Realistic-Not so much

It's that time of year when lawn work and warm weather take the place of online shopping for hunting clothes and cleaning guns. I often wonder what I'd be like if I lived in a place where the fall season reigns all year long. Luckily for me the cool weather still sets in the evening and the fan above my bed makes it feel fall like when I lay down to go to sleep.With somewhere around 173 days to go until I leave for my Saskatchewan hunt one would think that it would be on the back burner of my "things to do" list, but no.

This year is going to be a bit different from the norm for me, there is no master plan in place. Of late my hunts have involved several months of calls, conversations with landowners and reading maps and statistics looking for "the place". Using outfitters is something relatively new to me, I joined a friend as a guest on a Saskatchewan trip several years ago and enjoyed a return trip in the same manner. Another friend got me to go to an archery outfitter in Ohio and again we returned a year or so later, but other than that-I've been the outfitter for the most part.

This year I have but one responsibility-get there and bring what I need! The rest is up to "others". I know that some of you are thinking that it's a lazy man's game and I'd agree in part. I don't have to do the scouting, prep work, set up accommodations, get permissions, study maps and arrive early to check out the lay of the land, but I'm not being lazy about this trip either. All paperwork is submitted, flights-hotels and rental cars are paid for and 50% of the deposit is submitted with the other 50% pending a check that I'm waiting for in late July or early Aug. I've done all that I can do but dream.

The thing that I now deal with-expectations. I mean for God's Sake this is Saskatchewan, home of the world record and a place where bucks arrive on stand almost all day and hunters go home with antlers in hand should they choose to. As for me, I've been there twice with success in hand but not really with Saskatchewan type success in hand. I'm looking for a wall hanger! In fact, if I get the one I dream of I may have to hang him at Cabela's......lol.

Is it realistic to think that Saskatchewan is a sure thing-yes-about as sure as you can get. Is it realistic to think that your guaranteed a 170+ B+C Buck-Not so much! There is an abundance of 130-150 inch and there are surely 150-170 inchers standing in the wings during most typical hunts....but....they didn't get that big by visiting the bait pile outside the hours of darkness!

If you want to be realistic about Saskatchewan you need to realize that although it is truly the land of dreams it is also the land of disappointment should your expectations get the best of you. What I find interesting about Saskatchewan and what keeps me excited thinking about going back is the sheer wilderness of where I hunt and that fact that at any time you could encounter a mature buck who has never seen nor encountered a human before. I have hunted across much of our great land in the lower 48 and yet what I think draws me to the great northern woods is the deer behavior that's encountered. First and foremost is the number of deer you see on stand each day but coupled with that is their lack of pressure allowing them to act naturally right in front of you. You'll not find a better Whitetail University than the northern woods of Saskatchewan!

My expectations are high but realistically I'm well aware of what is on the menu. A super hunt, a break from life as I know it and an opportunity to see nature being nature in it's purest form. Hey, if I get lucky I might even harvest a mature whitetail buck-wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake!