By Jim Shockey

The question my whitetail clients most often ask has to do with, "What can we expect from a hunt in Canada?"
My answer to them is always a variation of: "Canada is a dichotomy of the best of and worst of whitetail hunting destinations."
I'll then explain that yes, some of the whitetail bucks do grow to mythic proportions in Canada, this is a record-book reality, but that's only one side of the "best of" and "worst of" equation. The other side of that equation is the fact that the deer populations in the areas that grow monster- sized bucks are relatively low. You won't see many bucks and the chance of seeing a B&C record book deer, while better than anywhere else in North America, is still slim.

My two exclusive Saskatchewan guiding areas, (400 square miles) have some of the highest densities of whitetails in northern Saskatchewan, but the numbers don't hold a candle to your average Texas ranch. My hunters can reasonably expect to see an average of one to three bucks per day. In other words, on a six-day hunt, one of my hunters should see between six and 20 different bucks. That said, I did have three different clients last fall who saw 10 bucks on one day and one fellow saw 14 different bucks in one day. That isn't the norm in all areas however, in many trophy areas of Canada, it isn't unusual for a hunter to go a whole week and only see one buck.

Another question every hunter asks me, is the classic, "What size of buck will I kill?"

Here expectations, propaganda and reality seldom meet in the middle. This is another "worst of "situation. Hunters are optimists, they want to believe that they will kill a B&C buck when they come to hunt Canada and it is in the better interests of outfitter to let the hunter believe this. The reality is (in my experience which includes growing up in Saskatchewan and hunting and/ or outfitting there for the last 30 years) in the best hunting areas, such as my own, you will, almost certainly, see a buck that scores 130 to 150 B&C points.

The "best of" is that these scores do not adequately reflect the size of the deer or how big the rack will look. First off the buck will weigh in at around 300 or more pounds and secondly, the rack will be far more massive than the similarly scoring buck from down south. Another "best of" has to do with the odds of seeing a buck that will legitimately be crowned with a set of antlers that gross score over 170 B&C points. In a good area your odds will run somewhere in the 10 percent range - great odds, relatively speaking, but not anywhere near the 100 percent odds some would have you believe.
FACT: In the typical whitetail deer category of the Boone and Crockett Record Book, in the 14 years prior to 1988, the year the ninth edition of the "Records of North American Big Game" was published, only one typical whitetail made the top 10. That one and only buck to make the top 10 was taken in 1984 in Saskatchewan. During the next five years, three more Saskatchewan whitetails were killed that cracked the top 10!

The vast size of the Western Canadian provinces means there are relatively few hunters per square mile - another of the "best of." You can hunt whitetail bucks without tripping over hunters. The "worst of" is you will have to hire a guide to hunt legally in the top trophy producing areas. In other words, expect to pay $4,000 or so to hunt a whitetail buck in Western Canada for the better producing outfitters and areas. When you book your hunt, a good point to remember is, you get what you pay for.

Although Canada has always been the destination of choice for the whitetail hunting cognoscenti, in the last few years this sparsely settled country has leapt to the fore as the acknowledged whitetail mecca for all whitetail hunters. The resultant influx of hunters, all needing guides, has produced another "worst of" situation as fortune seeking "gold rushers" transform themselves into whitetail outfitters. Thankfully, the various outfitter associations and provincial governments have been working successfully to remedy this problem and purge these charlatans from the ranks of qualified outfitters.

While the problem is less prominent than it was, the hunter considering Canada as a hunting destination would be wise to not only check an outfitter's references carefully, but to question the outfitter in depth in regards to the hunting techniques that outfitters might use. Not all outfitters will put you on stand, some might want to drive you around all day hoping to bump into whitetail targets of opportunity - road hunt as it were. Ask questions and you;'ll know what to expect from the hunt.
FACT: Canadian whitetail expert Garry Donald of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, author of "Saskatchewan's Legendary Whitetails" says there are at least half a dozen or more whitetail bucks alive to day that equal or surpass Milo Hanson's buck. He says he has seen several sets of shed typical whitetail antlers that are in the 200 net B&C point range but because these bucks are still alive, and the owners are still hunting them, he is sworn to secrecy regarding their whereabouts.

Greenhouse effect, El Nino or 10,000 year trend, whatever the cause, the heartland of whitetail hunting, the Canadian prairie provinces, have been experiencing mild winters for nearly a decade now. They've been spared the worst of what the north pole has to offer and the deer, with great forage and super genetics, have managed to flourish and mature. Rutted and ragged bucks that are usually most susceptible to winter's harsh realities have been surviving winter after winter in good health. Saskatchewan is the undisputed hot spot for big whitetail bucks in the world today but the hunter should, before jumping on a plane to come to this cold province, understand something about Saskatchewan. The whole of the province is not accessible at this time to the American hunter. The American citizen is considered to be a non resident alien in Saskatchewan and as such is relegated to hunting in the solid forest country in the northern most reaches of the whitetail deer range. Hanson did not kill his buck in this north country.

The hunting method of choice in the northern sections of the province, is bait hunting. Saskatchewan regulations permit baiting and this has proven to be a very effective way to take whitetail deer in the heavily forested northern areas of the providence. The hunter should expect to sit on stand for hours at a time, all day preferably and in weather that would freeze a penguin. The hunting season normally lasts for five weeks through November and into December with one earlier muzzleloader season in some sections and one early rifle season in the far northern regions. No matter where they hunt, all non resident aliens must hire a guide in the province.

The prognosis for Saskatchewan, the Canadian heartland of the largest whitetails in the world, never looked better. Mild winters, excellent moisture most summers and great genetics ensure hunters making the pilgrimage to this province can expect to do very well indeed. This provided they come with realistic expectations and remember the "best of"' and "worst of"' aspects of a Canadian hunt.

Shockey owns exclusive rights to 400 square miles of the very best whitetail habitat in Saskatchewan. For information on Shockey's territory or to order his "must see" Canadian whitetail videos, contact Jim Shockey, Suite 340, 185-911 Yates Street, Victoria, BC, Canada V8V 4Y9 or call toll-free at (888) 826-1011 or look Jim up on the Internet at www.jimshockey.com.