Argentina dove hunting is the ultimate wingshooting experience.

By John M. Taylor

As the rising sun balanced on the horizon, they came in waves . . . in torrents; doves hurtling toward the millions of sunflowers looking for breakfast. Thumbing shells into the already hot Beretta semiauto, I soon gave up loading the magazine and shoved in only single rounds as frantically as one of Custer’s cavalrymen.

“This is wingshooting’s best bargain,” my colleague Nick Sisley said. He’s been to Central and South America nearly sixty times, and he’s never been disappointed. The Cordoba area of Argentina holds some 32 million doves, and they wreak havoc on agriculture throughout the area. A fertile area of flat plains and gently rolling hills, there’s plenty of rain to provide bounteous harvests of corn, wheat, milo, and soybeans, except when the doves devastate several hundred acres in a single sitting, making no-limit hunting the order of the day.

Our overnight flight from Dallas dropped us in Santiago, and the flight into Cordoba lasted little more than an hour. In clear weather, the trip up and over the Andes is spectacular, but this time heavy clouds blocked the view. Landing with us in Cordoba were several other groups of hunters, and each had to have his guns checked individually by Argentinian customs and army officials. In our group, which consisted of four writers and three executives from Beretta USA, all permits were in order so it took only minutes, and soon we were headed to H&H Outfitters’ luxurious Sierra Verde Lodge, a bare forty-five-minute drive from the Cordoba airport.

I’ve never been in an Argentinian lodge that was anything but beautiful and gracious. Sierra Verde was nothing less. Originally built as a home in the 1930s, the Hayes brothers, who operate H&H Outfitters, have owned it since 1990. Settled in and unpacked, we ate the first of many wonderful lunches. Excellent food is a staple of hunting in Argentina; it’s no place for dieters. Well fed, we trooped to the gun room to unpack the guns and head to the field for the traditional first afternoon hunt. The Beretta representatives had brought along a selection of guns for us to try.

Dove hunting in Argentina can take several forms. I’d hunted at another H&H lodge, Rio Seco, which is two hours north of Cordoba where the terrain is hilly and the area less agricultural. There, we hunted hilly nesting, roosting, and watering areas, and the shooting was spectacular.

Our host, Zeke Hayes, told me, “This time of the year [early April] Rio Seco’s not as good as when you were there in October.” I’ll take his word for it, but it seemed at the time every dove in the world was around Rio Seco.

“We grow hundreds of acres of sunflowers just for the doves,” Hayes continued, “And this time of the year they produce the best shooting.” We’d soon see.

As we neared the field, flocks of doves could be seen skittering low across the standing sunflowers. We rolled to a stop, and, like a first sergeant detailing troops, Hayes read off the names of who were to disembark. I stayed on the fifteen-passenger van to the last stop. There I was told that Sapo (his nickname; sapo is Spanish for “toad”) would be my bird boy. In his mid-20s, with two children and a wife who’s studying to become a teacher, Sapo was hardly a boy—he was a fine companion afield who chose my locations each day, built my blind, counted my bagged birds, kept my shell pouch topped off, carried everything, and did anything he could to ensure I had a great time. Bird boys are assigned to hunters for the duration of the hunt, so in ensuing days, when I saw Sapo, I knew it was time to get off the bus. It is made clear that if the assigned bird boy doesn’t suit the individual hunter, it takes only a word to the outfitter, and a new face appears. I’ve never had an Argentinian bird boy who was anything but spectacular.

Our first full day found us sharing a huge sunflower field with a group from Georgia. We’d arrived at Cordoba with them, and because of the size of the field, it was advantageous for us to surround it in order to keep the birds moving. We met at lunch and when they learned that some of the shooters in our group were affiliated with Beretta, the questions flowed. Randy Bimson is Beretta’s Technical Support Manager, and there’s little he doesn’t know about shotguns. Opening his tool satchel, he began servicing the Georgians’ shotguns regardless of brand, instructing in fine points as he worked. Following a wonderful asada (cookout), we headed back to the field.

Argentina is normally warm and sunny, but the afternoon turned cold and blustery. Those with coats snuggled into them and the rest of us made the most of turned-down sleeves. The winds rose and howled and the doves became supersonic missiles. My buddy Nick Sisley and I shot together so we could trade off shooting and taking pictures. Between us we had a 20-gauge Beretta 3901 semiauto that’s a sleeker version of their old 390, and a 686 Silver Pigeon .410. The 20-gauge shooter took the rocketing birds going with the wind, and the .410 took the birds flying into the wind. The shooting was as sporty as it gets.

The next day, as we headed to the field, Zeke told us that most of the group from Georgia had shot so much the previous day that they had elected not to shoot that morning. It’s a common affliction, shooting too much on the first day. So plentiful are the birds that one is tempted to shoot every one he can. I shot only 139 doves the first afternoon and 547 the first full day, gradually “shooting my eye in” and acclimating my body to the recoil. Some of the Georgians were rabid sporting clay shooters, but there is nothing that can simulate this kind of shooting.

