Small Game Hunting in South America
huntersjournal
10/20/10 8:36pm
Get ready for fun in southern South America!
Gently undulating peneplains, pampas, plains, forests, mountain areas, deserts, South America has it all for the small game hunter.
What you should know
Local authorities do not allow hunters to enter ammunition to the countries of the region; you will have to purchase cartridges and bullets in major cities.
If you are planning to go hunting there, request a permit to hunt with no less than a month and a half in advance. Be ready to provide your passport number, country of origin, trademark and serial number of the gun.
To avoid complications, we suggest contacting a travel agency; most operators offer for rent typical hunting weapons:
• 12 gauge shotguns with brenneke
• .308 Winchester
• .44 Magnum
Seasons
Seasons and required permits vary from one province to another and from year to year.
Argentina
ducks: May 1st to Jul 31
geese: May 1st to Aug 15
doves: Jan 1st to Aug 31
hares: Apr 15 to Jun 30
foxes: May 1st to Jul 31
viscachas: May 1st to Aug 31
Uruguay
ducks: May 1st to Sep 15
quails: May 1st to Jun 31
doves: Jan 1st to Aug 31
hares: all year long, less than 10 per day
Chile
ducks: Apr 1st to Jul 31
yeco: Apr 1st to Aug 31
doves: Apr 1st to Aug 15
tinamou: Jun 1st to Jul 31
Some interesting species
You will not need a hunting permit for some species, like hare and parakeet.
Monk parakeets, locally known as “cotorras” (Myiopsitta monachus), are considered to be damaging or harmful wild birds.
With the exception of those species that are reported as detrimental, local laws prohibit at all times the destruction of nests, or the collection of eggs and hatchlings.
Tinamou or Spotted Nothura (Nothura maculosa), “Perdiz, in Spanish.
This bird, prized for its taste, lives across the region. Its eggs have a characteristic chocolate color with a glossy shell. It can fly, but not very well.
Spanish settlers found this bird similar to Europe’s gray partridge (Perdix perdix) and named it Perdiz.
Spotted nothuras breed in spring and summer; which is why it can be hunted during winter.
Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax)
Known as Yeco in Chile and as Biguá in Uruguay, this bird likes to fish in both fresh and saltwater.
With a 1-meter wingspan (40 inches), it is one of the largest birds in the region.
It lives along coastlines from California in the USA to southern South America. In Chile, government allows hunting up to 15 specimens per day.
Tortola or Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata)
Similar to the Mourning dove found in North America, it has two black lines behind the eyes. Easily identifiable by their distinctive oo ah ooooo hoot.
It is so common in some areas that a hunter may shoot hundreds of these doves in a single day. However, they are fast-flying birds with great maneuverability and very suspicious, so you will discover how difficult it is to approach them.
Shiny cowbird (Molotrhus bonariensis) or Blackbird; Mirlo, in Spanish
This parasitic bird does not build nests, but takes control of the nests of other birds to lay eggs and uses the owners as incubators. Only males are completely black or iridescent blue-violet. Females have a brownish hue. It is an inhabitant of the open areas, cultivated fields, slopes of hills or beds of rivers and increasingly common in cities.
Gently undulating peneplains, pampas, plains, forests, mountain areas, deserts, South America has it all for the small game hunter.
What you should know
Local authorities do not allow hunters to enter ammunition to the countries of the region; you will have to purchase cartridges and bullets in major cities.
If you are planning to go hunting there, request a permit to hunt with no less than a month and a half in advance. Be ready to provide your passport number, country of origin, trademark and serial number of the gun.
To avoid complications, we suggest contacting a travel agency; most operators offer for rent typical hunting weapons:
• 12 gauge shotguns with brenneke
• .308 Winchester
• .44 Magnum
Seasons
Seasons and required permits vary from one province to another and from year to year.
Argentina
ducks: May 1st to Jul 31
geese: May 1st to Aug 15
doves: Jan 1st to Aug 31
hares: Apr 15 to Jun 30
foxes: May 1st to Jul 31
viscachas: May 1st to Aug 31
Uruguay
ducks: May 1st to Sep 15
quails: May 1st to Jun 31
doves: Jan 1st to Aug 31
hares: all year long, less than 10 per day
Chile
ducks: Apr 1st to Jul 31
yeco: Apr 1st to Aug 31
doves: Apr 1st to Aug 15
tinamou: Jun 1st to Jul 31
Some interesting species
You will not need a hunting permit for some species, like hare and parakeet.
Monk parakeets, locally known as “cotorras” (Myiopsitta monachus), are considered to be damaging or harmful wild birds.
With the exception of those species that are reported as detrimental, local laws prohibit at all times the destruction of nests, or the collection of eggs and hatchlings.
Tinamou or Spotted Nothura (Nothura maculosa), “Perdiz, in Spanish.
This bird, prized for its taste, lives across the region. Its eggs have a characteristic chocolate color with a glossy shell. It can fly, but not very well.
Spanish settlers found this bird similar to Europe’s gray partridge (Perdix perdix) and named it Perdiz.
Spotted nothuras breed in spring and summer; which is why it can be hunted during winter.
Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax)
Known as Yeco in Chile and as Biguá in Uruguay, this bird likes to fish in both fresh and saltwater.
With a 1-meter wingspan (40 inches), it is one of the largest birds in the region.
It lives along coastlines from California in the USA to southern South America. In Chile, government allows hunting up to 15 specimens per day.
Tortola or Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata)
Similar to the Mourning dove found in North America, it has two black lines behind the eyes. Easily identifiable by their distinctive oo ah ooooo hoot.
It is so common in some areas that a hunter may shoot hundreds of these doves in a single day. However, they are fast-flying birds with great maneuverability and very suspicious, so you will discover how difficult it is to approach them.
Shiny cowbird (Molotrhus bonariensis) or Blackbird; Mirlo, in Spanish
This parasitic bird does not build nests, but takes control of the nests of other birds to lay eggs and uses the owners as incubators. Only males are completely black or iridescent blue-violet. Females have a brownish hue. It is an inhabitant of the open areas, cultivated fields, slopes of hills or beds of rivers and increasingly common in cities.
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