The first time I went bird hunting in Old Mexico was 25 years ago. We crossed the border at McAllen and shot whitewing doves and blue rock pigeons along irrigation ditches bordering Tamaulipas' huge grainfields. It was a real eye-opener; I thought I'd enjoyed some pretty good dove shoots in several parts of the U.S.-but I'd never seen anything like that! In the late afternoon the whitetwings seemed to fill the sky; each day I quit shooting, satisfied, long before the birds quit flying.

In the years since I have hunted birds in Mexico many times, in Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California, and once all the way down in Sinaloa. Depending on where you go, and what time of year, the shooting may be mostly whitewing doves, mostly mourning doves, or a mixture of both. There is also superb waterfowl gunning, and in some areas there are oceans of quail. Bird hunting in Mexico isn't something I do every year, but it isn't hard to talk to me into going, because I've always enjoyed good hunting . . . and I've never had any problems south of the border.

This isn't to say that you will always find the sky blackened with birds. Last year I hunted ducks in Coahuila, on the south side of the Rio Grande. It was the last weekend of a long season; most of the birds had moved on, and those that remained were spooky as heck. But we shot some ducks in the mornings, and in the afternoons made up for it with the best scaled quail hunting I've ever seen. Another time, on a dove hunt down in Sonora, we caught some unusual wet weather and the shooting was so-so, but in the main, things haven't changed much in the 25 years that I've been going to Mexico: There are plenty of birds, and the shooting is usually spectacular.

There have been some changes, however. Until fairly recently it was possible to obtain the proper licenses and gun permits and simply drive across the border and go bird hunting. Unless you had some experience down there or knew the landowners this was never a particularly good idea, but it's altogether impossible now. Under current Mexican law, foreign sportsmen must hunt with a properly licensed outfitter. This isn't a bad thing at all; costs for guided bird hunting are reasonable, reputable outfitters have places to hunt and know how to hunt them, and they will safeguard you through the paperwork.

Note, please, that I used the words "properly licensed" and "reputable" when referring to Mexican outfitters. There are a lot of good ones, far more good than bad, but if you wind up with a bad one you can get into serious trouble. The way to avoid this is to use good old common sense. If it seems too good to be true it probably is. Word-of-mouth from friends who have had good experiences is always a sound way to book a hunt. You can also check references, always a good idea, and you can go through a reputable agent in the States, Cabela's being one of several offering good hunts in Mexico.

I have taken my own shotguns on several occasions, and I always take my own rifles when hunting deer and other big game in Mexico. I've never had any problems whatsoever, but there are couple of simple things you should know. First, you must have a gun permit in addition to your hunting license . . . and the gun permit is much costlier than the hunting license! Second, when you put your firearms serial numbers on the permit application, make sure you get it right . . . and don't change your mind and decide to bring a different gun! Third, if you're bringing your own guns it is essential that you cross the border where your outfitter will be there to meet you. For instance, if you'll be hunting out of Hermosillo in Sonora, fly into Hermosillo and clear customs there, where your outfitter will be standing by to meet you. Don't think you can drive down through Nogales with your guns.

I've cleared firearms into Mexico enough times that I don't have any concerns about it, but to keep things simple and save a few bucks I usually just use the outfitter's guns on bird hunts. They won't be fancy, but they'll be serviceable guns that will stand up to long seasons of high-volume shooting. Remington 870 Wingmaster pumps are fairly standard, but you'll also see a smattering of Winchesters and Mossbergs, and a few outfitters have invested in Benelli semiautos. I always use local ammo, the most common brand being Remington shells loaded in Mexico. It isn't premium stuff, but I've never had any problems with their ammo. And, in any case, it isn't worth worrying about because you can't bring enough shells in to last more than a morning. 12 gauge and 20 gauge ammo is readily available, but if you need anything else you should make arrangements well in advance.

Good shooting is almost a given. Sometimes it's tough, with wild, high-flying birds coming on the wind, and the hulls pile up a lot faster than the small heap of birds. Sometimes it's especially good, either because there are lots of birds at that particular place or time, or you just happen to be in a hotspot. These are the days you remember. When it's good like that I usually don't play the numbers game; I limit myself to a certain number of shells, and I work on a particular situation that's giving me trouble-hard left angles, hard right angles, or concentrating on taking doubles. But whether it's a great day or just a good day-and whether you shoot brilliantly or badly-chances are you'll get plenty of shooting.

The shooting is important because that's what we go down there for-but it isn't the only thing that makes Mexican bird hunting attractive. Some outfitters have excellent lodges for accommodation, while many others use local hotels. Either way, you can expect to have a really great time apart from the shooting . . . provided, that is, you like Mexican food! Mornings are usually just a light breakfast and coffee, then off for the dawn shoot. You may go back to town or to the lodge for lunch, or the outfitter may bring lunch to the field. Either way there's time for a much-needed siesta, then back for the evening shoot. And then comes a cold cerveza or frosty margarita, invariably followed by some of the best food of any hunt anywhere in the world.

The routine varies depending on where you're hunting and the time of year. On dove shoots it isn't unusual to only hunt the afternoons, when the birds are most active. Especially early in the year, when morning comes early and the evenings are long, it makes for an awfully long day to try to hunt both mornings and evenings . . . and usually isn't necessary in order to get all the shooting you want. On quail hunts, you may hunt through most of the day . . .and on combination hunts you'll do a little bit of everything.

The season is long down there, and the weather is almost always perfect. It gets hot in August and September, while the winter mornings and evenings are cool-but the shooting remains pretty darned good throughout. I've had great dove shoots early in the year . . . and just as good in January and February. Last year, when much of the U.S. was blanketed in snow, I joined a bunch of Safari Club friends for a January dove hunt in Sonora. We shot in shirtsleeves both mornings and evenings, and during the midday hours we drove to the coast and ate seafood and bargained for excellent ironwood carvings. And of course we bragged about our hits and made excuses for our misses. After each shoot, somebody had the most birds, while somebody else shot the most shells. This varies from day to day, and if we were willing to admit it, after three days most of us had sore shoulders . . . and none of us had lost any weight!

Arguably the most experienced hunting writer alive today, Craig Boddington has hunted big game in 29 American states, five Mexican states, and seven Canadian provinces . In addition to his vast North American hunting background, he has been on 46 African safaris and has thoroughly hunted 25 different countries, effectively spanning all six continents.

He currently lives on California's Central Coast when he's not away hunting or on duty with the U.S. Marines. His work includes numerous magazine articles as well as 14 books on hunting and shooting (several of which can be obtained through Cabela's).

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