water Buffalo, Fallow, Axis, Black Buck and more! Some of our highlights were:

• Large herds of water buffalo fighting and chasing one another around a wooded area.
• Touring some of the largest privately owned and most diverse properties we have ever experienced in Argentina. They flowed effortlessly from dense brush to grass-covered hills to tree-spotted plains. This has created a diverse ecosystem on each property we visited. It was amazing to see how suddenly the terrain would shift as if there was an invisible barrier separating the areas. These private lands are as large as 85,000 acres.
  

  Majestic red stag

• Stalking free range and high fence Red Stag ranging from 285 to 500+ SCI points.
• Staying in a wide range of accommodations. The lodges we stayed at varied from a luxury eco-lodge with sleek interiors to an authentic ranch house with the ranch’s gauchos living nearby to a 50+ year old family home built with dark woods and filled with family memories.
• Building new relationships with our guides and hosts at every stop. We all laughed and laughed at our attempts to speak Spanish, stories from past hunts, and other trouble we got into throughout our stay. The people of Argentina are kind, helpful, and generous.

Bird Hunting

Dove hunting near Buenos Aires

Anyone that knows me knows that I will say that if I had one last trip to take it would be to hunt dove in Argentina. The bird hunting on this trip did not disappoint! This trip was Josie’s first introduction to a mixed-bag hunt, and she quickly understood why Argentina draws hunters from around the world. Our highlights:

• Argentina is THE ULTIMATE destination for dove hunting. We had an unbelievable time talking trash while shooting birds out from under each other.
• We experienced the finest Perdiz hunt Kevin has ever had. We limited out in about 45 minutes! Fast flying birds were darting left and right to test our skills – and we both lived up to the challenge.
• The duck hunting was a mix this trip. Our first hunt was a fast action hunt! We took our limit in about an hour and a half as our guides called in birds and spotted incoming ones. The second was less than successful but there were literally hundreds of birds all around but they stayed on the water and did not fly – which is why they call it hunting!
  

  Duck hunt near Buenos Aires

• Our guides and bird boys were all incredibly helpful, encouraging, and kept us laughing. They loved Josie’s reactions to hitting birds and were consistently giving encouraging advice to help her improve her skills.

Touring

The purpose of the time touring was to check out our new private touring guide. As a result, we can now offer a great variety of touring options around Argentina such as Buenos Aires, Mendoza wine country, Iguazu Falls, and Patagonia in addition to hunting.

Once our trip was over, Josie looked at me and said, “I would go back and do another week of touring if we could!” Here were our highlights:

• Even though I have been to Buenos Aires many times, we wished we could have spent more time there. Having the right guide makes all the difference! Going to see a tango show, shopping, and eating our way through the city was our main focus throughout our stay. The city has a rich
  

  Touring at Iguazu Falls

  history, kind people, excellent shopping, and great food. We both purchased incredible leather goods – Josie two jackets and myself a Capybara vest.

• The Mendoza wine country boasted incredible views, excellent wine, and top-notch cuisine. Neither of us are big wine drinkers, so we were unsure how this part of our trip would go, but the knowledgeable sommeliers at each winery and our tour guide had us locked in at every stop.
• During our time in Mendoza, we also enjoyed a casual stroll (which about killed us after eating so much food and sitting around too much) through the national park at the foothills of the Andes mountain range. The views were spectacular. Everyone needs to take a hike or stroll during their stay in this area!
• Our final stop was Iguazu Falls, and oh man was it the cherry on top of an incredible trip! We spent two days touring the falls. One day on the Argentina side and one on the Brazil side, and we still can’t decide which was our favorite! We also took a jetboat ride on the river below the falls to see them up close. We laughed and laughed as we got sprayed with water and sped through the canyon.
  

  Wine tasting in Mendoza

• Throughout our stay in each area, we stayed at the finest 5 star hotels and enjoyed legendary restaurants.

Overall this was an unbelievable trip for the two of us. We created irreplaceable memories together while also finding new lodges for our clients to visit. Argentina is a must-visit country for big game hunting, bird hunting, and touring!

Lodges we visited:

Argentina Luxury Red Stag Hunting – La Pampa

Argentina Red Stag Hunt – Santa Rosa

Argentina Rustic Red Stag Hunt

Argentina Red Stag Hunt – Cowboy

Argentina Mixed Bag Wingshooting – Buenos Aires