Hunting is the ultimate excuse to go someplace you’ve never been. Yet sometimes taking the road less traveled is better experienced with a friend—or a dozen. And sometimes it’s nice taking that road with someone who knows every twist, every turn, every bump. That’s why 24 years ago Shooting Sportsman created the Readers & Writers Adventures program. We wanted readers to have a reason to come together and enjoy the best wingshooting the Western Hemisphere has to offer. Guests simply have to say, “Yes,” and we do the rest.
Last year we had our most successful—and popular—season yet. More than 50 hunters from across the country gathered to share and contribute to the pursuit they are so passionate about. Not only were old friendships rekindled, but many new friendships were made. And while you’ll meet and make new friends, you’ll never get lost. We hunt in small groups and find ways to experience the outdoors that make sense to you. This coming season we have scheduled four hunts and, based on recent experience, they will sell out quickly. Here’s what we have on tap for this year.
If one country would tempt us to emigrate, it would be Argentina. With its stunning landscape, sublime cuisine, warm hospitality and world-class wingshooting, Argentina is the South American siren call for hunters. We’ve chosen to shoot with South Parana Outfitters as our first gathering of the season. The estancia is north of Buenos Aires (visiting the Paris of South America is reason enough to make the trip) in Entre Ríos Province. This is our base for chasing ducks, doves and perdiz. Fluent Spanish-speaker and Gun Review Editor Bruce Buck leads this trip, from June 13 to 18, 2019.the ground hunting, starting our afternoon of arrival and continuing through the morning of June 18. The cost of $5,790 includes ground transportation, lodging (single occupancy), meals, permits, gun rental and gratuities. Hunters are responsible for airfare, ammunition, entry fees for guns and a sunny disposition when they occasionally miss the hundreds of birds they will shoot at.
Landing at Bismarck Municipal Airport in October means you have landed in the Upper Midwest’s mecca for wingshooters. You are surrounded immediately by scores of like-minded hunters from around the world. The luggage area is rife with hard cases, duffle bags, coolers and dog crates; hunter orange becomes the unofficial state color. This is our staging area for our trip to Firesteel Creek Lodge. From here we drive about 2 hours south to Isabel, South Dakota. Our quarry: the Great Plains trifecta of sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and ring-necked pheasants on the Lindskov family’s 200,000-plus acres of open country.
Our group is led once again by Bruce Buck. The hunt takes place from November 2 to 6. Attendees should arrive in Bismarck, North Dakota, and be ready for an unrivaled three-day hunt. The cost for double occupancy is $4,395 and includes ground transportation, lodging, meals, licenses and ammunition. Hunters are responsible for taxes, tips and the cost of shipping birds home.
If you’re a Northerner, December often brings with it the bittersweet reality that another hunting season is winding down. Rio Piedra Plantation offers a solution to the late-fall swoon. This December we will be walking up on covey after covey of quail in Camilla, Georgia. After arriving on December 12, we will devote three full days—December 13 to 15—to our hunt. This is the kind of place that draws back guests year over year, so securing a spot well in advance is essential. And here’s another important bit of information: This is a no-limit hunt!Bruce Buck will lead the trip, and the cost is $4,755 for double occupancy. We will drive to Rio Piedra from the airport in Albany, Georgia. The price includes ground transportation, lodging, meals, licenses, ammunition as well as gratuities. The only extras are taxes and the cost of shipping birds home.
Nothing cures the wintertime blues like a classic bobwhite hunt, and this season two excellent venues are on the roster: Rio Piedra Plantation (left and above) and Pine Hill Plantation.
The beauty of bobwhite hunting is the variety of ways that you can get on birds. Pine Hill Plantation is famous for its classic mule-drawn-wagon hunt, so we’ve scheduled our last trip of the season for February 20 to 24, 2020. From the dogs to the birds to the lodging, every inch of Pine Hill’s 6,000 acres is world class.
Terry Bombeke, Shooting Sportsman Associate Publisher and Head of Wingshooting Operations, will lead the group. Arrival is at the Tallahassee, Florida, airport on February 20. From there we head straight to Donalsonville, Georgia. The price is $5,175 (single occupancy) and includes all ground transportation, lodging, meals, licenses and ammunition. Tips, taxes and bird shipping are extra. This is a bucket-list opportunity to step back in time while still enjoying all the modern conveniences.