Archery Adrenaline

Free-Range Fallow Deer Hunt in Patagonia Is A Big Draw

By Rew Goodenow

Walking around the SCI Convention in 2023, I must have absent-mindedly dropped a business card into a Catena Safaris raffle. Several months later, a notification appeared in my inbox saying I’d won a hunt in Argentina. It came as a complete surprise. I’ve won so many gun raffles that they are starting to become gifts to my sons-in-law. But I never won a hunt until now.

There’s a first time for everything. This was also the first, but not the last, visit to Argentina. It’s a place of warm hospitality, easy-going, friendly people, excellent food and wine. And plentiful game.

The singular plan and focus for this hunt became fallow deer. Sure, most people want a chance to hunt the massive, majestic stag that Catena Safaris offers in abundance. The surefire way to see lots of stags, though, is to be hunting something else. During the course of the hunt, I would see many stags within archery range, so close that I could smell them and hear them breathing. The roaring was unbelievable. Somehow, I managed to resist the temptation to take one home. FOCUS!

There are certain realities archery hunters confront. One of those is that if you don’t sit in a tree stand, then you’ll want some knee pads. Silvio Kuhn, my guide at Catena’s Andalen Lodge, is an experienced archery guide. He started every morning right out of the gate by testing the wind with a bottle of wind checker.

After that, the conditions dictated the hunt. We’d walk for several miles and survey the landscape. Low brush and trees made spot-and-stalk hunting difficult, so we kept to the clearings. Within the first half hour, we would spot deer, make a plan and begin to sneak. Most days, the sneak was a 100-yard crawl through thick brush, burrs and thorns as long as your index finger.

On the second day, I missed a 65-yard shot. There had not been time to properly range the shot, and my yardage was off. Last fall’s practice for a sheep hunt was great preparation for this hunt. I’d been working on a maximum of 75 to 80 yards.

There’s no substitute for regular practice. Good archery equipment can certainly improve your odds. I can’t say enough good things about the Mathews Solocam bow. I use a Mathews sight with a peep sight and pair that with Gold Tip Carbon arrows and Muzzy broadheads. The rangefinder is also a must. It helps a lot when your guide, like Silvio, also carries a range finder.

On the third day of the hunt, we spotted two huge fallow bucks lounging by a small waterhole. The problem was that they were on the other side of a pasture fence. We had to detour out of sight to avoid detection as we hopped the fence. We then began a 200-yard belly crawl. It’s great for strength training and weight loss!

 

The rising sun was burning off the morning fog. We were running out of cover. Using a small bush to shield us, we crawled to within 75 yards of the small hill where the two bucks lay. Fortunately, the wind was in our favor. The bucks were watching downhill as we approached. We could go no further. We reached a small bush and stopped. We waited.

Silvio looked back at me. He crouched behind the bush and nodded his approval. Lowering his rangefinder, he held up seven fingers, then five. The last two pins on my site were marked at 70 and 80 yards.

What happened next seemed like it lasted half an hour, but it was only seconds. I nocked an arrow and prepared to stand. The bucks were still looking downhill.

The fallow deer rut was just starting, and the roar was just ending. Hinds, with their watchful eyes, were everywhere. Every twig snap and movement resulted in an alert posture and swift hoofbeats. So, as we approached our target, we took extra care.

I stood, drew and aimed. I had a clear shot. Silvio whistled loudly, and the bucks stood up.

The buck to the left was the right buck, confusingly enough. Target acquired, I let the arrow fly and heard it connect. Both bucks then disappeared over the hill. When only one of them reappeared several hundred yards off, I knew that the hunt was a success. We nodded to each other and waited.

After a few moments, we crested the hill and found the buck down about 40 yards ahead with the arrow lodged in his heart. It was a good, clean shot. We admired the beautiful animal.

The fallow buck measured 209 5/8. Good enough for the SCI Record Book. Having taken the measuring course during the SCI Convention in 2012, it was obvious this was an old, respectable representation of the species. Later, after calling the Record Book office in San Antonio, Texas, it became clear that this trophy deserved to be documented.

Catena’s Andalen Lodge hosted quite a celebration that night. There were four other hunters, all of whom had harvested very nice stag. We enjoyed stories and sipped, or chugged, drinks by the fire and ate an excellent meal, which included fallow deer ribs roasted over an open fire.

The Andalen Lodge is the perfect place to enjoy a hunt with a group. There are large, comfortable rooms surrounding a huge great room with a walk-in fireplace. Right in front of the fireplace lies a glass-roofed wine cellar accessible by using a circular staircase.

Breakfast at 7 a.m. was ample. During the day, we generally returned to the lodge for a hearty lunch and a siesta. The dinners were something to write about. Real culinary skill matched great service. The chef could hold his own in any fine restaurant in the U.S.

We ate wild game, such as stag preparations in wine reduction and many local cuisine treats, like the chipas, an Argentinean cheese bread, which is one of my personal favorites served by many Argentine steakhouses in the U.S. To have it here in its native land was a treat.

As every hunter knows, the best thing about hunting is camaraderie. Our group drank and laughed a lot. The conversation was led each night by Santiago, a recovering lawyer turned guide, who was the lead guide and organized the daily hunts.

I found this system to be very helpful, convenient and conducive to a more enjoyable hunt. There’s just no adequate way to express the feeling attained through a hard and successful hunt followed by good company, so I’ll just conclude by saying vamos to Argentina.

Rew Goodenow of Reno, Nevada, is a Life member and Chair of the Safari Club International Legal Committee.