For the past five or so years I’ve been thinking of wanting to go to Argentina for a free-range red stag and blackbuck hunt. Last year I ran across a hunt with MG Hunting in the La Pampa region for a red stag in a SCI auction. A couple of emails with Manuel of MG convinced me that this was a hunt for me. A couple of bids and it was mine. More emails with Manuel and I was booked for April 4-8, 2022.

I normally book my own airfare but with everything constantly changing I decided to use a travel agency. Booked the American Air tickets through Debbie at Gracy Travel. She’s done a wonderful job for me the past couple of trips. April 2nd, I depart Reno to Dallas then arriving at the International Airport in Buenos Aires on the 3rd. Manuel had taken care of all my ground transportation while in Buenos Aires.

He even had a surprise for me. The young man holding the MG Hunting sign said he was going to be my tour guide of the city before going to the Domestic Airport. First, we went to the old part of town down by the harbor where the first Spanish settled in Argentina. The buildings here are built with a variety of materials and very colorful. This is due to the fact that supplies were very limited and they were using whatever they were able to salvage. Our next stop was the downtown area where the Argentinian Government buildings are located. Here we saw beautiful buildings and statues. These included the Pink House (their Capital), Congress and the Catholic church where Pope Frances presided over before becoming the Pope. The last stop of the tour was the Recoleta Cemetery which no tour is complete without. Such beautiful and elaborate mausoleums and vaults. Then lunch at a very nice steak house before the trip to the airport.





A quick one-hour flight and we’re in Santa Rosa. While waiting for the luggage I meet more hunters going to MG with me. There was Jim a retired doctor from North Carolina and Ryan along with his wife, Rochelle and their six-month old son, Luke from Florida. I couldn’t have picked a better bunch of people to share camp with us. Outside we are met by Manuel’s brother and Head Guide Pedro (Peter) and guide Rocket who will drive us the hour and 40 minutes to the lodge. Yes, I got to meet the infamous Rocket. He is doing well. Unfortunately, his computer isn’t doing as well but he will be back on the forum when he gets a new one.

April 4th, the first day of the hunt. A wakeup knock on the door at 5:15am. Have a quick breakfast and get our leather gators. Yes, you need them, lots of thorns and burs. Then we go out and meet our guides for the week. I’m matched up with Albert, a great guide and man. We make a Mutt & Jeff pair as I’m 6’7” and he isn’t. We get out of the vehicle after a 45-minute drive in the dark. Almost immediately we hear a stag roaring. What a wonderful sound. One I had been hoping for and waiting to hear. As we in in the direction of the roar, we hear at least three more stags. We continue on after the first one as it sounded deeper and more mature. About 30 minutes in we see two hinds running across and open area into some brush. While glassing them a stag steps out of the brush. With him at 200 yards and the brush behind him I wasn’t able to see much detail but could tell he was heavy and very high. Albert immediately set up the bipod shooting sticks. A shot with the loaner 300 Win Mag and the stag drops on the spot. Hand-shakes, fist bumps and a hug of congratulations. A walk up to the stag shows that he is indeed a truly mature animal. Unfortunately, he has three broken tines from fighting but what a beautiful animal.


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After lunch Peter and Albert take me out to the Preserve to see some of true huge stags that they have available. I would love to have one hanging on my wall but I’m out of wall space. Then we’re on to try to find big blackbuck in the open country. Their great eye sight and being quite spooky resulted in a couple failed stalks. Then I see that my binoculars aren’t in the case on my chest. After an hour of looking through the high La Pampa grass, Albert finds them. He’ll find a little extra in his tip for that. Back to the lodge for a shower and dinner. I must say the food at MG is great with Manuel as the head chef. Breakfast is usually eggs and bacon but lunch and dinner are three course meals with appetizers and a desert. Huge portions and yes, I returned home heavier than I when I left.

