To answer this question, it’s important to uncover the 3 essentials of survival for the Argentina dove. Simply put, these are Food, Water, and Shelter. With the essentials on the table, we will address each individually and then summarize where to hunt doves in Argentina and why there is so many dove in this country.

Food

Argentina is blessed to have some of the richest, most fertile soil on Earth. We often say that if you throw a seed on the ground, it will grow. Along with the dark, rich soil, the northern half of Argentina has a very temperate climate and rarely sees temperatures below 45 degrees F in the winter, and generally does not experience temperatures over 93 degrees in the summer heat. 

 In the northern half of Argentina, it is not uncommon to turn crops three times per year.

 The grains produced in Argentina are the livelihood of the dove. Doves consume as much as 40% of the harvest in some areas.

This is one of the most asked questions regarding a high-volume dove hunting trip to Argentina.
Before I answer, I must provide the viewers of this forum with some important information.

First because Argentina is south of the equator, the seasons are reversed. Our winter is Argentina’s summer, and our summer is Argentina’s winter. It’s hard to comprehend without spending time in Argentina that Christmas Day in South America is one of the hottest days of the year. Along the east coast of the US, early February traditionally is extremely cold, while in Argentina, it’s not uncommon to have temperatures over 90 degrees F.

The short answer is YES!

There are many reasons why Argentina is known for the best wing shooting in the world.

The primary reason why hunting is so good in Argentina is because of the abundance of agriculture, primarily grain crops.

 Agriculture is so prolific due to rich, dark soils, excellent climate, adequate rainfall with excellent irrigation methods, and over 300,000 square miles of highly productive farmable land. For a point of reference, the agricultural region of Argentina is larger than the entire country of France and Portugal combined. Another reference point to demonstrate the immense mass of farmable land is that the agricultural region is larger than Texas and Ohio Combined!

Of course, the wildlife, especially the birds, love all the grain. They have a constant food source in the agricultural reason as no matter what time of year, there are fields under harvest and fields being planted. 

Argentina is a large country, roughly 1/3 the size of the continental United States.

There are only 4 cities in the country that have what is considered large populations. Buenos Aires city is the largest, with a population of 15 million. In second place is Cordoba city with roughly 1.5 million. Rosario and Mendoza round out the list at slightly less than 1 million residents. After these 4 cities, there are just a few with populations over 400,000 people.

The large cities in Argentina, particularly Buenos Aires, are similar to large cities in Europe from the standpoint of safety. Specifically means there are homeless and beggars in the populated areas, however, the beggars are not aggressive and pose no threat whatsoever to American travelers.

There are 3 major expenses involved in a dove hunting trip to Argentina and several smaller costs. The costs are broken down below.

Airfare- This is a significant expense depending on your home airport and your flight options. You can expect to pay for coach airfare anywhere from $1100 to $1600. So, for cost planning, use $1350 per person for coach airfare.

For Business Class airfare, a rule of thumb is coach airfare costs x 3 to 3.5.

Shells- Most commonly underestimated is your shell bill. The average price for a box (25) dove loads is $13 per box. Yes, some lodges may find shells around $12.75 and others around $14 per box, but most lodges land at $13 per box.

 The average hunter shoots 1000 rounds per day. This equals 40 boxes, or 40 x $13 = $520 per day.

The average dove hunt is 3 days (sometimes 4 days). So, 3 days at $520 per day is $1560 in shells.

 Certainly, a more aggressive shooter will shoot more, and it’s really easy to do, but for planning, use the number of $1520 in shells.

Is Argentina open for hunting?

The short answer is YES!

The long answer is that in March 2020, due to Covid, the country of Argentina closed its borders for all travel for non-essential purposes. Other than government business and family emergencies where an Argentina resident outside of the country had a family member fall ill, were any travelers allowed entry into the country.

 In November 2021, the country of Argentina opened its borders for tourism allowing specifically named countries. Fortunately, the United States was on the list. From November 2021 until April 2022, some intensive travel requirements related to vaccinations, negative Covid tests, and declarations related to Covid had to be completed. Fortunately, Argentina has relaxed the requirements, and today all that is needed is proof of health insurance while inside the country and the completion of a document stating that the traveler doesn’t have Covid and hasn’t been exposed to someone with Covid. As always, a valid US passport is required for entry into Argentina.

After nearly two years of no travel, the airline industry to and from Argentina is still recovering. Many of the flights that ran every day of the week have not resumed. Major connecting cities like Lima, Peru, and Santiago, Chile, have not had their historical connections to Argentina today.

 Inside Argentina, the major carrier Aerolineas Argentina is recovering slowly. Still, many of the flights from Buenos Aires to connecting cities like Cordoba, Salta, Santiago del Estero, San Luis, Tucuman, and Santa Fe have not resumed pre-Covid departures.

 In a few short months, Air Travel will resume to pre-Covid levels, but even though there are fewer flight options, Southern Outfitting has clients coming and going nearly every day of 2022!

The short answer is YES!

The long answer is that in March 2020, due to Covid, the country of Argentina closed its borders for all travel for non-essential purposes. Other than government business and family emergencies where an Argentina resident outside of the country had a family member fall ill, were any travelers allowed entry into the country.

 In November 2021, the country of Argentina opened its borders for tourism allowing specifically named countries. Fortunately, the United States was on the list. From November 2021 until April 2022, some intensive travel requirements related to vaccinations, negative Covid tests, and declarations related to Covid had to be completed. Fortunately, Argentina has relaxed the requirements, and today all that is needed is proof of health insurance while inside the country and the completion of a document stating that the traveler doesn’t have Covid and hasn’t been exposed to someone with Covid. As always, a valid US passport is required for entry into Argentina.

After nearly two years of no travel, the airline industry to and from Argentina is still recovering. Many of the flights that ran every day of the week have not resumed. Major connecting cities like Lima, Peru, and Santiago, Chile, have not had their historical connections to Argentina today.

 Inside Argentina, the major carrier Aerolineas Argentina is recovering slowly. Still, many of the flights from Buenos Aires to connecting cities like Cordoba, Salta, Santiago del Estero, San Luis, Tucuman, and Santa Fe have not resumed pre-Covid departures.

 In a few short months, Air Travel will resume to pre-Covid levels, but even though there are fewer flight options, Southern Outfitting has clients coming and going nearly every day of 2022!