Is It Safe to Hunt in Mexico? (Part 1)

by
posted on March 12, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
zent2015_fs.jpg (3)

undefinedLast week an old friend called to tell me about his hunting season. That’s not unusual, but it was ironic in that most of what he had to saycentered on a great duck hunt he and some buddies had enjoyed in Mexico.  Ironic, because the next day I would head off to hunt in Mexico myself. My friend filled me in on how he’d collected 11 of the 14 different species available there—Mexico’s upper west coast—including all three teal, pintails, mallards, mottled ducks, wigeon, Pacific brant and more. He loved the hotel where they stayed, and felt perfectly comfortable with the town and locals he encountered. Everything was ideal and the group intends to return next year. “I felt perfectly safe the entire time, “ he concluded. “And you know me—I’m suspicious about everyone."

Indeed. Did I mention my friend is a retired state police investigator from New Jersey who cuffed some really bad guys from organized crime in the course of his long career?

Hunting in Mexico proved safe for his party, but would it be for me? That was the question I kept getting from family and friends in the run up to the hunt. With all the news of drug-cartel terrorism, including the murders of public officials, along with kidnappings of private citizens and foreign visitors, it was a fair question.

I was headed to a quail hunt in Yucatan organized by NRA Outdoors, some 2,000 mile distant from my friend’s fantastic waterfowl hunt. Would it be safe?

(Check back later this week to learn what happened.)

Latest

2025 NRA World Shooting Championship
2025 NRA World Shooting Championship

KelTec Named Official Stage Sponsor for 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is proud to announce KelTec as an official sponsor of the 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship, returning to Camp Atterbury, Ind., from September 30 to October 4, 2025.

Thompson/Center Arms Celebrating 60th Anniversary

Thompson/Center Arms is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025. Since 1965, T/C Arms has built a legacy rooted in the pioneering spirit of American hunters.

Federal Ammunition Awards 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships

Federal Ammunition recently awarded the 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships to two 4-H shooting sports teen ambassadors: Lucy Evans from Georgia and John Bruner from Pennsylvania.

Head to Head: 7x57mm Mauser vs. .30-06 Springfield

I’ve had more than a few requests for this Head to Head, so I figured it was high time to pit two of the early 20th century’s most popular military cartridges against one another. Let's dive into the 7x57mm Mauser vs. the .30-06 Springfield.

NRA Hunter Education FREE Online Course Now Available in Louisiana

The National Rifle Association of America’s award-winning free Hunter Education online course is now available in the State of Louisiana, the latest addition as NRA works to make the course available to hunters in all 50 states.

Moultrie Updates Line of Game Feeders

Moultrie has expanded the capacity of its line of feeders, and bettered the cameras' integration with the company's connected technology to streamline the feeding process.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.