Argentina - White Wing Dove?

the spank

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Anybody here ever go to Argentina for white-wing dove? I never really paid that much heed to it but a waterfowling buddy has been saying we should go and now another young fellow I met last season is heading there to guide this year. Looks like a great destination for ALOT of wingshooting?! What were your experiences? Cost? Was it one of those done it and thats good whats next adventures or is it oh ya I have to go again adventures?!
 
Was more reasonable when the US dollar was down the the economy was in the dumpster. Americans weren't travelling and the dove shooting resorts were hurting. Most shoot the mourning doves though, considered an agricultural pest. Also one gets charged by the box for ammo. The guides carefully fold each empty box up for end of the day tally.
 
My buddy kept talking about white-wings so I assumed they were the main quarry? That is interesting it's Mourning Doves. I never thought of the $$. Again I would assume based on that they charge in US dollars? And by the box for ammo? That must get pricey? My buddy says they shoot thousands per day!! I think Argentina just hot put on the backburner! Lol
 
Do not take your own favourite gun, as you can easily blast through several thousand rounds. Check on reviews as some are a lot better than others and that is not always dictated by the sticker price.

The shooting is spectacular, and hard to appreciate in words. There are thousands of the doves, and they are fast and furious, so shooting to match. (Think of 30 fully fully automated double trap machines all discharging at the same time, all conceivable angles until empty and that gives you an idea of how it goes).

They take a well earned siesta, and I hope you like beef. (Again, worth looking into the reviews as the catering / lodges can vary.) Also some are structured as 'all in', some have a lengthy list of extra's. I would suggest you shop around and check out recent reviews.

Do it, if you shoot a shotgun at some form of bird it does not get much better than this.

Candocad.
 
We did a bit of dove shooting as a bit of a side trip add-on to a Buffalo and stag hunt. Since our guides didn't speak English, I didn't know what kind of birds they were then and don't know now. I do know that I shot 16 boxes of high brass lead duck loads through a borrowed Beretta O/U in a couple hours. That got progressively less fun as it went along.

I'd make a trip down just for the doves, if I could talk a friend into it. Light trap loads would go a long ways for helping the shoulder out .
 
Some good advice here ... using an outfitter that has rental guns is a good idea. Take the Beretta auto-loader ... easiest on the shoulder for high volume shooting.
Check references carefully ... and contact a few to verify. Packages start at around $ 1500 USD, but most are in the $2500 USD range and up. There is a lot of info on Google ...
try Argentina + dove hunts. The better operations are those that constantly advertise in the higher-end sporting magazines like Shooting Sportsman, Sporting Classics, Gray's Sporting Journal, etc. An "Orvis Endorsed" or "Beretta Trident" is a good indicator as to lodge/outfitter quality and reputation.

Many of the outfitters offer a 3 day and 5 day package, some with x-amount of shells included ( eg, either 1000, 1500 or 2000 ) in the package price. Permits ( $150 ) and tips for bird boys ( $40 ) and the lodge staff ( $40 ) per day are suggested and not included. The meals (lots of beef) & wines (Malbecs) are superb. Find out how long the average ride from the lodge to the dove fields are. Shells 12 & 20 ga., beyond any included in the package price are currently $ 12 USD a box. Expect your shells to be Spanish or Italian in origin.

Some lodges are like hotels in high season ... many groups of hunters with 6-10 in each group. A smaller operation is perhaps preferable. Enquire about capacity.

This is a "high volume" shoot ... hardly a "hunt". If you can stand an average day of 500 shells, then go for it. Some shoot much more (remember that $12/box !) if the flights are good ... maybe upwards of 2500 or more shells per day. One lodge as I recall reported a US client buzzing through some 9000+ shells in one day, accounting for in excess of 6000 doves ( I can only ask ... "Why ? " ) Although the birds are classified as " crop destroying pests" and the birds are not wasted, a couple of flats a day for 3 days should be enough to satisfy .... but of course you will be encouraged to shoot more.

The primary dove species is the Eared Dove zenaida auriculata very similar to the mourning dove of North America, but a separate subspecies nonetheless. Two varieties of pigeon are also common to the Cordoba area ... the Spot-winged Pigeon patagioenas maculosa and the Picazura patagioenas picazura ... so no Mourning Doves
or White-winged Doves which are more common to to Canada, the US, Mexico & the Caribbean.

