Page 7 of 11 FirstFirst ... 56789 ... LastLast
Results 61 to 70 of 106

Thread: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

  1. #61
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    up north
    Posts
    2,028

    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

    Quote Originally Posted by bowhunterbruce View Post
    ok your having wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to much fun
    hey thanks for the recongnition mark
    i didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a friggin vegatarian

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Invermere
    Posts
    23

    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

    Definately one of the best reads on the site. Can't wait for more. And am REEEEAAALLLYYYY jealous.

  3. #63
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Victoria,BC
    Posts
    6,398

    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

    Great thread BigBore. Looks like a RIOT.
    kenny
    I love it when the seasons change.
    Fishing to Hunting.

  4. #64
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Abbotsford, BC
    Posts
    871

    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

    Haven't had time to read all your journal yet it's bringing my latest Boddington book to life. It's about his year or so in Argentina doing the same hunting you're referring to less the knives and spears and arrows! Great read. Certainly on my bucket list and that is so cool that your wife is along to share in the fun.
    WSSoBC Monarch Gold
    WSF Summit
    Grand Slam #1810
    GOABC Life
    SCI Life
    WSF CA Life
    WSF MT Life
    RMGA Life

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    7,428

    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

    April 26, 2011
    So we went out hunting 2 nights ago. Using a spotlight and truck, perfectly legal here on the ranch, we went out in search of foxes, wild cats, and other possible big game including goats.

    Not 500 yards from the lodge we crossed our first fox. Running as he was, I loaded the 243 and downed him with a neck shot. The gun choice was a bit big, but these are pests, so they are shot to control the population. Less than 200 yards from where he was shot is part of the ranch’s food source. Every morning our eggs come from the free range chickens that surround the ranch. Foxes are not welcome here. The dogs often come home with foxes in their mouths.

    On one of our trips we did see a wild cat. A medium sized black cat ran across the road in front of us at 30 yards. I would describe these wild cats as very large, black, red, or spotted house cats. But they are wild and native, and again, are not currently legal for export from Argentina, until they sort out an agreement with Buenos Aires.

    Later in the evening hunt we found a goat with a long beard. On a total impulse buy, my wife decided it was just too cool looking not to bring home. The goats are wild and only come out at night here. So this is how they are hunted. One good lung shot from her 243 dropped the goat and pictures were taken. I have smelled, smellier goats, but this one was pretty strong too. We continued on the hunt and found an almost pure black goat for Stewart, which had even longer horns, by at least a few inches on both sides. The beard was a tad shorter, but both were beautiful trophies.

    On the way home, Stewart shot a fox or zoro, which we had to finish with the 357 a short ways in the bush. The bush is thick and full of thorns; the only way to go through it is with a machete on all fours.

    As the 243 was making its rounds, I was next up and at 70 yards the fox near the water hole stood no chance. A perfect lung, heart shot dropped the brownie, red, and blackish tailed fox in its tracks.

    Yesterday however was a very exciting day. One last morning of wing shooting was exciting yet again. My best ratio so far; 35 shells missed their mark, but 128 connected. It is strange, as they take off in the morning, they start low and as the 40 minutes of madness increases, they get higher and higher. Some shots I was absolutely surprised that they dropped from the sky. I could guess and say 50 yards. In the end I was grateful to have brought a Past brand recoil shoulder pad, my shoulder didn’t have any issues other than the actual soreness from lifting the 12 gauge berretta to shoot so many times. I have to say I will definitely come back again, if not just for the wing shooting. It was absolutely incredible!

