Fall in Saskatchewan. My family homesteaded here over 100 years ago. Moving to the province for the farming opportunities. Today, the buildings no longer stand and my ancestors have scattered to other areas. But for those of us who wish for Saskatchewan whitetail hunting or September mornings on the prairie, we made it a tradition to come back year after year. I’ve been fortunate to have some unbelievable experiences fishing here and some unreal waterfowl hunts.

I even filmed a bear hunt, but I’ve never had the chance to do what’s at the top of the bucket list for hunters everywhere: Chase a big-bodied, dark-racked buck from the Saskatchewan bush. I finally got the chance in November of 2024. This is how it went.

Arriving at Camp

My adventure begins with an old friend, Barry Prall. Owner of a whitetail, black bear and fishing guide service on the shores of Tobin Lake called Trails End Outfitters.

“Trophy whitetail are some of the hardest animals to get,” Barry explained. “It’s never a guarantee.”

I’m not the only one excited to travel here for the deer. Whitetail fanatic Danny Thompson and his father are joining me.

“I grew up in the time when the Monster Buck videos were really popular,” Danny said. “The Real Tree guys come up to Saskatchewan and hunt with the outfitters up here and have their snow camo on. Shooting those big, dark-horned, big-bodied, Saskatchewan bucks.”

“It’s just on whitetail hunters bucket list to come up here and shoot one of those deer,” Danny said.

Watch The Video:

Long-time Saskatchewan Whitetail Hunters At Trails End

Barry also has a couple regulars in camp. Hunters who’ve been coming for a long time.

“I’ve been coming to Trails End for 21 years,” Keith from Wisconsin said. “All 18 that Barry has owned. It started with the previous owner who retired. Then Barry took the business over, and I’ve been here every year since.”

When people have been coming here for that long, it’s a testament to the operation Barry has.

“Sometimes guys will ask me why I always go back to the same place,” Greg from Wisconsin said. “That reason is real simple for me: because I know exactly what I’m going to get.”

What My Expectations Were

I’ve wanted to come here to hunt deer for years. Just walking through the lodge and seeing what’s hanging on the wall is enough to get your heart racing. And while I’d love to shoot a giant, I’m content with a solid buck that has that signature chocolate rack.

I’m also looking forward to the experience of sitting in the Saskatchewan wilderness. It’s not just deer roaming these woods, but moose, elk, wolves, bears and all sorts of other critters. Barry’s area is big, 300,000 acres of thick timber. It borders the farmland that dominates the southern half of Saskatchewan. Moving through the bush isn’t easy. The majority of hunting takes place along the fringe in deer stands, with shooting lanes and piles of hay that entice animals out from the vast northern forest.

Danny Thompson and his Father Arrive

Days can be long. Weather can be frigid, but without snow and cold, those deer stay hidden. Beautiful weather, by my standards, greeted me as I arrived. While comfortable, it’s not the most productive weather for seeing big bucks. I hunted a couple short days before Danny arrived in camp with his father Lee.

“I’ve been hunting since I was a young kid,” Danny said. His father introduced him to whitetails and he’s been a freak about them since. “I’d go out and sit in the stand with him and just watch the deer. I just really kind of fell in love with it.”

Lee was on his first Canadian deer hunt and was excited for the hunt.

“Oh Yeah,” Lee said. “I’m nervous, shaking!”

Danny’s experience on day one was a good one. He saw around 16 or so deer, including a nice one.

Day 1 Results

“One of them was a pretty good buck,” he said. “Big dark rack, huge body. But, it’s first day. It’s hard to pull the trigger. I’m semi-close to my dad, so I thought maybe that deer to go over towards my dad.”

Should Danny have shot that buck? I asked him if he’d heard the phrase, “Don’t pass up a deer on day 1 that you’d shoot on the last day.”

He laughed and said, “That went through my mind multiple times.”

Hunting the bush in Saskatchewan usually involves hunting over bait. A pile of hay or some oats used to coax deer from the dense forest. This was my first time doing this and noticed behavior I didn’t expect from the bucks.

How They Hunt in Saskatchewan

“The bucks aren’t coming for food,” Barry explained. “They’re coming to check their scrapes and and whatever doe is coming into the heat, that’s what they’re looking for.”

Greg saw that firsthand.

“I had one buck come in to me yesterday, a fork, and it did nothing with the bait,” Greg explained. “But it was all around it, had to be there for five minutes. But it never ate.”

“So if we can find the does we should be able to get some bucks,” Danny surmised.

We had a snow storm roll through and the bush was now draped in white. The insulating pines had heavy, wet snow weighing down their branches. The shooting lane was the best vantage point so deer could come from anywhere, but you might not see them until they’re right in front of you.

“This is kind of a waiting game,” Danny said. “And sitting out there in the bush is so quiet. I mean, it’s like almost eerie quiet. It’s just the stillness of of sitting out there. It’s just something totally different than anything I’ve had to hunt in the Midwest.”

Making Sure Everything is Right

Right before this trip, I picked up a new scope from Riton. I decided to put it on my old .30-06 while I was in Saskatchewan. Well, that meant sighting it in. That also meant that putting this bigger scope on caused my gun not to fit in my case anymore. After getting it all sighted in and then jamming it into my case, I knocked the scope out of alignment.

I decided to wait until I could get it dialed before heading out to the stand. This spot hadn’t been hunted yet this year, and the longer trail end of the bush had fresh tracks. I also noticed two active scrapes and a huge rub along the way. Everything seems bigger up here, bigger bodies and bigger scrapes. It’s like they’re disturbing half a football field.

“Yeah, they can get pretty aggressive,” Barry said. “Our buck to doe ratio is pretty high.”

“I think Saskatchewan is definitely one of those places you got to add to your list,” Danny said. “Coming up here and hunting on the fringe of the bush country in the farmland. It’s just such a cool experience. The adventure of it really is what makes this trip worth it.”

“It might be a trip for a lifetime for some people, but it could be a good tradition,” Lee said.

The Challenge

Hunting is never a guarantee. While most of us in camp had success that you can watch in the video, the best part was the experience of being at deer camp, trying to figure the deer out and seeing other wildlife in the woods.

“For me, I’ve always wanted to be an outfitter,” Barry explained. “I’ve always been an outfitter. And the best part I find about the whole business is getting to know the people.”

Saskatchewan is a wild place, a favorite location of my ancestors and now one of mine as well. Beautiful landscapes, good hunting and great people. Putting this bush back on the wall is more than just a trophy. It’s a daily reminder of the incredible experiences I’ve been fortunate to have in this Canadian wilderness. Special thanks to Tourism Saskatchewan for support on this trip.

Here are more pictures from our trip: