doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com If money were no object, where would you hunt?

This thread is probably poorly titled as money will always be an object for me (frugal by nature I'm afraid, you can take the boy out of the country...).

The difference for me now is that I can travel (to even far-flung destinations) to pursue my passions if I so chose. Hotels and plane fares are no-longer entirely prohibitive (I still need reasonable!) and even trespass fees wouldn't stop me now. No more shoe-string vacations for me (no more car camping, tenting, crappy food and dumpy motels {unless there are no other reasonable options}).

While I can, I'd like to try a few things on for size. I'm so used to doing it all for myself and pinching pennies that it will take some adjustment but...I'm ready to live a little (at least in this sense).

Bill Gates told a story about Warren Buffet where he asked him out for breakfast. He took him to McDonald’s. Used a coupon.


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Old habits are hard to break.

I was on a trip along the Kansas/ Oklahoma border chasing chickens and quail.
Stayed in a converted bank that had horse stalls for rooms, with an open shared bathroom at the rear of the bank lobby.
All rooms open to the ceiling above the stall panels.
Protection Kansas as I recall.
12$/night
Those were the days.
The oil and gas boom (to include fracking) comes along, and I doubt you can find a room within 300 miles of there in any direction for less than 125 bucks a night now.

We find if hunting the golden triangle near Mitchell, South Dakota, you just can’t beat the deal that the big chains offer around there for rooms. Breakfast included as well.
I use a Choice loyalty card, and about every 6 nights I get a free one.

If you choose to go to Argentina for doves, I can highly recommend Miles & Miles Argentina. I am 84 and while I haven't been for 12+ years, I have gone with them 5 or 6 times.

I can also recommend driven grouse shooting in Scotland, peacock bass in Brazil, trout fishing in Patagonia, a combo trip of rainbow trout, salmon fishing and Ptarmigan in Alaska, and mixed bird shooting in S. Africa.

Those are in addition to the wonderful things you can do in this country.

There was a previous thread that had something to do with moving to greener pastures. If that's still in the cards, I'd put the trips on hold for a few years, and spend that time setting up a man cave, establishing longer term healthcare provider(s), and easing into local hunting and fishing contacts. There are places in the country that have world class fishing and hunting, close to 'home'. Then, hit the trips and hotels, heck, maybe even pull a hunting motel for off the beaten path, while you still can, lol.

In retrospect I traveled to Argentina during the golden era, for me at least. Four days of high volume doves, great meals and accommodations, air fare, tips and shells for just over $5K.

It costs that much to plant a 25 acre sunflower field here, and you might get a couple good shoots on it, if you're lucky.

I haven't checked, but I'll bet you can't do that trip now, and shoot 5250 rounds, for twice that amount.

I had a thought early this morning that stopped me cold, I might be wrong but I'd have to guess that the best hunting and fishing options are still right here (in the good ole' USofA), and for the most part (still) the best gun laws remain here as well.

I'll happily go on some adventures but it's sure nice to know that it all still exists here for me to return to.

I shot in Argentina a few times in the late 80’s.

It was simply unbelievable. I was “limited” to 250 ducks per day.
5-700 pigeons per day was the norm. I will not even comment on dove numbers but kept two Perazzi’s warm day after day. The trips were inexpensive and shells 8.00 per box. My shell bill was staggering even at those prices.

I had one boy to carry ammo, water etc, one to drop shells into gun and change out guns when they started getting hot, and one to count birds as they fell.

I don’t think that could happen today.

Imagine shooting driven Emperor penguins down in AntArctica.
They could be driven with snowmobiles, and you could mow them down with a fifty like a video game until you either froze, or ran out of ammo.

Kind of like the long range baboon shooters, only colder.

You were there in the days of Austral currency. Inflation was hyper in Argentina much of the time; the dollar was King. We were there a few times in those years, would spend a few days in Buenos Aires also. Had a heck of a reasonably priced good time.