    For all the smaller animals I am using Velocity Xt Gold tips with 100 grain Montec CS Fixed broad heads. After the morning dove shoot I went out to the bale of straw and 12x12x4 inch foam, 8 year old archery target. The set up was a bit bush league, but I had to change my currently set up PSE Axe 6 70lbs to shoot my 500 grain buffalo hunting arrows. I was using 125 grain Montec G5 fixed broad heads, followed by Kinetic XT gold tip arrows. After 45 minutes I had the sights all adjusted and I was as ready as I could be. I went into the barn out back and sighted in the bow mounted laser range finder made by Leopold. Unfortunately I did not tighten the thing down enough and even though it worked well when setting it up, I dropped my bow later in the day when getting hit by a thorny branch in the face on the back of a truck. So far the thing has worked flawless and fast on a couple other animals, I would recommend them for most hunting situations, however, after a strong blow and what I would say was not a tight tighten down it did let me down for this buffalo hunt. Luckily I knew the range was off and it didn’t cost me the shot as I had Stewart’s range finder as a back up one on hand.

    The hunting here is limited by your shoulder for the doves and your pocket book for the big game. I had wanted to hunt the water buffalo for some time and thought it would be a great challenge for the bow and my skills around dangerous game before pursuing a grizzly this spring with it. My budget limited me to a younger 6-10 year old bull. The hunt I was looking for was excitement and danger; I have to say I got my hunt.

    We headed out onto the 20,000 acre ranch in search of a good bull. A big great bull was located by the gauchos and I was directed into the area to find and try to kill him. There are 4 types of water buffalo on the property. All have different horns. Some of them are downright freaky looking with long dropped horns, but the one I was after was a Mediterranean variety. As I first saw him running from the truck I worried how we would stop him and how I would close the distance of this very macho looking bull. You can sit in a stand over water if you like here, or hunt spot and stalk; mine was using dogs and horses and trying to keep the bull busy enough with the dogs to sneak in close for a shot. A lot can go wrong, and very often these buffalo do charge.

    After following the running bull for close to 4 kilometers the beast stopped and we jumped off the bush truck. I know what some people are thinking, not really a hard hunt. I would have to agree. What makes it hard is the danger. What kind of danger….I’ll tell you about danger.

    As we got off the truck, I looked at the dogs surrounding the buffalo and biting the nose and balls of the now very ticked off animal. As I knocked my arrow onto my string I thought to myself, okay, make sure everything is perfect. Go through your steps to ensure no mistakes. Then I heard a “He’s coming!! He’s coming!!!” My eyes widened to see 1800lbs of fury heading directly at me. I turned, grabbing my arrow from the string and with 2 full grown men with big bore rifles next to me I ran as fast as my 31 year old legs would carry me. As I looked behind me I worried about the sheer size of this very angry bull and the horns he had mounted on his head. If I could make it around the truck, maybe like a matador the bull would keep going straight as I ducked neatly away. Nope. The three of us kept running as the bull continued to chase. Of course I was also rather worried about the 500 grain razor sharp arrow I held in my hand. I don’t know why I didn’t just throw it away, along with the bow, but I held tight and ran with the group. The PH Paco stopped on the far corner, hoping the bull would circle past him. At 20 inches from the barrel of the 458 Winchester he circled just past Paco, hitting the corner of the truck with his horn, still chasing us, just missing him. He chose not to fire, to try and save the animal for me to shoot. If he has to shoot it, I still have to foot the bill. Makes for an upset client in some cases I suppose. In the instance where Paco shot the pig not two feet from Stewart’s feet I was thinking, that kind of sucks that Stewart doesn’t get to kill his pig. But that is the risk of hunting dangerous game. If the client can’t finish the deal, the PH must do everything in his power first and foremost to protect the client and himself. I guess I didn’t understand this at the time, and it was close, incredibly close, 20 inches from the barrel close. The video we took of this incident looked quite comical seeing 3 full grown men run around the truck being chased by a bull, but in the moment I was definitely full of adrenalin or fear. And with that the bull took off into the bush full speed again running with the dogs hot on his trail. I took a second to gather my thoughts and my hands were shaking with what I could only call fear of what might happen next. Most clients at this point would either grab a handgun or a rifle and finish the job, but being seriously addicted to adrenalin, I crave this kind of excitement. And the chase was on again!
    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......

