High-volume dove hunt — tired shoulder.

13-year-old's 300 dove shoot.

Dove shooting over sunflowers.

The Mercedes/Carmelo region of southwestern Uruguay offers untold thousands of acres of cereal grain production interspersed with grassy rolling hills and thick woods providing nesting and roosting cover. These elements combine to nurture a population of eared doves said to be in the tens of millions.

Just to see this many game birds is a treat, but to have the chance to shoot these challenging targets in such vast quantities is a delightful extravagance. Days usually begin around 8 a.m. with a short drive (average 15 minutes) to the field, followed by a morning of hot-barreled gunning. Shooters are positioned along the most productive flight lines, and each is assisted by an experienced bird boy who diligently retrieves birds and keeps cartridges and cool drinks close at hand. Lunch is usually taken back at the Four Seasons dining room or by the pool, then it’s back to the field for an afternoon shoot. The trips take place October through March (Uruguay’s spring and summer), so the days are long and many times the hunters are “done in” before the birds stop flying.

Of course, you are staying at the Four Seasons Resort, so if you are exhausted from the shooting, you can always regain your strength by a dip in the pool, on the golf course or by a massage in the hotel’s Pan-Asian spa.