Recently I was fortunate enough to be invited to a pigeon & dove hunt in Bolivia. The farmers in many of the South American countries including Bolivia count on at lease 25% crop loss due to birds (mainly doves, pigeons, parrots & parakeets). To help with the problem, they work with many outfitters who organize hunts in their fields. A group of nine of us went down last week and enjoyed the hunting, food, fellowship and experiences we had. The picture below shows just one morning's pigeon hunt that lasted about 2 hours!
Before returning home, I got a call from a friend who was responding to a local farmer with a crow problem in a watermelon field. The crows here have now broken up into family groups, so the numbers are low and, this being close to summer, the heat is high...very high! We set up a quick hunt yesterday morning and cured the problem for now by killing 12 crows, which is a record number for me hunting over melons. The heat, however, made the Century Club by hitting 100 degrees that afternoon! These aren't the conditions you normally associate with hunting.
What a contrast. Bolivia: 3 days of hunting in 55-75 degree weather, shooting over 1,000 birds. South Carolina: Hunting in near 100 degree temperatures to get 12 crows!
Don't expect any more crow hunt reports from me until this Fall when the temperatures moderate!
Demi
P.S. Sorry for the wrong picture orientations. Guess the pigeon photo is inverted due to it being taken below the equator.
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Tuesday 28th of May 2019 03:23:30 PM
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Tuesday 28th of May 2019 03:26:25 PM
We hunted four days, but had two half day hunts were rained out. Those RIO shells were more expensive than Winchester AA’s or Remington STS’s, and that is where a lot of their profit comes from!
Paraguay may have better pigeon numbers, but I’m guessing they don’t hold a candle to the food they served at the lodge we stayed in!
Definitely a trip to remember.
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
Great report and comparison of two hunts, over different crops! I am kind of an expert on hunting in high temps, and my results have always been like yours, not the best.
I have some watermelon protection work planned in the next few weeks, but this will be at night vs. coyoyes and hogs, using a Trijicon REAP-IR 35-2. It won't be 100 degrees! And our targets won't be able to hide in the thermal spectrum.
Good luck with the hogs & yotes. That is not a passion of mine, but the guy I hunted with over these melons will be returning for coyotes in a few days. Maybe the crows we couldn'g find in the vines will be a further attractant.
Fortunately(?) I don't have a long line of melon farmers to tend to. Whether it's South Carolina or Texas, crows over melons is hot work!
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
Beyond the excellent fresh fruit drinks, Bolivia has some respectable wines and neighboring Argentina is quite well known for their Malbec. They also served some great margaritas!
In addition to the hunting, the outfitter had a brewery on site and produced several beers & ales. They are true entrepreneurs and their sons also started a successful restaurant in Santa Clara (2 hrs. away).
We enjoyed all the beverages mentioned.
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