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    7,428

    Re: HUNTING ARGENTINA - Spears, Arrows and Bullets -

    We found the bull 4 kilometers away and very upset. What I would think would be very tired was very full of energy and still charging and swinging its head at the dogs. On this chase however, a branch smoked me in the face and cut open my face with its thorns and branches, missing my eye by mere inches. In the trying to avoid it I fell over, losing my bow and here I believe I whacked my bow mounted Vendetta rangefinder, which up until this point had never been knocked out before (keep in mind it was not tightened properly). The bow fell 3 feet from my hand and I quickly checked it over to see if everything looked normal.

    Once again as the bull stopped with the dogs around it we got off the truck, this time worried about the possible charge this violent beast might have left in him. I closed the shooting distance with two forty caliber plus rifles on either side of me with my soberingly small and pathetic bow in hand. After 30 seconds and the bull charging back and forth after the dogs, I just didn’t have a shot. I was told I may be shooting a running animal, but I just didn’t feel I had the confidence to ethically take this buffalo. I would be patient and hope for a solid broadside shot of a stationary target. We got back in the jeep and found our way out to the guys on horses. They knew like every good bull, he would try to hide in the bush and make you really play on his terms. The bush is just too thick so we closed our distance in the truck pushing thorny entanglement out of our way until we were 20 feet from the bull. Banging on the truck and trying to clear the bull back into the open was seemingly hopeless. A minute later Stewart decided to blow on a couple distressed rabbit calls. Sure enough it worked! The bull ran head down straight at the truck!! 1800 lbs head on at a speed that was serious business and the bull smashed the truck with unbelievable power. The Jeep shook and Paco mentioned the possible state of the radiator. The bull took off again and found a group of cows it now felt comfortable hanging around.

    My hands shook again as I grabbed my bow and jumped off the truck. This time with eyes up I knocked my arrow and readied my bow. Drawing and ranging the animal I got 61 yards. Yep, my range finder was definitely off. It looked closer to 40 yards. Calling out to Stewart I asked the range and found it to be 41 yards. The bull spun and turned, looking for an escape but the game was up. It was us or him. I asked the guide to close the distance but they didn’t think it was safe. I wanted a 30 yard shot to be sure of a good first arrow. Normally you only get one chance on these animals. If you screw up your first shot, the adrenalin will surge through its veins and then with even great shots you can have real trouble with these animals. I wanted a good heart shot. Quartering away would be even better, so it doesn’t run towards us maybe!

    We slowly made our way to 31 yards and the bull turned around quickly several times but each time I didn’t have enough time for a shot. Finally he stopped, quartering away at a steep angle, it was show time. I put the 30 yard pin just behind his ribs, real low to take the heart and slowly squeezed off my shot. The arrow flew and hit its mark, disappearing into the animal. Too low was what I heard from my rifle hunting friends, but I didn’t think so. The bull spun and faced us and I readied for a charge. Then it turned again a quarter turn giving me a perfect broadside shot, and my already drawn arrow flew straight four inches behind the front shoulder, the penetration wasn’t perfect, I am guessing ten inches. Five seconds after this shot the buffalo wobbled and its front feet left the ground as it toppled back over onto my second arrow. It sat back up and tipped over again, and then once more. I closed the distance to twenty yards and sunk my third and final mercy shot into its heart just missing its brisket. Thirty seconds later it was still and I got to walk up to my buffalo. The horns were thick and strong. I was impressed. What an incredible experience.

    The one bad thing here are the mosquitoes or mo-key-toes. Today I was stung about four times. With Off on! It’s only in the swampy grass land area though. Most of the ranch is mosquito free and they aren’t a problem.

    Another interesting thing at the ranch is the service here. It is great. There are 2 helper guys, Carlos and Carlos (or Charlie) as my dove guy left along with his son who was Stewarts dove boy. The sons name was Fernan and my dove guys name was Ramone. They all seem to understand Basic English but have a hard time coming up with the right words they want to say to answer the many questions I have. They usually ask Paco, or Carlos or Fernan the word they want to use to answer the question. It’s funny, on several occasions, the answers are clearly meant for a question they didn’t understand. They tell you an answer and then you have to simplify your question and clarify it.

