Pictures from our July 2013 Duck Hunt which took place in Santa Fe province.

Outfitter: www.EliteHuntingUSA.com

12 Gauge Gun Rental was included in the package so we did not travel with firearms from USA to Argentina. The duck lodge has 14 semi-autos and 4 over-unders. Semi-autos are mostly Beretta 391 and couple of Benellis. Most are 12 gauge and some are 20 gauge.

We go every year, if you are a single hunter it is not a problem, we can put a group together of single hunters. July is probably the best time to go. August is ok too but I prefer July.

Lodge is located on one of the branches of the Pirana River (second largest in South America after the Amazon river). Boat ramp is at the lodge. Hunting takes place 5 to 20 minute boat ride from the lodge. Food is fantastic (pics at the bottom), bedrooms and bathrooms are clean. Lodge staff is trained to tend to your comfort. It is a home away from home.

As far as birds go, duck limits are very liberal. Nothing, zilch, ZERO birds go to waste. Locals line up at the boat ramp and the lodge manager distributes the birds to them right in front of you. If you need birds for taxidermy then proper veterinary certificates can be arranged.

P.S. One day we took a break from ducks and hunted Perdiz over dogs. And another afternoon we went fishing for Dorado and Piranha. I will add the Perdiz and Fishing pics at the bottom of this thread in a few days.



Satellite View of the Pirana River area we hunted.


Amazing Lodge right on the river...all you use is boats to and from the hunting spots....no need to drive anywhere.


Plenty of shotguns to choose from.


Land of Rosybill


Marsh


Land of Rosybills


Right before sunrise...Coming in



Landing - That is what it's all about


Results


Comfortable big Boat.


8 Main Waterfowl Species on this trip:
1) Rosybill Pochard
2) Brazilian Teal
3) Silver Teal
4) Black-headed Duck
5) Brown Pintail (also known as Yellow-billed Pintail)
6) White-faced Whistling Duck
7) Fulvous Whistling Duck
8) Ring Teal


Rosybill Pochard (This is the Male)


Rosybill Pochard (Female)


Brazilian Teal


Silver Teal


Black-headed Duck



Brown Pintail



White-faced Whistling Duck


Fulvous Whistling Duck


Ring Teal


Lone Rosybill circling over decoys


Picking Up


Push Pole in shallow water


Picking Up


Ride Back to the Lodge


Boat


More Pickup


90 HP Motor is really quiet....that Yamaha was doing 40 mph with ease.


Best Part of the trip - Feeding the locals. Every day....They would start lining up before our return. Lodge manager would keep some birds for lodge consumption, and distribute the rest to the locals right in front of our eyes.


Sweet Location


Rosybill Decoys


Results


Setup


Marsh with birds everywhere


Ring Teal Drake


A Good Morning


Another Good Afternoon Hunt


Another good AM hunt


... repeat couple of times...

FYI...AM hunts as well as PM hunts are both equally productive.



Lodge pics






















Local Cayman Skull






First Class Food prepared by a classically trained chef. Both red and white wines (from Mendoza region of Argentina) are included.






















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OK Oz.....now not only am I dying to get to Argentina to duck hunt but I'm also starving! Between your and Larry's pics you two have whet a lot of appetites here in more ways than one. Wow! Those teal are spectacular looking.

What is the shortest reasonable hunt considering distance from Boston?

Beautifull photos i believe you hunted in San Javier town ,the river is the Parana river -dont worry all the americans named it PIRANA river .
Thanks for sharing .In this same marshes there are many capibaras ,buffalos ,hogs and snipes .That Axis is from this area too .

I to stuck into the white faced whistlers in RSA last year and was amazed at what a stunning bird they are in the hand. However I think hose silver teal may have them beat!!

Beautiful pics and thanks for sharing.

K

Thank you, glad you all liked the pics.

@Norton,
Shortest would be a 3 day duck hunt. Each day consists of an AM hunt and a PM hunt. So there will be 6 hunts total. 3 AM hunts and 3 PM hunts.

Add a full travel day on both ends from the States. Probably 5 and a half days total to be safe considering most flights from South America arrive early AM the next day and then you will need to get back to Boston. So 5 and a half days is what you are looking at to be away from home at a minimum.

As usual, great stuff. Are all the species pictured importable? If not, which can be brought back for taxidermy, and are there staff there that can skin the birds professionally prior to travel back to the states?

TIA.

KG, legal birds can be imported with proper export Vet certificates. You can freeze them and using Atlanta as an example, leave them there with USF&W (in their freezer) for pickup and clearance by a licensed Taxidermist (Michael Vaden is one). He can process them for shipment to your personal Taxidermist or mount them for you. It may be possible to have a local Federally licensed Taxidermist to meet you upon return and clear them for you. Things are evolving constantly but that is the last I had on the subject. I know a number of bird studio's that are currently mounting birds from Argentina.

@Kamo Gari
In addition to what LDK said...I usually use Miami instead of Atlanta. There are bunch of customs brokers available who can clear the birds for you and ship them to your choice of Port of Entry approved taxidermist. This works out best if you do not have the time to stick around upon arrival, or if your taxidermist cannot meet you at the airport for clearance. It does add a bit to the overall cost of the trip but this way you let the customs professionals handle all the paperwork correctly.