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Thread: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

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    Finished- HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -



    This post will take me few days as lots of things were killed and many days were spent doing it. Each day I will try to add a new hunt or day of hunting from my journal that I wrote while I was at the lodge. Using spears, arrows, bullets and shot shell we took on Argentina big and small game. A trip I'll not soon forget as I had a few near death experiences and lived to tell the tale. Here it is from my journal the first day at the lodge.....


    Guns, Arrows and Spears – Hunting Argentina - 2011

    BiG Boars journal – Day one at hunting camp

    Wow, so much to tell you about. I’m sitting here with a giant grin on my face. This place is absolutely fantastic! I could go on and on, but where to start?

    Our hunt was scheduled for April 20-30 for 4 hunters. It was an SCI auction that I bought on eBay actually, where the original buyer just couldn’t make it for available dates in 2011. It was such a good deal; I just had to experience South America. I searched high and low for the right hunter to make up our forth. The hunters are, Cory (my wife), Stewart (a friend of mine which I met while sheep hunting), and myself. We had a 4th lined up, but in the end he canceled, so we went just with the 3 of us.

    Cory and I started the trip with 15 days roaming Argentina. When we originally thought of Argentina we thought we could cover the whole of it, or at least the major areas before the hunt began. We made it to 3 places. Our hub, and the hub of the country is Buenos Aires, or as the short of breath say, BA. We made the 4.5 hour flight to Toronto from Vancouver, and then on to Santiago Chile as a quick stop over before our final destination, BA (10.5 hours with a 1 hour stop in Chile). The flight was good; with enough sleeping agents we made short work of it. We met up with a business partner of my family’s in BA, and he was kind enough to take us out for the first night we got in. He explained it was a good city for the most part, just to be careful with your belongings. Basically, just do as you would back home.

    One of the first things that grips you as you step into the streets of the city is the aroma of hardwood fires used for cooking. It reminded me of summer nights back home in the old days when people used to use briquettes to cook a good steak. That night we went out to one of the fine steak houses in BA and since then have consumed copious amounts of Argentinian beef. Wine goes with every meal, and for about half of the total price of back home. The food here has been great; mainly beef with every meal, but it is a good lean, tender, young, grass fed beef. Everything is cooked on a hardwood fire, and you really can taste the difference.

    We traveled to the beach town Mar del Plata first where we had 2 cooler days and 2 hot days, around 28 at the beach. We relaxed at a nice beach front hotel for 4 days. It was built about 50 years ago, but has been redone after it was left vacant for about 20 years.

    From there it was back to BA for a one night stop over on our way to Mendoza. It’s about an hour flight from Santiago Chile, right on the edge of the Andes. Mendoza is wine country, similar to California as the grapes are on the flats and foot hills, right on the edge of the mountains. We had an absolute blast in there, taking in 3 days of wine tours. Far too much red wine was enjoyed by us. It was nice with the temperature around 25 most days. Our two memories would be riding a wine barrel in the pool and Cory scraping her knee and elbow while falling off her bicycle on our second wine tour. We met many good friends at the hostel we stayed at, probably ones that we will even run into some time in our future travels.
    Then it was on to BA for 3 more days where we would meet up with Stewart and enjoy some wine, steaks, and even a bizarre old Tango bar. We even hit down town where there are 7 million people. It was absolute madness, even on a Tuesday at 2 in the afternoon. I’ve never been in a place so busy.

    However, the best part of the trip was still coming. The hunt! We flew from BA after a small delay to a small town of 25,000 people called Santiago del Estero. It would seem from the air to be in the middle of nowhere. We landed and we were greeted in a small terminal by Tony. He was to pick us up and drive us to the ranch. With very broken English like most locals, we jumped into his Toyota Hilux and hit the road. For three hours. Three hours of straight road. A few pigs and goats and cows were seen on the way, but mostly a lot of thorny bush. We even got to see a couple of Gauchos herding along their cows. As we turned onto the dirt road we started seeing owls, lots of owls. In 15 kms, I’d say probably 15 owls. I came to the understanding that they were road hunting or something.

    Then we saw a fox, or zorro as it is called. Why not get started early? We tried for the next one we saw, but in my first of the season excitement, I forgot to cock the 22 rifle, and he got away.

    As soon as we arrived we were warmly greeted by Paco, the ranch owner and his helpers. It was an enjoyable first night seeing the lodge and the many, many trophies and pictures littering the walls, even some of the past presidents of the US. On the walls are some of many of the different animals here in Argentina. Water buffalo, cougars, marsh deer, ocelots, black buck, wild goats, pythons, fallow deer, dorset rams and lots of red stags. After a half an hour of drooling and dreaming we sat down to beers, wine and mixed drinks, with Fernet, an unusually woody tasting black liquor, mixed well with coke. As the fire burned we sat and talked and headed towards our first taste of the local cuisine. Salad, mashed potatoes and pounded and Milanese (breaded) Red Stag. It was a very delicious meal. After a few more drinks we headed to bed dreaming of what would happen on the first day of the hunt.

    This morning, after a good night’s sleep, listening to the crickets and what I imagined were pigs, but later turned out to be water buffalo; we woke to a foggy morning. Fog meant a sleep in and a late breakfast waiting for it to clear. We had our coffee and breakfast which was eggs and incredibly crispy and very salty bacon. One part they definitely do right is a fresh cup of percolated coffee, absolutely smooth and a great way to start every morning.

    After breakfast it was time to check our sights. On every long distance from home hunt, the first thing to do is to check your weapons and make sure they are still on target and nothing is broken in the journey or out of whack. We chose not to bring guns as they cost $150 to bring into Argentina and we could borrow Paco's for free, if we chose to hunt with rifles. The only guns that had a cost to rent were the berretta shotguns, which take an absolute pounding doing their job. Those cost $50 a day to rent, a very minimal fee, and well worth it for a quality gun. We sighted in the guns and I checked the PSE Axe 6, 70lb bow I had brought and all was good. We were then showed how to toss the boleros, which is something like three rocks each on their own 3 foot string which is tied in the middle and thrown over the head, something like a lasso. The cowboys used to use these, but now they are just a toy. We toured the outside of the lodge and got to learn how to properly thrust a spear. Why learn to thrust a spear? Keep reading and you’ll find out. Basically it takes more brawn than brains. Try to slip it into the ribs with all your weight and lean into it holding the animal away from attacking you. A miss or a pull out is a big problem. It may seem brutal, but is a very very effective way of killing, probably better than an arrow, with most animals expiring in only 10 seconds or so. Depending on how good you do your job that is.

    After a lunch of Stag tenderloin medallions, marinated in a red sauce over top spaghetti, we headed out to see what we could find. Our method for today was spot and stalk. The bush is thick and tangled with thorns on every tree and bush. Above you and in every tree, you see the sandy colored doves and hear the squawks of the noisy parakeets. About half an hour into the trip we saw our first animals, 1 lone broken horn ram and 2 smaller rams of some kind. As we came to a small clearing, we saw our first animal worthy of taking home, and with 1 shot from Stewarts 270 Winchester, it promptly fell over.

    From there we found a 4 horn ram and I decided as it had massive top horns to give it a try. We raced with the truck 2 clicks around to the back side and would try to have the other hunters push the ram past me and my arrows. I got in place, nestled tightly in some thorn bushes and waited for the ram. At 30 yards I saw him and readied. He had stopped and I hoped he would walk into the clearing in front of me and would stop again. As most animals do, he did the opposite; he trotted quickly up and past me. I held the 395 grain arrow tipped with a carbon steel G5 fixed broad head. He didn’t stop though and I held right on his front shoulder. At the last second I decided to pull the trigger. The arrow missed its mark thoroughly and with a solid hit in the back quarter, he trotted off. I stepped out of the bush and watched with a sick feeling in my stomach. What was I thinking shooting a moving target? I nocked another arrow but at about 50 yards away he tipped over! I definitely got lucky severing the femoral artery.
    Last edited by BiG Boar; 05-26-2011 at 03:24 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

    As I walked up to him I was excited, I could see the mass and length of the horns on this strange animal. Four horns protruding from his skull, most people wouldn’t even believe this is a real animal. I chose to do a euro mount with this one because it was just so unreal. It almost looks painful for him! I also learned a valuable lesson being a newer bow hunter, don’t take shots you haven’t practiced for, especially on moving targets.

