Young Guys Looking To Hunt Saskatchewan

[OutWest]

Call me crazy if you want. I'm sure many will. My friend and I are both 20. We are planning on heading to Saskatchewan to hunt Whitetail at the end of November next year so long as there is no draw system in place. I've heard so many good things about hunting out there that I thought we'd have to give it a try. I understand harvesting a buck is much, much harder than it sounds. We are both very ambitious and we've got our acts together. Our dads have taken us out hunting since we were just toddlers and we're in love with the sport. Anyways I'm looking for some helpful information from guys who have done it before. General areas to go, past experiences etc. I've been out to Sask a few times in the winter just not to hunt. Thanks in advance for any help you can give us!

[buckwild76]

you better check the sask. regs online to give yourself an idea of what you are up against. the regs for next year are supposed to be changing in regards to out of province hunters, exactly how i am not sure. if you have relatives or friends out there it would be wise to contact them WELL before your trip because there is a lot of posted land out there where you can't hunt without permission. there is also a lot of guides who have clients out on crown land, so you really have to research your destination. and no harvesting a massive wall hanger is not automatic just because you are in sask. if you guys have any other questions or thoughts feel free to pm me and i can try to help more. cheers.

[6616]

Getting a buck isn't all that hard. Watch the alfalfa fields in the morning and evening, try to dope out the routes and trails between the fields and the bedding areas by watching from afar with binoculars or spotting scope then establish good ambush spots, then try to get permission from the landowner, watch the wind.

Some people think they can go to Saskatchewan and shoot a 170 buck like nothing, that's not the case, they're there and there's more of them then you'd ever believe, but those old bucks are mighty sneaky and usually nocturnal. It take's some real planning to get one and you have to find one first. They usually have their own travel routes and don't use the same trails as the does, fawns, and smaller bucks.

Take lots of warm cloths and make sure the antifreeze in your truck is good for 40 below. Dry the oil off your guns carefully and use powdered graphite for lube if you need it. I've seen so many guns froze shut it's a pity.

[OutWest]

Thanks for the info guys! I want to learn as much as I can before the trip. You can never be too prepared. Anyone who has had any past experiences good or bad please feel free to post. I'd love to hear from as many people as possible!

[gunsight]

remember that since july of this year posting of private property in sask. is not required you have to have permission to hunt any private property.i haven't heard of any changes in the out of provnce hunter rules will post any new rules when i hear of them.hunting white tail is my pation.

[Wild Images]

Join Menoutdoors.com , it is the Sask hunting forum like this one, there are some really gool folks on there. You can make some contacts and good info from them

[OutWest]

Join Menoutdoors.com , it is the Sask hunting forum like this one, there are some really gool folks on there. You can make some contacts and good info from them

I joined the site. Thanks for the tip. I'm trying to get as much information and be prepared as possible before we go. It might be early but you can never be too prepared!

[dukester]

Call me crazy if you want. I'm sure many will. My friend and I are both 20. We are planning on heading to Saskatchewan to hunt Whitetail at the end of November next year so long as there is no draw system in place. I've heard so many good things about hunting out there that I thought we'd have to give it a try. I understand harvesting a buck is much, much harder than it sounds. We are both very ambitious and we've got our acts together. Our dads have taken us out hunting since we were just toddlers and we're in love with the sport. Anyways I'm looking for some helpful information from guys who have done it before. General areas to go, past experiences etc. I've been out to Sask a few times in the winter just not to hunt. Thanks in advance for any help you can give us!

Help you out all you want, i like your ambition and energy.. Get yourself several copies of the Big Buck Mag. Start writing down Towns where bucks are shot and zones if this info is given. Really,,,, Buck hunting here is not that hard,compared to the hills/mountain hunting of B.C. Keep me informed where you think on heading/staying,theres tons of small towns with hotels and horny ugly cooks for you young guys:mrgreen:. lol..If your close to me i'll come out with ya. your shots can be 20 yrds pushing bush to 400 yrds across a field.. know your rifle and its ballistics and a good range finder will help also. Yes running shots are taken .... Alot, as you will soon find out. those huge bucks hang out in old slough bottoms and cattails bluffs, and once ther busted they are running. rule of thumb is 3-4 feet lead . If its past 100 yrds stop tossing lead you will never hit it. pm me your email and i will send pics and stories.
duke

[OutWest]

Help you out all you want, i like your ambition and energy.. Get yourself several copies of the Big Buck Mag. Start writing down Towns where bucks are shot and zones if this info is given. Really,,,, Buck hunting here is not that hard,compared to the hills/mountain hunting of B.C. Keep me informed where you think on heading/staying,theres tons of small towns with hotels and horny ugly cooks for you young guys:mrgreen:. lol..If your close to me i'll come out with ya. your shots can be 20 yrds pushing bush to 400 yrds across a field.. know your rifle and its ballistics and a good range finder will help also. Yes running shots are taken .... Alot, as you will soon find out. those huge bucks hang out in old slough bottoms and cattails bluffs, and once ther busted they are running. rule of thumb is 3-4 feet lead . If its past 100 yrds stop tossing lead you will never hit it. pm me your email and i will send pics and stories.
duke

Hey thanks for the positive response. PM will be sent.

