The author experienced several bouts of wingshooting where ability and available shells were the only true limits.
Photo by Gary Kramer.
Within seconds, another smaller flock loomed overhead. This time the calling brought the birds in close and over the decoys in a single pass. They came in on my side; we picked birds letting loose a salvo of shotgun blasts. Two drakes hit the water as the first echoes of gunfire reverberated through the marsh. A third bird was a delayed kill, falling out of the flock 100 yards from the blind.
After the sun rose into the bluebird sky, the frenzied action slowed only slightly. Brazilian and silver teal streaked by at eye level, often catching us by surprise. Speckled teal and red shovelers tried to land in the decoys, while rosy-bills and yellow-billed pintails often made wide passes before settling into the blocks. The whistling ducks, often referred to as tree ducks, generally flew high and were not fooled by the decoys. They did respond to a whistling call the bird boys made with their mouths, and we managed to add about a dozen of the high-flyers to the bag. Overall, it was among the most action-packed, exciting duck hunts either of us had ever experienced.
The third type of hunting available at Los Ombues is for perdiz or tinamou--a South American game bird and ecological counterpart to our prairie grouse. They are the color of a hen pheasant, larger than a quail and fly like a gray partridge. They’re hunted in the grasslands and pastures over pointing dogs and provide fast wingshooting. Unlike quail that are gregarious and form coveys, perdiz are solitary and only occasionally travel in pairs. Like their cousins, perdiz are a grassland species that feed heavily on seeds and green shoots and, consequently, are excellent table fare.
We hunted perdiz over seasoned pointers in the rolling grasslands near the lodge. They can be hunted in the late morning after the duck hunt and before the afternoon dove shoot. Most hunts yielded seven-bird limits, or at least the opportunity to shoot a limit. Perdiz are great sport with a 20 or 28 gauge, and most shots are twenty to thirty yards, perfect for an over/under choked improved-cylinder and modified.
Duck season in Argentina is May 1 to August 31, and the daily limit in Entre Rios Province is twenty ducks per day. By some standards, this limit seems high and by others low. It depends on your point of view. Stories of hunters bagging 100 ducks per day were common in the past, and even today some hunters still take high bags. While there are limits in Argentina, the enforcement of hunting regulations is minimal. Los Ombues’ Carlos Sanchez, along with many other outfitters, strictly enforces the limits established by the government. Considering the duck limit in most provinces is twenty, perdiz seven to ten and no limit on doves or pigeons, the average hunter traveling to Argentina will experience more shooting in one trip than most bird hunters in the U.S. in an entire season. Argentina definitely offers world-class wingshooting.
