ARGENTINA: Recap From My November 2024 Dove Hunt In Cordoba Argentina

Kevin Wagner

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Recap from my November 2024 dove hunt in Cordoba Argentina



The flights to Argentina went off without a hitch we left from JFK and had no issues with the flights. There are two airports in Buenos Aries, Ezeiza International Airport and Aeroparque its kind like JFK and LaGuardia both being in NYC and about a 45 min drive from each other, Ezeiza like JFK handles the big international flights and Aeroparque like LaGuardia handles more of the smaller domestic flights. We landed from our flight from the US at Ezeiza then had to switch airports in buenos Aries to Aeroparque. Transferring airports in Buenos Aires was not difficult at all, our travel agent arranged a chauffeur service for us, and they were at the airport upon our arrival waiting for us. The only hiccup was the flight from Buenos Aires to Cordoba was delayed by about an hour due to weather and the flight was quite Bumpy because of the weather. Once we arrived in Cordoba Manuel from SYC sporting was there to pick us up, it was about an hour drive from the airport to the lodge. We arrived at the lodge at 2130 and were greeted at the vehicle upon arrival with orange juice and Campari, we quickly got our stuff in our room, then they had supper prepared for us, which was an appetizer of Empanada, followed by a main course of filet minion and a dessert of bread pudding.



Day 1: Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs and bacon. We went hunting that morning and shot at doves (I think I hit 14 and went through most of a case of ammo). Lunch consisted of an appetizer of dove breast with mushroom and onion sauce, the main course was an entire ribeye steak that filled the entire plate with a side of salad and dessert was some kind of ice cream thing covered in chocolate. That afternoon I shot at more doves, my wife stayed at the lodge her Arthritis was flaring up. I got back to the lodge after hunting at approximately 5 PM and was greeted with an appetizer of deviled eggs and wine brought to our room. Dinner consisted of an appetizer of a shepherd's pie, followed by a main course of pork chops, which had the same amazing Mushroom and onion gravy that the dove breast from lunch had, dessert was a crepe with dulce de leche on it. This was our 1st full day at the lodge, every meal was delicious, and the portions were huge. The staff is bending over backwards to take care of us, the hospitality cannot be better, and the number of doves is indescribable.



Day 2: Starting to figure out the routine. Just like yesterday they knocked on our door at 6 AM to make sure we were awake. Breakfast is served at 6:30 and we head to the fields at 7 to hunt for the morning. There are 2 hunts per day a morning hunt and an afternoon hunt. The fields we hunt are about a 30-to-45-minute drive from the lodge. For the morning g hunt, we stay in the fields from 10:30 to 11:00 we stop hunting and head back to the lodge. lunch is usually around 12:30. We take a siesta and depart back out to the fields at 2:30 in the afternoon and stay till about 5:30 to 6:00. Breakfast this morning again was eggs and bacon. After breakfast, we went to the field to hunt doves. We departed around 7, got to the field at about 7:35 and by about quarter to 10:00 I had already gone through a case of ammo we returned to the lodge around 10:30 and were greeted by lodge staff with warm towelettes for our faces to wipe down with. Again, lunch was at 12:30 and then a short siesta. And return to the fields at about 2:30. Lunch consisted of shish kabob dove breasts with roasted vegetables. As good as yesterday's dove with Mushroom and onion sauce, the shish kabob was even better. Then 2 New York strips and a mashed pumpkin puree, followed by dessert of flan with dolce de Leche on it. Dinner started off with empanada after the empanada for an appetizer, we had a chicken breast with roasted potatoes that was delicious, and desert was a vanilla and chocolate ice-cream with some kind of Caramel sauce, I'm assuming Dulce de Leche then the entire thing was dipped in a chocolate crust with some kind of nuts.



Day 3: we switched it up, we slept in and decided to go into Cordoba to see some of the historic sites and do some tourist stuff. Breakfast was again scrambled eggs and bacon served at 08:00 we departed the loge at 09:00 to head into Cordoba. In Cordoba, we saw 2 of the oldest catholic cathedrals in the country one was built-in 1530. The other I think was built in the late 1700s. Then we had lunch in downtown Cordoba at a very nice restaurant. We had beef ribs and pork jobs with a very nice bottle of Argentinian wine. Afterwards we toured the public university and local mall (shopping center) We departed Cordoba and headed back to the lodge, dinner was at 630 appetizers was chicken fried dove breast with waffle potato fries, main course was more beef with a side of potato and onion, desert was a crem Brule.



Day 4: Back To the regular hunting routine. They knocked on our door at 6 to make sure we were awake. Breakfast was at 6:30. Then we headed to the fields at 7. Over the last 3 days of shooting in the volume that I have, my shooting has drastically improved 14 the first morning 83 this morning. The volume of shooting is incredible over the total 3 days of hunting I shot 2,175 shells. Lunch with served at 12:30. The appetizer was a grilled sausage, followed by the main course of pork with onion Mushroom gravy a side of lightly fried and roasted potatoes precut into quarters. Dessert was a pair poached in red wine reduction that was fabulous. The weather today is much warmer than the rest of the week. (97 F) So we departed the lodge at 3 instead of 2:30 for the afternoon hunt I Went through half a case of ammo. And managed to hit 56 doves. Dinner was at 6:30, the appetizer was dove breast, followed by a main course of steak with salad on the side and dessert was bread pudding.



Day 5: Last day at the lodge, we woke up a little bit later. Had breakfast at 8, got our bags all packed up and ready to go. around 10 AM We settled with the outfitter and gave the nice man all our money. We departed the lodge around 10:30 to head to the airport in Cordoba for the return flights home. The flights were basically the same as getting to Cordoba but in reverse order. The transferring airports in Buenos Aires was no issue, we had the same arrangement with the chauffeur service to drive between airports just like we did on the way to Cordoba. After switching airports, we departed Ezeiza International Airport to fly back to the US.



The hunting: Approximately 50M doves live in Cordoba. Doves are an invasives species and are considered pests. With the number of doves in Cordoba they are eating thirty to forty percent of the crops. They originally came over on the tall ships from England in the 1870S. There is no limit on doves, and you can hunt them all year round. The climate in Cordoba is such that the doves do not migrate they say their all year round and have 3 to 4 clutches of eggs per year with up to four eggs per clutch, doves reach a sexual maturity at 4 months old so a dove born in April could be laying its own eggs by August it’s like a chain letter that completely got out of control. They say that when you go dove hunting in Cordoba you will see one to five million birds per day, having been there I can attest that this is true.

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