The Best Bang for your Bird Bucks!
By Michael Boland

There was no need to check the calendar, it was as plain as the nose on the end of your face. The time for the "Wingshooter’s Post Season Blues" to set in was upon us. You know when it hits, about a week after the hoopla of the holidays has subsided. That’s when it usually hits me. The bird seasons in my home state of PA was predictable. The early waterfowl seasons were pretty good until the birds of the year got educated. Four weekends of Game Commission stocked pheasants provided work for the dogs and some good eating, but no particular hunting challenges. The grouse were in yet, another off cycle year. Finally, I finished out the late waterfowl season hoping in vain for a hard freeze in NY to send the birds South. Don’t get me wrong, it was an okay season, but as usual, it went out with a wisper rather, than the Bang! I needed to help me side-step the post season blues and carry my hunter’s spirit to the next Fall and a New Season!

Enter the Laredo Hunt Club of Neuvo Laredo, Mexico (713) 654-0047. The Laredo Hunt Club offers the cure for post season blues with it’s Combination Bird Hunt in Old Mexico. I learned about The Laredo Hunt Club from a friend who has hunted birds in Mexico with them many times. On my friend’s advice, I called The Laredo Hunt Club and spoke with a representative named Andrea, who filled me in on the details. She explained that this is primarily a Quail and Dove Hunt, and when the weather and nature cooperate, waterfowl becomes part of the Combination. The hunt takes place on 20,000+ acres of Mexican Ranchland just 20 miles SW of Laredo, TX. I would stay in an actual Mexican Ranch House that was both Rustic and Comfortable. A large stonewalled sitting room with a massive fireplace, and an oversized table on which meals are served, is the Ranch House’s hub of activity. Sleeping quarters that included tiled bathrooms with showers would provide a place to refresh and recover from a hard day’s hunt.

Andrea told me that many hunters drove directly to the Ranch (only 20 miles from the United States border), while others chose to fly into Laredo International Airport in Laredo, TX. If I chose to fly, a representative of The Laredo Hunt Club would pick me up at the airport; if I drove, they would meet me at a hotel in Laredo and lead the way to the Ranch. I’ve got to tell you that I was getting excited by all that Andrea was describing, but at the same time, I was becoming convinced that a bird hunt in Old Mexico had to be outside of my budget. Rather than continuing to be teased by the thoughts of this hunt, I asked the question that normally ends a hunter’s thoughts of an exotic, out of the country hunt, "How Much?" I was shocked to learn that you can make this trip, Four Days-Three Nights, 6 hunt sessions, including Dove and Quail Licenses, for only $1,495.00 US.

Happy to know this detail, I picked January 17-20 as the dates for my Combination Bird Hunt with The Laredo Hunt Club in Mexico. These Combination hunts are offered from late October thru late November, and again late January thru late February. The Laredo Hunt Club caters to both Corporate America, providing a perfect setting for a memorable hunt and informal business meetings, and also the individual hunter and family or hunting buddy groups. Many well known outdoor journalists and hosts of television outdoor programming has been guests of The Laredo Hunt Club.

As I said at the beginning, the time for the "Wingshooter’s Post Season Blues" to set in was upon me, but for once, I had the remedy! When I would normally be down in the month and beginning to grumble, I was busy packing. Andrea advised me to bring clothing to handle Daytime Temps between 55� to 90� and evening temps of 35� to 65�. Rain would be a 2% outside possibility. I would need sturdy boots for "Walking Up" Quail and good Chaps. About the Chaps; if you’ve got them, take them; if not, buy them. A sturdy pair of Chaps over your regular "Bird" pants is a good combination. "Why Chaps?", you might ask. As Andrea told me about the cover I’d be hunting, "If it doesn’t have thorns, it’s already been eaten!" Take the Chaps! The rest of my gear was standard hunting trip essentials: knife, Gerber tool, sun block, shell bag, blaze orange vest and hat, shooting glasses, leather gloves (Chaps for the hands), and because I planned to hunt ducks, I packed some camo clothing, face mask, blind bag and calls. I also brought my Labrador Retrievers, Gunner & Inca, The Laredo Hunt Club has room for several dogs in their fenced, concrete kennel runs. I was determined to take my dogs, but concerned about the border crossing, customs, and getting them back home at the end of the trip. I called the on duty customs officer at the border in Laredo, TX and I was told that all I would need for documentation on the Labs was their current Rabies Inoculation Certificates. I was ready to go.

