Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Hey guys,
I hunted Sask. last year with some great results. You guys have a gorgeous province with a multitude of animals, me and my father each harvested 120 class four pointers.

What my question is, is I am heading back over this out-of-province season and am looking for any tips as to how you guys hunt specifically for big'uns. I know "you can find them anywhere" but we were specifically doing a lot of deer drives and walking/pushing hedge rows, but we did not see anything much larger than 4 point/120''.
We will be hunting in and around leader sask. and the sandhills just east of leader.

Have any of you hunted this area, and what would you recommend for specifically looking for 140'' + bucks?
thanks for any tips.


On a side note, would any of you Sask. residents be interested in a BC mule deer hunt swap for a nice whitetail hunt in upcoming years?

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Only hunted mulie's & antelope in the sand hill's area. However I have seen some good whitetails while chasing the others. The key with open terrain is get off the beaten path, anywhere a truck can drive will have been hammered by the time you hunt in the end of Nov. I would lookto such places asthe river hills, deep coulee's/ravines that are not easily accessible and just walk em slowly withyour nose into the wind. Look for funnels or draws that channel the deer out of these saddles to the feeding areas for setting up in those low light times. Pushing can be effective in ravines, fenceline, slough bottoms,etc. If you have the man power have a pushers in the cover, someone skirting the upper ridges or edges slightly behind the pusher progress and then of course someone on the end portion to intercept them flushing foward. I am not a huge fan of shooting at running deer but many are taken this way.

Unfortunately I really don't hunt the south for whitetails so can't offer you much guidance. Good Luck

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Thanks Skeeter. Have you ever heard of Checkerboard Hill? its about 10 minutes West of leader, and there are always numerous impressive mulies along the breaks in that area, dont see many whitetails there though. What would you think about hunting the Sand hills themselves, or, as I said above the breaks right along the river?
When you say the truck-accessible areas would have been hit hard, I presume you mean most of the big bucks will have been taken from easy areas by then, because we still say an abundance of deer doing mostly drives/pushes.

PS. Where in Sask do you hunt whitetails, as I am considering heading north for next years whitetail hunt.

thanks again for the advice

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Yeah the river breaks or hills would be a good bet, really anywhere that takes effort to hunt. What I meant by hammered means pressured big bucks don't stick around where they get a parade of traffic each day...so if your looking for something big look in off the wall places. This province is chaulked full of deer, so it doesn't suprise me that you still found them in the heavier traffic areas but ifyou don't find what your looking for in these places then start branching out to the path less travelled is all I am saying. As hunting season dwindles on here the deer get pretty wise to the program, often a slight change can make a difference.

Never heard of checkboard hill!! Hunted more in the Sand Hills, south of leader though and again not for whitetails ever.

I hunt mostly the forest fringe areas (area that butts up to theforest zones) but also have been spending a lot of time in theSMZ (Shotgun/ML/Bow Zone)near home the past few years.

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Cool, Im looking forward to Sask more and more every day. Finally got some snow here in BC today and some some nice mules, didnt get a shot though.

Is Meadow Lake area productive as well? I have heard the more North you go in Sask, the bigger they get, but if Meadow Lake and such areas are so popular through word of mouth I bet the pressure is ridiculous.

Where I have been seeing Mulies in and around leader, would large whitetail bucks take up home in similar rougher areas, or no?

Thanks again

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Yes meadow lake area is good hunting, I wouldn't say it see's more pressure than other areas though. As far as the farther north you go the bigger the bucks...that simply isn't true! We have an abundance of deer and with that comes opportunities to harvest good bucks. Some areas have a higher % of larger animals just based on more seclusion, habitat, population, etc. However while a clichethere are good bucks all over the province, just need to find them and gain access to the land.

Yes whitetails will take up the same space but if there is an abundance of mulie's theytend toget pressured off the area. Typically in areas with good populations of both species of deer you will find pockets of mostly 1 type over the other but areas where neither areprecedenttheywill co-exist. You just need to find the does, once you find whitetail does you should find bucks, even though you'll most likely be hunting post rut they tend to not stray to far from the ladies as the next estrus cycle isn't to far off. In post rut I like to pay a lot of attention to food as this when the bucks put on the feed bag, so once you find bedding areas locate quality food sources and get somewhere back in the transition from bed to food. The deeper the better as these deer have seen activity in the way of rifle hunters for all of November (as mulie draw is on the first 2 weeks and whitetail is on the following 3 - so a total of 4 weeks before you arrive they have seen traffic, boots and shots!)

