Padre de Mexico
Padre de Mexico
A few years back a buddy reached out to me to invite me to tag along on a hunting trip down to
Mexico. He said, “Crady, we are headed down to this incredible lodge in Obregon, its owned by Frank
“Gabino” Ruiz and all my friends have told me that it’s undoubtedly the best place south of the
border”. I simply responded, “rock and roll amigo, lets do it.”.
I knew my friends were headed down there for a purpose, but wasn’t quite what the purpose was. It
turns out, they are both in pursuit of hunting and harvesting each of the 41 species of ducks that are
indigenous to North America. Last year, they found themselves floating in the Bering Sea on an 18ft
zodiac in 8 foot swell, freezing their asses off in the pursuit of the King-Eider. Their focus this
trip was to focus on a rare species of geese called a Black Brant along with several other common
species that can be found in their most mature plumage due to the weather and relative non-
pressure south of the border. Pintail, Widgeon, Black Mallard, All teal Species, Divers and Canvas
Back all find their way to the marshes of Yaqui Valley and the coastal wetlands of the Sea of Cortez in
their yearly southern decent.
On the day of our departure, we left an icy Dallas for Obregon via a quick layover in Mexico City,
where we quickly found ourselves shedding layers of clothes and ordering ice cold Modelos. After a
couple hour flight and having thoroughly enjoyed pestering my friend for most of it, we landed at our
final destination. Getting through customs was a snap and as we walked outside, we were hit with
the unmistakable aroma of farm and ranch country.
We arrived in Ciudad de Obregon Saturday evening and were picked up in first class fashion by
Danny “Cara Cara” who would be our lead guide for the next 5 days. His freshly detailed Suburban
was quickly loaded with our gear, ice cold Pacificos were distributed and we were off to the
compound which is located in down town Obregon.
It’s a fascinating 15 drive from the airport that takes you past giant processing facilities built by
multinational companies and what seems to be an endless horizon of agriculture. You see, the Yaqui
Valley, is some of the most fertile agricultural land in the world. Sorgham, winter wheat, asparagus,
spinach, you name it, is grown here year round and is shipped all over the world. Turns out, most of
the production is spoken for by the Chinese. The combination of a whole lot of food and whole lot of
fresh water situated smack in the middle of the southern leg of the Pacific Flyway made it quite clear
on why this area produces some of the best wing shooting in the world.
When we arrived to the lodge, a true cast of characters immediately made us feel at home. Danny and
his brethren had margaritas in our hands and a platefuls of quail poppers appeared out of nowhere
like a magic show.
We had been at the lodge for 30 minutes, and the common theme became clear. Every detail, comfort
and accommodation was thought through, not to just create a first class experience, but to make you
feel like you were part of their family. Everything was truly first class.
The food was remarkable. Lunch and dinners were always three courses. A different homemade soup
greeted you first, followed by the chef’s unique twist on traditional dishes and fresh homemade
tortillas. I easily could have stopped after soup and tortillas but managed to power my way through
the main course and dessert. Thank God for pioneers in flexible materials as the extra inch of flex proved invaluable
towards the end of our trip.
Our first day of hunting came quickly with a wakeup call at 4:30AM. With excitement and promise of
whistling wings, we quickly made our way down to the dining room for a quick breakfast and coffee
and within minutes we were on our way to the mornings designated marsh. One thing that is so
unique about the Gabino experience is that each day you are hunting a different marsh or field. This
morning we traveled approximately an hour and a half to a remote marsh where we were greeted
by Gabino’s staff, that already had our gear (Cooler seats, shell buckets, breakfast burritos and Benelli’s)
organized and loaded into the airboat. We each threw on our waders on and hopped into the marsh
chariot for an epic ride as the sun began to emerge over the Sonoran Desert Mountains. As you
might imagine, each blind and decoy spread was dialed in for optimal pass shooting.
My hunting partner that morning was my good friend Michael Houda and this was going to be his
first duck hunt. We hopped out of the airboat, got ourselves situated and prepared for god’s alarm
clock to greet us with the unmistakable siren of twenty green wing teal providing us their best
versions of Maverick’s request for a fly bye. Their uncanny ability to sound like a Lear jet gives me
chills every time. I could tell he was getting a glimpse of that fever all of us duck hunters share for the
moment before the day becomes alive.
Within minutes after shooting time, the ducks were moving and a mature bull sprig hovered over our
decoys only as they do and with a simple utter of “take em” Houda dropped his first drake with a
perfect 35 yard passing shot that instantly folded him. We cheered heartily and then proceeded to
shoot well over 35 ducks (All Fowl and Birds from the trip were picked up and distributed for
consumption to guides and local towns) in just a few hours. Our crew in the airboat was mighty busy
shagging ducks as they rained from the sky.
At the conclusion of the hunt, we picked up our compadres that had an equally successful hunt and
made our way back to the trucks for pics and celebratory Pacificos. “Cara Cara”, apologized profusely
for the lack of action. We looked at each other and quickly calmed his nerves, “Danny, if this is a bad
hunt, you have nothing to worry about… this was an incredible morning”.
The next four days went precisely the same. We had two phenomenal dove hunts in the afternoon
with some of the hardest working bird wranglers I have ever witnessed. We hunted a lagoon off the
Sea of Cortez where Danny and Toby were able to complete their quest of harvesting the elusive
Black Brant while waves from the Sea of Cortez crashed in the distance. . We hunted Gamble quail.
We fished for trophy large mouth on Lake Oviachic. We laughed. My god did we laugh. I suppose at
the end of the day that is truly what it is all about, to create memories. I know it sounds over the top,
but that’s how the whole trip was. Everything was taken to another level. The preparation. The
scenery. The food. The birds. It all was next level.
If you are an outdoorsman and Gabinos isn’t on your radar, you need to change that. You see, the
hunting was just part of the experience. The real story is a story of passion, fierce resilience, family,
devotion to excellence, humbleness and a man that wouldn’t quit on his dreams. The moment I met
the man behind all of this, it became quite clear to me why Gabinos Outdoor Adventures is one the best of
the best in Mexico, and arguably North America. It was Frank Ruiz’s hearty handshake and sincerity.
His customers are apart of his family and the more time you get to spend with him, the more you
want to bring those closest to you down to his world to share in the experience. When we were
cruising through town, the traffic yielded and gave the international sign of respect of the two fingers
up from the steering wheel and a light double tap on the horn. We didn’t even need an escort, his
F250 and custom Ranger Bass Boat made its way through the small streets of Obregon like a car out
of Tokyo drift. It was impressive.
There is no question that I will return to Obregon. In fact, since the day that I landed, I have been
thinking of my return and which friends I would want to share the experience with. I look forward to
the return. I look forward to the laughs. I look forward to seeing the sunrise over the tops of the
Sonora Mountains and chasing sunsets going 70 across Lake Oviachic. I look forward to it all. Gambino’s Hunting Adventure is greater than a check next to a bucket list. Now, they are family.
http://www.frankruiz.biz/