matt vejar
AH veteran
Just returned from Algar Safaris on a Ram hunt with some other game hunted. My first trip to Argentina in 2015 resulted in some good game taken but overall the hunt had some major glitches and was not a fun hunt as my wife vowed not to return to Argentina! Anyways I figured one more time so solo I went. Algar Safaris has a solid reputation and I almost went with them the first time,but opted for the other outfitter and unfortunately payed the price!
Algar’s service,lodging,food and hunting is five-star by any standard. Throw in a staff that is five-star and well”you get the picture”. They have a higher daily rate than most, but it is justified in my opinion if your into top notch! Had one wife in camp for two evenings as she had done organized activities in Bariloche ( spa, cooking class etc) while husband hunted. Loved it. If your wife hunts this is the place for her.
The hunting is not that difficult. Open country nothing overly steep. I would say the 30,000 fenced area which is divided into ten or so blocks would be on par to New Zealand estate hunting without the mountains. Deep ravens and big flats with rolling country makes up most of it and the 50,000 acres of free range. Plenty of good roads to get you close. Sage brush looking country like our western states.
To the hunt Day 1.First up a Mouflan, Patagonia Dall Ram and Wild boar. We would hunt in the estate as the chance for the rams in free- range was low odds. We spot some rams and the hunt is on. Wind blowing 20+ and spitting some wet snow. We close the distance after a 400 yd stock. I’m winded as animals kept moving and I miss the 150 yd shot kneeling with gun on the sticks! I blow it off as tough conditions. Back to the truck where we relocate the band that ran over the top of a big hill. This time we sneak onto them and at 100 yds I shoot and ram drops, jumps up and we never see him again. We latter surmise that my shot must have hit his horn and temporarily stunned him. In the open country no way you could not find him as spent next day looking and no blood where animal was standing.
Ok so day 2 starting over. We find an old ram we saw the day before driving back to camp. We park on road sneak up a bit. No wind, glorious day, hundred your facing straight towards. I pull the shot grazing the shoulder, stomach and two hours later and a missed broadside shot at two hundred yards, I tell the guide (Lucio) if we see him on his side of truck grab the gun and finish him. We’re sitting looking for him in a ravine he should be crossing. Doesn’t show. We start to move up road and I see him coming up behind us as I glance through the back window! Ram runs as guide grabs gun and jumps over barbed wire fence. Shoots him as ram stops at bottom of ravine maybe 100 yds. Old ram with no teeth, broken horn and massive bases for a Mouflon. Moral of the story- guide saved my bacon on this one!!!
Next morning we go to free range country looking for boar and maybe a cull stag. Clear, cold morning no wind. We spot a nice stag and he says it will go as a cull. We drive past as we let stag move down the hill and out of site. We then stalk toward stag, side hilling it. We spot stag an up goes sticks. Stag feeds towards us, sees us and as he raises head to stare, I break his neck. Maybe 80 yds.
We call to tell them where stag is as we get a call from a guide named Juan who has spotted a big boar and his clients are not interested in taking it. 20 minutes later we’re pulling up to them and they tell us where they last so him. We make are way and as we park to look down ravine, I spot some walking down road 100 yds away. They are unaware and we begin stalk. We stay on road as they go around little ridge. We hurry on road then cut to the the top of ridge maybe 100 yds total. As we pick over a little pig sees us and alerts the others. The boar is below them and jogs up stopping some 70 yds away. He is queuing to slightly and at the shot which hits just where the leg starts, below heart, shot spins the boar and now he running almost directly towards us,guide is yelling shoot , next shot hits behind shoulder 6”, but slows him down. Next shot at 15 yds catches brain and he drops. Very exciting to say the least!!! Weighs 98.6 kgs and 6.5” tusks. Pure strain Eurasian boar. Commonly called Russian boar. I’m really happy!
Day 3 we’re after Patagonia Dall ram. Several stalks and missed shots got we thinking- I’ve never shot this bad. Guide says I’m pulling everything to right and not squeezing trigger. Ok I’m gonna focus more! Ha ha. We spot a good ram out on the flats. He says they will run if we get out and try to sneak up as flat as a board and 6” high sagebrush-it’s huge so I tell him I’ll shoot from truck. Heart shot at 100 yds. It is big as left horn growing into skull. Lamb tips broke off. Teeth well worn but not nearly as old as Mouflon. It’s Gold Medal ram he says. Turns out to be 27” on long horn. I’m really happy.
It’s been a great hunt meeting 5 other really cool hunters and food, drinks, stories and camaraderie like no other hunt I’ve been on. Each day someone knocks of something big. I’m not shooting the big estate stags like the others but just seeing and holding them adds to the fun. They really are heavy when they are over 450” class as most were with one 505”. Last day we’re looking for one more Boar! We don’t find one but spot a cull stag at about 250 yds moving up a hill and I make one of my best shots ever. Funny how things change when you squeeze the trigger!!
The hunt is over and everyone is extremely happy with their hunt. I can’t express how impressed I was with Algar Safaris. Whether Monster Estate stags or free-range stags and boar are your thing they have you covered. Definitely on par with New Zealand. Largest was 600 + inches this year. Mariano Fernandez and his wife and all staff are top tier!
Choosing the right outfitters makes all the difference!! My wife would have loved this!!!
Algar’s service,lodging,food and hunting is five-star by any standard. Throw in a staff that is five-star and well”you get the picture”. They have a higher daily rate than most, but it is justified in my opinion if your into top notch! Had one wife in camp for two evenings as she had done organized activities in Bariloche ( spa, cooking class etc) while husband hunted. Loved it. If your wife hunts this is the place for her.
The hunting is not that difficult. Open country nothing overly steep. I would say the 30,000 fenced area which is divided into ten or so blocks would be on par to New Zealand estate hunting without the mountains. Deep ravens and big flats with rolling country makes up most of it and the 50,000 acres of free range. Plenty of good roads to get you close. Sage brush looking country like our western states.
To the hunt Day 1.First up a Mouflan, Patagonia Dall Ram and Wild boar. We would hunt in the estate as the chance for the rams in free- range was low odds. We spot some rams and the hunt is on. Wind blowing 20+ and spitting some wet snow. We close the distance after a 400 yd stock. I’m winded as animals kept moving and I miss the 150 yd shot kneeling with gun on the sticks! I blow it off as tough conditions. Back to the truck where we relocate the band that ran over the top of a big hill. This time we sneak onto them and at 100 yds I shoot and ram drops, jumps up and we never see him again. We latter surmise that my shot must have hit his horn and temporarily stunned him. In the open country no way you could not find him as spent next day looking and no blood where animal was standing.
Ok so day 2 starting over. We find an old ram we saw the day before driving back to camp. We park on road sneak up a bit. No wind, glorious day, hundred your facing straight towards. I pull the shot grazing the shoulder, stomach and two hours later and a missed broadside shot at two hundred yards, I tell the guide (Lucio) if we see him on his side of truck grab the gun and finish him. We’re sitting looking for him in a ravine he should be crossing. Doesn’t show. We start to move up road and I see him coming up behind us as I glance through the back window! Ram runs as guide grabs gun and jumps over barbed wire fence. Shoots him as ram stops at bottom of ravine maybe 100 yds. Old ram with no teeth, broken horn and massive bases for a Mouflon. Moral of the story- guide saved my bacon on this one!!!
Next morning we go to free range country looking for boar and maybe a cull stag. Clear, cold morning no wind. We spot a nice stag and he says it will go as a cull. We drive past as we let stag move down the hill and out of site. We then stalk toward stag, side hilling it. We spot stag an up goes sticks. Stag feeds towards us, sees us and as he raises head to stare, I break his neck. Maybe 80 yds.
Day 3 we’re after Patagonia Dall ram. Several stalks and missed shots got we thinking- I’ve never shot this bad. Guide says I’m pulling everything to right and not squeezing trigger. Ok I’m gonna focus more! Ha ha. We spot a good ram out on the flats. He says they will run if we get out and try to sneak up as flat as a board and 6” high sagebrush-it’s huge so I tell him I’ll shoot from truck. Heart shot at 100 yds. It is big as left horn growing into skull. Lamb tips broke off. Teeth well worn but not nearly as old as Mouflon. It’s Gold Medal ram he says. Turns out to be 27” on long horn. I’m really happy.
The hunt is over and everyone is extremely happy with their hunt. I can’t express how impressed I was with Algar Safaris. Whether Monster Estate stags or free-range stags and boar are your thing they have you covered. Definitely on par with New Zealand. Largest was 600 + inches this year. Mariano Fernandez and his wife and all staff are top tier!
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