Flying High
Bruce McArthur is an SCI member from Florida
When most people think of Peru, they think of Machu Picchu, the city of Cusco and alpacas. However, to a waterfowl enthusiast, Peru’s Pacific coast is known for the world’s greatest concentration of cinnamon teal. And the lakes of the Andes Mountains have waterfowl species not available anywhere else in the world.
While walking the aisles of the SCI Convention this past February, I stumbled into the GetDucks.com booth. I visited with Anita and Ramsey Russell, who showed me photos and videos of Ramsey’s waterfowl hunt in Peru. I booked the trip on the spot for August 2024.
I arrived in Lima and met my guide, Angelo Tavera, the owner of outfitter Chaku Peru. We first traveled north to pick up the bird boys and then to Chimbote, a small seaside town that would act as base camp for the first leg of my trip. Our accommodation consisted of an old hospital converted into a hotel. Sleeping in an old hospital was a little creepy, but the thought of duck hunting soon put me at ease.
The first morning hunt, we set up on a freshwater lagoon near town. As the sun rose, wave after wave of ducks swung by our blind. Watching the ducks was incredible, and I almost forgot why I was there. By 8 a.m. I had collected 19 cinnamon teal and figured that was enough for the first morning. The beauty of these birds was unique. The colors were deep, bright red and the most colorful cinnamon teal I had ever seen. It was a fantastic start to my Peruvian adventure.
After having lunch at a local restaurant, we headed out to a different location on the lagoon for the afternoon hunt. My outfitter told me I would have a chance at a white-cheeked pintail at this location, a species I had never taken before. The afternoon hunt was fantastic, and I ended up with 21 ducks, including cinnamon teal and the white-cheeked pintails I was hoping for.
We moved to yet another spot the following and final morning. There, I bagged 25 cinnamon teal and white-cheeked pintails. After the hunt, we gave the birds to the locals, who greatly appreciated them.
After lunch, we packed our bags and headed south to Angelo’s home, where we dropped off the bird boys and spent the night.
We awoke early the following morning and started the long drive up into the Andes Mountains to the town of Santo Rosario. Along the way, we passed a road sign that showed us to be at an elevation of 4,780 meters (about 15,600 feet). After what seemed like forever, we finally arrived at the first mountain lake.
Being a Florida lowlander, I was unprepared to hunt at these altitudes. But I was very thankful to my doctor for providing me with Acetazolamide to combat altitude sickness. During the seven hours we spent at that altitude, I never had any problems other than shortness of breath on uphill climbs.
When we reached the first alpine lake, Angelo spotted a crested duck from the truck about the size of a mallard. Using boulders as cover, I crept within shotgun range and harvested my first Andes waterfowl species.
At a larger lake higher up the mountain, we saw an Andean goose. Against a brown background of mountains, this large, white-bodied goose with a short bill was easy — even for me — to see. After several attempts to get within shotgun range, I was able to add one to the bag.
We followed up with a yellow-billed teal. To harvest this bird, I had to walk 200 yards to get to a bluff overlooking a small stream where Angelo had spotted the duck. Angelo had an amazing eye for seeing ducks. I would have passed it myself, thinking it was just another rock. I will admit that getting within range of these birds tired me out at this altitude. Thankfully, the duck waited for me to arrive before attempting to fly. Due to his mistake, I added another species to my list.
The final duck species we were after was the Puna teal. Though we saw several, most remained safely in the center of the lakes well outside of range. However, the one bird I really wanted to get was the giant coot. I had to crawl on my hands and knees more than once to get close. Every time I would get within range, they would see movement and fly off to another part of the lake. But my persistence paid off as I caught one near the shoreline and harvested my first giant coot.
The ride back was an adventure on a one-lane dirt road with no guard rails and hundreds of feet of vertical drop. I would never have considered driving this road in the dark, but Angelo was a great driver, and I never had any concerns. If heights bother you, you don’t want to make this trip!
After a good night’s sleep, I opted to shoot dove the next day. Traveling to a persimmon grove about an hour from Angelo’s house, we got set up just as the sun rose. It wasn’t long before doves were flying in all directions. My bag included the eared dove, as well as the West Peruvian dove and the golden-spotted ground dove, two species I had not encountered before.
That put an end to my hunt in Peru, and that night, I had an overnight flight back home.
I had a fantastic adventure in Peru that I will never forget and would do again in a heartbeat. If you ever have the chance to go, you should consider it. It’s a wonderful experience.