Bone Quest Outfitters

In 2018 the number of young 3 1/2 year old whitetails on our bait sites was nothing shy of amazing . This high number of young up and comers, is the sure sign of a total recovery. Saskatchewan's whitetail population went through a tough time with back to back devastating winters in 2012/2013 and 2013/2014.  These winters did not only see a drop in the population, the reproduction rate of the survivors had also dropped significantly in the springs that followed. What made these winters tougher on the whitetail population than every other harsh Saskatchewan winter?     1. They started early , when you compound deep snow with harsh temperatures dipping as low as -40F before the rut had even began. This left it extremely tough for the bucks to feed and recover after burning their fat reserves after the rut marathon had ended. 2. The length of winter , I can think back to the spring of 2013 and recall people ice fishing on May 5th in southern Saskatchewan.  This is t...

Saskatchewan has always been on the map when it comes to some of the largest whitetails ever harvested world wide.  The popularity of hunting this ungulate is largely driven because whitetails are the widest spread species of the deer family, living throughout much of Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America, South America and even being introduced into some European country's as well.   The buck featured at the top of the page is the Elburn Kohler Buck.  Harvested in 1957 and registered in the town of White Fox Saskatchewan.  This beast of a whitetail holds the number one spot for non velvet non typical whitetails ever harvested in the province measuring out at a whopping 257 3/8". This next buck is the largest Non Typical/ velvet whitetail ever harvested in Saskatchewan.  Harvested by Dallas Heinrichs from Loydminister in 2012 and scoring an incredible 271 0/8.    You can't have a list of Saskatchewan's top whitetails without incl...

So you have decided to venture north on the hunt for a trophy Canadian whitetail.  Being prepared and having the right gear to keep you comfortable in the woods when sitting sun up to sun down is very important.  Here is what we recommend our hunters bring to ensure they are comfortable and therefore ready when the opportunity at a trophy Saskatchewan whitetail presents itself. -Warm footwear, Saskatchewan Pac Boot from cabalas or an equivalent boot for warmth -Heater body suits -Warm mitts that can be slipped off quietly for shooting -Balaclava -orange stocking cap -Shooting stick -Binoculars -Day Pack capable of carrying all your gear to and from the blind everyday -Orange vest -Orange Hat -2 boxes of ammunition -Firearm declaration form for at the border http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/form-formulaire/pdfs/5589-eng.pdf -Passport www.bonequestoutfitters.com

It's an early start to the season with several bucks already showing up on the camera's.  This being a great sign for the 2017 fall we have been looking forward to for the past 9 months.  Typically our mature bucks tend to show up more frequently towards the end of October going on through the season and into December so seeing mature bucks this early can't help but make us excited with the anticipation of our hunters harvesting some great whitetails this fall. If your looking for Saskatchewan whitetail hunt, give us a call and we'd be happy to accommodate you for what should be a great season ahead of us. 1-306-227-9637 www.bonequestoutfitters.com

Fall is in the air and the forest has come alive.  Heards of elk have made themselves at home around some of the deer stands, well bears continue to be a problem.  Not a problem in the way of being aggressive towards the whitetails, but more so in the means of destroying blinds. The bears are extremely active right now appearing on nearly every deer bait, eating the grain well the whitetails don't appear to be bothered showing up sometimes just minutes after the bears have wondered off.   The whitetails are active as well.   More and more bucks are showing up daily.   This is a great sign for what should be ahead of us this fall when the big mature bucks start to expand their range coming into late October and into November when we'll do everything in our power to connect with some of these northern giants.     www.bonequestoutfitters.com

Saskatchewan has and will continue to produce monster whitetails year after year.  But there are some main factors that can control how many giants are roaming the forests and prairies of this vast province. How deer manage through the winter months is the biggest factor affecting their survival rate.  Following another relatively easy winter we should see a high rate of twins as well as a healthy population of bucks that survived their post rut winter months.  Now what is even more exciting is this will follow our 3rd easy winter in a row.  The population is in full recovery mode from the 2012/13 winter.  Numbers of deer have increased dramatically as well as numbers of mature bucks to go along with it.  Every year just keeps getting better and hopefully with another average- above average winter we will continue to grow and mature. If you have or have not hunted Saskatchewan whitetails before, it is a great time to consider doing so.  There are s...

  Running a trapline would be the farthest from the mind for most young lady's, but not Jackie.  A trapline which was handed down from her father and will now continue to be a big part of her life.  A gal who is not afraid to get her hands dirty in the skinning shed.  We want to salute Jackie Tourand for her hard work taking care of predators, and say we are very proud to have her on our guide staff at Bone Quest Outfitters.    www.BoneQuestOutfitters.com

The Bear report from both the spring and fall hunts showed big bears on the prowl.  Color is not out of the normal here.  With just a few openings left for the spring of 2017 we'd love to accommodate you and your group A snow storm in early October destroyed many of our trails as tree's were flattened by the heavy snow.  Chainsaw gas was burned and trails were cleared in order to get back to the ridges that the big bucks cruise.   By the time November 1st had hit all the snow had melted creating a pile of standing water in the woods   Although this pickup belonging to an anonymous individual was found on one of our fall baiting runs in November.  It wasn't until the middle of December that we we're taking our pickups that far back into the swamps.  I don't think this gentleman did his scouting to well to say the least as he discovered how much standing water there was in the bush Heres a buck which we saw in 2015 as well as 2016. ...

