SASKATCHEWAN WHITETAIL--ARE YOU READY FOR THE CHALLENGE
by Don Kirk

 Whitetail are common everywhere these days, although trophy class, record book bucks certainly are not. Everyone has a list of places they want to hunt before taking the “celestial dirt nap,” and on everyone’s short list is Saskatchewan. This sprawling province in Canada is located along the northern edge of range of the whitetail. For hunter hours spent in pursuit of trophy bucks, no place is more productive than Saskatchewan.

 
North America has over a dozen recognized subspecies of whitetail, ranging from the smallest subspecies in the United States, which is the endangered Key Deer of Florida Keys, to the massive Dakota subspecies of whitetail that occurs in the northern most states of the Midwest into Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The Key Deer is a spindly little animal that rarely exceeds 40-pounds, while Dakota whitetail can be ten times as heavy.

This is due to a time honored biological principle known as Bergman’s Law. Bergman’s Law states that the farther south a species occurs, the smaller the bulk of its body will be and the longer its appendages will be. This it to disperse heat. Bergman’s Law also states that the farther north a species occurs, the larger its body bulk will be, and the shorter it appendages will be. This is to conserve body heat in bitterly cold conditions. This is why whitetail are so large in Saskatchewan.

Whitetail occur in most of the province, but become rather scarce once you travel over half way to its northern border. One of the world’s greatest grain growing areas, much of the best hunting is found in areas where there is forest and agriculture. A prime example is the western portion of Saskatchewan that is sometimes referred to as forest fringe habitat. This region is noted for its almost perfect combination of large stands of spruce and poplar that are separated by sprawling meadows that are mowed for and fields where wheat, barely, oats, alfalfa, and corn are grown. It is all either private farm land or Indian reservation territory. Farms are massive here, and in most instances in recent year outfitters have bought up the exclusive guiding rights to these properties.

Like most areas where whitetail are hunted, Saskatchewan has special hunting seasons for archery and muzzleloader hunting as well as for modern centerfire rifles. The province has an October muzzleloader/archery-only whitetail hunting season. The centerfire rifle hunting season opens the first of November here. Archers and muzzleloader hunters beat the rifle hunters to the woods during the pre-rut where they have more bucks to choose from. But the rifle season hits during the peak of the rut and they have a minimum of 200 yards more killing range.

Regardless of how you hunt, odds are your outfitter will encourage you to hunt over bait. The vast majority of Saskatchewan whitetail hunting is centered around hunting over some sort of bait. Because of the vastness of the territory and the relative density of the whitetail herd, baiting is really the only practical way to consistently take mature. Insofar as nearly all hunting done by nonresident hunters is done on private land that is leased or owned by an outfitter, or on Crown Land where an outfitter has exclusive rights, hunters are not in a situation of trying out bait each other.

Over the last two decades whitetail hunting has changed a lot in Saskatchewan. Two decades ago hardly anyone from the US knew whitetail lived in the province, and few other than local hunters bothered these animals. However, it is big business with hunts costing over two thousands dollars. Farmers and outfitters used to let hunters sleep in barns and pretty much hunt as they pleased, but this is no more. Hunters now get comfortable accommodations and great meals. Many outfitters have invested in big, comfortable shooting blinds that are warmed with the propane heaters. Stands and blinds are set between 75 to 200 yards from the bait.

The baits are primarily a mixes of wheat, alfalfa and oats. These animals relish wheat and oats. and are easily conditioned to coming in to eat a well maintained, fresh pile of bait. Most outfitters begin their baiting efforts in early September, visiting them daily to replenish and to get this quarry accustomed to human scent around the bait. This is also so that savvy outfitters can learn what caliber of bucks are visiting various piles of bait. Putting a high paying client on a prime buck can net an outfitter several thousands of extra bucks.

Persistence is the number one key to taking a big buck when hunting in Saskatchewan. These big ones are likely to be seen early in the morning or late in the evening as is the case about everywhere whitetail are hunted. However, no place in the world of whitetail is a hunter more likely to see bucks moving more during the late morning or early afternoon hours than is usually observed here. In a nutshell, the secret to success is day long vigils in your stand. This is how every outfitter encourages hunters to hunt, while most hunters want to return to camp at midmorning to nap before returning that afternoon. Staying all day in a stand or blind requires warm clothing. Saskatchewan whitetail hunt outfitters typically supply their clients with lists of recommended clothing for comfortably enduring the cold and wind during an entire day. It is prudent to follow these suggestions to the letter, as these outfitters know what is needed in such extremely cold weather far better that do the vast majority of whitetail hunters from the U.S.

Another key is trusting the outfitter’s advice on the quality of the stand. If you do not see a big buck in 2-to-3 days, avoid the temptation to request a new stand. Outfitters typically put hunters where they think their clients will tag a big buck. The reason outfitters put a hunter in a particular stand is because that is where they have seen big buck activity at that bait such as fresh scrapes and rubs, or large tracks. Many times when we demonstrate a loss of confidence in an outfitter, they loose a burning desire to do their best for you.

Preparation is another key to making a successful whitetail hunting trip to Saskatchewan. If you are a bowhunter, be prepared to make 30 to 40 yard shots. Expect colder temperatures than you are accustomed to in most areas of the US. Two of the biggest mistakes made by US archers coming here are not practice shooting enough while wearing heavy clothing and not testing their bow under subfreezing conditions. Practice shoot in layered clothing. If it gets so cold you need layers, you certainly will wear them to stay warm. However, if you are unaccustomed to shooting with a couple of extra layers of clothing, your anchor point could be affected as could your shooting style. To test your bow’s reaction to subfreezing conditions, put it in a deep freeze for several hours and then fire it. Odds are it will perform well, but if it is affected, it is better to know now then when a buck of a lifetime passes under your stand.

Saskatchewan is one of, if not the best trophy class whitetail buck hunting places in the entire world. If you have not tried your hand here, consider it, as it is where you may very get an opportunity to take the biggest animal of your whitetail hunting career.