| Cordoba is in
the geographic center or Argentina, the topography is flat
and the main industry is agriculture. The soil is some of
the richest in the world and supports thousands of acres of
grain including wheat and corn. The countryside reminded me
a lot of the Central Valley, rich in its abundance.
Cordoba, ringed with
mountains and hills combined with the large amount of feed
grains, makes for excellent bird production resulting in flights
of over a million birds per hour. Indeed, there is a major
overpopulation of doves in the area and, as a control measure,
local authorities have encouraged aggressive hunting — making
it the destination of thousands of American and European hunters.
Arriving at Cordoba
airport, I was assisted by Monica, the guide's (Jose Luis)
of J.J. Caceria) wife. I cleared customs with a minimum of
time and hassle. After a 30-minute drive, I meet up with Rick,
his son Zach and Ted Hall. We were treated to a delicious
Argentina-style lunch at a local restaurant of barbecue beef,
assorted sausages, salad and a local potato dish. Finishing
in time to make the afternoon dove shoot.
After the hunt, we
were driven to the estancia (large ranch) where we were assigned
our rooms, located in a remodeled building originally constructed
in the 1800s.
This building had
thick masonry walls, brightly colored tile floors with 20-foot
high ceilings. The rooms opened up to an interior courtyard
decorated with solid wood furnishings in traditional Spanish
style.
The rooms were spacious,
clean with full baths. The dining room, opposite the courtyard,
had warm surroundings, a hospitality table filled with a delicious
array of locally produced sausages and cheeses complemented
by an abundance of vino tinta — a local red wine for our pre-dinner
snack. A fireplace lent warmth and ambiance
Dinner started at
eight with a salad and duck hors d'oeuvres followed by the
main course of Argentina beef and a fruit desert with plenty
of good company. Conversation was stimulated by red wine and
the presence of Maria, our translator, who spoke excellent
English.
The next two days
of wing shooting were similar, starting with an early breakfast
of toast, eggs, coffee and orange juice followed by transport
to the fields by our guide where we met up with our bird boys.
Around 11:30 p.m.,
we broke for lunch of barbecue beef, sausage, salad and red
wine returning to the field around 1 p.m. and shooting till
dusk.
It was nonstop with
wave after wave of doves coming in to roost. Harvesting 600
doves per person per day was about standard and the harvested
doves were donated to the poor of the local town. We returned
to the estancia at about 6 p.m., to clean up and get ready
for an 8 p.m. dinner.
The three days went
fast and before I knew it, our stay had ended. Our departure
made more memorable by being escorted to the gate by Juan
Carlos' son on horseback carrying an American flag in a farewell
salute. It is seven-hour journey north to Corrientes for the
second half of our trip.
The countryside changed
gradually from the flat, dry grainfields of Cordoba to rolling
green hills and woodlands of Corrientes.
We started to see
rivers and large tracts of flooded wetlands and the grain-based
agriculture gave way to cattle ranching. We arrived at our
destination; a white-washed masonry ranch house with a green
tile roof, situated in a picture-perfect wooded setting. It
had large comfortable rooms and a dining area.
The wake-up call
for a typical day of duck hunting was 5 a.m. followed by breakfast.
After which we mounted up for the short drive to the duck
blinds. Meeting up with our bird boys who called birds and
set decoys, we were escorted to the duck blinds in the predawn
darkness. The duck blinds were located in a large flood plain
ringed with a verity of exotic trees and foliage.
It was not long before
the ducks started to fly. Forewarned with the excited cries
of "patos! patos!," (ducks) my bird-boy Christian pointed
to the yet unseen incoming birds.
Shooting was excellent
and wide varities of duck species were harvested. The hunt
was concluded about 10 a.m. with the best water foul shooting
I have ever had. The harvested ducks were donated to the local
school for their version of the school lunch program, a step
up from peanut butter sandwiches.
Returning to the
lodge, we enjoyed a hearty lunch followed by a ‘siesta.' In
the afternoon we were hosted to an upland game shoot for the
native perdiz (partridge) behind well-trained pointing dogs
handled by our bird-boy Christian. The country was rolling
farmland and shooting was fast and challenging.
Returning to the
lodge, we were treated to a partridge dinner prepared with
a spicy mustard sauce presented by our server Gloria. Gloria
was representative of Argentina women: tall, with clear olive
complexion complemented by dark hair with red highlights and
very attentive.
Gloria introduced
us to the Argentina national drink ‘mate,' a type of tea,
drunk through a hollow spoon like straw from a small leather-covered
cup.
Our time at Corrientes
ended much too soon. Gloria and the staff honored us with
a special gift of a ‘mate' cup spoon and yemaype tea mix,
one each for the four of us. We returned to Cordoba and spent
the night at the Holiday Inn.
The next day Martin,
a member of the J.J. Caceria staff, drove me to the airport
to assure a smooth departure. In a farewell gesture, Martin
embraced me Argentina style and said, "Jim, next year in the
La Pampa for big game hunting" and so it will be.
jledgerwood@paradisepost.com |
