What's Hunting With Whitetail Outfitters Like

EDITOR'S NOTE: Hunting the wilderness area of Manitoba, Canada, in the Interlake region provides an opportunity for a sportsman to hunt and take the biggest deer of his lifetime. These deer receive no hunting pressure. Too, hunters have extremely high chances of bagging a monster.

According to the Whitetail Outfitters' guide Wyman Sangster, "Deer will travel along a snowmobile trail -- if it goes through thick wilderness or deep snow. The trail makes deer walking from place to place easier."

On the second day of the hunt, I bagged a really nice 8-point buck that crossed the snowmobile trail we'd made to get to my tree stand. The next morning Sangster put Myron Jorstad from Wisconsin in my same stand.

"Because friends and I had taken as many as three deer from the same stand in one day, I wasn't too concerned that a deer had already been taken from the stand that I was in," Jorstad said. "We could tell by the sign that plenty of bucks were in the area. On the first morning of my hunt, I was on a different stand where a very large 8 point walked right under my stand just before first light. When the buck reached 15 yards from my stand, I could tell he had big antlers -- but not how big. Although the buck had a huge body, he just didn't have the rack I wanted.

"On the second day of the hunt, I had two does come up under me, but they spooked and ran off. That same afternoon I got in the stand where another hunter had taken a buck, and a doe and a buck came within gun range in no time. Because snow was falling, and the wind was blowing, a flap on my tree stand blew in the breeze and spooked both of the deer. When the deer stopped about 50 yards from my stand, I could tell that the buck only had 6 points. So, I let him go on his way.

"About noon on the third day of the hunt, I spotted movement off to my right in the burn-off area. At 150 yards away, I could tell that the buck had nice antlers. I moved to the stand, looked through the scope and decided to take the shot. When the deer took the bullet, he didn't move. I fired again, and this time the buck went down. The buck was 150 yards away, and I could see his antlers without my glasses. What was unusual about this buck was that he fell right on the snowmobile trail where Wyman Sangster had turned around his snowmobile the day before. So, the buck was easy to load. We put him in the sled and brought him back to camp.

"Since this was my first guided hunt, I didn't really know what to expect. I've hunted for more than 40 years, and this hunt was one of the best hunts I've ever been on. I look forward to hunting up here again in Canada as soon as possible. The accommodations were really good: you stay warm and dry; they feed you well; and they give you a place to sleep. The only thing I missed was Monday Night Football on TV. I saw three bucks in three days and had to pass up two of them before I took the deer I bagged. Because sometimes I'd gone the whole season without seeing a buck. This hunt was great, and I can't wait to do it again."

If you're looking for the deer of a lifetime and an adventure you'll never forget, contact Whitetail Outfitters, owners Doug Grantham and John Nixon, at Box 1052, Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada ROC 220; call toll-free (888) 398-3459; email hunt@whitetailoutfitters.ca; or visit the website www.whitetailoutfitters.ca. Whitetail Outfitters' hunting dates and costs for 2001 include: archery -- 10/29 - 11/10, $2200 US; muzzleloader -- 10/29 -- 11/10, $2200 US; rifle -- 11/12 - 11/24, $2400 US. Canadian government licenses and fees cost $125 US for hunting, including archery, muzzleloading and/or rifle.

Tomorrow: Other Big Bucks