April 5th Peter, Albert and I are back out looking for my blackbuck. Another failed stalk and then we get on one. Back on the sticks for another 200-yard shot. Unfortunately, or maybe not I miss. Albert and I follow the herd while Peter, in the vehicle does some scouting. After a mile we catch up with the herd but no shot was offered with them moving through the trees. Peter calls Albert on the radio, reporting a big buck. Another mile walk, and we run out of cover. I take a look at the buck through the binoculars and immediately know that I want this one. I get on the sticks but can’t get steady. I take the rifle off, take a deep breath and get back on. This time I’m steady and able to make the shot, with the buck dropping on the spot. This was my longest shot ever off shooting sticks at 270 yards. As we approach the buck, he gets bigger and bigger. I can’t believe how heavy his curls are or how long he is. Congratulations to all involved and photos to honor the animal, then back to the lodge.



OK, one and a half days into a five-day hunt and I already have the animals that I really wanted. What now? I know, how about a water buffalo. This time with a borrowed 458 and 500 grain solids Peter, Albert and head out again. Albert and I follow some fresh-looking tracks. After a couple miles a cow, calf and young bull break out of the brush a couple hundred tards in front of us. This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought. These things are truly wild. We go to another water hole and sit to see what comes in. A bull and cow come in but the bull is too small. While driving to another water hole we spot another herd just inside the brush. They run off when we get within 200 yards but we see some more a little further out. We get within 150 yards and it’s getting dark out. Four cows in the herd start smelling the air and walking towards us. Looking through my binoculars and the cows only 50-yards away, they look like a black wall of trouble. Peter says that we better get out while we can. Not enough good trees for us to climb and not enough bullets for the buffalo.

April 6th Peter, Albert and I are back out looking for buffalo again. Early in the hunt, while still driving we see a bull along the road in front of us. He’s pawing the ground and smelling the air while looking into the brush. A short stalk and we are withing 50 yards of the bull. I see that one horn is shorter than the other but he’s what I want. An old mature warrior. He’s pacing back and forth in the brush, watching us the whole time. A shot with the 458 and he takes off running. I can already see blood coming from his mouth and nose. Another shot as he runs through the brush hits too far back in the guts. A short 50-yard trail finds him hurting but still standing. A final shot puts him down for good. The three of us try to set him up for some photos. Nothing doing, these animals are huge.



OK, so now I need to find something else to hunt the two and a half days. I decided to try for a wild boar. Albert and I set in a blind that evening over some corn bait. Nothing came except a red deer hind.

April 7th Albert and I head out in the dark to a couple areas that have boars. We see one sow and a little one. Back to the lodge by 8:30 for a nap. That evening Albert and I go to a different blind, hoping for a big boar. Sitting there in the dark, hoping to hear something. Albert has night vision but I can’t see anything. He see’s a couple pigs but no boars. I decide this isn’t for me, sitting in the dark not being able to see anything. Back at the lodge I inform Peter that I’m taking the boar off my wish list. After a little discussion I decide to try for a Scottish black face ram on my last day. I’m not why I decided this as I’ve never even seen one before.

April 8th, last day of the hunt. I sleep in as no need to get out early. Today I’m guided by Albert and Zeke for my ram. We check several areas close to the lodge and finally locate two rams mixing in with a herd of cattle. Albert and I are off on our last stalk of the hunt. Every time we start to get close the cattle run off and the rams follow. After a half hour the rams finally split off from the cattle and were able to close in. The sticks go up again. My shot hits too far back but the ram can only walk a short distance before another shot drops him. I have to say that the ram impresses me at two full curls. I’m glad that I decided to hunt one. My wife actually says this is her favorite animal.



April 9th is a lazy day hanging around the lodge, settling up with Manuel and saying our good bye’s to everyone. In the afternoon we all load up and head to the Santa Rosa airport for our flight to Buenos Aires. The one and only flight from Santa Rosa to Buenos Aires arrives too late to catch the flights to the US so Jim, Ryan and his family and I all go to the Intersur Recoleta (Manuel’s suggestion) hotel for the night. We meet up the next morning for breakfast in the hotel then break off to do our own thing. The hotel is only a couple blocks away from the Recoleta Cemetery so I head that direction around noon. I find an outdoor café and get a sandwich. Then off to the crafts market by the cemetery for souvenir’s for the family back home. Back to the hotel to say my good byes to the others and wait for my ride to the airport.

Excellent report and good hunting. I hope you enjoyed Argentina.

Great report! Makes me want to go back to Patagonia for red stags. Argentina is a special place.

Very nice report. It has me excited as I will be arriving in Santa Rosa on May 29th for my red stag hunt.