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2018 deer hunt:
Sunday, November 4, 2018 Day 1 of Week 1
Yippee - Ki - Yay!
... 2018 white tail deer hunt in Saskatchewan has begun!
May the bucks be plenty and your shots be true!
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Breakfast at 5:15 am and by 5:45 the boys are on their way out to the stands. 30 degrees Fahrenheit this morning. Weather forecast shows snow .. about 4 inches in the next 24 hours. Lets see how the bucks like that! The hunters will all be cozy in their enclosed and heated stands. Good luck this morning to Jason, Justin, Bryan, Craig, David and Aaron!
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Jason doesn't waste any time!
Congratulations Jason for taking our first white tail buck of the year!
Nov 4/18 Jason
We all know the big decision that Jason had to make this morning ...
First thing in the morning ...
On the FIRST DAY of the hunt ...
Will he see something bigger?
If he doesn't take this one and he doesn't see anything else, will this one come back?
But the more Jason looked, the better he like this buck!
We think he made a good decision!
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The deer are obviously liking the snow!
And .. Aaron is obviously liking the deer in the snow ...
BECAUSE AARON HAS A DEER DOWN TOO!
Monday, November 5, 2018 Day 2 of Week 1
The weather man (is that politically correct? I guess I should say "weather person") was right ... we have snow. It snowed all night and is still snowing - I'm guessing about 4 inches of snow on the ground right now. It is also blowing which makes it hard to determine. Where the guys are hunting, there is always more snow. The temperature is down to 18 degrees F today.
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Two deer today!
Nov 4/18 - Aaron
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Nov 5/18 - Justin & Craig
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Tuesday, November 6, 2018 Day 3 of Week 1
Temperature at 10:30 am is 11 degrees Fahrenheit. It stopped snowing.
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Because of the snow we have on the ground, Dave was in his stand just after the sun came up this morning. We try to get one person in just before legal hunting time, one at legal hunting time and one right after. No use getting in before you can see anything. Plus, anything that was there before arrival will come right back. Sure enough, the quad could still be seen going back down the trail when a couple of does came in and right behind came this buck. Dave was only in his stand for 2 minutes and ... BOOM! Way to go Dave!
Nov 6/18 - Dave
Jason & Craig processed their tasty Saskatchewan venison.
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I just got a message from Tim who is coming for week#5:
"Kathy,
Hope all is well and I see the season is starting off on the right foot - 5 deer already - that is AWESOME! It's that time again and I can't wait until the end of the month to leave for one of my favorite place on Earth - Makwa, Saskatchewan! Just wanted to tell you that I can't wait to see YOU, Walker, Connor, Larry, Ken and a tree stand again - LOL! Again, you are the best - you have always treated me awesome and I wouldn't even consider hunting Whitetail anywhere else in Canada but with Makwa River OUtfitters !! Thank you for everything you do for us - you are truly a special person! See u soon!
-Tim"
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Wow ... Tim .. you are putting a tear in my eye! See you on December 1st, Friend!
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***
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 Day 4 of Week 1
We are all rooting for Bryan who is still enjoying Saskatchewan wilderness at its best from his treestand window!
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Thursday, November 8, 2018 Day 5 of Week 1
Bryan is out in the tree stand this morning.
Temperature was 4 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning and it went up to about 17 degrees F in the afternoon.
He has been seeing deer this week just hasn't seen a "keeper" ... yet!
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Our guides are experiencing challenges due to the snowfall.
The trail had been completely clear but he heavy snow has weighed the trees down ... chain saws and much sweat was required to clean it up again.
The snow has created an insulation over the mud and even with temperatures falling, the mud and water are not freezing fast enough.
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The weather channel tells us that the temperature is supposed to drop to -4F tonight (with the wind chill, it's going to feel like - 17 F! Brrrrrr.... but it will warm up to +18 degrees by afternoon.
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Bryan will be going out again in the morning.
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***
Friday, November 9, 2018 Day 6 of Week 1
Bryan has his deer ..
Nov 9/18 - Bryan
End of week #1 .. What a great bunch of guys in camp.
Lots of fun ... lots of laughs!
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***
Sunday, November 11, 2018 Day 1 of Week 2
6:30 am ... temperature is 15 degrees F. Wayne, bob, John, Bill, Keri & Roger are just leaving to go out on their hunt.
There was more snow yesterday but the cold weather has frozen the wet spots and the guides had a much better time getting around.
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There were deer seen today but no keepers.
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***
Monday, November 12, 2018 Day 2 of Week 2
Keri saw lots of deer ...
Bob tells me he saw lots of deer including a 13 pointer ...
