Paraguay Pigeon Adventure

Throughout this adventure, you’ll hunt both the Columbus Picazuros and the smaller blue-gray spotted pigeons. The pigeons in the region are considered a pest and the locals welcome our hunters. The pigeons have been known to destroy an entire 70-100 acre field in one day. The countryside is very flat with normally small to medium sized-cultivated fields. Depending on the group and field sizes, we could as well spread the group into several fields so we can give hunters plenty of room to spread out. Generally we will shoot over mostly peanut fields that have recently been harvested. The pigeons normally come in groups of 5-30, making this area heaven for anyone who wants to shoot doubles. Typically, flock after flock of pigeons pour in all morning long and some days the pigeons will fly heavily for two or three hours in the morning, slack off in the middle of the day, and resume flying two or three hours in the afternoon.

A typical day begins with a wake-up call between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. A full breakfast is taken at the hotel before we depart for the shoot between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. The wake-up call and departure time may vary a little depending on the time of year and where we will be hunting pigeons. Most drives to the pigeon areas are within 45 minutes to 1 hour from the hotel. Please understand that we are shooting pigeons and these birds can travel vast distances to feed, so some drives may be 1:30 – 2 hours should you choose to hunt these fields. Once we arrive at the selected field, each hunter will be issued two pick-up boys. Your bird boys will build you a blind and spread out decoys including electronic “pigeon magnets” that work wonderfully, before hiding and retrieving birds that fall outside of your spread. As the shoot goes on, Erik will be constantly checking on the group and checking other fields in the case he needs to changes fields.

Depending on the field we are shooting, we might return to the hotel for lunch but mostly we have lunch in the field at a nearby shady area. Erik is well known for his field lunches, and many of our clients who have hunted with Erik in Colombia or Bolivia know what we are talking about. Usually they’ll grill steaks, chicken or pork. Fresh salads, bread and desserts will round out the meal. Local wines, soft drinks, water and beer are also provided.

Typically, we shoot the same field in the afternoon. If the birds are not coming in to feed in the afternoon, however, we may change locations for the afternoon shoot. Scouting is being done constantly during the day and Erik will put forth the effort to provide good hunting. When the afternoon shoot is over, typically around dusk, we will head back to the hotel where you’ll have time for a drink and a hot shower before dinner. The food, while not gourmet, is hearty and good for this program. Meals are served family-style, with beef, pork, chicken and plenty of vegetables. Salads are also fresh and very good. You will not be hungry.

Boqueron Hotel offers comfortable accommodation in Neu-Halbstadt, Paraguay. The property boasts 22 guest rooms, all elegantly decorated and equipped with modern amenities such as air conditioning, Wi-Fi, cable TV, minibars and more. Facilities and services available to guests staying at the hotel include inclusive breakfasts, Saturday barbeques, and an on-site restaurant serving German and Paraguayan cuisine.