I chose to drive to the Ranch and, as promised, a representative of The Laredo Hunt Club met me at La Posada Hotel, about one block from the border crossing. They arrived in a comfortable Surburban to pick up four hunters who had stayed overnight at La Posada Hotel and to lead me to the Ranch. La Posada is a beautiful old hotel and the hunters that spent the night there had the opportunity to spend an enjoyable afternoon and evening, shopping and dining across the Rio Grande Bridge in Old Mexico. If you would like to add a stay at La Posada on either or both ends of your trip, just let La Posada Hotel know and they can make your reservations for you.

The border crossing with my Labradors went smooth as silk. We crossed the Rio Grande and passed right through. In minutes, we were heading down the highway towards the San Antonio Ranch, my home away form home for the next four days! The Laredo Hunt Club manages the San Antonio Ranch for quality bird and deer hunting. As we drove along, I was so excited that I had to force myself to focus on my driving. I was in Mexico, about to begin a four day hunt for Dessert Scaled Quail, Mourning Doves, and Waterfowl, with the most famous hunting club in Old Mexico. As I drove, my excitement level was heading skyward as I thought about 50-100 shots at Quail and Dove per day. I had just gone over in my mind for the third time, the fifteen types of ducks I might encounter on the morning duck hunts when I noticed the turn signal on the Suburban in front of me. We had arrived at the gate to the San Antonio Ranch and as we passed through and headed up the three mile road to the Ranch House, my hunter’s heart pounded in anticipation of the adventure that lay ahead! As we twisted and turned our way up the road through cactus and mesquite, we flushed coveys of Blue Scaled Quail from the roadside and saw Mourning Doves fly from their perches in the Mesquite! Arriving at the Ranch house, young men who would serve as our guides and "Bird Boys" helped us to let our gear moved into our rooms. After a quick change into our hunting duds, we headed to the main house for a welcome meeting with The Laredo Hunt Club consultant, Dr. George Vogt. (Although a Mexican Firearms Permit can be purchased 90 days in advance for $350.00, allowing you to bring your own shotgun to Mexico, few hunters at The Laredo Hunt Club go through this hassle. Remington 870 pumps are included in the price of the hunt and for only $50.00, you can upgrade to a Benelli Auto-Loader. Few hunters pass up the opportunity to shoot a Benelli.) Dr. Vogt, or George as he prefers, watched us choose our shotguns and shotshells, then got information and collected the funds for additional licenses for hunters wanting to hunt waterfowl or javelina. George explained that we would hunt in pairs or groups of three; we would ride to the areas abundant with the game we sought in open hunting trucks. Each truck is driven by a guide familiar with Ranch, and where we would find birds. Assisting the guides are one or two "Bird Boys" whose job is to help spot and retrieve game. George explained further that we were hunting wild, Dessert Scaled Quail, rather than the timid, often "pen raised" Bob Whites that most of us were familiar with back in the United States. He assured us that these birds would be putting our hunting and shooting prowess to the ultimate test. With Benelli in hand and guides assigned, we boarded the hunting trucks which then fanned out across the expanse of the San Antonio Ranch. The Hunt was On!

The action began almost immediately as we encountered coveys of wild Blue Scaled Quail on the fringes and pursued them into the cactus. Thank the Lord for Chaps! In addition to the Quail, we got a lot of shots at Doves and even managed to bag a few! I was well into my second box of shells as the sun began setting over Sierra Madre Mountains in the distant horizon (100 miles) and our hunting truck was turned toward "Home." As we headed in, we caught glimpse of Javalina, wild boars, and saw some unbelievable Whitetail Bucks. I know I saw at least one "Book Buck" from my perch a top the hunting truck!!!

A hot shower and a change into comfortable clothes, and it was time for dinner. The Pound and a half, 1 _ thick rib-eye, grilled over a mesquite fire, proved to be just the preview to a 4 day, 5 star, dining experience. Each meal was more delicious than the Last! After dinner, we made our way outside to the mesquite campfire and relaxed into the most comfortable Mexican Rockers that I have ever sat in; we all took turns describing the wildlife we had encountered and sharing tales of our first afternoon’s pursuit of Quail and Doves. As we all enjoyed the sight and smell of the blazing mesquite, Dr. Vogt treated us to some familiar tunes on his harmonica. Since I had purchased the additional waterfowl licenses and anticipated an early wake up call, I soon headed off for a well earned nights rest.

