For the avid duck hunter, nothing sounds sweeter than being able to hunt ducks in mid July. At least for me it was, and that is precisley what ignited my passion to make my first trip to Argentina. None of my duck hunting buddies were as convinced as I was that the wingshooting in South America was all that it was purported to be--so none of them were ready to make the investment in airfare and hunt fees to go with me.
So I did what any addict would do--i went it alone, and my agent said that I could join an intact group of hunters for a mixed bag shoot for ducks, geese, and perdiz. I even got my first taste of pigeons, and was happy to have the opportunity to do so, since it's the next best thing to duck hunting in a freshly cut corn field.
The duck hunting in Argentina, and later I found in Uruguay too, is simply the best in the world--better than Canada, better than Mexico, better than you name it. I have hunted all of these places and shot ducks on four continents, and nothing tops suck hunting in South America.
There are so many species of birds, and they are all so plentiful--Silver teal, Speckled teal, Chiloe widgeon, Rosybilled Pochards, and many more. The ducks, plus the Magellan geese, make hunting in Argentina a waterfowl hunting bonanza--it's no wonder that so many repeat...this trip is a once in a lifetime fo some, but for many others, it is an addiction that must be fed yearly.
Fortunatley, it only took one trip and the photos that I took there to convince my friends and family that this was the place for duck hunting. After a few more trips, I knew that the time was right to make my move and start my own operation. That was over ten years ago, and since then we at Los Gauchos have never looked back. It has been an incredible run, and we are now expanding into emerging wingshooting markets like Peru.
Yes, Peru shows a lot of promise to become the next big venue in wingshooting--especially duck hunting. The rice fields there offer great shooting for teal and tree ducks, and dove hunting combos and even Andean goose hunting are a part of the standard package.
When I was asked what country is next for Los Gauchos, I give my standard response, "I don't know right now, but if there is good duck hunting there, there is a good chance of us being there soon!"
