Free Range Blackbuck, Axis, Buffalo and Boar

Located in the Province of Buenos Aires, just a short 2 hour from the Ezeiza International airport (EZE), our Buenos Aires Big Game hunting program is based out of our Los Crestones Lodge -a luxurious and sophisticated estancia situated on 60 hectares of pristine Argentine woodlands on the banks of the Salado River.

The mature woodlands and surrounding fertile countryside offers Buenos Aires big game guests a combination of great wingshooting and the best big game hunting in South America.

The lodge is a magnificent Argentine estancia, possessing all the comfort and style you’d expect. Guests sleep in one of 10 elegantly appointed bedrooms, each with a private en suite bathroom. In the evenings, you’ll enjoy exquisite meals and fine Argentine wines in our 5-star dining room.

The largest herds of wild Blackbuck Antelope in the world live not far from the lodge, and right around the lodge you’ll find some of the best wild Axis Deer hunting in the country. Wild boar are found throughout the area and excellent numbers and water buffalo are present as well, in the many wetlands across a number of the ranches.

All guides are big game hunting professionals who know these private lands inside and out. They can organize a hunt and provide an accurate rental rifle. Bowhunters are welcome, but we suggest you allow more time if you’d like to pursue either species with archery equipment.

Los Crestones Lodge offers opportunities to enjoy great bird and big game hunting with the special care and luxury services inherent to this experience.

Big game only trips are also available from May 1 to December 15.
.

THE HUNTING

The Buenos Aires Big Game program is focused on offering the best fair-chase, big game hunting in South America. All species we pursue are completely free-range and wild.
Spotting and stalking is the most common method of hunting for rifle hunters. Archery hunters may also spend some time sitting over travel corridors and watering areas awaiting their quarry to come in.
Drive times vary depending on the selected hunting area, but typically range from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.
Most hunts last all day, with an authentic Asado lunch served in the field. A pair of hunters will be accompanied by one guide. All guides speak English (2x1 guiding). When on horseback, the hunting party will be accompanied by a gaucho (wrangler) who will take care of horses and downed game.
For some of our further hunting locations we offer overnight lodging on different ranch houses in the selected hunting areas. By doing this we avoid long commutes.
Our Blackbuck Antelope herd is one of the largest free range herds in the world.
Axis Deer are pursued across a number of our ranches. As Axis are a subtropical deer, there is no defined rutting season. Bucks will fight and breed all year long. Based upon the time of your visit and our scouting efforts we will decide where your best opportunities are before you arrive.
Wild Boar hunts on horseback with revolvers or lever action rifles can be done very close to the lodge. Day or half day hunts can be arranged. Water Buffalo Hunting is generally about 1 1/2 hours away from the ranch.
After the hunt we take care of the preparation and paperwork for all trophy exports.

SPECIES

BLACKBUCK ANTELOPE

The Blackbuck (Antilope Cervicapra) is a diurnal antelope (active mainly during the day). Blackbuck graze on open fields of low grasses, occasionally browsing as well. Does be- come sexually mature at eight months, but mate no earlier than a year and a half. Bucks mature later, at one-and-a-half years. Like many subtropical game, mating takes place throughout the year. Gestation is typically six months long, after which a single fawn is born. The lifespan is typically 10 to 15 years. They are very prolific and in good years av- erage 1.5 newborn per year.

They have great eyesight and they rely on it much more than their noses that are not as sharp as deer, for example. They are wide open ground animals, avoiding thick wooded areas as much as possible. From the lodge we access some of the finest areas for free range Black Buck and we arrange hunts that can even be done in half a day after an early morning duck hunt. Our leases have antelope by the thousands!

AXIS DEER

The Axis deer, also known as chital, is a species of deer that is native to the Indian sub- continent. The axis is a moderately sized deer. Males reach nearly 35 inches and females 28 inches at the shoulder; the head-and-body length is around 5.6 feet. While bucks weigh from 70 to 180 lb, the lighter females average 70 pounds.

Aaron Anchorena, a wealthy Argentine, brought Axis deer from India as well as Black Buck in the late 19th century. He released them on some of his properties in Argentina and Uruguay. Just like blackbuck they thrived and colonized massive areas of territory. Central eastern Buenos Aires province was one of the original ranges where they were released around 1890.

Today the area has some of the best wild free range populations in South America. Our lodge is located very close to the heart of this big area. This gives our guests the op- portunity to hunt true wild axis deer combined with our fantastic bird hunting, or as a stand alone big game hunt.

WILD BOAR

Wild Boar (Sus Scofa) was the first non-native game animal introduced in Argentina by the early Spanish conquistadores. Later in the 19 century more pure European boars were introduced in Patagonia and central Argentina. Rapidly they expanded through major areas of the country.

The swamps and vast grasslands of the San Borombon Bay are the main habitat for a huge population of wild boar. Buenos Aires Big Game is located only 45 min away from the bay and we have access to thousands of acres of land on the bay and also inland where every year we find more and more pigs.

WATER BUFFALO

Introduced to Argentina over 150 years ago, the asiatic water buffalo quickly adapted and began to thrive. Hunts for trophy water buffalo take place about an hour drive from the main lodge, and we will sometimes use local accommodations to save on driving time each day.

Hunts are spot and stalk, utilizing vehicles and horseback to locate trophy buffalo, and then the stalk will take place on foot, getting in close to place the perfect shot on these bug, dangerous animals.