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Thanks again Skeeter.
What kinds of things do bucks feed on in the prairies during that time of year (nov 21-26). Do they eat the old cut fields or something else. Also, would you recommend using aeriels/topos to find major funnels, or maybe just hunt the lay of the land around the south sask river etc?

Any other tips? I am really pushin it to take a week off for this hunt, so I wanna hunt really hard and atleast see some big guys if not take one.
Thanks again.

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

They like hay/grass(natural or planted)this time of year, cereal. peasor canola cropsand if you can find winter wheat or fall rye they will be on that like flies on you know what!!! You'llknow these two when you see them as theyareusually all that is left this time of year that has the colour green associated with it.They will also eat brows if that is what the area offers.

If you can find current stuff they sure don't hurt. Along the river even the old stuff should have some value but I certainly wouldn't spend a bunch of cake buying them. Try searching on Toporama or google search the area you might find some useful info for nothing. Personally I think nothing beats your eye's, so I would be looking for lay of the land stuff then walk to find sign or indicators of deer movements. The other option is talking with locals or farmers, they often know the score and can be very helpful. Not all arebut it don't take much out of your day to stop and chat either.

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Do you / have you ever hunted over a bait?
Here in BC it is illegal to bait anything - so I dont know how effective this is or can be, but have heard that sometimes residents bait with apples etc.
Skeeter or others - is it in fact legal to bait in Sask?
Also, do you consider it ethical, or for that matter would it eeven work without having the deer being fed on a continual basis for a long time to get them to know the feed is in fact there?
Just curious, otherwise ill need to find a way to find winter wheat while im down there :D:D

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

I have hunted over bait. Yes it is legal here. It can be very effective but isn't really required in the farmland areas as they have lots of food sources to choose from.

Yes I think it is ethical, just another technique that a hunter can chose to employ. To meit isn't thatdifferentfrom sitting on alfalfa or crop field waiting in ambush. Certainly no different thana food plot! Neither of this are natural, all are man made/developed.Contrary to some opinions baiting is anything but the easy way out, it is time consuming, costly and requires scouting/knowledge to produce good results. Just like rattling, calling and scents it is a technique that if done in the proper location can be effective, but in no way is it magic or a gaurantee.

Their is no use baiting unless you can establish it prior to hunting. A week isn't enough time to make it worth the effort and expense. Apples are rarily used for bait here, it usually consists of alfalfa bail and cereal crops (such as oats or barely). Some use chick peas, canola screening or sweet feeds as well. Salt is also used to establish and keep deer patterned to the site.

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Hey Skeeter,
I have a friend of a friend who lives about an hour away from the Manitoba/Sask border, in Sask. He says that the whitetails are just starting to rut at the moment. Is this accurate from what you have been seeing in your vicinity?
I am basically on the opposite side of the province from where this guy is, but it should be similar times.

Also, to use a bait in Sask. do you still need to register it with SERM?

Also, following tagging your deer, if you go out with a hunting party, without a gun (no longer hunting), must you still wear white?

One last question atm: Do you use a cover/attractant scent, and if so, what do you find works well?

Thanks for all your help and info to date.

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

Yeap I'd say his info is accurate I have witnessed a number of bucks trying to run does in the past few days in the ML zone near saskatoon but the ladies aren't willing just yet(this however has been mostly 3 yr old bucks not dinks but not quite their yet in terms of maturity or antler potential). I also noticed the musk smell has picked up in my scrape/rublines near my blinds in this zone. They(SERM Biologist) peg the provincial rut for whitetails mto be Nov. 15th..I tend to agree with this estimate in part. Of course some areas seem to start earlier while others don't really get going, it just depends on the buck to doe ratios. However this am I watched a 5x5 I have passed a few times come clear across a mile of open terrain with his nose mostly in the dirt, this was at 9:30 am on a clear, warm morning and I was actually walking out at the time. I again had him come by my blind tonight this time behind a large single doe, he wasn't really running her more like keeping tabs on her. So things are picking up here just not quite their yet! As far as the last week of Nov. when your hunting who knows? Last year some areas where done, meanwhile others where hopping the last 2 weeks of the season..only time will tell. However rut IMO?E is really feast or famine, so it's not the end all and be all...more important is cool weather and snow never hurts. Right now we have little of both but the eastern part has some white stuff, so this factor always leads to more deer activity/sightings.

