A father-son hunting trip to Argentina reveals what men are really after — the friendships that make life longer, healthier, and richer.
Story by Dr. Edwin Spencer
Appeared in Cityview Magazine, Vol. 42, Issue 4 (July/August 2026)
Many times the anticipation of the adventure exceeds the excitement of the adventure itself. That was not the case for our most recent trip to Argentina. The bird hunting, the food, the Malbec wine, and the accommodations at Estancia Cortaderas all surpassed expectations. But when each man was asked what he enjoyed most, the answer was unanimous — the friendships. Some were new, some decades old.
This was a father-son (and one very brave daughter) trip — four old men and college-aged kids. We had one hitch in the get-along when one of the boys left his wallet on the plane and didn’t realize until baggage claim. Our host Gloria retrieved it, with the pithy aside “funny…you don’t look stupid,” which, delivered in a beautiful Argentine accent, drew laughter rather than offense.
After a day in Buenos Aires we reached the lodge, perched atop a bluff over the Paraná River. We unpacked, caught up, and headed to the field for lunch and a dove hunt. To call this lunch is a disservice — it’s an event. Tablecloths spread, cutting boards laid out beside a wine glass for each member. Homemade empanadas to start. Then a pig that had smoked all morning, carved onto your board from pork belly to tenderloin. No one goes hungry on this trip.
Your bird boy — Argentine for hunting guide — collects you after the meal. Doves are plentiful; the lodges and the local farmers have a symbiotic arrangement, since the birds eat the farmers’ crops.
Time in the field, in the blinds, and at the lodge gave us hours to talk about everything. That was the nugget. That was what we came for.
One special lunch, the owner Ariel Semenov regaled us with the history of Estancia Cortaderas. A close friend of ours, Robert McClanagan, had been instrumental in funding the lodge in exchange for a week every July when he could bring his friends down. I recall seeing Robert in clinic many years ago when he asked if he could shoot with a replaced shoulder in three months, as “we” were going down there. He clarified that “we” meant me too. We became lifelong friends until his passing in 2022.
Back at the lodge, stories were exchanged (some actually true), and we sampled duck tacos and perdiz paella. Dinner mirrored lunch, indoors and heavier on protein. Afterward we shuffled pairings for the next morning’s
duck or perdiz hunt so that everyone hunted with someone different.
Time in the field, in the blinds, and at the lodge gave us hours to talk about everything. That was the nugget. That was what we came for. We learned that John Felton’s wit is sharper than his shooting, and that Drew Everett — just on the cover of Forbes as chairman of Bush Beans — wears it lightly. The boys (Tripp, Cooper x2, Bennett, and Jack) all look good shooting in leather scally caps, and Mclain can outshoot all the boys. As Chris Cameron put it, hunting is just the excuse.
That excuse ties directly to health and longevity. A meta-analysis of over 300,000 people found a 50 percent survival advantage for those with stronger social connections — an effect comparable to quitting smoking. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, started in 1938 and now spanning three generations, found that the people most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80. The quality of close relationships predicted physical health better than cholesterol, IQ, social class, or genetics.
Decades of research by Robin Dunbar at Oxford zeros in on a specific number: five. He identifies five close relationships as the optimal size of the human support clique — the innermost layer of our social world. Separate epidemiological work shows that loneliness and weak social ties increase all-cause mortality by 14 to 26 percent in adults over 50. A small, intentional inner circle is one of the strongest predictors of healthy aging.
The piece of the trip we all carried home was an afternoon at an orphanage in Hernandarias. We each brought a backpack filled with clothes and toys chosen for a specific child. It was like Christmas morning — kids of all ages in the yard playing games and trying on new clothes. With Mark Ingram’s help, a foundation has now been started for the orphanage.
We are in a friendship recession. The Survey Center on American Life found that the share of American men with at least six close friends fell from 55 percent in 1990 to 27 percent in 2021. The pandemic may have skewed those numbers, but the trend predates it. Men cluster their friendships around activities; women, around conversation. Either way the science is clear — invest in your friendships, whether the excuse is hunting, fishing, golfing, or hiking. Invest first in your spouse, family and then your friends. It is probably the best longevity investment you can make. ◆
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