    The animal was left for the trackers to take care of; we were on to looking for the next animal. As we rounded a bend a nice Texas Dall was spotted and Stewart quickly dispatched it as it headed towards us on a truly suicidal mission. The 270 cracked and the ram dropped in its tracks. After some good photos we headed towards the open fields.

    One word, mo-key-toe. We were absolutely swarmed so badly that in the 28 degree sun I was forced to dawn my thermal jacket! It was insane! In a moving truck/jeep style hunting rig, these mosquitoes could keep up! Even when my arms and body was covered they actually landed on my finger tips and sucked blood! I’m still itching as I write this! At the beginning of this day it was mud wasps, which are massive, chasing us out of the ranch, but they had nothing on the mosquitoes! Plus the mud wasps leave you alone if you leave them alone. Every day since then, we have used plenty of mosquito repellent before leaving the ranch.

    As we checked the next area we caught a glimpse of a big hairy body. Mostly white. It was a massive Dorset ram. At first I wasn’t keen on taking one of these, but the pure mass of the horns twisted my arm; thick and heavy the whole way over. The curls seemed to never end. I jumped at the opportunity and grabbed my bow, literally pushing my wife out of the way in my excitement, which she later reminded me of. After a 100 yard stalk and a long wait for a shot with my bow drawn for seemingly two minutes and a cut from my own broad head on my left index finger I seized my opportunity. With the bow mounted Leupold laser rangefinder clicked a 4th time checking the distance, I chose the 20 yard pin and let fly, threading a few branches that were in front of the ram with my arrow. The arrow connected and the ram made it 10 yards before tipping over. I felt good about the shot and patience was key waiting for a good broadside shot. We took some good pictures and we headed for home.

    We returned home for a coffee, and as the night drew closer we chose out our shotguns. Using semi auto Berrettas, we were fitted to them and felt comfortable with our choices. When choosing a shotgun for dove hunting, you need to pick out two things. Reliability and reliability. We headed out not even 1 km from the ranch and dropped Stewart off for the evening shoot. As Cory hadn’t shot anything, I would wait for her to take the first dove. As we started loading the guns, they were already coming. They fly every morning to the soy fields and every evening to roost. They roost in the trees and it’s our job to intercept them. They are an absolute pestilence. I had heard the dove hunting was incredible, but I could never have dreamed of what this was like. Cory was loaded, ear plugs were in and a dove flew across in front of us. Boom and Yee Haw!!!! It was on, I grabbed my shotgun and the blasting began. As fast as my bird guy could shove 12 gauge shells into the gun while I held it, it was shot. That night, after several double doves with one shot, we put the doves to bed as the sun set. 172 doves fell from my blasting, with 270 shots fired. It was probably the most exciting type of hunting I have ever done just pure excitement and laughing and smiles while our bird guys were cheering us on. It was absolutely incredible!

    Dinner that night was wild boar ribs. Really terrific! I would never have thought they would be that great. For 20 years on this ranch they never ate the ribs, but 2 years ago after trying some that were done right Paco decided they would be cooked. For 3 days in a row the gauchos refused to eat them. Then, when they were told no more meat until they at least tried them, they tasted, and enjoyed them. They have been savoring them since. Tender, boiled, barbecued on an open fire with home-made barbecue sauce, nothing beats em.

    Ever meal here is followed by the ding ding of the desert bell. Severed by the ladies of the house was yet another amazing dessert. With every desert comes something that I have only tasted in Argentina, dolce de leche. Sugar and milk boiled for 8 hours. It’s basically honey consistency and is caramel. It goes with toast for breakfast, and just about on anything else. Very rich and very creamy. Good on just about everything, except your waist line.

    After dinner we moved into the living room by the always burning wood fire to discuss the next day’s plans. We raised our glasses to shouts of Salut! to the days events, and after some BS with the guys at the lodge, and spinning tales of the Canadian north, we hit the sack for an early rise to shoot doves, hopefully tomorrow wouldn’t be foggy. To be continued……
    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -









    Quote Originally Posted by hunter1947 View Post
    Unions and beacon is what I fry the liver in with a coating of flower on the liver ,,I eat the tong,,the hart,, its very good eating......

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