Posted By: txtrophy85
A way, way South of the Border hunt, 3 years in the making - 03/10/23 05:13 AM
In August of 2019 I had just returned from a trip to South Africa, and fresh off the heels of that hunt, was looking for more adventure. I had a list of possible hunts I wanted to go on and started calling around to different outfitters seeing what they had to offer. I booked a fall hunt with a Canadian outfitter but having enjoyed the "off" season hunting experience, started looking for something that would complement the fall season.
A friend of mine had hunted a few years prior near Cordoba, Argentina and took a beautiful red stag so I inquired about the outfit he went with. That initial conversation led me down a rabbit hole of research, looking at different areas of the country (as well as into Chile in the foothills of the Andes) and what they had to offer in the way of Big Game hunting. I learned that while Red Deer (the most popular game animal in Argentina) is widespread across the country, arguably the most productive region of the Country is the La Pampa Province. The native wildlife in Argentina was almost entirely wiped out due to unregulated market hunting, and in 1906 the first Red Deer arrived in La Pampa, followed by subsequent releases to other areas of the country in the 1920's. I narrowed it down to a few outfitters I felt comfortable with and ended up deciding on one pending a visit with him at the DSC Convention in January.
At the beginning of January, I took the trip up to Dallas and met with the outfitter just as the show was closing. Very nice fellow, excellent hunting ranch and great accommodations. Still, I had a few reservations about the trip and decided to visit with a few other outfits before committing. The next morning, I went to the booth of another outfitter and talked with him for a few minutes. I immediately felt comfortable with him, got my hunting partner on the phone and put down my deposit on a hunt for the middle of March. Plans were made, schedules were coordinated, and we looked forward to the trip that would take place just a few months later.....or so we thought. I prefer to forget about the Covid-era, but needless to say we were not going anywhere. A hunter actually made it down to the ranch right after the shelter in place order took effect in Argentina and he ended up staying for 50+ days at the ranch with no way to get home. Any hunting trips we had planned were put on hold for the foreseeable future as we went thru the whole ordeal of quarantines, vaccinations, masks, etc.
2021 rolls around and hunting in Argentina is still shut down. I talk to the outfitter, and he assures us that our deposits are secure, and we will have our spots in 2022. This was a tough time for any hunting outfitter as they depend on the income to continue their operations and with no hunters, they were taking a big hit financially. Fast forward another year, and 2022 is upon us. While the quarantine mandate had been lifted, they were still requiring vaccines as well as a negative test to enter/exit the country, and I felt that it wasn't the best time to leave the U.S to travel abroad. Thoughts of getting stuck in a foreign country for weeks with my Wife and Kids back at home just didn't sit well with me, so after talking to the outfitter he agreed to push the hunt again to 2023.
Truthfully, after 2 1/2 years the excitement of the hunt had kind of faded and it went on the mental backburner. Then, in mid-April of 2022, they lifted the Vaccine and Quarantine mandates, and the hunt was back on!
We were given the option of hunting on opening week (which would be a bow hunting only week) and we elected to take it. I had planned on bowhunting anyway due to the hassle of importing firearms into the country, and the others in our party planned to do the same, so this was a chance to hunt unpressured animals and we gladly jumped on it.
continued below.......
A friend of mine had hunted a few years prior near Cordoba, Argentina and took a beautiful red stag so I inquired about the outfit he went with. That initial conversation led me down a rabbit hole of research, looking at different areas of the country (as well as into Chile in the foothills of the Andes) and what they had to offer in the way of Big Game hunting. I learned that while Red Deer (the most popular game animal in Argentina) is widespread across the country, arguably the most productive region of the Country is the La Pampa Province. The native wildlife in Argentina was almost entirely wiped out due to unregulated market hunting, and in 1906 the first Red Deer arrived in La Pampa, followed by subsequent releases to other areas of the country in the 1920's. I narrowed it down to a few outfitters I felt comfortable with and ended up deciding on one pending a visit with him at the DSC Convention in January.
At the beginning of January, I took the trip up to Dallas and met with the outfitter just as the show was closing. Very nice fellow, excellent hunting ranch and great accommodations. Still, I had a few reservations about the trip and decided to visit with a few other outfits before committing. The next morning, I went to the booth of another outfitter and talked with him for a few minutes. I immediately felt comfortable with him, got my hunting partner on the phone and put down my deposit on a hunt for the middle of March. Plans were made, schedules were coordinated, and we looked forward to the trip that would take place just a few months later.....or so we thought. I prefer to forget about the Covid-era, but needless to say we were not going anywhere. A hunter actually made it down to the ranch right after the shelter in place order took effect in Argentina and he ended up staying for 50+ days at the ranch with no way to get home. Any hunting trips we had planned were put on hold for the foreseeable future as we went thru the whole ordeal of quarantines, vaccinations, masks, etc.
2021 rolls around and hunting in Argentina is still shut down. I talk to the outfitter, and he assures us that our deposits are secure, and we will have our spots in 2022. This was a tough time for any hunting outfitter as they depend on the income to continue their operations and with no hunters, they were taking a big hit financially. Fast forward another year, and 2022 is upon us. While the quarantine mandate had been lifted, they were still requiring vaccines as well as a negative test to enter/exit the country, and I felt that it wasn't the best time to leave the U.S to travel abroad. Thoughts of getting stuck in a foreign country for weeks with my Wife and Kids back at home just didn't sit well with me, so after talking to the outfitter he agreed to push the hunt again to 2023.
Truthfully, after 2 1/2 years the excitement of the hunt had kind of faded and it went on the mental backburner. Then, in mid-April of 2022, they lifted the Vaccine and Quarantine mandates, and the hunt was back on!
We were given the option of hunting on opening week (which would be a bow hunting only week) and we elected to take it. I had planned on bowhunting anyway due to the hassle of importing firearms into the country, and the others in our party planned to do the same, so this was a chance to hunt unpressured animals and we gladly jumped on it.
continued below.......