Deer Hunting Tips/Techniques
If you goal is to shoot a trophy Canadian buck, here are some tips and techniques to help you deer hunting. Our deer hunts are done between Fort Frances in the Rainy River District and Dryden.
Deer Hunting Tips and Techniques
- Listen to your outfitter / guides. They have all the experience to know what and where to go in the area you are hunting. Trophy whitetail deer are numerous in our area and with patience you will be able to harvest a rugged Canadian whitetail deer.
- We hunt old logging areas. Either just inside the bush line or just along the edge of the cuts. Tree stands or ground blinds are used to sit in. We set you up along the rub / scrape lines or along feeding areas where the does are. At the resort we have guided deer hunts only. There is 1 guide for every 2 hunters. We will set you up in the morning and pick you up each evening.
- Ontario’s deer herds are managed through a selective harvest system. During the gun season, for example, the opportunities to hunt antlerless (does and fawns) white-tailed deer are more regulated, while buck hunting remains open. At other times, the overall number of white-tailed deer tags available to hunters may vary, depending on whether conservation specialists have determined that populations should be increased, or whether they have reached a desirable point. In 2003, Ontario implemented a Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance and testing program; Chronic Wasting Disease has never been detected in Ontario deer or elk. There is no open season for hunting elk or caribou in the province.
About Ontario Deer Hunting
White-tailed deer in Ontario are trophies, requiring large bodies to weather the chilly climate. As a result, antler size is comparably vast. While most white-tailed bucks average 140 to 250 pounds (63 to 114 k), Ontario bucks can top 300 pounds (136 kg). Even the mild winters of recent years have contributed to buck growth. Some believe that now is simply the best opportunity to hunt deer in Ontario in the last 100 years.
Preference to track or drive white-tailed deer through farm country or through big forest can both be satisfied in Ontario. Farm-country hunters concentrate on woodlots and creek bottoms near agricultural fields. Most hunt from tree stands or ground blinds near trails, rubs, scrapes, feeding areas, or by using drives to push deer to waiting stands. Big-woods hunters use these same techniques in deer funnels and logging cuts, but also incorporate still-hunting and tracking into their bag of tricks. Incredible expanses of land and availability of game allow you to tailor your experience as you would hope.
Information for Hunters
As with any game in Ontario, you should be aware of the seasons and hunting licences required. In the case of white-tailed deer, there are some additional considerations you might want to keep in mind when planning your hunt:
- White-tailed deer season is notoriously changeable (warmish autumnal weather one moment, sub-zero and snowing the next). The warmer you dress, the more enjoyable your hunt will be.
- Hunters orange must be worn during open gun seasons for both white-tailed deer and moose.
- Non-resident Ontario hunters must hunt through an outfitter.