Bill says he maybe had only a 1/2 hour in two days that he did not have deer in front of him ...
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... alas, no deer taken today..
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But we did have a birthday to celebrate!
Our guide Che's birthday today.
Happy Birthday Che!
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***
Sunday, November 13, 2018 Day 3 of Week 2
We have a warm 29 degree F day today... no deer today .. everyone is enjoying looking!
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***
Sunday, November 14, 2018 Day 4 of Week 2
What the heck...
the guides work their arses off,
finding good spots,
setting stands,
providing the most nutritious food,
making sure all equipment is in excellent condition,
shaping & clearing trails in preparation for the hunt ...
...AND NATURE LAUGHS!
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It's 26 degrees Fahrenheit here at 11:00 & its going to get warmer and that is not a good hunting temperature.
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But wait ... what's this?
Bob is coming in with a deer!
Nov 14/18 - Bob
Bob says "... I'm HAPPY!"
We LOVE Bob .. we love his wit, we love his stories, we love his happy view-point of life!
Yup .. Bob is "family"!
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And looky here ... here comes Wayne with a buck too!
Nov 14/18 - Wayne
It seems like the men from Pennsylvania are gettin' the job done!
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***
Thursday, November 15, 2018 Day 5 of Week 2
We have IN COMING!
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John & his deer are on their way into camp!
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Nov 15/18 - John
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John tells me that he comes hunting for 3 main reasons:
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"#1 and most important is to enjoy Nature.. the sounds, the sights, the smells .. the peace of mind and contentment that it brings.
#2 and almost as important as #1 is the camaraderie ... the friendships ... the laughter ... the stories ... the memories.
#3 was the actual shot "
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Well said John!
When I listen to the excited conversations around the kitchen table, that is exactly what I hear from everyone ..you just put it all into words!
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Its been a dang tough week but we still have fun with the bunch of guys!
We celebrated the birthdays of these two "young bucks" tonight!
Happy Birthday Wayne & John!
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***
Kathy & Bill
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I feel bad for Bill .. a wrong movement while sitting in his tree stand set his problem back/side into spasms which made him stay in the lodge for the last two days ... dang it Bill!
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Roger & Keri had to leave early. They were driving all the way home and there was a nasty weather front moving in.
So ... Mother Nature won this week.
Only three deer for six hunters ... yikes!... this is not what we normally experience!
The unseasonably warm weather is just not good for hunting the big bucks!
We hate seeing people go home without a deer but we also appreciate the fact that nobody took a young buck just to say that they shot. What they left benind will grow to be perhaps "that coveted world record deer"!
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But I tell you ... if laughter and fun is part a successful hunt then we were VERY VERY VERY SUCCESSFUL!
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***
Saturday, November 17, 2018 not a hunting day...
This is not a hunting day but it was a great pleasure to see Phil & Walter stop by with their hunting party this morning just to give us a big HELLO. They are past clients/friends of ours but I was not able to get them in this year. They hunted with another outfitter in Saskatchewan this year and were on their way home and decided to cruise by our camp .. that is soooo great! They mentioned that this week was not a good week where they were hunting also (although we wish EVERYONE a successful hunt, it is always nice to know that a poor week is not somehow a mistake on our part and that it is just Mother Nature giving us resistance).
They stated that THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE TO HUNT THAN MAKWA RIVER OUTFITTERS!
Before they drove away, they left deposits for next year's hunt with us!
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***
Sunday, November 18, 2018 Day 1 of Week #3
This new week starts at 12 degrees Fahrenheit with snow coming down.
this colder weather looks more favorable but the weatherman ... oops weather person is giving us only a small window of cooler weather before Mother Nature spanks us hunters again with warmer temperatures (supposed to go up to 32 degrees by Thursday ... Geez!!
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Good luck to all 6 of you this week!
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3:30 ... the sound of a shot is good news!
It's Dave!
Nov 18/18 - Dave
Dave, 87 years young, has been coming here hunting since 2014.
He comes with his son - Kevin, his grandson - Josh and his son-in-law - Scott.
What can possibly be better than a family unit like this hunting together?
What a great way to bond!
What great memories!
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***
Monday, November 19, 2018 Day 2 of Week #3
My son, Connor will turn 23 on the 23rd. He is leaving tomorrow to go back up north to work a 24 day shift. Connor is an Electrician working in the oilfields.
Some of you were present on his birth 23 years ago...
some of you met his as a child ..
You have watched him grow and mature and become this young man that I am so very proud of!
Happy Birthday Connor!
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***
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 Day 3 of Week #3
Late this afternoon, Ken took a nice deer.
Nov 20/18 - Ken
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018 Day 4 of Week #3
Kevin is on his way into camp with his deer.
Nov 21/18 - Kevin
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Thursday, November 22, 2018 Day 5 of Week #3
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!
We have so much to be thankful for.
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It is still unseasonably warm here .. 11:00 and its 21 degrees Fahrenheit. Even the non-hunters don't really like it this warm .. everything is "slushy" and roads get icy and people get cold easier (it seems that the colder weather seems to kill cold/flu bugs! Could be an old wives tale but it sure seems to be accurate around here!
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Good news! Josh has a deer and he is a Dandy!
Nov 22/18 - Josh
Six does came in this morning and then shortly after Josh saw ANTLERS!
He brought his gun up to take a look and knew this was the one.
Just then a local moose hunter fired 5 shots in the distance and of course the deer scattered!
We do not get a lot of local traffic in this area but we do have an occasional moose hunter.
Josh was disappointed to say the least!
But .. it didn't take long before the does returned followed by Josh's buck.
The BIG BOY did not give Josh an opportunity for a shot for a long time.
Your patience has been rewarded Josh ... he is a beauty!
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Good news .. Jay also shot!
Nov 22/18 - Jay
This hunt has been an exciting experience for Jay:​
It was his first time to see snow...
It was his first time to climb into a raised treestand ...
It was his first completely wild hunt without fences ...
It was his first time to see our gigantic Saskatchewan bucks...
(do you guys remember the first sight of these big bodied Saskatchewan deer?)
It was a lot to learn for you Jay ... you did good!
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That's one tough bunch of hombres enjoying friendships!
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***
Friday, November 23, 2018 Day 6 of Week #3
The final deer of the week goes to Scott.
Nov 23/18 - Scott
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Sunday, November 25, 2018 Day 1 of Week #4
Its 21 degrees Fahrenheit at noon here.
Russ, Gordon, Todd, Jay, Joe and Jack are enjoying the rugged forest of Saskatchewan waiting for THAT white tail buck to show up!
Well hello Joe!
That's one sweet buck you got there!
Nov 25/18 - Joe
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Joe watched this morning as a deer approached through the woods. He couldn't see the detail through the shrubbery but thought to himself "the size of that body .. that means that is a HUGE BUCK!"
As the deer came into the clearing he quickly realized that it was a doe! Welcome to your first viewing of a Saskatchewan Whitetail Joe .. they are the biggest of their kind right here!
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A while later, this BIG BOY came in. Joe watched it for a long time, knowing this was HIS BUCK. Not once did the buck present a shot to Joe and then it left! A curse word or two I'm sure left his lips! LOL! (Joe is too much of gentleman to tell me that detail!)
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And then... the buck came back!
About 10 minutes later Joe made his careful shot!
The buck didn't go far!
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Jack saw a nice deer and thought for a long time but decided to let him pass because it was the first day.
Hmmm ... that's a tough decision.
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***
Monday, November 26, 2018 Day 2 of Week #4
Gordon saw a very nice deer yesterday that had really long tines but no mass .. he let it go because it was a young deer and he is thinking next year it will be a booner! Thank you Gordon - you are a true sportsman!!
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So .. today... it was exactly 12:00 noon.
Gordon had his mouth open with his sandwich in his hand a mere 1/2 inch from his lips when this buck come in!
Ha ha .. you can just picture it, can't you ...
and how many times has this happen to us all!
So ... as quietly as he can ...
he puts his sandwich down ...
gets his gun ready ...
hardly breathing ...
all the while, expecting the buck to bolt.
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It was a great shot ... the buck didn't go far!
Way to go Gordon!
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Joe is laughing because that is EXACTLY what happened to him yesterday with his buck!
These are "nooner bucks"!
Ha ha ha!
Nov 26/18 - Gordon
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Everyone is seeing deer ...
Todd was talking about a buck that he passed up because it had a broken tine .. it sounded pretty good but it was his decision.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2018 Day 3 of Week #4
This is the buck that Todd passed up yesterday!
Todd agrees with everyone ... he needs to get his eyes checked! LOL!
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Nov 27/18 - Todd
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So .. the "nooner buck" story continues!
Todd was on his SECOND BITE of his sandwich when this BIG BOY came in!
Joe had dropped his sandwich on the floor and it stayed there ...
Gordon put his sandwich on his lap and it stayed there ..
Todd put his sandwich on his lap but in the excitement it dropped to the floor!
Ha ha ha ... you guys are crazy!
