Where to hunt Crested Guan
Crested Guan, with its long, fanning tail, long strong legs, and small head resembles an undersized turkey, although it’s more closely related to Australian mound-building birds. Guans appear to be almost the size of Ocellated Turkey, although the body mass is smaller. They live in the subcanopy of the tropical forests in the coastal areas of Central America. To hunt Crested Guan, you’ll have to book a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
Price distribution
A hunt in the Yucatan Peninsula is usually a real expedition, that lasts at least 7 days and costs just under $5,000. This price doesn’t include the shooting fees for the Crested Guan or other game you might harvest, such as Great Curassow or Brocket Deer. The trophy fee for a Crested Guan is about $700.
When to hunt Crested Guan?
There are two hunting seasons in the Yucatan, in the beginning and in the end of the dry season. In the wet season the roads are nearly impassible, and the animals are scattered over the jungle, rather than concentrated over sources of water. The spring season runs from March to May, and the fall season from September to November. Most bird hunters prefer the spring season.
Hunting methods
Crested Guans roost and nest in the canopy of the tropical forest, but spend a lot of time looking for food in the undergrowth as well. They can be very vocal, and hunters sometimes can identify the position of a flock by the sounds they make, and then stalk them. An alternative method is a walked-up hunt, with or without dogs. In the latter case, the hunters and guides form a horseshoe-shaped figure. This way, a bird flushed by one participant may fly within the range of another.
Why hunt Crested Guan?
Crested Guan is an interesting and very beautiful bird, and along with other denizens of the tropical forest of the Yucatan, such as the Great Curassow and the Ocellated Turkey, it takes bird hunting to a whole new level. More and more international hunters discover the Yucatan, and the opportunities to immerse in the ancient Maya country, breathe the air and feel the smells of the rainforest, listen to the calls of the jungle's inhabitants, walk in the shoes of early explorers - in short, the opportunity for adventure that the exotic part of Mexico provides.
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