[Drillbit]

Grew up hunting in Sask. Figure out where you want to go, and go there this spring for some gopher hunting action (bring bugspray and lots of 22lr). Visit as many places as you can to get permission to hunt gophers, and deer in the fall. Write down all names and phone numbers of people you talked to so you can phone them in the fall and re-confirm that you are permitted to hunt on their land.
If you are a bait and ambush hunter, the only helpful info would be to chose very large safe areas for deer and set up on a well used trail.
If you have a group and are into pushing bush, pair up within your group and push anything manageable (four guys are all you need 2 walk 2 post), the deer will usually run into the wind and always to the easiest way to travel fast. Don't post near the bush you are pushing, post near where you think they are going to go. They will always come out in the worst possible place for the poster because they know where you are.
If you want to have some fun, be driving at daybreak (and evening). If you move fast you'll see lots of big bucks, but you have to be quick. Practice up, if you can't be shooting before your vehicle slides to a stop, you won't get a booney.
My hunting group has been hunting out there and out of 8 members, one has always shot a B&C buck (but not this year, no big bucks, just average)
Let me know if you want any more info
PS semi-autos are the best for prairie hunting.

[1911]

I agree. Semi-autos are the best for prarie hunting and making hamburger...

[dukester]

Join Menoutdoors.com , it is the Sask hunting forum like this one, there are some really gool folks on there. You can make some contacts and good info from them


X2 get on that site.

[Islandeer]

hey, great thread. real good of you sask boys helping out some good ol BC boys. :)

[dukester]

hey, great thread. real good of you sask boys helping out some good ol BC boys. :)
I used to be a BCrrrr.. funny how i envy them and they want to come here.

[cainer]

I was out in Prince Albert this year for the 5 day season. I'd say the most important thing you could do is get permission to hunt on Farm land. The deer all hang out there at some point.
Spread it out too. Not all areas hold big (antlered) bucks. Some people grow alfalfa, some canola, some wheat etc. Chances are, you're not going to be able to pick and choose the types of land you're going to hunt on-(won't all be alfalfa) you'll probably take whatever you can get-like me-so it's good if you have variety in different areas.
Scout before the season starts too. It helps to know what land holds bucks before the 25th rolls around.
And lets face it-5 days sounds like a long time, but when that one buck takes a slightly different route everyday, you may find yourself contemplating a doe on the last day.
I find the people in sask are much easier to approach than here in BC-so as long as you're respectful, you shouldn't have a problem finding somewhere to hunt.
Praying for no changes to the Canadian res season won't hurt either !

[6616]

Open up Google Earth and look at the area south of the Saskatchewan River between Saskatoon and Battleford.

Just west of Saskatoon and just north of highway 14 there is an area of scrub brush country. This area is populated by large dairy farms and has lots of alfalfa and cattle pasture areas with lots of deer cover mixed in. This area is in the Saskatoon special weapons zone and is bow, shotgun, or muzzle loader only.

Further NW and south of the river directly south of Battleford is a similar large area of bush country that is open to rifle hunting.

These islands of bushy areas surrrounded by open prairie are hot spots for deer. They're all cattle country with lots of alfalfa and pasture areas, with lots of cover, perfect for white tailed deer. Some of the biggest bucks regularily come from these areas. Deer like and fed extensivelly in oats. barley, Canola, field peas, and Faba bean fields, but remember during hunting season the field crops are all harvested and pretty much barren of deer feed. The alfalfa fields keep growing after last cut and stay green right up until snow flies and are deer magnets. In November and early December look for alfalfa fields with nearby bushy bedding areas and you'll find deer, lots of deer.

[OutWest]

Hey everyone thanks for the help! I'm in Australia at the moment and getting on the internet for extended periods of time has been tough! I really appreciate the information you guys are giving me and I will put it all to good use!

[deerstocker]

i grewup in sask and hunted every year and have a few booners all the talk about paterning bucks in sask in nov is all crap the only way a buck will stay in one place at this time of year is if theres a hot doe around --- i grew up in farm land all bucks that live on farm land r easy to tell they all have scrapes in there horns from barb wire and alot of the big deer i have came from river hills where there is no barb wire horns r clean so what im saying is most of the deer shot never come from where they were shot -- they will move 40 - 50km easy u want some of the bigest deer hunt the north sask river cant tell u exactly where to go u have to do some work lol

[swampdonkey jr.]

I went this past November about 40 mins west of saskatoon it's was a blast great experience got a nice whitetail non typical .plan on going back every year I can only down side it was 140$ for the tag but well worth it

[kjohn]

There are scads of good places to hunt deer in good ol' Saskatchewan, BUT you will need the latest huge diesel pickup with 57" tires and really, really noisy exhaust, a 12" lift kit, and at least 2 of the latest 600 hp quads loaded on the back, plus a trailer with four more, plus you will need the latest .600 caliber whizbang rifle with a 50 power scope, a rangefinder that tells you the antler measurements from 1000 yards (oops! - meters), plus $600 hunting boots and all the latest clothing and other gear. Oh, and I almost forgot, it is impossible to shoot deer in Saskatchewan because you have to wear certain colours, i.e. blaze orange, white, yellow, etc.

Or... you could do like a lot of us bumpkins and suit up in some Canadian Tire blaze orange, grab a rifle and some ammo, drive out into the country in your family van, park, and walk.

Seriously, this province does have a huge area with good hunting. Come down and give it a whirl. Welcome!!:tongue:

[mikethemilkman]

i agree with all the comments! we hunt out there usually every two years with my buddys family knowledge is key ( LOCAL) as well as your studies. do your homework and you will be rewarded a great point know your gun! get comfortable with long shots. and YES long running shots good luck! BTW people in sask are the nicest people you will findhttp://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[dukester]

i agree with all the comments! we hunt out there usually every two years with my buddys family knowledge is key ( LOCAL) as well as your studies. do your homework and you will be rewarded a great point know your gun! get comfortable with long shots. and YES long running shots good luck! BTW people in sask are the nicest people you will findhttp://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

Atta boy,, we are some of the nicest because we used to live in BC. :mrgreen:. Indeed know your weapon, and get a range finder.

[dukester]

There are scads of good places to hunt deer in good ol' Saskatchewan, BUT you will need the latest huge diesel pickup with 57" tires and really, really noisy exhaust, a 12" lift kit, and at least 2 of the latest 600 hp quads loaded on the back, plus a trailer with four more, plus you will need the latest .600 caliber whizbang rifle with a 50 power scope, a rangefinder that tells you the antler measurements from 1000 yards (oops! - meters), plus $600 hunting boots and all the latest clothing and other gear. Oh, and I almost forgot, it is impossible to shoot deer in Saskatchewan because you have to wear certain colours, i.e. blaze orange, white, yellow, etc.

Or... you could do like a lot of us bumpkins and suit up in some Canadian Tire blaze orange, grab a rifle and some ammo, drive out into the country in your family van, park, and walk.

Seriously, this province does have a huge area with good hunting. Come down and give it a whirl. Welcome!!:tongue:
:mrgreen::mrgreen: thats good,, that 1st paragraph reminded my of the ft st john days of hunting..

[Islandeer]

Hey all you great Saskies!!

Met some great guys from somewhere in Sask at New years in Cancun. Had many wobblies at the pool bars with them and of course talked alot of hunting. They invited me to come and hunt their property, I am pissed cause I didn't get their ph #'s,something about being way too all inclusive!!! Anyways,Riders rock, this is a longshot but maybe someone knows someone who ... !!!

Cheers, Ian in Victoria

[OutWest]

Hey all you great Saskies!!

Met some great guys from somewhere in Sask at New years in Cancun. Had many wobblies at the pool bars with them and of course talked alot of hunting. They invited me to come and hunt their property, I am pissed cause I didn't get their ph #'s,something about being way too all inclusive!!! Anyways,Riders rock, this is a longshot but maybe someone knows someone who ... !!!

Cheers, Ian in Victoria

I'd check the menoutdoors.com site as someone told me on here. Lots of great and informative people on there! I'm in Sydney, Australia right now and met a couple great guys from Sask who invited us up there next season. We're travelling around with them right now. They live in Naicam so I will have to check if the rifle season is open to Canadian Residents in that area next year. I downloaded last years Sask Regs but am in no shape to go sifting through it right now :p.


Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and helpful information. I can't thank you enough and please keep it coming!