As far as baits if on crown land you must sign the bait(with your full name and contact ph. number). If on private land you must have permission from the landowner or rentor. No, SERM does not need to be made aware of baiting activity.

Yes, if your with anyone hunting biggame you must wear colours.

I use some deer pee as a cover scent, I suppose. Trails end is what I have found doesn't hinder the deer regardless of the stages of rut. I set it out in a half moon on my downwind side so if a deer circles it may throw them off, I usually place it 18-36" off the ground on a tampon. If I want to attract a deer to a scrape area I am hunting, I use the "steal a scrape method". This is find a scrape in a totally different area(one the buck or deer in your area won't frequent), then shovel some of the dirt from this scrape put it in a clean plastic bag and drop it in the scrape in my area. It is essential to ensure your scent isn't left in this area, so I wear rubber boots and latex gloves. It drives the deer in your area crazy as they don't know these newcomer deer, in turn they check the scrapes faithfully!

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

How many tampons do you surround your downwind side with, and in your opinion, what parts of the day would you sit vs. walk during that one weekperiod (Nov. 20-25)??

Also, i they begin to rut around the 15th, they should in fact be in mid-rut during that 5 day season, shouldnt they?

Can you recall, last year, when the rut happened? I saw bucks together while I was down, not chasing does.

Thanks again for the help.

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

3-5 in a semi circle, it really depends on the location/cover and wind.

Sitting the peak movement times. I generally sit for the first hour then slowly walk with my nose into the wind (sometimes stopping to rattle in deep transition in the middle of the day) and then sit the last 1-2 hours in the evening. During the rut midday should not be overlooked for sitting, rattling or still hunting. Like I said I don't really hunt whitetails in the south/open terrain much anymore so not really in a position to give you great advice for your hunt. I would go with what you see or have seen.

Yes if that areas rut falls around the 15th, they should be chasing come the 20th. Last fall it was very spotty, in the forest fringe area where my cabin is located the rut was around the average but the warm weather/lack of snow produced less activity in the open(as a normal year would produce). Up their it was over by the 23rd when we returned to hunt, this time was actually better as the temp dropped and snow cover. Around Saskatoon I saw bucks chasing does the 4th and 5th week of the season...much later than usual for this area. These were the only areas I hunted whitetails last Nov but heard similar reportsof anoff rut from various areas. Theories abound why this happens, everything from warm temperaturesto drought. I tend to think rut happens no matter what the weather but seeing animals during daylight is most certainly effected by the outside temperature/conditions. Like I said if you hedge everything on the Rut it becomes a feast or famine situation. Instead I just hunt and keep looking for the spots on the spot!

Rut is coming the signs are evident in rubs, scrapes, tailing of does, yearling groups, jocking for the pecking orderbut the deer aren't moving due to the warm weather till those low light situations in the evening. Right now the morning is producing far more sightings/activity in the areas I and my partners have been hunting. However it is not full blown by any stretch at this point anywhere that I have heard except the north(forest).

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

I bought some Tinks 69 that I think I will try to put on tampons as attractant/cover??

Also, if you were me hunting south for whites, do you think its more important to find food sources, or hiding places away from easy driving hunting?

If food sources, how would I go abouts looking for winter wheat or peas?

RE: Sask. Whitetails. Skeeter and others...
 

The part inparcel..meaning both important for success. You need to know where they; eat,bed and how they get there! Once you gather this info you then figure out the best place to intercept them. Personally the closer to the bed the better IMHO. If the bedding areas are ravines then slipping along them just down from the ridge top(to keep from skylining yourself) with your nose into the wind can be a great way to still/spot n stalk in the open terrain. I would basically do this early am till mid day.

Peas are a short crop, they will kinda look like frozen alfalfa (brown) but not much above the ground. I simple kick of a pea field will usually find some pea pods. Winter wheat/fall rye are about all you find that is still green, it looks like grass. Again if any decent snow cover these crops are very low so glass any pawed up spots looking for clues to what is below. Deer will alsofeed onwheat, barley, alfalfa, oats and even canola. Just check the signs and you'll know if they are feeding on it or just travelling it.