With 20 South American waterfowl species identified and Argentina and Peru checked off as the prime locations to hunt these species, we kicked off another amazing journey with the South America Single-Season Waterfowl Slam!
I left Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 16 with two of my field producers. We landed at 6 a.m. and were met at the airport by our outfitter and our guide, Maxie. It was the first week of the 2022 waterfowl season in Argentina and I was the first waterfowl hunter to be hosted by this outfitter since the start of COVID. We drove south to the San Juan Estancia. Prior to booking this hunt, I asked the advice of WTA consultant Matt Gindorff. Matt spent several years at an estancia in Argentina and shared valuable insider knowledge. If you’re looking for the best South American hunting properties, Matt and the team at WTA are the best at getting you on prime hunting ground. The area we chose to hunt is comparable to the pothole region of the Dakotas with ponds, small lakes, and marshy areas. Matt helped me choose this area as the ideal region to kick off my hunt. It’s known for having large numbers of various species early in the season. Our goal at the San Juan Estancia was to take all of the 13 waterfowl species found in Argentina.
Maxie drove us a short distance from the estancia to a pond in a cattle pasture. The pond was irregular in shape and a little over 100 yards in diameter. There were few trees and the nearby grass had been grazed relatively short. There were some reeds around the pond’s edges, and the blind was built from pallets and covered with reeds for concealment. Maxie put out about a dozen plastic decoys and a single spinner. He proved to be an exceptional waterfowl caller, and he identified each species as they came in.
Cattle stood along the pond’s bank wondering what we were doing. Once Maxie started calling, the action was immediate and continuous. A nice variety of species wanted to land on the pond. I admit that I was a bit rusty. It had been 13 months since I last shot at a duck. In fact, bird number 43 of my Single-Season North America Waterfowl Slam, a King Eider in Greenland, was the last waterfowl species I had shot. It didn’t take long, however, before I was back in the groove and had my first South America Waterfowl Slam species on the ground—a gorgeous Silver Teal.
The action that first morning was amazing! My next species down was a larger Yellow-Billed Pintail with a distinct yellow bill and brownish body. The ducks weren’t wary of Maxie’s calls and came right in to land. After hunting in the US, Canada, and Mexico, I’d become accustomed to cautious waterfowl. These ducks were the opposite and continued to come in to the pond. I’m sure it was primarily because nobody had called these ducks for two years because of the COVID lockdown. A third species soon fell when I shot a Speckled Teal, also called a Yellow-Billed Teal.
Next up, and down, was my third teal of the day, a Ringed Teal. After shooting all three North American teal during my previous waterfowl slam, I had already taken three teal species here in Argentina during my first day of hunting. I must admit that I love the fast action of teal hunting, whether it’s back home in Michigan, down in Mexico, or here in Argentina. Those mature teal drakes were absolutely beautiful.
Before we left the pond, I was able to drop my fifth and final species of the day, a White-Cheeked Pintail, also known as a Bahama Pintail. This dabbling duck is mainly brown with white cheeks and a gray bill with a red base. Five species down after day one! What a fantastic afternoon duck hunt!
I never expected that on my first hunt in Argentina, only a short afternoon, that I would shoot 5 of the 20 South America Waterfowl Slam species. I also couldn’t believe that I was nearly halfway to my sought-after 13 species in Argentina. We took a few photos, cleaned up, and returned to San Juan Estancia for dinner and bed.
Matt Gindorff joined our group before the next day’s hunt. It was a short drive to the site of our second morning’s hunt. Our decoys were out and we were ready 30 minutes before shooting light. Matt and I were standing in the reeds on a much larger pond than the previous afternoon. Matt’s history of living and working in Argentina taught him a lot—he was able to instantly identify all of the ducks in Argentina. Matt knew the five species I had secured the previous day, and he graciously offered to not shoot at any new species until I had the opportunity to check it off my list.
While it was still dark, we could hear duck after duck land in the water. Once we were able to shoot, the action was constant. It didn’t take me long to add number six to my Argentina species count, a Cinnamon Teal. The drake was fully colored with a deep brownish-red body and a black back and bill. Duck number 41 of my North America Waterfowl Slam was a Cinnamon Teal that I took in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. The next new species to appear was a Rosy-Billed Pochard. Although I hadn’t seen one during the previous afternoon’s hunt, there were several coming in to this larger pond. The Rosy-Billed is sometimes called a Rosybill. It is considered a diving duck, but feeds primarily on aquatic vegetation like a dabbling duck.
My identification of Argentine duck species continued to improve as I saw more and more ducks up close and personal. During my North America Waterfowl Slam, I searched for a Fulvous Whistling Duck in Sonora, Mexico, Florida and northern Sinaloa, Mexico before finally finding one while hunting from a lodge outside of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. That duck was number 42 in my North America Slam. This time around, the Fulvous Whistling Duck came quicker and easier and became my Argentine species number eight. This duck is sometimes called Fulvous Tree Duck in Argentina.
Matt and I added more teal and pintail to our bag and our morning hunt was over too soon. Following a healthy lunch, naps were necessary. We left at 3:30 p.m. for a new area that had a series of small potholes surrounded by reeds. Although there were a lot of ducks in the air, they were mostly landing on a nearby pothole about 150 yards away from us. Maxie said, “If ducks don’t come in to our decoys, let’s move our decoys to the ducks.” Wow, did it ever work! We were in waist-deep water as cupped ducks came in at 15 yards. We added Silver Teal, White-Cheeked Pintails, and Rosy-Billed Pochards to our afternoon bag.
After a great dinner and some glasses of Malbec, we were off to bed. The next day would be Matt’s last hunt with us. He was visiting other Argentine operations to see if they’d be suitable outfitters for WTA. WTA vets all outfitters before booking hunts with them to ensure that WTA customers have the best experience possible. If WTA consultants don’t approve of the outfitter for their personal hunts, they won’t send their customers there either. The start of my South America Waterfowl slam was off to a fantastic start. Stay tuned for more!