The First full day at The Laredo Hunt Club started with a hot or cold breakfast (hunter’s choice) of hot bisquits and Mexican scrambled eggs. The pre-dawn drive out to one of the Ranches several lakes was refreshing. We settled into well-brushed blinds, seated on comfortable canvas chairs and listened to the choruses of coyotes as they finished their night’s hunts, with the first hint of dawn, the ducks began dropping in and the action was fast and furious for an hour or more. By the time things slowed down, five hunters had killed 23 ducks including Pintails, Gadwall, Widgeon, Green Wing Teal, Shovelers, and the Ringnecks - the Cinnamon Teal had escaped us! We capped off our duck hunt by shooting doves that came to water, while we awaited the return of the hunting trucks. Upon their arrival, we got out of our camo and into our Chaps and Blaze Orange. We hunted all the way back to the Ranch House, arriving in time for a first class lunch, followed by the traditional Mexican Siesta. About 3 PM, we headed back out for our afternoon hunt, which was a repeat, or our first afternoon’s hunt. Most trucks brought in 15-30 birds (Quail and Doves) at days end. Some of the hunters who came to hunt javalinas were successful and shared the excitement of their hunts with us around the campfire. The bird hunters joked and teased each other about the difficulty of hunting the Desert Scaled Quail. This is a truly a wild bird and while success is affected by weather and the annual health of this coveys, ultimately, it comes down to the hunting abilities of the hunter in his pursuit and his skill with the shotgun when the birds finally flush. The Desert Eco-system is a harsh one, from the thorns and quills of the vegetation to the animals that live in it. This is the classic "Eat or be Eaten" environment. The game animals that live here are masters of camouflages and evasion and that includes the birds you hunt on this Combination Bird Hunt in Old Mexico.

The next morning found us on another of the Ranch’s Lakes, in a brushed blind enjoying the fast and furious morning flight of ducks. The Laredo Hunt Club has a fulltime "DuckPro" whose job it is to maintain the hunting birds, handle The Laredo Hunt Club’s top notch Labrador Retrievers, and most importantly provide hunters with the edge needed to maximize their success when they hunt ducks in the dessert.

Like the day before, the hunting trucks picked us up at the lakes about 9 and we hunted Quail and Doves on our way back to the Ranch House for lunch and a Siesta, then back out for our afternoon hunt. I was amazed at our guides’ ability to put us on covey after covey of Desert Scaled Quail. Those guys know that Ranch like you and I know our own backyards! We chased and shot Quail and Doves until the glaring afternoon sun began dissolving into the most beautiful and spectacular display of color that is the desert sunset. The beauty of the desert, at this time of day, is worth the price of the trip. The Laredo Hunt Club has a horse drawn Quail buggy with pointing dogs, which can be added for additional fees.

The last morning of my stay with The Laredo Hunt Club was spent shooting Mourning Doves in a field next to "Chuey’s Lake." Several of us positioned ourselves around the field, and had fast action as flock after flock of doves flew towards the water at the lakes edge. You know what they say about having fun making time fly? So it went with our Dove Hunt and it’s ending signaled the end of my Mexican adventure with The Laredo Hunt Club. A quick ride back to the Ranch House and we were loading up our gear and reforming our caravan. You can take home frozen quail and doves, if you wish to!

There is always a hint of sadness when you break camp and the hunters all head out in their separate directions, but I have to tell you that in this case, sadness was a minor emotion. I was pumped as I replayed in my mind, the events of the preceding Four Days. Constant action shooting ducks at dawn, and doves and Quail until sunset, hundreds of shotshells fired, one gourmet meal after another, knowledgeable attention to every detail by the staff of the The Laredo Hunt Club, and all of this in the serenity and beauty of Old Mexico. Talk about more "Bang for Your Buck" and this Combination Bird Hunt in Old Mexico with The Laredo Hunt Club is the trip that you’re talking about. In fact, I can tell you that this is just the kind of Bang I needed to end my season with and carry me through to next fall and a new season. I’ve found the Remedy for the Wingshooter’s Post Season Blues!