I find that when shooting under these conditions I take up recoil largely with my hands and arms, shooting as the gun lightly touches my shoulder. To further lessen punishment, it is important to select semiautos like the 3901 or Beretta’s 391 Urika in no more than 20-gauge as a primary arm. Although I’ve shot some very high doves in Argentina, most are close, within 30 to 35 yards or less. During the trip, we relentlessly harped on the Beretta people about making a 28-gauge 391 semiauto just for Argentine doves—it would sure be a fun gun in the northern hemisphere, too. On this trip we had a Beretta 686 28-gauge over/under, which everyone enjoyed shooting, and all agreed that the smaller 28-gauge shares lethality with the 20-gauge. The darling shotgun turned out to be a 686 Silver Pigeon .410 over/under, an expert’s gun. Writer Layne Simpson killed 1,422 doves in a single day shooting this .410. I shot 1,000 one day and 814 another with a 3901 semiauto 20, with no battering from recoil. Beretta’s clothing man, Lee Colquitt, put 1,050 doves in the bag with 12-gauge Beretta Xtrema 2. Still, smaller gauges are the key to Argentina’s high-volume shooting.

As a British instructor liked to say, “It takes time to shoot your eye in.” I’d have to say that while a good sustained-lead shot could kill his share of doves, this is swing-through-style shooting. What is most important is getting on the line of the bird; it’s very easy to shoot over or under these doves, and while the bird boys continually chant the mantra “you’re behind,” the truth is that many birds are missed over or under and even in front. Countless times a dove I was swinging on dipped, dived, or jinked just as I fired, and I racked up a grand miss. The good old Churchill technique of getting on the line of the bird, swinging through, and shooting works best, regardless of the aerobatic display. A well-practiced and repeatable gun mount is important, and I spent a lot of pre-trip time in my basement polishing my mounting technique  with a Mini MagLite placed in the barrel of an unloaded shotgun; the light let me practice following the seam of the wall and ceiling while mounting.

Recoil can take a lot out of the most skilled shooter. At the end of four days of constant shooting, my shoulder showed a slight reddening from the subtle slipping of the butt, but no pain from recoil. As I said, I seem to take most of the recoil with my hands and arms. On a previous Argentine hunt I shot a Beretta 471 Silver Hawk and Ithaca 4-E with about the same results. Still, I carry a PAST Field Shield that is worn under a shirt. I’ve never needed it, but a good whack from a poorly mounted gun could make it necessary. The Beretta folks brought a full smorgasbord of shotguns including an Xtrema 2 waterfowl gun. With its advanced recoil-dampening Kick-Off system, recoil was extremely mild. I didn’t shoot any doves with it, but on the last afternoon Hayes took us to an area that had large numbers of pigeons. The 12-gauge with an improved modified choke proved to be just right for these tough birds.

Other Considerations

Dove shooting in Argentina is very gentlemanly. Although it can rain, and the fields turn muddy, every effort is made to minimize wear and tear on the hunters. A check of the international weather on the Internet before departure will provide a guide to clothing, and every outfitter includes a gear list with their instructions. It’s important to have a good hat or baseball cap and a rain jacket or rain suit, as well as a warm jacket or sweater in June and July. Camo is encouraged, and I take both a light- and medium-weight camo shirt, at least one of which has long sleeves, and a pair each of light and medium-weight trousers. Sunblock is required as are ear plugs—E.A.R.’s Mini-Canal electronic plugs are my choice so I can hear conversation but have the high-decibel report blocked when the gun is fired. Take extra batteries for anything that needs them; there aren’t any convenience stores in rural Argentina. The same goes for medications and toiletries, and film is scarcer than hen’s teeth. Most current chargers will automatically switch to the 240-volt power used in Argentina, but you’ll need a couple of plug adapters that are sold in travel stores. I always wear my light-as-a-feather ankle-high A.G. Russell PH boots, which are high enough keep seeds, twigs, and other debris out, but an old pair of sneakers works equally well.

Good shooting requires preparation by the shooter, a shotgun that shoots where you look, and good ammunition. At one time shotshells were a questionable commodity beyond U.S. borders. From dirty, inefficient shells with brutal recoil to pipsqueaks that wouldn’t kill a fly, ammo was always a question. That’s not the case in today’s Argentina. The ammunition we shot was made about three hours from our lodge, and shells of every gauge were as good as any ammunition produced here. There wasn’t a single misfire that I know of and even the little 11-gram—about 3/8 ounce of No. 8 shot—.410 loads killed doves out to 30 or 35 yards with authority.

There are few unfixed trip costs, save ammunition. Outfitters charge $10 for a box of 25—$11 or $12 a box for 28-gauge and .410-bore shells — and if shooting becomes hot and heavy, the cash register can ring faster than you can count. Frankly, you can have plenty of shooting with only two or three cases of ammo stretched over three days. There’s no requirement to become a member of the 1,000 Dove Club, or set some kind of supposed “record,” but if you wish, you can shoot as many as five or ten 500-round cases a day--it’s your money. Shell bills are settled in cash—American dollars are readily accepted in Argentina—or checks, no credit cards.

I can think of no better way to improve your wingshooting than by shooting doves in Argentina. If a particular shot is a problem, just wait a bit and another chance will come winging by. Paralysis by analysis is a common problem. Don’t analyze, just shoot. Faithfully practice your gun mount and shoot some sporting clays before your trip, then enjoy. When you start missing, and everyone does, it’s time to sit down—there’s always a comfortable chair nearby—drink a bottle of water or a soft drink, relax, then go back to shooting.

To say that dove shooting in Argentina is fun and challenging is an understatement. Everything is designed to provide the hunter the best shooting experience he’s ever had. As the sun set on our last day and the evening breezes cooled the lodge, we reflected on the great shooting and camaraderie we shared, the discussions of great shooting literature, the great Scotch, and the fun we each had. For the ultimate wingshooting experience, you can’t beat Argentina.

For information on hunting with H&H Outfitters, contact Trek International Safaris, Inc.: 904-273-7800 or 800-654-9915.