[Remdog1187]

Any suggestions for locations and outfitters experiences are welcome.

 

[brdslayr]

I went loved it. Worth it, but long flight. Oh well, its not like you can drive to get to Argentina. Booked thru Southern Outfitting(803-818-1110) Lodge we went to was La Macarena in Cordoba Argentina. Contact at Southern Outfitting was Rick Collins. Highly recommend. Any questions, feel free to PM me. JW

 

[leftex]

I've been twice. Went with SYC Sporting both times. The lodge is a 45 minute shuttle bus ride from the Cordoba airport.
Dove shooting fields are 15/20 minutes from the lodge. Outstanding.

 

[Setterman]

11 of us went 2 years ago. Went in January. Sierra Brava lodge. 80 million doves in the roost..... Awesome. But the plane ride really sucks

 

[GoldGuy]

I live in Uruguay. Exact same birds. Here is my two cents: Go to Argentina. You will not be disappointed. Find the best priced package that has short rides to the hunting area. Save the hassle of bringing a gun, just rent one but bring moleskin, electrical tape, temp recoil pad, etc. to get the stock where you need it. If your brought-gun busts, you're done (then forced to rent) but if the club's gun busts, they give you another one. Bring shooting gloves as the guns get hot. Bring sunscreen, hat, shooting glasses, hearing protection, etc. You probably won't be walking far/hard so footware is simple.Try to learn from your shooting while you're having fun. 2500 left to right crossers at 25 yards won't teach you a thing. Yes, there will be good wine and good food. Evening pleasures can be arranged. Ask to shoot pigeons, will most likely be extra $$ though. You will not be disappointed. The big Picazuro pigeon is ~1.5x bigger than a rock dove. The spot wing (Paloma manchada) is just tad longer than a rock dove and has a bit thinner body. Don't get too frustrated by the parakeets, since they don't like to fly on any kind of a line for more than three wingbeats. Let them get out aways so the pattern does its job. I hear going into ARG via Chile works best. Let your USA rep set things up. Can't comment on tipping but I am sure these places either have fixed tips or are always recommending it every chance possible. Shells will be expensive so factor things into your budget using $15/box. They are making at least $5/box but that's life. Unless the club "tries hard" you will not find mustard or ketchup or fancy salad dressing. If you you have any dietary needs, start asking how they can be met while talking to the booking folks. When you get to ARG, it will be too late. There are no bacon and egg or waffle or pancake breakfasts. If you like a certain cereal for breakfast bring a box or two as the place won't have any cereal, at all. When I travel, I always bring my own pillow but that's just me. Always ask the USA booking folks before you pay/go. They are getting a good slice of the $ and want happy customers as that means repeats and referrals. The ARG folks may try to appear helpful but in the end there will be excuses, even valid ones if you're lucky. Should you go, you will definitely be presented with more doves than you can kill.

 

[Chance McCall]

11 of us went 2 years ago. Went in January. Sierra Brava lodge. 80 million doves in the roost..... Awesome. But the plane ride really sucks

It especially sucks for smokers. :22a:

 

[Claypoppy]

Trek Safaris is a long time outfitter for these type of hunts.

I was going on dove hunts with them to Honduras back in the 70's, and I have many local friends who have used them for Argentine dove hunts in the last 10 years.

Great people to do business with and have been in this game for decades.

 

[murphranch]

Just got back from Córdoba Argentina. We went the first week of August, trip of a lifetime. Sporting Adventures International was who the hunt was booked through. We bought it at a charity fundraiser auction. Del Pillar was the lodge we stayed at. Food and accommodations were over the top.

 

[murphranch]

11 of us went 2 years ago. Went in January. Sierra Brava lodge. 80 million doves in the roost..... Awesome. But the plane ride really sucks

Yep, Dallas to Santiago or Buenos Aires is 11 to 13 hours.

 

[Kevin Fleming]

Been twice - both time Maers & Goldman. Both awesome trips. I think it they are a good value, but it is expensive fun, period. Don't get hung up on shell prices, that is how outfitters make there money. Outstanding food, outstanding service, great bird boys. Rent a gun, travel LAN before Aerolineaus Argentina if it works for your departure point. Prep properly; you don't need much but there is a specific toolkit to take; if it's your thing, buy red liquor in duty free because it is scarce in ARG. Shoot pidgeons if you can.

Geez I want to go back....

K

 

[Larry C.]

Any suggestions for locations and outfitters experiences are welcome.

Pace yourself unless you are on unlimited shell budget. At $.50/ shot it can get expensive. Remember, they make there money on ammo in Argentina. All places near Córdoba have good reputations, at least what I have experienced. I limited myself to 500 shoots in AM & 500 in PM. 1801 doves in about 2,850 shots. Yes all bird boys have counters with them. They give you a printout of usage and performance afterwards. Stories of some guys running up several thousand dollar shell bills daily. They say there are 40 million dove in Córdoba and that they breed a couple of times a year. They have been hunting them for 50 years or more and haven't put a dent in population. Eagles were cool. Once shooting starts it's like ringing the dinner bell for them. Would be a great place to study the effects of lead poisoning. You'll love it. Come to think of it, I wanna go again.

