This weekend was the MN SCI banquet. My wife and I bid on and won a trip with Fernando Saiz whose main lodge is located 2 hours south of Madrid. We had wanted to go there to be tourists so now it is the best of both world as I get to hunt Spanish Red Deer and maybe an Ibex and fallow deer.

I would like to hear from others that have hunted/traveled in Spain to get an idea of what to expect, what to see etc.

Thanks
Clark

I have done it twice. The last time was December of 09.

It is beautiful country. There are lots of things to see. Hunting can be demanding. I have shot all 4 of the ibex species. Of those 4, 2 were not that hard, 1 was fairly difficult and 1 was brutal. The SE species was harder than any sheep hunt I have ever been on. The Becite was a 15 minute climb. The Ronda was a few hours in rolling hills. The Gredos was an all day climb that was reasonably difficult.

The drive from one area to the next can be long. We stayed in an old castle once. While the hotel was not that nice, it was very interesting. There are some very scenic and historic areas.

It is interesting going into these little villages and visiting bars/restaurants. One gets a true flavor of the area. If they are watching a soccer game, everything stops except for smoking and drinking.

Be prepared, some of the local cuisine can be a little strange. For example, we went to a restaurant with a big group. We were told that they would be bringing out authentic delicacies from the area. Some were really good. Some were down right weird. For example, they brought out a tray of baby birds to eat!

There is one thing I would absolutely recommend. In Madrid, there is a market. One can go into the market and purchase whatever you want to eat. After purchasing the food, it is taken to another area of the market and they cook it for you. To us, it was very unique. It was also very good.

There are some really nice restaurants in Madrid. Some of the seafood was fantastic. Be prepared, the Spanish eat very late by American standards. I wish I could remember the names. We went to one that was VERY modern. We drank vodka and tangerine juice. It was fantastic.

There are various museums in Madrid plus the Palace. Most are pretty interesting. There are tons of shops that have a lot of things that may be interesting to some.

It is worth a day going to Toledo. It isn't that far. There were many interesting sights there. We also probably had the best meal during our entire trip.

If you are there in the right time, I would go to the bull fights. I would NOT go to soccer game with them. I did it once and it scared the hell out of me. These people are insane when it comes to soccer.

Madrid is a big city with big city issues. Spain is a big country. It can take a long time to travel the whole country.

I found Spain to have fewer English speaking people that the other European countries I have visited.

I really liked it and I would go again.

PM me your e mail address and I will e mail you some pictures.

Wow. please post some pictues I would love to see them. I always wanted to hunt spain, but the tax scares me.

My expieance was pritty much the same as Larryshores. I loved it there and had a great time.
I could go on and on but I'll simplify it by saying just go and find out for yourself. You won't regreat doing it.
I got a real good fallow deer. The stag was nice but not huge like eastern Europe and my friend shot a record book Ibex.

I have thought about this a little more. I have a couple of other thoughts.

I noted some trees that had all of the bark trimmed around the bottom. I inquired as it seemed a bit odd to me. I learned that these were cork trees. They trim the cork and sell it to the wineries. I though that was interesting. I personally enjoyed this.

While traveling along the Mediterranean, I noticed many old rock structures on top of hills. Ultimately, I saw so many that I inquired. Hundreds of years ago, people were posted in these structures. These were lookouts for the invading Moors. If the Moors were spotted, a fire was started. This fire would be spotted by the next lookout who would in turn light a fire. This would be repeated over and over. Word of the invasion got back to the castle in short order. I thought this was fascinating.

I have a certain fascination with exotic Italian sports cars. In our travels, I noted many Lamborghini signs. These were often in the middle of a field over a small tin building. I was having a difficult time figuring this out. I inquired. Well, it seems that Lamborghini is famous for making farm tractors. I found this quite amusing. I had to see a Lamborghini tractor. Somewhere, I have a picture of me on a Lamborghini tractor.

There are so many things to see. Some are historic. Other may or may not interest the average person. While I was fascinated with the cork trees, the next person may not be.

Great stuff. Thanks so much.

Clark

One of the nicest countries to visit. When you hunt, you usually go places in the interieur which are unknown, still very authentic and wild and without tourists.

I hunted red deer, mouflon, wild boar, ibex, roe deer and always liked it a lot.

If you go with a respectable company, you won't regret it.

I lived there for 2 years in Andaluz, Fernando is the big name in Spanish hunting, I am sure it will go fine.

He does charge Americans through the teeth though.

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Clark:
Wow. please post some pictues I would love to see them. I always wanted to hunt spain, but the tax scares me.

The taxes are high, I believe 18%. But sometimes you gotta bite the bullet to keep peace in the family and still get to go hunting. My wife was looking at some more of the great pictures Larry sent and she actually said, "I am excited to go".

Clark