Hunter: Rusty McDaniels
Date: December 7, 2017
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Animal: Whitetail
Trophy Score: 142 5/8 inches
Weapon: Remington Model 783 30-06
Scope: Leupold VX 5 Scope
Public/Private Land: Public
Outfitter: Buck Paradise Outfitters
I was hunting with my good friend Grant Kuypers and his crew up at Buck Paradise Outfitters near Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan. I had hunted with Buck Paradise in late October for six days and did not have an opportunity at a mature buck. I was able to schedule a return trip in early December to try to fill my tag. I had the last four days of the season to make it happen. Finally, on the last day at 1 p.m., the buck we were after stepped out and I was able to take him. The shot was 95 yards and he went about 50 yards before going down.
After combining my time in October and December, it ended up taking 10 all-day sits in ground blinds to get a shot at this mature buck. Patience was the key to this hunt simply because it took several days in cold weather to make it happen. This hunt and the difficulties that came with it challenged me mentally, but I knew if I stuck with it I would eventually get an opportunity. I knew the big bucks were there. Thankfully, this old, wide 8-pointer decided to move mid-day on the last day of the season and I was at the right place at the right time.
If I can offer any deer hunting tips and lessons learned from this trip, it would be, patience, patience, patience! We knew there were big deer in the area. The all-day sits were definitely taking their toll on us. However, we were there to hunt. We stuck to our game plan and it paid off on the last hours of our tenth and final day hunting.
This hunt will be aired on Mossy Oak's Country Roots TV during Summer 2018 on Outdoor Channel.
