Most lodges you call directly are going to tell you they have the best hunting/fishing and accommodations and they may.  But you won’t know for sure until you arrive at the location, and that may be too late.�
This is where a quality booking agent can be essential.  Booking agents are impartial and can choose the lodges they want to work with, giving them little incentive to send you to a lodge that will not provide you with a good experience. If you have a bad experience, you are not likely to book another trip.  Just make sure to ask if the agent has personally been to, or sent a significant number of customers to the location in the past.  You don’t want to be the first!  

Does it cost me more to use a booking agent?

Absolutely not!  The great thing about booking your trip though a reputable agent is that it’s free.  Booking agents are paid a commission by the lodges and you pay the same price you would pay if you went directly to the lodge.  If you are going to a fishing lodge in Ontario, you should be able to go directly to the lodge’s website and the pricing should be identical to what you are paying the booking agent you are working with.

Ben Holbrook
Gage Outdoor Expeditions

I would like to start out with a hearty “Thank You” to Gage Outdoors for organizing a trip of a lifetime.  Upon their recommendation a hunt for red stag in Bariloche Argentina was arranged.  From the very first phone call, Ben Holbrook of Gage Outdoors was extremely helpful in answering all of my questions and addressing my concerns.  Whenever Ben was unsure of any of my inquiries, he contacted someone that could answer and Ben swiftly returned my phone call or email.

At the age of 63, I have for many years yearned for an old fashion horseback hunt in the mountains. Wow! Did this trip fulfill all of my wishes.  The scenery was spectacular, the guides were extremely knowledgable and genuinely interested in my success. They knew when to push me along and when to stop and  let me catch my breath. 

The animal sightings were plentiful and due to the weather, I was fortunate to be present during the roar.  Several stalks were successful and the guides took the time to patiently describe the good and bad points of each stag.  Finally on the fourth day, I pulled the trigger.

Every night we returned to the camp with a roaring fire and a hearty meal awaiting us.  The guides visited with us each night discussing the days events and making sure that we were satisfied with each outing.

Again, thank you Gage Outdoors, Ben Holbrook and all of the people in the Bariloche camp.

Argentina was great from the food to the house that we stay in and of course the duck hunts were the best    John c.

Great Argentina duck hunt!

I wanted to thank you for your help with our recent trip to Argentina.  This was definitely a hunt of a lifetime, and will not be forgotten.  The accommodations, staff, food, and especially the hunting, were first class all the way around.  I have always dreamed of dove hunting Argentina, and Gage Outdoors couldn’t have done a better job of making this dream a reality.  I don’t know how many dove were shot while we were there, but I know the number was well over 12,000 birds. We had 4 of the hunters in our group, including myself, achieve the 1,000 bird club.  Cano, our host, did a great job of making us feel right at home as soon as we got to the lodge.  He did a superb job of ensuring that everyone, including the non-hunters, were well attended to and had every need satisfied. 

Many of the people that I have talked to are surprised how affordable that this trip really is, and others that I have talked to said they paid over double our price with other outfitters.  I know I can speak for our entire group that we were more than satisfied with our trip and talked about planning our next trip all the way back home.  Thanks again to Cano, yourself, and the entire staff that assisted in our trip.  We couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Best regards,

Aaron Rathbone

Our 9 year old son “Hunter” and I just returned from our spring break trip to Argentina.  As you can see in the pictures below, Hunter worked hard with his 28 gauge Franchi shotgun trying to help rid the Argentine’s from their “la peste de palomas” (plague of doves).  We shot over 5000 rounds in 4 days and Hunter killed over a thousand doves in a single day which earned him a membership into the 1000 dove club (he hasn’t taken his hat off since!).  The local Argentines were so happy that we were helping to control the “ratas con alas” (rats with wings) that they treated us with feasts of grass-fed Argentine beef tenderloin each day and provided me with all the Malbec red wine that I could drink.  We would take mid-day breaks on hammocks lying in the warm Argentine sun but then it was back to our duty in the afternoon.  We did take off one day mid-week to rest our shoulders and enjoyed some phenomenal “dorado” fishing in the Uraguay river.  Not only are they the “hardest fighting freshwater fish in the world” but they are also one of the best tasting!  We caught and released over 20 fish but kept several for shore lunch. On the last day, we also helped out one of the local pecan farmers by thinning some of the thousands of wild parrots/parakeets that were devastating his pecan crop.  I hate to use the term “heros” but we did leave a lasting impression upon the Argentine people.  Unfortunately, our trip was not a complete success…there were still over 50 million doves still filling the sky’s of the Entre Rios providence of Argentina when we left.  It is a mission that will require our efforts again next year…anyone up for some philanthropic work in South America?

Jeff Strauss just returned from a successful Red Stag Hunt in Argentina with Gage Outdoor.  He was nice enough to send us some pictures and details about the hunt.  Enjoy!

As for the highlights… let’s just say this hunt is not a layup, you had to hunt for them. On day one, I saw a massive stag while we riding into the area where we were planning on setting up. Let’s just say Murphy’s law was in effect and I wasn’t able to pull that one together but God what an animal, as he had mass, width and lots of points. Day 2 the snow and rain came down, making for rough go of it in the morning. Went back to the lodge at noon to grab some lunch, rest up and dry out. Around 3 we headed back out this time to hunt higher up with the horses again. As the guide and I were making our way through the woods, he stopped by a small stream to let his horse grab a quick drink and I start scanning the woods ahead. Out of no where, I see a massive stag about 80 yds away in the timber. Alert the guide, he passes my rifle to me and after a little belly crawl, take a rest on a dead tree to make a good shoulder shot on a beautiful 14 point stag! He was not as big as the one that I had seen the day before but none the less a beautiful animal. 

All in all, it was one of the most exciting and beautiful places that I have ever hunted. I truly enjoyed every minute of the hunt and had said to the guides on numerous occasion, that I was just happy to be there and getting a stag would be a bonus. Fortunately for me it all worked and I got what I consider a trophy of a lifetime.  

Jeff

7 day fully guided all inclusive fishing package on the famous Wolloston Lake July 1-8, 2011

This 7 day package is $3,350 – the regular price for a 4 day trip!

Contact Us today to check availability and get more details!

Dan Alderman

Chet Dunn and friends just returned from an exciting trip to Argentina for some high Volume dove shooting.
The guys took advantage of the dove hunting special Gage Outdoor Expeditions has going at the new Lodge in Entre Rios province.