    There are three women who work in the kitchen and lodge just as servants and cooks and cleaners. Every morning our laundry, be it 1 sock or 10 pieces are picked up and washed by hand if left on the wicker stand behind the door to our common room. Each day goes similar here in the lodge. You are asked when you will take breakfast and asked how you want your eggs done. Mine are scrambled and they have this homemade hot sauce for me at every meal including breakfast. One thing this country seems to lack is spicy food, the most I have managed to find in Buenos Aires is crushed chilies for a pizza and Tabasco sauce. Here at the ranch they pick the wild peppers and freeze them. Then they chop them and mix them with olive oil and chopped garlic. It’s a different pepper. It’s got a flavor all its own, very nice though.

    After lunch and dinner a small but heavy brass bell with a deer horn handle is rung and the paid servants come to collect the plates and bring us the dessert of the day. Man the cooking is good here. I almost always want seconds. Usually I indulge, but I am really trying to keep my weight in check for my upcoming grizzly hunt and my stone sheep hunt in August. Anything needed is granted here by one of the helpers or Paco, it’s a very easy life, and very relaxing. The Quilmes lager beer is smooth, and the Danzka vodka and coke at the moment I write this are going down all too smooth.

    After the buffalo was down we came back, had our daily 2 hour siesta after our coffee or beer, and then watched the videos we had taken and the day's excitement and danger. We sat on the patio for a while and I listened to the plaguing noise of the parakeets. After I had had enough of that noise I went inside and grabbed a weatherby semi auto 12 gauge. With 4 shots in the pocket I quickly downed 6 or the noisy parakeets and went back to enjoying my beer and the sunshine.


    So that was all yesterday. Today we woke late, sleeping in till 9 am. I had a nice hot shower and after breakfast we jumped in the hunting rig to go look for a Dorset ram and other animals. I particularly want a Texas Dall. Stewart had found and blasted his thick and heavy curled Dorset and then quickly dispatched a very nice 4 horned ram. On our way back we happened our way across a very good and long Texas Dall. I chased it for two kilometers hoping to get into shooting position with my bow, but even after trying to push it to me it was to no avail and we got out of the hot Argentinean sun for lunch. We did leave the driver lost somewhere on his hands and knees crawling through the ant and pest ridden bush with nothing but a machete to defend himself still chasing that crazy sheep.

    As opposed to last night’s dinner of buffalo liver curry and a side of buffalo tongue, which was very good, tonight we enjoyed ox tail soup, followed by wild boar loin, stuffed with some kind of sweet centre, maybe dates or something. Again the food is just too good here, the aromas that come out of the wood fired kitchen leave you always wanting more. On the other ranches I have hunted the food has been more Americanized as one of the hunters seemed to detest wild meat and demanded civilized food. This trip we haven’t tasted beef, pork, or chicken. I have to say though, it has been good.

    I look now at a picture of a cougar that scores 16 and 3/16. The bodies here are much smaller than our Canadian species but the heads are large. It must be genetics. Either way, the baits are still out and I still wait for the rushed call to tell us the live bait has been killed and buried and there is a cougar nearby. Then the dogs are set on it and soon my spear hunting skills will be tested again!

    Tomorrow I hope to find a true Russian boar and spear it. Paco says the boys will try for one specifically. I have already taken my boar, but I really want a Russian boar as they are a different creature all together. 1 in 10 seems to be a Russian boar, but with every chase the dogs are in danger, and you can’t specifically tell the dogs to only chase the pigs with a Russian accent. Peccary’s, wild boars, Russian boars, cougars, and other nasties endanger these dogs daily. They are only mutts, but incredibly well trained hunting machines, designed to track, smell, find and corner their prey, until the hunter arrives.

    Well, I am off to bed. Hopefully my tale continues tomorrow.









    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......

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    7,428

    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......

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    7,428

    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......

  9. #69
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    7,428

    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......

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    7,428

    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......

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •