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SYC Adventures
SYC is operating a sporting traveling business that is taking shooters around the country to Argentina. Recently shooting instructor Allen Pana was hosting a group from G&H at one of the locations in Cordoba.
The Argentina Shooting Experience
by Fellow Sportsman, Al Kondak
I can recall numerous conversations with my fellow sportsmen debating whether or not clay target shooting will improve their hunting skills and vice versa. I had to put this question to the ultimate test. I traveled to the highest volume shooting experience I could find. This past February, I went to Cordoba, Argentina. Three days of dove hunting over fields of sunflowers. Phenomenal hospitality, fantastic accommodations and meeting new fellow shooters made for a trip of a lifetime. The doves were flying non-stop.
My first impression was that bird shooting was very different than clay target shooting. Clays decelerate and stay on a fairly predictable flight path. On the other hand, birds can accelerate, dart, flare and change direction in a millisecond. The advantage of going on a Griffin & Howe hosted trip is that we are accompanied by their top instructor and master class shooter Allen Pana. Throughout each hunting session, Allen would spend time with every shooter showing us how to read the flight path, lead and efficiently hit the target.
Initially, the birds seemed overwhelming but within a few minutes of coaching birds began dropping. The frenzy slowed down and leads became natural. Staying on the line of bird was easier and flight path changes did not rattle us. My hit rates improved and so did my confidence. Each hunting session was a new opportunity to reinforce good shooting technique. Continuous coaching refined my skills and gave me more control of the situation. Allen also has a gift for working on our mental approach keeping us positive and focused on our performance.
When I arrived back in the states, I immediately researched the soonest registered sporting clays event. I attended the shoot and came in first in my class. Even though I’m a novice competitor, I felt a new sense of command of my shooting. Instantly, I knew the answer to my question. Yes, a positive hunting experience with good coaching was just what I needed to improve. I can’t wait to go back to Argentina after a year of target shooting and see how I do.
General Information
For those of you who might not know us that well, here are some facts that may help you understand who we are and how we have gotten here. Safaris y Cacerias, SYC, was the brainchild of Eduardo Martinez and Ivan Paredes. Eduardo, the father in law, in this duo, was the 1991 World Pigeon Champion, and his great love of wing shooting brought him to the idea of developing a wing shooting operation built for hunters, by hunters, who wanted to experience the volume shooting that only Argentina really offers. Ivan Paredes, the son in law, married Eduardo’s daughter in Spain, and came to Argentina to provide the business expertise needed for an operation of this quality, and now size. SYC took roots in Cordoba in 2004 with the purchase of approximately 50 hectares near Santa Rosa Rio de Primero and the subsequent building of El Cortijo Lodge, one of the finest in Cordoba Province. From there the two bought a large estancia, 60,000 acres, in Santa Fe province on the Parana River and established Santa Nora Lodge as one of the finest duck hunting and perdiz hunting operations in Argentina. Last year we negotiated for a 50 Square Mile concession in Santiago del Estero Province, where we will build another pigeon and dove lodge in the heart of some of the finest volume pigeon shooting anywhere in the world.
SYC is truly and international operation. Eduardo and Ivan targeted Spain as their original market, and we now have a large Spanish contingency. In addition, our hunters now come from England, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, and other European countries. We have developed a large following from Chile where it is only a 2 hour plane ride for a weekend’s worth of incredible shooting. Along the way some American hunters began to show up, myself and a few friends being some of the first. Of all the places I have ever hunted in the last 40 years, and there have been many, I found the people, the atmosphere, the wing shooting, the food, the wines, and everything else to be the best I had every experienced anywhere – period. Eduardo and Ivan were interested in expanding into the American market, and I volunteered to help them. Since the time we agreed to work together, not only have Eduardo and Ivan become the brother and son in my extended family, but we have achieved some success in the American market as well. We have been able to attract the best of the television outdoor shows, including The Shotgun Journal with Bruce Scott and Marty Fischer, who did two shows on ducks and pigeons with us, and Tom Knapp of Benelli’s American Bird Hunter, who did two great dove shows and is coming back this year to do two, or more, duck, pigeon, and perdiz shows. You can watch a short segment of Tom’s adventure with us by clicking on the video link in our address below, or by cutting and pasting it in your browser. DVD’s of Tom’s hunts and Bruce and Marty’s hunts are available for the asking. Simply call or email us.
Dez Young, the star of Hunting with Hank and Dash in the Outdoors is coming in early August with his wife Karenanne to host 5 lucky couples on a dove and pigeon hunt in Cordoba Province; and, arguably, the finest wing shooting magazine in print today, the Shooting Sportsman is coming in late August and hosting 16 dove shooters for the volume shoot of a life time at El Cortijo Lodge. Information on all the celebrity hunts that you might want to participate in will show up soon in separate emails with contact information and pricing so you can make your plans to join them and the SYC family on, truly, one of the greatest wing shooting adventures available anywhere in the world.
Here in the US we have added a full time Booking Agent, Dennis Browning, who lives and works in the Dallas, Texas, area. It is no secret that Texas is a good market for wing shooters and Dennis is busy with shoots and shows all over the Lone Star State. Recently he hosted the “Divas, Women Outdoors Worldwide” (headquartered in Texas) with President Judy Rhodes at El Cortijo lodge, and to say they all had a good time would be an understatement.
Griffin and Howe, the fine gun company, recently hosted 10 shooters at the first of what we hope will be a number of live field seminars with their chief shooting instructor, Allen Pana. Good shooting was had by all and the quality instruction in a genuine high volume setting was unbeatable. For all of you who genuinely want to become incredible field shots, this is an event really worth considering.
We have also become involved in some of the quality charitable organizations who offer skeet or sporting clays shoots as a means of generating donations. We offer free hunts to Argentina as either winner prizes or silent auction items in support of these worthwhile charities. If you have a charity that sponsors a shooting event, please be sure to contact us and we will see what we can do to help.
If you want to find out more about any of our hunting packages or upcoming celebrity hunts, you can always contact Dennis or me at our toll free number, 866-635-2838.
We are always happy to talk hunting.
John Wiles
You can find more information on SYC Sporting Adventures visit their website or call 866-635-2838 |
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