Okay, so I’m an outfitter, and yes, I have a business in Argentina. This article isn’t about any of that. It is about what you need to know if you want to go, and how to figure the cost of going. For fifteen of the last 20 years, I was a consumer. I did my research, booked my own flights, paid my money, and went hunting. That changed five years ago, but I believe that, now as an outfitter, with a lot of real world experience, I have a moral and ethical obligation to educate and explain to potential Argentina wing shooting hunters how to put together this hunt of a lifetime and what it really, really costs.

I have broken the whole process of going to Argentina into parts – Clients (that’s you if you are reading), Seasons and Dates, Obvious Costs and Not So Obvious Costs – Including Airfare, Outfitter Day Rates, Licenses, Shells, Tips, Miscellaneous Value (and how to figure it) And What Is Most Important To You. Get your pencil and paper and write some of this down. It will help you.

Ready, here we go – Clients Basically, there are three types of people when it comes to Argentina. 1. People who have never been and will go, if not this year, then next year (2010), or the year after, but they are going. 2. People who have been, had a great experience, and will go again, 3. And, lastly, people who believe in their hearts they will never be able to go, or those who have gone and who will never go again – and the reasons for both these thought patterns are too many to list here. If you are in group 3, skip this and read some of the really interesting stories and articles in Shotgun Life. If you are in group 1 or 2, read on.

Seasons and Dates – Argentina is synonymous with “dove shooting”. Volume wing shooting means doves as a rule, although there are liberal limits on ducks and the two common wild pigeons, Spotted Wing and Picazura. Doves – Dove Season is open year round. Most people know that.

High Season - Argentina climatic seasons are the opposite of ours; i.e. our Fall is their Spring, our Summer is their Winter, etc. It is cold there in July and warm there in February. Those are good things!!! Generally, mid March through mid August is called the High Season because it is their Fall and Winter, and the VARIETY of wing shooting that you can do includes not only doves, but ducks, pigeons, and perdiz – all the bird hunting opportunities. In addition, it is summer here in the US and you can actually go somewhere where the Fall and Winter temperatures exist, and hunt when it is hot and humid here. I like that aspect and you probably do too.

This is really good to know in planning your trip, because you can Dove shoot and Duck hunt and Pigeon hunt and Perdiz hunt in May through August, with June, July, and early August being the absolute best times for ALL species, except doves (read on), and is usually referred to as High Season for pricing purposes.

Low Season –You can generally shoot 1,000 rounds a day, or more, at doves no matter when you go to Argentina, BUT mid August to late February (called Low Season)is the really high season for doves and High Season (see above) is, in fact, the ‘not so high’ season for doves.

What is referred to as Low Season by most outfitters is actually the very best season to be in Argentina for doves – period! It is called Low Season because you can’t duck hunt, except in the rice fields, which can be good, but you have swat mosquitoes, and it isn’t what most people visualize when they think of duck hunting. You can’t perdiz hunt. You can have some limited pigeon shooting. Not so many things to hunt equals Low Season.
However, dove populations soar between mid August and late February, Argentina’s Spring and Summer. That’s the High Season for Doves. During this 6 month period, doves will nest four times and if a roost has one million birds in it at the beginning of the breeding season, there will be two to four times that many at the end of the breeding season if left unchecked. That’s a lot of birds.

‘Not so high’ season on doves is basically mid March through mid August. There will still be uncountable numbers and more shooting than you have ever done in your life time, (1,000 shells a day, or more) but to see the spectacle that is Argentina dove shooting, their Spring and Summer (our Fall and Winter) are the best times.

Obvious Costs and Not So Obvious Costs – Here are some obvious costs – you have to fly there, so you have Airfare, and you have to pay something when you get there, so you have what are referred to as Package Costs.

Airfare - There are two choices for going to Argentina – Buenos Aires (BA) and Cordoba. If you book with an outfitter out of BA, you will be met at the airport and driven to your hunting area, which will be several hours from the city. BA holds about 1/3 of Argentina’s population, so it is a very big city. A drive of 3 to 4 hours or more is not uncommon. Understand it, expect it, and realize that when you get where you are going, it is probably going to be worth it. Outfitters using Entre Rios province will have you fly to BA. Other outfitters located anywhere other than Cordoba will probably have you come to BA so you can take a domestic flight to a city near them. There are a number of flights to BA, and, overall, they are direct flights from most major cities, like New York, Atlanta, Baltimore/DC, Dallas, LA, and I am sure there are others. Domestic flights are out of another airport, and you may, or may not, make your connection on Day one of your trip. You may be ‘overnighting’ in BA and catching an early morning domestic flight. Your outfitter should clue you in on this and provide most of the leg work, as in hotels and flight reservations, for you.

If your outfitter is in or is taking you to places like Salta, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Corrientes, Parana, and others, even Cordoba, you may be a candidate for a day in BA. Usually your outfitter can arrange your internal airfare if required, or your travel agent, but you want all that figured out, before you leave the US, especially if you are bringing your own guns.

Upside – BA has the most domestic flights to get you anywhere in the country. BA is called the Paris of the South. If you want to spend a day or two there, go for it. I doubt that you will be disappointed.

Downside – you are going to add at least one day to your itinerary if you do any domestic flying, and many people want to go hunting, not necessarily see the sights..

More simply - Know where your outfitter is hunting and what is entailed to get to where he is.

Your other flight option is Cordoba. This too has become a relatively simple exercise and from most major cities in the US, you fly to Santiago, Chile, have about a two hour layover, and fly from Santiago directly to Cordoba. There are direct flights being added, and changed, pretty often, so check availability. As of this writing, a new direct flight from Lima, Peru, will take you to Cordoba; and there is also one from Panama City, Panama. Your outfitter will meet you there and, as with all outfitters, this is where your “package” begins.


Note that new and cheaper flights can also be inconvenient flights, as in having you arrive at one airport at 1:00 AM and your final destination at 4:00 AM. If you can’t sleep on a plane and don’t care about when you get there, there are probably some good less expensive airfares available. Of course, your outfitter won’t be keen on meeting you at the airport at 4:00 AM, but one or more of his staff will gladly be there and get you to wherever you need to go. Plus, having been awake for most of the night, the first days hunt may be a blur.

If you are planning on coming between August and February to dove shoot, (again the best time), the days are long. If you arrive in Cordoba in early afternoon, you can dove hunt your first