Here’s a short report on a couple wing shooting trips I made in November.

First was a trip to Cordoba, Argentina to shoot doves with my Dad. I know the volume of shooting there is not for everyone, but you can shoot as much or as little as you like. I picked Estancia Los Chanares for the trip. I cannot imagine that there is a better lodge/shooting available in Cordoba. The service, food, wine, and accommodations were excellent. Really after 5 days of eating it was really starting to become a chore to keep eating as much wonderful food as was prepared for us.

The daily itinerary went something went like this. Breakfast at 8am and then a short drive in a “safari” style truck to the field at 8:30. We typically shot for 1.5 to 2 hours. Back to the lodge and lunch would be served around 12:30. Then there was time to relax and maybe get in a nap. 2:30pm would find us riding to the field for another couple hours of shooting. Then back to the lodge for appetizers around 5:30 and dinner at 7:30.

Next are the birds. The number of birds has to be experienced. It really can’t be explained to someone that has only shot doves in the States. Over 5 days we shot at 9 different areas. All were unique. Some were fields similar to what we would hunt at home. Some at the top of mountains. Some days the wind was calm and some days it was howling with the doves riding the wind making for very challenging shooting. I averaged shooting around 500 shells per hunt. This sounds like a lot, but trust me, a person can shoot many, many more per hunt. I was somewhat selective about the birds I shot at, and we could’ve easily hunted an hour or so more each time out.

We met several other folks visiting the lodge and it really enhanced the experience. England, Dominican Republic, Morocco, and Florida were all represented there. We were there during the election so that made for spirited conversation!!
I used the lodge’s guns on this trip. I was apprehensive about doing this as I have guns that I like and prefer shooting my own, but it has become a hassle to take your own to Argentina. I shot a Beretta 391 20g and a Browning O/U 28ga and both worked well. The auto jammed occasionally but was not a real problem.

This sign sums up the mood pretty well!
























Chasing wild pheasants in South Dakota behind my yellow lab Wes is my favorite hunting of all. I made my first trip there in 1996 and have made 19 trips in all. Wes has made 12 of these trips with me. We stay and hunt with some fine folks there and consider them great friends. A lot has changed as far as the hunting goes with seemingly less and less good pheasant hunting cover each year, but we always manage to find birds and have a great time. No matter what the forecast South Dakota weather always seems to make an impact. Our drive from Alabama typically takes about 20 hours. 28 hours later after fighting a blizzard beginning at the South Dakota border we made it to camp. But then the first day of hunting dawned clear and cold and we had great hunting weather the rest of the trip.

There we only 2 of us on the trip this year and then our hosts had some commitments for the first couple days so this put just the two of us hunting on our own. We know the area and really it worked out great. We had to walk more, but this also let us hunt quietly and we were able to sneak up on small pockets of cover and surprise the birds. Later in the season this makes a ton of difference.





The local bar always welcomes the “Alabama Boys” to town.


The primary shotguns for the trip….. A Merkel 2016el 16ga and a 20ga Winchester 101.


Wes and I saw a rooster fly into a small spot of cattails and headed towards the spot. On the way he flushed and retrieved two more and then got the one we were after. A limit in 5 minutes!!


Wes and I with the last rooster of the trip. Wes continues to hunt like a champ at his age and sometimes at night or in the mornings we think he may be too stiff to go, but he always rally’s and is the star of the show.

A couple of great, yet very different trips.

Good boy Wes.

Looks like your trips were very good, congrats! Great looking Lab.

two great trips, I have been lucky enough to do both and each one is great fun, especially with friends, four legged or not

congrats on making time to go, we had done 7 years in a row to SD but it seems everyone is busy more each year

Los Chanares is indeed fantastic. I have been somewhere in area of 12-15 times. Going again next month.

great report Wyattd!

Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun, or an ugly dog. You have both covered well!!

Superb photos.

Thanks for sharing. Both hunts look like lots of fun.