Episode 726: The One About Big Game Hunting Argentina

What this episode covers

My friend Jeff Barstad and I go back about a dozen years. A friendship forged on a thermal hog hunt that lead to shared deer leases and a growing list of international hunting adventures. We take a look back at some of our experiences from our Oklahoma deer lease and sleepless nights spent in a mouse and rat infested camper to some of our big game trips overseas. Jeff is a veteran of 3 African Safaris and most recently, he joined myself and some other friends on our maiden voyage to South America. We relive some of our favorite moments and hunts on safari together from stinky old waterbucks to seeing who could spit dried kudu pellets the furthest in the pub of our South African hunting camp. More recently, however we discuss our recent trip to Argentina in search of red stag. The ‘roar’ (rut) for these elk sized deer occurs in the mid spring (it’s fall south of the equator). Did the trip and hunting live up to expectations? How did I vet our outfitter before taking 7 good friends to Argentina having never been to Estancia El Carrizal myself? I think we both gained weight on this one as the red meat and Malbecs Argentina is known for were better than advertised. Strangely enough, the area we hunted eerily reminded us of South Texas as far as climate and vegetation were concerned. We talk about the red stag hunting and then spend a healthy amount of time rehashing my water buffalo hunt that Jeff and his PH joined myself and my PH Alvaro on. It was by chance that it worked out but I was sure glad to have Jeff on that wild ass adventure pursuing the toughest animal I’ve ever hunted. (Jeff’s beauty of a red stag) (The 8 of us with our trophies at Estancia El Carrizal)