Have Parker will travel

[Mark Kircher]

Hunting threads are few and far between this time of year so I am posting some old pics with recurring thoughts.

I have been fortunate enough to take two trips to Argentina – different venues but similar bird counts – essentially all you want. In retrospect I was a bit gluttonous, but I did restrain myself from counting and competitions to see who could stack up the most. Mostly is was just pure wing shooting without the normal breaks in between opportunities. We shot Doves, Pigeons, Ducks and Perdiz, but surprisingly, the most prized was the Parakeet! They live wild there and build nests around the telephone and electric wires on the poles. This causes failures and they are viewed as pests. I never saw bigger smiles or heard louder cheers from the guides or bird boys then when we knocked down one of the “keets.” It was all big fun and I would love to return someday.

What may prevent that from happening is the inability of taking a Parker. My first trip was in 2005 (pictures from this trip), I traveled with my 20 bore GHE 28” we flew into the Cordoba area. I remember it was smooth – customs was customs - we waited an hour or so but it was not a big deal. The next was in 2009 and things had tighten up considerably – the temperament was different. We were stopped on the highways at checkpoints and customs was not fun. I had “Connie” my 1903 20 bore DH 28” and I remember packing her carefully – I also remember the customs agent actually tossing it back in the travel case - when I reached out and commented I was reprimanded harshly. A disappointing memory from what was otherwise a special adventure.

Fast forward to 2015 and my two friends pictured in the tent photo with me went back again. They left with two guns. They returned with one. There is now an Ithaca Classic double somewhere between JFK and Argentina. A shame but a reality. I just don’t know if the political climate will ever allow me to return as I am a bit of a hard head. When I think of hunting I always think about my own gun(s). I have never really envision a hunt where I did not use my own iron. I would love to go back, but not at the expense of losing a Parker. We are still blessed here in the USA (actually all of North America) -boundless opportunities and relatively low stress for gun travel. I expect I will just hunt here for a while longer.