Peru provided a lot of driving and some tough hunting. I had checked all the coastal and low-elevation South America species off my list. With six species remaining, I anticipated the toughest conditions remained in the Andes Mountains.
We left our hotel at 5 a.m. in the pitch dark. The hotel was about 350 feet above sea level. Our goal was to drive up into the Andes and reach a hunting cabin owned by our outfitter’s family at just over 8,000 feet in elevation.
After 10 hours in the pickup, we were finally above 8,000 feet as we pulled off the road near the hunting cabin. We made our way across a rope and cable swinging bridge with a raging river at least 75 feet below us. I was reminded of my childhood and watching the swinging bridge scenes from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but we all made it across.
Although we were exhausted and struggling to adjust to the nearly 8,000-foot elevation difference, our outfitter said that another two hours of driving up the mountain would put us at a small lake he thought would contain waterfowl. Enough said! We dropped our bags, made our way back across the swinging bridge and loaded up. When we reached 14,500 feet, the top of the mountain flattened out.
I glassed a lake where we spotted a pair of Andean Geese. After an initial failed sneak, we hatched a plan, and Lee and I snuck up a hill. At the top, I took a step forward and the pair rose. I took the larger of the two, which ended up being the gander. The dame continued flying and landed on the far side of the lake. It was quite windy, which caused the downed gander to float toward the spot where the dame had landed.
Our outfitter grabbed a pair of waders from his truck and put them on to retrieve the downed goose. He started making his way around the right side of the lake toward my gander. We got in position in case the remaining goose flew. The plan worked and as our outfitter got close, the goose became nervous, rose, and flew in my direction. I shot, and my second Andean Goose was down—a dame to go with the gander. My 15th South America Waterfowl Slam species was in the bag! Five species remained.
All of us, minus our outfitter, were feeling a bit queasy from the altitude. We quickly forgot about feeling sick when we saw a pair of Andean Crested Ducks on a small piece of water. These ducks are found in the high-elevation Andes lakes, marshes, and grassy areas. With very little cover, I was able to slowly approach them, take my shots, and drop them both.
We ended up in a very small, remote village with a large lake on the outskirts. We could see waterfowl swimming and flying. Our outfitter said that this was one of his favorite spots to waterfowl hunt in the Andes. The problem was that he used to have a dog for retrieving. He used to have a dog. We hoped that if the water was deeper than wader height, Angelo could borrow a boat to make any retrieves.
I got excited when I spotted some Andean Teal. This species is very uncommon in Peru, and I expected them to be my toughest species in the Andes. Checking them off my slam list now would take the pressure off the remainder of our Andes Mountain hunt. There were also six or eight Giant Coot ahead. Once again, I forgot about my upset stomach and headache when I saw two needed species on huntable water. Luckily, these teal and coot probably hadn’t been hunted, or even bothered, for a couple of years since our outfitter hadn’t visited the lake since the beginning of COVID. They weren’t paying much attention to us as I finally got within range. I stood up, shouldered my shotgun, and dropped a pair of teal. Then I swung on a Giant Coot, fired a third time, and watched one fall from the sky. What a feeling to bag numbers 16 and 17 in a single stalk! It was also a huge relief knowing that I’d taken the most difficult species, the Andean Teal.
Our outfitter went to get his waders, but after searching for bit, realized that we had mistakenly left them at the small lake where we had picked up the Andean Geese. Luckily, the wind was pushing the ducks in our direction, so we just had to wait for them to drift to us. A local lady from the village brought her dog to see if she could help. The two Andean Teal had drifted in, but the coot was going to be a problem. The lady and our outfitter worked together, and eventually her dog brought my coot in. In our short two-hour hunt in the Andes, I had secured 4 of the 6 species I sought.
With about an hour of daylight left, hindsight says we should have quit for the day and returned to the cabin at 8,000 feet, more than 7,000 feet below where we currently were. At this point we were all showing signs of severe altitude sickness, but I thought maybe the last two needed species could be found at the next lake. All that remained for a successful South America Waterfowl Slam were an Andean Ruddy Duck and a Puna Teal. The thought of wrapping my slam up that evening so we didn’t have to return the next day kept me going, so we drove farther up the mountain.
Once it was too dark to hunt, we turned around and made our way back down the mountain. We stopped at a small mining village for gas. While Angelo filled up his truck, the rest of us found a house that served meals out of their basement. The only thing they had left on the menu was a watery “chicken soup.” Since we hadn’t eaten much over the course of the past 12-plus hours, we were extremely hungry and ate everything they had. I’m a farm boy, and I knew the bones in that soup were definitely not from a chicken! We were hungry enough that we ate it anyway.
Back in the truck, we had a two-hour drive to descend to our outfitter’s cabin. It was a brutal, miserable trip that included stops for Justin to throw up from his altitude sickness. We arrived at the cabin around midnight, and the only food available had been left there before the COVID pandemic began. Our outfitter cooked some pasta and put a can of tuna fish and sauce on top. We ate quickly and fell asleep.
Early the next morning, we had a cup of coffee and discussed a plan for the day. Our outfitter mentioned that his hunters rarely want to go back up the mountain a second day to hunt waterfowl. Dad said that at 74, he didn’t have the urge to experience it again, so he stayed back at the cabin and read. Lee said he would go, and I have to give Justin credit. Even though he had been violently ill the evening before, he said that he was also going back up.
We made it back up to 14,500 feet and passed some ponds and small lakes. They didn’t hold either Puna Teal or Andean Ruddy Ducks. I stayed focused on the two necessary species, knowing that the longer we stayed at the high elevation, the sicker we were all going to be. As we passed through the village on the large lake where I had shot the Andean Teal and Giant Coot the evening before, we spotted a beautiful drake Puna Teal. I snuck up within shooting range, and just like that, I had my Puna Teal. 19 species down and only an Andean Ruddy Duck left to complete my slam!
The lake also held some Andean Ruddy Ducks, my final species, but none were within range. I was really starting to feel the altitude sickness as we moved on up the mountain to check the next small lake. There were three Andean Ruddy Ducks that I thought I could easily sneak up on. I was able to take down a drake Andean Ruddy Duck. He fell stone-cold dead and was floating on the water. Number 20 was down! Although I was feeling sicker by the minute, it was satisfying to complete the South America Waterfowl Slam. I was able to take all 20 species during the months of May and June in the countries of Argentina and Peru.
South America Waterfowl Slam
Now that Mark Peterson has wrapped up the South America Waterfowl Slam, it’s a good time to watch the slam in its entirety. All of the episodes are available by clicking the button below.
