July ennui

[Fred Preston]

Is autumn here yet?

[Don Kaas]

The perfect antidote for July ennui is a trip to Argentina. My friend Russ Bickel, PGCA member Don Horneff and his pal Tom Keller (and 3 Parkers-12,16,20, 2 Winchester M21s 12,20 and 2 Kreighoffs both 20s) spent a week in central Buenos Aires province doing 5 days of duck hunting. Plenty of ducks, plenty of food and wine and first class accomodations just a 2 hour ride from the airport. We took 9 different species of ducks, saw many other magnificent species of bird life (the lines of flamingos passing in the setting sunlight were forever memorable) and had a ball. The worst drought in 83 years in the country seems to have broken as the day before our arrival they had 2 1/2" of rain and the dirt roads were a bit soggy but the Toyotas got us to the blinds. A highly recommended therapy to bridge the hunters gap between January and September. We now begin planning for our week on the St.Lawrence in Quebec in late September (and loading some short 10s for the hammer Parkers) and bracing ourselves to hear Destry's stories...all over again... "When I was a goose guide with dem boys down in Southern Illinois, etc., etc."

[Bill Murphy]

What is a good method of cooking the flamingos, or is it flamingoes? Is the meat pink like the feathers?

[Don Kaas]

Dan Qualyle always spelled it "flamingoes"...

[Destry L. Hoffard]

Bill,

I was all keen to shoot one of them big pink things when I was down there last summer but we never saw any I'm sad to say.

I did help out with controling the cormorant population killing at least 20 or so in the course of the week. The guides encourage it as they eat up the fish in the lakes so badly. Legal there of course, unlike here in the states.

Don,

I ain't telling you no more stories, I'll just bring a book and read in the evenings. *sniff*


Destry

[Donald Horneff]

Don, it was a great trip. Let's try to do it again. I did get several photos of the sun on the flamingos and I'll forward them.

I spoke with Dick Hill yesterday and he advised his group did very well with Brian and Maxi. They did lose part of a day as it rained 4". Dick said the roads were like"grease" as we well found out.

Destry, they wouldn't allow us to shoot the cormies this time, per the authorities. We think we have a lot here in NJ but nothing like we saw there in the late afternoon.

If there was a downside to the trip it was the lack of 16 shells. Perhaps Brian can do better "proximo ano".

Keep Safe!