In January of this year (2023) business travels took me to Lisbon (Lisboa) Portugal. I found a fantastic hunting operation about an hour's drive from Lisbon. Our host and guide was Bruno Jacinto. The Jacinto family hunting business web site is: https://www.cacatour.com/
We had a fantastic time. I am a veteran bird hunter in my early fifties. My co-worker and friend Carson was daring and adventurous to join me. He had never been hunting before. He had not fired a shotgun in over a decade (so since his mid-teens).
If you will be traveling to Portugal from the summer through January, there are hunting opportunities on their property. The waterfowl season is during the summer. The upland game (mostly partridges and then quite a few pheasants, and occasionally woodcock and some migratory quail) is in the fall and into the winter.
Carson lives in New York and I live in New Mexico. So we met at the Lisbon airport on a Saturday afternoon. My flight was delayed, forcing Carson and Bruno to wait much longer than expected. My luggage was misplaced and so all I had was my carry-on. Luckily, I had my hiking boots and enough clothes to go hunting. Missing was my hunting vests (one for Carson and one for me) and our ear protection. Bruno was friendly and entertaining. He speaks English very well, Portuguese and Spanish. He took us to a restaurant not far from his family property where we had a fantastic Portuguese dinner with three types of meat: lamb, beef ribeye and pork. They were all amazing. Because of my flight delay, we did not arrive to sleep at the Jacinto property until past midnight. The accommodations were great, the only surprise was that there is no heat other than a fireplace. So, we had to light a fire to keep the rooms warm.
We arose Sunday morning before 7 and walked over to the large hall where breakfast was to be served. A hunting show was on non-stop, stuffed game animals, big-game and small game were everywhere to be seen. We met other hunters, all of which were from other parts of Portugal. The breakfast was hearty with cheeses, salamis and other meats, the Portuguese Christmas-season King's Cake, eggs, sausage, bacon and bread. It was excellent.
We then loaded up the trucks. The other hunters were one party and Carson and I were another. The other party had brought their own hunting dogs. Mine were back in New Mexico. We rented Benelli auto-loading 12 gauges and the use of Bruno's 3 hunting dogs: two English Setters and a young Drahthaar. Bruno guided us the entire time. The hunt was carefully organized so that the two parties would scare birds to each other. Since the hunt was near the end of their season, there were much less birds than in the earlier season. But, there were still plenty to be had.
Within 20 minutes of hunting I had bagged my first Red-Legged Partridge and a rooster pheasant. Carson and Bruno were hiking on the side of the hill and the dogs with them. I was below them on the dirt road. A partridge came flying down past me and I was able to dispatch it with one shot. One of the setters retrieved it to Bruno. Poor Bruno had to be our pack mule since my hunting vests were in the misplaced luggage. A few minutes later we heard a rooster pheasant in the brush close to me. I flushed it, it flew straight up and I shot it as it began to level out. The young Drahthaar retrieved that pheasant. A few minutes later a partridge flew up in front of Carson. He tried to take such careful aim that by the time he pulled the trigger it was out of range.
Not long after that we saw a pheasant flush ahead of us through the trees. Then a pheasant flushed doing a left to right trajectory at about 50 yards out, I fired but missed. We hiked for a bit without seeing anything then, came upon a red-legged partridge that was hunkered down in the clear right next to cover. The setters were pointing it. Carson and I got into position. We flushed the partridge, it went more or less towards Carson. He fired but missed as did I, but my second shot hit the mark and the partridge fell--the setters retrieved.
A partridge flushed in front of me but was able to get on the other side of a small hill before I fired a shot. Then I saw one of the setters on point, the bird apparently in a dense thicket. I walked over, the bird flushed. It was an easy away shot and the bird fell.
A few minutes later a partridge flushed by the other hunting team came barreling above me and at about 40 yards distant. By the time I saw it, it was probably 60 yards out and I missed. Bruno scolded me for not paying attention. Then Carson flushed two partridges, but the trees blocked his shot.
I had 4 birds in Bruno's vest. But Carson had none. I pulled Bruno aside and asked him what we could do to give Carson more chances. He said he'd do what he could. We relocated to a flat hill with a wide valley below. Carson flushed a hen pheasant (fair game there) and was able to hit his first bird.
A few minute later, the setters lay down to point a rooster. The rooster was cackling at us while still on the ground! Carson could see it taunting him before it flushed. Carson connected, the pheasant fell. As we went to retrieve the fallen rooster, another rooster flushed down the big valley. Carson fired and so did I. One of us hit him in the head. He was dead, but his wings kept flapping carrying him way out into the valley, we ran after him as Bruno worked with the dogs to find the first rooster that Carson had shot. Carson and I were able to find the second roost laid out in the valley.
That was the end of the hunt. We had bagged 7 birds and were done by about noon or 1 PM. We hiked back to the trucks and chatted, as best we could, with the other Portuguese hunters about their dogs and how the hunt and gone for them. Then Bruno took us back to his family hunting compound. His Mother had made us a fantastic Cod dinner in typical Portuguese style. It was excellent. We visited and engorged ourselves for a few hours and then Bruno took us off to the hotel for our business event.
Not only was it a fantastic hunt, but the Jacintos were wonderful about educating us about their cork tree business, their hunting business, Portuguese culture etc. It was absolutely magnificent and a very reasonable price. I highly recommend that you avail yourself of their hospitality and the excitement of hunting in Portugal if you have the opportunity. Earlier in the season we probably would have bagged closer to 10 birds each. In any case, please keep the Jacinto family in mind if you're out that way during the hunting season.
Oh, by the way, the birds were excellent fliers and wild as could be. They do augment the population of upland birds, but they do so in the spring. By the time we were hunting them they were all wild.
Happy Hunting wherever you go : )
Jeremy
We had a fantastic time. I am a veteran bird hunter in my early fifties. My co-worker and friend Carson was daring and adventurous to join me. He had never been hunting before. He had not fired a shotgun in over a decade (so since his mid-teens).
If you will be traveling to Portugal from the summer through January, there are hunting opportunities on their property. The waterfowl season is during the summer. The upland game (mostly partridges and then quite a few pheasants, and occasionally woodcock and some migratory quail) is in the fall and into the winter.
Carson lives in New York and I live in New Mexico. So we met at the Lisbon airport on a Saturday afternoon. My flight was delayed, forcing Carson and Bruno to wait much longer than expected. My luggage was misplaced and so all I had was my carry-on. Luckily, I had my hiking boots and enough clothes to go hunting. Missing was my hunting vests (one for Carson and one for me) and our ear protection. Bruno was friendly and entertaining. He speaks English very well, Portuguese and Spanish. He took us to a restaurant not far from his family property where we had a fantastic Portuguese dinner with three types of meat: lamb, beef ribeye and pork. They were all amazing. Because of my flight delay, we did not arrive to sleep at the Jacinto property until past midnight. The accommodations were great, the only surprise was that there is no heat other than a fireplace. So, we had to light a fire to keep the rooms warm.
We arose Sunday morning before 7 and walked over to the large hall where breakfast was to be served. A hunting show was on non-stop, stuffed game animals, big-game and small game were everywhere to be seen. We met other hunters, all of which were from other parts of Portugal. The breakfast was hearty with cheeses, salamis and other meats, the Portuguese Christmas-season King's Cake, eggs, sausage, bacon and bread. It was excellent.
We then loaded up the trucks. The other hunters were one party and Carson and I were another. The other party had brought their own hunting dogs. Mine were back in New Mexico. We rented Benelli auto-loading 12 gauges and the use of Bruno's 3 hunting dogs: two English Setters and a young Drahthaar. Bruno guided us the entire time. The hunt was carefully organized so that the two parties would scare birds to each other. Since the hunt was near the end of their season, there were much less birds than in the earlier season. But, there were still plenty to be had.
Within 20 minutes of hunting I had bagged my first Red-Legged Partridge and a rooster pheasant. Carson and Bruno were hiking on the side of the hill and the dogs with them. I was below them on the dirt road. A partridge came flying down past me and I was able to dispatch it with one shot. One of the setters retrieved it to Bruno. Poor Bruno had to be our pack mule since my hunting vests were in the misplaced luggage. A few minutes later we heard a rooster pheasant in the brush close to me. I flushed it, it flew straight up and I shot it as it began to level out. The young Drahthaar retrieved that pheasant. A few minutes later a partridge flew up in front of Carson. He tried to take such careful aim that by the time he pulled the trigger it was out of range.
Not long after that we saw a pheasant flush ahead of us through the trees. Then a pheasant flushed doing a left to right trajectory at about 50 yards out, I fired but missed. We hiked for a bit without seeing anything then, came upon a red-legged partridge that was hunkered down in the clear right next to cover. The setters were pointing it. Carson and I got into position. We flushed the partridge, it went more or less towards Carson. He fired but missed as did I, but my second shot hit the mark and the partridge fell--the setters retrieved.
A partridge flushed in front of me but was able to get on the other side of a small hill before I fired a shot. Then I saw one of the setters on point, the bird apparently in a dense thicket. I walked over, the bird flushed. It was an easy away shot and the bird fell.
A few minutes later a partridge flushed by the other hunting team came barreling above me and at about 40 yards distant. By the time I saw it, it was probably 60 yards out and I missed. Bruno scolded me for not paying attention. Then Carson flushed two partridges, but the trees blocked his shot.
I had 4 birds in Bruno's vest. But Carson had none. I pulled Bruno aside and asked him what we could do to give Carson more chances. He said he'd do what he could. We relocated to a flat hill with a wide valley below. Carson flushed a hen pheasant (fair game there) and was able to hit his first bird.
A few minute later, the setters lay down to point a rooster. The rooster was cackling at us while still on the ground! Carson could see it taunting him before it flushed. Carson connected, the pheasant fell. As we went to retrieve the fallen rooster, another rooster flushed down the big valley. Carson fired and so did I. One of us hit him in the head. He was dead, but his wings kept flapping carrying him way out into the valley, we ran after him as Bruno worked with the dogs to find the first rooster that Carson had shot. Carson and I were able to find the second roost laid out in the valley.
That was the end of the hunt. We had bagged 7 birds and were done by about noon or 1 PM. We hiked back to the trucks and chatted, as best we could, with the other Portuguese hunters about their dogs and how the hunt and gone for them. Then Bruno took us back to his family hunting compound. His Mother had made us a fantastic Cod dinner in typical Portuguese style. It was excellent. We visited and engorged ourselves for a few hours and then Bruno took us off to the hotel for our business event.
Not only was it a fantastic hunt, but the Jacintos were wonderful about educating us about their cork tree business, their hunting business, Portuguese culture etc. It was absolutely magnificent and a very reasonable price. I highly recommend that you avail yourself of their hospitality and the excitement of hunting in Portugal if you have the opportunity. Earlier in the season we probably would have bagged closer to 10 birds each. In any case, please keep the Jacinto family in mind if you're out that way during the hunting season.
Oh, by the way, the birds were excellent fliers and wild as could be. They do augment the population of upland birds, but they do so in the spring. By the time we were hunting them they were all wild.
Happy Hunting wherever you go : )
Jeremy