 

[murphranch]

Pace yourself unless you are on unlimited shell budget. At $.50/ shot it can get expensive. Remember, they make there money on ammo in Argentina. All places near Córdoba have good reputations, at least what I have experienced. I limited myself to 500 shoots in AM & 500 in PM. 1801 doves in about 2,850 shots. Yes all bird boys have counters with them. They give you a printout of usage and performance afterwards. Stories of some guys running up several thousand dollar shell bills daily. They say there are 40 million dove in Córdoba and that they breed a couple of times a year. They have been hunting them for 50 years or more and haven't put a dent in population. Eagles were cool. Once shooting starts it's like ringing the dinner bell for them. Would be a great place to study the effects of lead poisoning. You'll love it. Come to think of it, I wanna go again.

The eagles were cool. Had a few catch falling birds, had a few lazy eagles that would walk around through the brush, even had a couple mink, that's what they called them, that would sneak in and out stealing birds. Very good advice on pacing yourself. They let us double up in the afternoon, which is kinda rare, they like to keep you spread out, but was really fun shooting with good friend next to you, calling shots and dishing out a lot of good hearted trash talk. We still catch ourselves saying "ooooh doublie doublie, very good senior.

 

[Larry C.]

The eagles were cool. Had a few catch falling birds, had a few lazy eagles that would walk around through the brush, even had a couple mink, that's what they called them, that would sneak in and out stealing birds. Very good advice on pacing yourself. They let us double up in the afternoon, which is kinda rare, they like to keep you spread out, but was really fun shooting with good friend next to you, calling shots and dishing out a lot of good hearted trash talk. We still catch ourselves saying "ooooh doublie doublie, very good senior.

Muy Bueno senor.

 

[g7777777]

Don't worry about how many doves you shoot..you spent your money and time to get there

It is no more expensive then your local gun club. Targets are free, shells twice as much

Same with lodges , you can go cheap and save a couple of hundred bucks for a disappointing trip or spend that little bit more and remember it for lifeb

 

[Perazzi_MX8]

Look at it this way compared to practice trap prices. My local club is 6.00 per round and cheap shells are 5.00 a box. So it's 11.00 for 25 or 44.00 per hundred shooting trap. Now the shells at an Argentina shoot at 15.00 per box or (60.00 per hundred) isn't really out of line when you get targets provided by nature. ATA shooting will cost about the same as Argentina per 100 targets. Pace yourself to stay within your budget just like when shooting ATA birds. They feed you, give you a bed to sleep in and provide a ride to the shooting fields complete with bird boys. Travel has always been expensive by air and its like going on a vacation at a resort. Dove shooting in Argentina has been on my bucket list for decades but it looks like I may kick the bucket before I fill the list. I've been saving money all my life by not drinking or smoking but it looks like I couldn't have afforded that either.

 

[Chance McCall]

Look at it this way compared to practice trap prices. My local club is 6.00 per round and cheap shells are 5.00 a box. So it's 11.00 for 25 or 44.00 per hundred shooting trap. Now the shells at an Argentina shoot at 15.00 per box or (60.00 per hundred) isn't really out of line when you get targets provided by nature. ATA shooting will cost about the same as Argentina per 100 targets. Pace yourself to stay within your budget just like when shooting ATA birds. They feed you, give you a bed to sleep in and provide a ride to the shooting fields complete with bird boys. Travel has always been expensive by air and its like going on a vacation at a resort. Dove shooting in Argentina has been on my bucket list for decades but it looks like I may kick the bucket before I fill the list. I've been saving money all my life by not drinking or smoking but it looks like I couldn't have afforded that either.

I've got a friend in Colorado who charters a jet every year to go down. (Flies out of Denver) If I can talk him into letting you hitchhike along ( he always has an empty seat or two) would the rest of the trip be doable for you?

 

[Perazzi_MX8]

I sent you a PM Chance McCall

 

[jansonuhl]

Any suggestions for locations and outfitters experiences are welcome.

In the middle 80's i went down for 21 days with Frontiers. 7 days of geese, 7 days of ducks, and 7 days of doves. Literally killed a truck load of geese and ducks. Didn't kill 10 doves in 7 days. They were flocked up and flying out of range in an endless stream all day. The outfitters were completely baffled as to where they were going. Was a waste to try and shoot as were out of range. Frustrating to say the least. Wasn't a matter of no birds, was a matter of lots of birds out of range. Could have shot a million parakeets.Farmers asked you to as they are an incredible noisy pest bird. Entire trip,plane,ground,shells,top drawer hotels, all expenses for 21 days was $9,000.00. Hate to guess what it would be today. Goose and duck hunting made it worth while. Frontiers, if still in business, was a first class outfit. A trip of a lifetime.