Argentina is the destination for hunting when the season is closed back home: the southern hemisphere has the opposite calendar to ours, so you hunt during our spring and summer months.
The country is huge (about 3,700 km from north to south) and bird hunting is concentrated mainly on the farmland and wetlands of the pampas region: industry sources mention Entre Ríos and Santa Fe for ducks and partridge, Córdoba for doves, and Buenos Aires province for a bit of everything. Big-game hunting takes place elsewhere, for example in La Pampa.
The package on Wildoora takes place in the province of Entre Ríos, about 3 hours from Buenos Aires international airport (Ezeiza), with a five-day programme hunting ducks, partridge, hares, doves and snipe.
You normally hunt with guides and lodge staff, with trained dogs for partridge and prepared stands for doves and ducks. It is an intercontinental trip that needs a little more organisation (guns, documents, flights), but the agency assists you at every step.
The published package covers the period from 10 May to 10 August. In the southern hemisphere the season is the opposite of ours: the local calendar must be reconfirmed each year and the agency indicates the available days. As a general idea, operators quote May to August for ducks, while for doves the windows are wider and vary by province (in some areas they are hunted almost all year). Dates change by species, province and year: always confirm them with the agency.
Argentina is not an EU country: you need a valid passport and, to hunt, your firearms licence and hunting licence from your own country. A travel guide says that for tourist stays under 90 days a visa is normally not required and that the passport must have remaining validity covering the stay: always check the current requirements with official sources.
The temporary import of hunting guns is authorised by the Argentine authority (ANMaC) for those who declare they will hunt in authorised places. The applicant must be at least 21, submit the technical form listing the guns and the forms required for each gun; the authorisation lasts 90 days, with a single extension of another 90 days possible, and the guns must leave the country within that term.
An industry guide quotes a maximum of three guns, or one gun with three sets of barrels; the operator must tell customs and the authorities the hunters' and guns' details in advance, and entry requires the temporary import form, guaranteed by an Argentine resident. Some Argentine consulates ask for a prior permit: ask the agency whether in your case you need to go through the consulate. These rules can change.
We did not find a clear numerical limit on cartridges for tourists in official sources: the ANMaC procedure requires listing the guns and controlled materials, and an industry article mentions a maximum number of cartridges without saying how many. Ask the agency whether it is better to bring your own or buy on site: many lodges sell cartridges locally.
For dove hunting in Córdoba one operator advises planning for at least 1,000 cartridges per day per hunter: consumption can be very high, so ask whether it is better to buy on site.
In most packages you do not need to bring your own dog: many lodges provide trained dogs, for example pointers and retrievers, and partridge are hunted with dogs. For feathered game the breeds mentioned by Italian hunters are pointer, English setter and Brittany.
If you want to bring your own dog, ask the agency about Argentine veterinary rules (SENASA authority) and prepare the return to Europe: from a non-EU country you need a microchip, rabies vaccination, an EU animal health certificate issued by an official vet no more than 10 days before arrival and, for many non-EU countries, a rabies antibody titration test, with a 3-month wait from the blood sample (check the situation for Argentina with your vet). Entry is through a designated travellers' point of entry.
The province of Entre Ríos, home of our package, is cited by industry sources for duck hunting; Santa Fe for ducks and partridge along the Paraná, Córdoba for doves in plains farmed with maize, sunflower, soya and sorghum. In Buenos Aires province ducks, doves and partridge are hunted on both flooded and dry fields.
Hunting is always guided: guides, assistants who retrieve the birds, and trained dogs. For doves you shoot from prepared stands; for partridge you walk with dogs.
Argentina is outside the EU, so specific health rules apply on return when bringing meat and animal products into Italy. In practice the lodge handles the game you shoot; do not pack meat or birds in your luggage without first clarifying with the agency and the veterinary authorities.
For trophies (horns, hides, skulls) EU rules require specific treatment, individual packaging and an official veterinary certificate, with advance notice to the border control post; for some protected species a CITES permit may also be needed. Always ask the agency before booking.
You arrive by intercontinental flight to Buenos Aires (Ezeiza international airport); from there it is about 3 hours by road to our package in Entre Ríos. The agency normally organises the transfer.
The country is mostly temperate; the season months (May to August) are cool, with temperatures quoted by operators of roughly 10 to 21 °C. Bring layered clothing, a good jacket, a hat and waterproof boots; camouflage is allowed.
It depends on the species and on the local hunting calendar. In the published packages the period is from 10 May to 10 August; the agency confirms the exact days when it replies to your request.
You need a document valid for travel abroad (Argentina is not in the European Union). A valid hunting licence is also required: the agency explains what to prepare.
Yes, with the required transport documents (including the European Firearms Pass). Ask the agency for the up-to-date instructions and whether rental is available.
Choose the package and send your booking request. There is no online payment: the agency contacts you directly to confirm dates, details and conditions.
For tourist stays under 90 days Italian citizens normally do not need a visa, but you need a passport with remaining validity covering the whole stay. Always check the current requirements.
Yes, with the European Firearms Pass and temporary entry authorisation (ANMaC): an industry guide quotes up to three guns or one gun with three sets of barrels. The authorisation lasts 90 days, extendable once by another 90. Ask the agency for the up-to-date instructions.
We did not find a clear official limit: ask the agency. Many lodges sell cartridges on site, and consumption in dove hunting can be very high.
Normally no: many lodges have trained dogs, pointers and retrievers. If you want to bring your own, ask about Argentine veterinary rules and consider the return to the EU from a non-EU country, which requires a microchip, rabies vaccination and a health certificate.
May to August is cool: operators quote roughly 10-21 °C. Bring layered clothing, a heavy jacket, a hat and waterproof boots.