CANADA'S BEST DEER HUNTING

Frank Sarro

Editor's Note: At the first of November 2003, I went to Manitoba, Canada, to hunt with John Nixon and Doug Grantham of Whitetail Outfitters, headquartered in Stonewall. On this my second trip to hunt with Whitetail Outfitters in the deserted Interlake area near Winnipeg, I had just as much fun as I did the first time. During my first trip a couple of years ago, I saw more monster bucks and met more people who had taken the biggest bucks of their lifetimes than I'd ever met before. I also saw some unbelievably big bucks on my return trip in November of 2003. I interviewed the sportsmen who had braved this wilderness area so far removed from civilization that in a week's time you wouldn't even see an airplane fly over.

Frank Sarro of Wakefield, Massachusetts, took a buck that had a B&C score of 132 points. "My guide, Lenny Huff, found an area where three different deer trails came together and formed one really good trail. Because there were plenty of tracks on all the trails, we knew a lot of deer were moving in this area. Because the region where I was hunting had only small poplars, not big enough to hang a tree stand, Huff built a ground blind for me. Huff also put an aluminum-folding chair in the ground blind with a cushion for me to sit on, so I was quite comfortable while I hunted.

"I'd been sitting in my ground blind since daylight when suddenly a doe jumped out of the thicket right in front of my blind, less than 5 yards from me. She walked right up to the blind and looked at me but wasn't spooked. Then she looked back the way she'd come, appearing to be very nervous. I had a feeling a buck must be following her and realized that if he came out as quickly and as close to my blind as she had that I wouldn't be able to shoulder my rifle without spooking him. So, as soon as the doe reached the deer trail, I got my rifle to my shoulder and readied for the shot. Almost immediately, I heard a buck grunt once. The second time he grunted, I knew he was coming to me down the same trail the doe had. The buck walked so quickly, that just before he reached my blind, I grunted to try to stop him. He hesitated for just a second, which was long enough for me to get the crosshairs on his shoulder and fire. The buck continued to walk down the trail slowly as though he wasn't hit for about 25 yards and then went down."

Why Frank Sarro Hunts With Whitetail Outfitters:
"I like a small camp with few people," Sarro emphasizes. "I enjoy hunting with good guides who know the woods and understand how deer behave. I like a warm, comfortable camp to hunt out of, with good food, remoteness and solitude. Whitetail Outfitters provides all of this for me."

For more information on hunting the buck of your lifetime under extreme conditions, contact Doug Grantham or John Nixon at Whitetail Outfitters, Box 70, Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada ROC 2Z0, phone toll-free (888) 398-3459, e-mail hunt@whitetailoutfitters.ca, or visit the Web site www.whitetailoutfitters.ca.