Although the temperatures are above normal here, the deer are active like this buck which was caught on a scrape cam 20 yards behind a bait, but in plain view of the blind.  Not interested in eating but rather just making his rounds.  Heavy rut action is starting and will only pick up from here on in.  www.BONEQUESTOUTFITTERS.com

September baiting typically shows mostly does and fawns as well as the occasional buck.  This is due to them being very local to their home area at this time.   As the season progresses into October the bucks begin to move farther and test their dominance with sparring matches. With their increased movements we are seeing more bucks new to the camera everytime we are into the baits.  From here on in things get interesting, as the anticipation for those Monster Saskatchewan Bucks to show up .     WWW.BONEQUESTOUTFITTERS.COM

When it comes to huge bears any color will do but a giant color phase would be an exceptional prize for any hunter.  When Ricky first appeared in the spring of 2015 we were mesmerized by just how impressive this bear is. The spring of 2016 came with a completely different set of circumstances.  The bears awoke from their dens to find buds on the tree's in plentiful amounts.  This made for a slow start on the baits.  Any droppings we found were completely black from all the greens being ingested and it took them a while to turn to the meat.  At this point Ricky was no where to be seen. It wasn't until the night of May 16th when he first appeared on the camera, roughly 8 miles from where we had seen him in 2015.  We had a hunter on him the first chance we got.  Ricky did not show, although the reports of a bear barking at 100 yards away behind the stand one night and then the same bark at 30 yards the next night, something that would send shivers dow...

Here is a buck that we have 2 years of history on.  We're calling him Brows and I don't believe an explanation is necessary with G-1's of that length.  We're dealing with completely free range wild Saskatchewan whitetails.  Some whitetails we may only see once in their life and others like Brows seam to be more local to an area.  Only time will tell if he will show up again in the fall of 2016 but one thing is for certain the conditions of this present winter are favouring the whitetails, thus should prevail a high survival rate allowing these younger bucks like Brows to mature and keep on growing. www.BoneQuestOutfitters.com

Opportunity's to hunt virgin, untapped area's is an extremely rare opportunity.  We are offering just that opportunity for Mega Saskatchewan Black Bears in the spring of 2016.  Our area has not been outfitted for black bears since 2002.  Our scouting mission in 2015 showed no shortage of mega bears.  We set out to get a few photo's for just this purpose.  In doing so we set up 4 baits.  On 4 baits we saw 5 different colored bears.  On top of that we saw some mega blacks as well.  Big bears were present on every bait.  NOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH TWENTY BAITS OUT? If your addicted to bear hunting or just want a awesome bear hunting experience give us a call and we would enjoy nothing more than providing you with such an experience.  WWW.BONEQUESTOUTFITTERS.COM

Come talk Saskatchewan hunting and fishing in Harrisburg PA at the Great American Outdoors Show.  We will be at Booth 2535.   www.bonequestoutfitters.com

Here is a buck that shows the antler growth potential that Saskatchewan whitetails have.  The top photo shows the buck in the fall of 2015, the bottom photo is the same buck in 2014. The biggest factor in antler growth in Saskatchewan is what hardships the previous winter forced the whitetail population to endure.   We're now on the downhill slide of one of the easiest winters on record, which was preceded by an easy winter in 2014/2015.  The conditions have been right and there is no doubts there will be some great bucks around in the fall of 2016.  AND YES this buck was still running wild at the end of last season. bonequestoutfitters.com

Saskatchewan is inhabited by both whitetailed deer as well as mule deer.  Although it is not common for interbreading to take place it is not unheard of.  Here is 2 photo's of a buck that clearly has mixed genes.  This is not the first mixed whitetail/ mule deer I have seen in this neck of the woods.  In fact in 2013 I had pictures of a young buck with whitetail antlers and a mule deer tail.  As far as game regulations go.  The above deer could legally be harvested with a Saskatchewan Whitetail License.  bonequestoutfitters.com

Almost all first time Saskatchewan hunters are blown away by the body size of these northern whitetails.  Here is a whitetail that is still living proof of that potential.  The freak genetic comparable with that of a defensive lineman who is only thrown into the game on a goal line stand. bonequestoutfitters.com

bonequestoutfitters.com  The whitetails have to deal with the predators, which range from coyotes, bears, wolves, and cougars.  But perhaps the hardest factor is the possibility of a extremely cold winter with a heavy snowfall.  We have a young deer population following the harsh 2012-13  and 2013-14 winters.  The 2014-15 winter favoured the whitetails and we saw a tremendous improvement in the overall size of our deer.  The 2015-16 winter has started out extremely well.  Warm temperatures and a lack of snow should provide our deer population with the opportunity to mature another year and with that should bring a healthy crop of fawns and of course some bruiser whitetails cruising the stands.  Our plan is to not over harvest our deer population.  We spread out our stands and although we have the legal capability to take 25 hunters we plan on only taking 12 hunters for the 2016 deer season in order to increase the chances that every hun...

bonequestoutfitters.com     Jim Collins 2015 Whitetail (Pro Guide Jackie Tourand left)2015 is going down as a season to remember.  As all avid deer hunters know and have experienced the ups and downs that go along with chasing wild and largely unpredictable whitetail deer, us to battled through adversity in tough conditions to provide our clients with the best opportunity at harvesting a great animal.  The season was one of the warmest seasons on record.  Never mind there being no snow until November 18, there was still lots of green forage in the woods at that point and very mild temperatures.  This stacked the odds in the deers favour making them less reliable on the baits and more unpredictable than ever.  Nice deer were taken and opportunities were to be had. Montana hunter Brock Lohman won't soon forget the opportunity he had when a muzzleloader misfired on a 160" Whitetail only to let him jam 3 more primers in to have nothing but a glorified ...