Do your homework carefully as to which lodge/outfitter will suit best suit your budget & expectations. Certainly worth doing once and for those that can get their head around the numbers, many do book return trips. If you are going that far, you may want to do a 5 day or longer "combo-package" that also includes ducks, geese & perdiz.... all species which are pretty much unique to South America.
 
Some good advice here ... using an outfitter that has rental guns is a good idea. Take the Beretta auto-loader ... easiest on the shoulder for high volume shooting.
Check references carefully ... and contact a few to verify. Packages start at around $ 1500 USD, but most are in the $2500 USD range and up. There is a lot of info on Google ...
try Argentina + dove hunts. The better operations are those that constantly advertise in the higher-end sporting magazines like Shooting Sportsman, Sporting Classics, Gray's Sporting Journal, etc. An "Orvis Endorsed" or "Beretta Trident" is a good indicator as to lodge/outfitter quality and reputation.

Many of the outfitters offer a 3 day and 5 day package, some with x-amount of shells included ( eg, either 1000, 1500 or 2000 ) in the package price. Permits ( $150 ) and tips for bird boys ( $40 ) and the lodge staff ( $40 ) per day are suggested and not included. The meals (lots of beef) & wines (Malbecs) are superb. Find out how long the average ride from the lodge to the dove fields are. Shells 12 & 20 ga., beyond any included in the package price are currently $ 12 USD a box. Expect your shells to be Spanish or Italian in origin.

Some lodges are like hotels in high season ... many groups of hunters with 6-10 in each group. A smaller operation is perhaps preferable. Enquire about capacity.

This is a "high volume" shoot ... hardly a "hunt". If you can stand an average day of 500 shells, then go for it. Some shoot much more (remember that $12/box !) if the flights are good ... maybe upwards of 2500 or more shells per day. One lodge as I recall reported a US client buzzing through some 9000+ shells in one day, accounting for in excess of 6000 doves ( I can only ask ... "Why ? " ) Although the birds are classified as " crop destroying pests" and the birds are not wasted, a couple of flats a day for 3 days should be enough to satisfy .... but of course you will be encouraged to shoot more.

The primary dove species is the Eared Dove zenaida auriculata very similar to the mourning dove of North America, but a separate subspecies nonetheless. Two varieties of pigeon are also common to the Cordoba area ... the Spot-winged Pigeon patagioenas maculosa and the Picazura patagioenas picazura ... so no Mourning Doves
or White-winged Doves which are more common to to Canada, the US, Mexico & the Caribbean.

Do your homework carefully as to which lodge/outfitter will suit best suit your budget & expectations. Certainly worth doing once and for those that can get their head around the numbers, many do book return trips. If you are going that far, you may want to do a 5 day or longer "combo-package" that also includes ducks, geese & perdiz.... all species which are pretty much unique to South America.

Sounds awesome! I will be looking into it now for sure!
 
hey spank

have you considered woodpigeon shooting in the UK.
you can get guided days decoying over corn stubbles/lay patches/rape fields and evening roost hunts.
they are a serious problem for farmers and woodies hit the fields on good days in flocks of thousands.

amazing sport shooting!!!
 
Two very different forms of wing shooting.

Wood pigeon shooting, when it comes together, is spectacular. However, the size flocks of woodies versus Argentinian doves is no match. You can strike lucky with wood pigeons at certain times of the year and you will run through 500 cartridges in a day. You can do that in a morning, each and every morning for months at a time on Argentinian doves.

Wood pigeon are super sport, but can be also be quite hard to shoot. I have decoyed them on some occasions and drawn a blank. On other days my shooting partner has shot them over me whilst I am laying out the decoys in the field. Flocks rarely rise over a 100-150 in size, come harvest season there maybe multiple flocks arounds. Doves are hard to measure, but always in the 1,000's.

Candocad.
 
i have been looking into going for a while now and so far no matter which way i look at it my pocket book would not survive but these are a few things i have learned in my research.
lots of guys think of the fatigue of recoil all day when often its the fatigue of holding up a 7 pound gun for hours on end that gets to them. remember to have extra money for tips. if you have a good bird boy it helps to have a few bucks to give him for his work at the end of the day. budget for shell costs! most of the guys i have talked to have all said one of the biggest expense was the shells that were shot. at 12-15 bucks a box it adds up fast.
good luck and dont forget to take pictures!
 
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