Originally Posted by fatherof4
Interested in opinions as to waterfowl bucket list hunts. If you could hunt any waterfowl in the continental US, what would it be and where? Thanks in advance.
You start off with "bucket list" and then decided to limit it to the U.S. I am sure there is good, even great, duck hunting in the U.S. I am absolutely positive there is BETTER duck hunting outside of the U.S. Specifically in Argentina where the U.S. dollar stretches pretty far. I did a mixed bag hunt last year. Mostly ducks, but hunted perdiz and pigeon/dove as well. I will never hunt ducks in the U.S. again. Not worth the time/money. This is my AAR on ShotgunWorld:

Original Thread on SGW

I just back 10 days ago. I did mixed bag with 4 Seasons Argentina (4 Seasons Adventures Argentina). The lodge is about 15km North of Darregueira which is itself about 180km North-Northwest of Bahia Blanca. It's still in the Buenos Aires province. I spent 5 days hunting. Mostly ducks, but did hunt perdiz 1 day (those buggers are HARD to hunt) and dove/pigeon twice. I don't have a full write-up done, but will answer your questions here:

  • There is a huge drought in Argentina right now. So, "normal" hunting spots are not necessarily being used. My outfitter couldn't do ducks in their normal spot as all the ponds were dry.
  • If you are a duck hunter, there is NOTHING like hunting ducks in Argentina. 3-5 ducks in the U.S. is something I will never do again. Not when I got 30 every single morning. The first afternoon I got 30 ducks in around 45 minutes. It's unreal.
  • According to the Argentinians, Cordoba is no longer the place for Dove. Entre Rios is. Most places are a 2 hour drive from Buenos Aires. Also, your golden dorado fishing is in Entre Rios.
  • The outfitter I used has their dove lodge in Entre Rios now instead of Cordoba. They apparently moved all their operations there. For whatever reason, there are more dove in Entre Rios than Cordoba now.
  • The best dove hunting is their Spring (September - December)
  • The best duck hunting is June - July. Temps will likely be below freezing in the morning, but rain is highly unlikely.
  • Red Stag is during the rut in March.
  • No clue on perdiz and I am not sure pigeon have a "good" season.
  • Pigeon is the most fun to hunt. Hunt them on roosts coming off of grain fields.
  • Those eared doves are FAST buggers. They are like Mourning dove. Pigeons are more like White-winged dove. No limits on either.
  • Shells are running $13-$15/box and 20 gauge is harder to come by. Gun rental is ~$50 from most outfitters. Taking a gun to Argentina is a pain. Just rent them. Take shoulder pads and slip-on recoil pads to get length if you need it.
  • Most outfitters are going to be close to $1000/day. That should include transportation to/from EZE and any regional airports, food, lodging, and hunting. Gun rental, shells, and tips are extra. You can negotiate some of it with them though.
  • For tips, $50 - $100/day for the bird boy/guide. More for ducks because they do a TON of work. $50 - $100/day for your host/outfitter. My outfitter/owner wouldn't accept tips for himself. Figure $25 - $50/day for "la casa". That gets split between the cooks, housekeepers, and servers.
  • The American flight from MIA to EZE (Buenos Aires) is around 10 hours and is a decent flight. I would suggest spending a day & night in BA before/after your hunt to catch up after/before travel.
  • They are on a European schedule. Dinner isn't until 8pm or so. Most restaurants don't open until 7pm or later and the lodge won't have dinner until then. Plan accordingly.



When I go back to bird hunt next time, I would either hunt solely ducks (maybe an afternoon on pigeon/dove) for 3 - 4 days or hunt pigeon/dove on a day hunt out of Buenos Aires. My plan, right now, is to hunt red stag in Patagonia in March 2025. I may, or may not, do a day hunt out of BA for pigeon/dove then. If I was taking my wife/family to BA for a vacation, I would do a single day hunt while they did their own thing. It's a 2 hour car ride each way. 6am leave and return by 8pm just in time for dinner.

Oh, as for cost, this is my estimate: The hunting bill (hunting, lodging, food, shells, guns, transfers, and flight inside Argentina) came out to $6500. That included 2 nights in a hotel in Buenos Aires. I spent $1200 on tips and another $300 buying trinkets/souvenirs and meals in BA. The flight from Austin - MIA - BA was $2200 for upgraded seats (Main Cabin Extra). So, all told, probably $10,500 including the muck boots I bought and some other incidental things.

Worth EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR.