The last few years have been very good for the deer herd in Saskatchewan with more normal winters, less snow and our cold spells are short and few. A reduction in the wolf population in most areas has helped immensely also. I have been snaring and trapping them for 6 years now and their population in my area is at a very manageable number. I will continue my effort every year to keep this number low. This is very noticeable in the deer behavior and numbers.
The population is very strong with plenty of mature bucks and young bucks running everywhere. The does seem to be mostly having twins which is a sign of easy winters and low predation. The hunting is excellent now and looks even better in the future.
A lot has changed around the camp and in the woods the last couple years. A new lodge has been built and the old one is gone. Some renovations have been done to the hunter's quarters and a well now supplies the water. This all makes the time spent in camp more enjoyable.
With some new equipment, argo and skidder, I have been able to access some new area and also get back into some stand sites we haven't used in years due to trails been ruined or bridges been pulled. I also purchased some new blinds from Badgerland Hunting Blinds that make it easier to spend the day sitting in the woods. For the cold days I have body suits made by Half in The Bag for the hunters to use. The warmer and more comfortable you are sitting the better the odds you won't miss an opportunity when a big buck goes by.
I strongly promote only harvesting mature bucks and do not promote "Tag Filling” so I can advertise a high kill success rate. The majority of my clients are looking for a mature animal and realize that you probably won't harvest one every year but know you can't shoot a big one sitting in camp with a small one hanging on the meat pole. They also realize the small ones they let walk are the ones they will be after next year.
I am allocated a limited number of hunters per year by our provincial biologist and this number will never damage the population of the deer even with 100% kill ratio but if I feel that it might affect my mature bucks I will not fill all the tags to ensure better hunting for the ones that do come.
Best wishes to you all and thank you for visiting my site. Hope to see some of you at my camp and good luck on all your hunting adventures.
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