“We enter one of the last Caldén forests that is still preserved in the province of La Pampa and the wonderful species that inhabit it give us hundreds of photographs. This forest is also home of the Red Deer, an emblematic species of the province since it was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century”.
Parque Luro Provincial Reserve is located 35km south of the city of Santa Rosa and blends history, culture and nature. It is a protected area of 7600 hectares that preserves the ecosystem of the native Caldén forest, with a great diversity of flora, fauna and landscapes of dunes, valleys and salt flats. Within the reserve is "El Castillo", a 1905 construction that belonged to Don Pedro Olegario Luro and Don Antonio Maura, the first owners of these lands, today a historical museum.
Originally, this property was the first hunting reserve in the country, called "San Huberto", the place where the first red deers and european wild boars were introduced in Argentina. These animals today coexist with the native fauna and offer excellent photographic opportunities for nature photographers.
The rut is the moment in the natural cycle of deer in which males fight for territory and females. This is the best time for sighting and photography of these animals, since we can find situations that only occur at this time: Males will have their antlers at their biggest point and it is possible to see them cleaning their antlers against trees or even against the ground. With some luck we may also see males fighting each other for the right to mate.
During our stay in Parque Luro we took advantage of the first light of dawn to explore the reserve in search of the most emblematic species of the province: the Red Deer. Following the instructions of our experienced local guide, with decades of experience photographing deers in the Park, we will move through the thickness of the forest until we find a suitable place to photograph this incredible species in the rutting season.
Target species: Red Deer, Geoffroy´s Cat, Pampas Cat, Eropean Boar, Guanaco, Pampas Fox, Hog-nosed Skunk, Viscacha, Spot-winged Falconet, Greater Rhea, Common Vermilion Flycatcher, Blue-crowned Parakeet, Spotted Nothura, Black-necked Swan, Greater Band-winged Nightjar, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Common Barn-owl, Ferruginous Pygmy-owl, Short-eared Owl, Swainson´s Hawk, Tropical Screech-owl, Yellow Cardinal, among others. On the lagoon within the park we can see different species of ducks, coots and Chilean Flamingos.
See Check-list of birds for Luro Park Nature Reserve:
See Check-list of mammals for Luro Park Nature Reserve:
Season: mid-March to mid-April
Recommended minimum duration: 4 days
Base: Cabins in Luro Park Nature Reserve.
Air terminal: Santa Rosa Airport (RSA), La Pampa, Argentina.
Temperatures during the deer rutting season range between 13° and 23° (55.4 – 73.4F).