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Saskatchewan 2018

Old 12-01-2018, 09:31 AM
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Default Saskatchewan 2018

Well, I just got back from Saskatchewan.... I've always wanted to give it a try so decided to go this year. In a nutshell, it was Saskatchewan 1 and me 0. I'll try to recap how it went. As you all probably know, non-residents have to hunt with a guide and the hunts are usually 6 days and you sit in a blind watching a pile of bait. I sat for 5 days from before daylight till after dark and couldn't take sitting another day, so I threw in the towel. I sat for 52 hours...it's grueling to say the least. What did I see? I saw 17 different bucks and about the same number of does and fawns and there wasn't anything remotely close to what anyone would consider a shooter. The biggest buck wouldn't have scored 130".. Most were thin horned younger bucks. I was really surprised at the lack of mass in the deer I saw. I saw 3 bucks that I'm pretty sure were 3 1/2 years old and they had no mass at all. There were 6 other hunters and only 1 buck was killed and it was mediocre 5X5...again with very little mass. It was disappointing to say the least. I doubt very much if any of the hunters that were there will be going back.

On the plus side, the food was great and the lodge was very nice... I met some great people. The outfitter worked very hard to try to get everyone a chance at a good buck, but for whatever reason it just didn't happen. This was on the edge of the farmland where the boreal forest begins...there should be some very large bucks there, but I don't know if the genetics are bad in this particular area, if the nutrition is poor, or what but with 7 hunters sitting from daylight till dark during the rut I would think one of us should have at least caught a glimpse of a big, mature buck.

This hunt did make me really appreciate what we have here in Montana... We have much bigger bucks in our area than what was seen in Saskatchewan...much more mass and just bigger all around. Like they say, The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence...
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Old 12-01-2018, 01:19 PM
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So what did the outfitter have on camera. I can't believe that he didn't at least have some on film. If not or were they all small bucks like you saw. I had a buddy that went to Iowa with 7 other guys and they only saw one shooter in a week and the outfitter ammenaties sucked also.he did have some big deer on camera.
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Old 12-01-2018, 01:24 PM
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Sounds like even though you didn't get one of those bruisers tatonka it was an experience. Glad at least the lodge and food were first rate. Great buck in your avatar.
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Old 12-01-2018, 04:38 PM
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No trail cams were put out...His reasoning was that he didn't want to have hunters fighting over where to sit and thinking he was showing favoritism... My thought was BS..... All he would have needed to do was have people draw straws for the stands. I think he was too lazy to put out trail cams. The lodge and food were certainly first rate, but I go on hunts for the hunting.... If I want fancy meals and lodging I'll go to a resort on a beach somewhere.

The buck in my avatar was a buck I shot here at home last fall.... My best buck after 58 years of hunting!
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Old 12-01-2018, 06:21 PM
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One of my buddy,s that I used to work went to Canada four times before he took a fair 8 pt.
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Old 12-02-2018, 06:05 AM
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Interesting I know the pros and cons for trail cameras but if I was going to pay for a hunt I would want to know that there are at least some mature bucks in the area to go after. It seems most of the good Sask hunts are in areas with lots of woods and not much browse so they put out feed and just sit over it. Depending on the weather almost every deer at some point visits the bait site kinda like sitting over a water hole in Montana when its hot in August for antelope you know at some point the big guy will water just have to be there when he does.
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Old 12-02-2018, 08:15 PM
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Well, one thing I learned is that sitting in a little box from daylight to dark for 5 or 6 days straight hoping a good buck steps out is not my cup of tea... Live and learn. It really wasn't any fun at all and isn't that why we hunt....to have fun? I know I do!!! The lodge in the evening swapping stories with the other guys there and eating good food was fun......the actual hunting, not so much. And this is from a guy who would rather hunt than do just about anything else! This will be the last guided deer hunt I'll go on. Not because I didn't kill anything......t they just aren't all that rewarding. The outfitters do all the work...scouting, setting up stands, etc. I like that part of it. If I could go and hunt like I hunt at home, that would be different (scouting, still hunting, doing some spot and stalk, etc. as well as sitting), but when you hunt Canada with an outfitter you're going to do nothing but sit.
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Old 12-02-2018, 08:27 PM
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this is from a guy who would rather hunt than do just about anything else! This will be the last guided deer hunt I'll go on. Not because I didn't kill anything......t they just aren't all that rewarding. The outfitters do all the work...scouting, setting up stands, etc. I like that part of it.
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Old 12-03-2018, 05:59 AM
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"but when you hunt Canada with an outfitter you're going to do nothing but sit".

That depends who you hunt with and sometimes what you are hunting for same as in the U.S. where I've had turkey outfits say that they sit you in a blind and thats where you hunt now thats not for me !
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Old 12-03-2018, 07:09 AM
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this is why researching a hunt and outfitter BEFORE you go is so important, NOT all outfitters are the same nor are there results
and that also should have been something you could have controlled and worked about, as well, if sitting all day isn;t your style, this would have been known before you go no?
and if so, you I am sure can find outfitters that hunt in different ways
I know a few that do more walking with a hunting or, ROAD huntinga s I call it
where they drive you about all day looking for deer and then you put a stalk on and this is also in Sack. , I have had offers from outfitters to hunt this style in the past, so there NOT all sit in a stand all day over bait
YOU the hunter get to PICK what stype you wish to hunt, that is why you do research on a outfitter and ask questions BEFORE you go
NOT trying to bash on you, but juts saying, a LOT of bad hunt outcomes lay in the hands of the hunters and NOT the outfitters ONLY!
I have hunted a LOT of places 99% on DIY style hunts as I too prefer to do my own deal
BUT IN Canada while hunting there, I did a LOT of looking and asking before picking MY outfitters and have never had a BAD hunt there as a result of, being so active in my picking of them and all the questions I asked them and others that hunted there and even some locals about the persons running the business!
as in life so many times, you get out of it, what you put into it!
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