Growing up in Montana, the rugged outdoors was always within reach, but duck hunting didn’t become part of my life until college. Surrounded by wide rivers and endless skies, it felt natural to embrace the waterfowl tradition. The chill in the air and the thrill of waterfowl season quickly became a part of me. I still remember one of my first hunts during my sophomore year at Montana State. My roommate, Austin—now a guide and outfitter in Ennis, MT—had just bought a springer spaniel named Wilson, and it was his first time in the field. Early one cold morning on the Jefferson River, we set up decoys on an island. With temperatures hovering between 5 and 10 degrees, we worried about Wilson in the cold. As dawn approached, we spotted a group of geese cruising down the river. We jumped up and dropped two: one landed in the shallow slough, but the other hit a gravel bar farther down, wounded. This was Wilson’s moment, and he didn’t hesitate—charging the goose, feathers flying. That hunt marked the start of a memorable season.

This past August, I had the chance to hunt at Estancia Santa Rita, one of Argentina’s premier duck hunting lodges. This hunt redefined my expectations; I’d never seen so many birds in one place. Watching countless waterfowl videos couldn’t prepare me for the action. Rosy-Billed Pochards and Silver Teal filled the air, sometimes in numbers that made it difficult to focus on a single bird. The saying goes that flock shooting never works—Estancia Santa Rita might be one of the rare places where it could.

The first morning began around 6:30 AM. I met my guide in front of the lodge, loaded my gear, and took a short 15- to 20-minute drive to the hunting spot. We arrived before sunrise, with enough time to settle into a raised barrel blind. As we waited, the guide and I made small talk—his broken English and my broken Spanish were enough to convey the essentials: lots of birds, be ready. He wasn’t wrong.

As daylight broke, the sheer volume of birds was astonishing. To my surprise, there were already 15 to 20 ducks in the decoys. We spooked them a bit to give a fair shot before I started shooting. From then on, it was mayhem. Within an hour, I had almost gone through my shells, and as the birds began to settle, my guide walked around the wetland to stir them up again. It gave me a chance to take some long shots I wouldn’t typically attempt back home.

After that first hunt, I had a sense of what makes duck hunting in South America so special.

Each night before a hunt, the lodge outfits you with boot-foot waders in your size, hanging ready for you in the morning. You can bring your own gear, but the lodge recommends theirs to save space in your luggage. Shotguns are available on-site as well, with options for over-under and semi-autos, saving you from Argentina’s tedious firearm entry requirements, which can complicate your travel.

The hunting blinds at Santa Rita are excellent, including dry barrel blinds and raised pallet blinds, with over 60 permanent setups to choose from. Each is strategically scouted, ensuring you’re always positioned for the best experience. Surrounding each blind are high-quality decoys, including floater and motion decoys, which the guides arrange based on scouting reports and the specific species in the area—no small task with over 12 different species frequenting the region. The lodge also provides electronic calls, so there’s no need to be an expert caller.

Interestingly, Santa Rita doesn’t use dogs for waterfowl hunts. At first, I was surprised, as I’d never go hunting back home without my Lab. But with shallow standing water and the high volume of ducks, dogs would be out of the blind constantly, potentially spooking birds. For those interested, you can swap an afternoon of duck hunting for a Perdiz hunt, where trained pointers join you in the field to chase these grouse-like birds.

If you’re interested in the extraordinary duck hunting experience at Estancia Santa Rita, feel free to reach out to me, Ethan Bristol.

RELATED POSTS