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At the supper table Todd continued his story about his buck.
the buck came in but Todd did not have a good opportunity to shoot. He kept watching and watching and the the buck left. A while later, it returned ... Todd brought the scope up to his eye and focused just as the buck turned to look at him. Todd swears the buck winked at him!
Ha ha ha .. Todd, you break me up!!
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***
Wednesday November 28, 2018 Day 4 of Week #4
I'm sitting in the lodge visiting with Gordon, Joe and Todd. The flame from the fireplace is making everything cozy and relaxing and of course there is a hunting show on the TV (what else doe hunters watch?) Todd tells me that he has been on all kinds of trips but this Saskatchewan whitetail deer hunting trip with Makwa River Outfitters exceeds all of his other travel experiences!
Ahhh - thanks Todd!..
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Jack saw a moose today from his treestand. That's always cool to see. Moose come in sometimes to feed and the deer move aside and wait in the bushline. As soon as the moose move out, the deer come right back in.
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Ha ha ha .. you all know what this is about!
Thankfully it was a good clean miss ... no blood was drawn and he can go back to his stand!
A wounded deer is a harvested deer so thankfully his "miss" was clean ... hey, if you are a hunter, it has happened to the best of us!!
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Thursday, November 29, 2018 Day 5 of Week #4
Jay has redeemed himself!
Nov 29/18 - Jay
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This boy has been in some fights - he has a couple broken points/tines.
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24 degrees Fahrenheit here at noon.
Russ and Jack are still out there in the Saskatchewan forest.
Jack is probably lamenting his decision to let that nice buck pass on the first day .. but hey .. it was the FIRST DAY!
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As you all know, here at Makwa River Outfitters, we take birthdays seriously!
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Happy Birthday Todd!
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Friday, November 30, 2018 Day 6 of Week #4
The last day of November .. man, this month flew by soooo fast!
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This morning, by 5 am Russ and Gordon left for home. Russ is going home without a deer but remember, this was his 7th whitetailed deer hunt with Makwa River Outfitters (starting back in 2001) and he did not see anything better than he alredy had on his wall from us. It was very nice to see Russ again and we spent a lot of time reminiscing about the days with Kenny Dopko, Eddy Dierkins and Sevy ! We couldn't help but break into laughter at the memories that those three created along with the whole gang that came along!
We laughed hard about all of the CRAZY TIMES that came along with a group like that!
We also talked about how great it would if Kirk (and Cec) would come next year with Russ .. how great would that be?
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8:30 ... Jack just shot!
Nov 30/18 - Jack
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Hey Todd ... somebody is missing you:
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The resident squirrels can be quite entertaining!
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Saturday, December 1, 2018 night before the start of Week #5
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Sunday, December 2, 2018 Day 1 of Week #5
Welcome to Tim, Rich, Dick, Kevin, Dean, Jeff & Lori.
7:30 am - its 21 degrees Fahrenheit and the group are on their way out to the stands.
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BOOM!
9am ... you wasted no time this morning Tim!
Dec 2/18 - Tim
"It was like a zoo out there!"
Tim excitedly says because the deer were everywhere.
He watched this buck through the trees.
When he poked his head out and Tim could count 12 points with his bare eyes, Tim knew this was the one!
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This is a good year for Tim ... he took a 9 point in Michigan a couple weeks ago
and now this 12 point white tail deer in Saskatchewan!
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This is Tim's SIXTH deer hunt with Makwa River Outfitters
(2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and now 2018)
and he has already given us a deposit for 2019!
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2:15: Jeff has a deer down!
Dec 2/18 - Jeff
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Jeff's wife, Lori passed this buck up because it was the first day ... Jeff didn't. This is an awesome buck!
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Jeff didn't see much all morning and then this boy walked in ... first day or not, Jeff claimed his prize!
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Monday, December 3, 2018 Day 2 of Week #5
Everyone is seeing deer but no deer taken today.
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Tuesday, December 4, 2018 Day 3 of Week #5
Last night, Rich saw a deer at the end of the day that he liked but he didn't take it.
This morning, that same deer was there just like he left it last night.
He shot and he knew he hit it well but it ran off.
As we always do, our guides didn't come in for about 45 minutes to an hour so that they might not scare up the wounded deer.
For Rich, this was one of the longest hours of his life ...
wondering if maybe his shot wasn't as good as he thought...
wondering if the maybe the deer might not be found ...
Still he patiently waited.
When the guides, Larry and Che approached Rich's stand they made it look like they couldn't find the deer ..
poor Rich...
but, of course, they had the deer!!! LOL!
Dec 4/18 - Rich
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Dick saw a very nick buck ... he was chasing a doe and only gave Dick a 4 second long shot ... not good enough!
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Wednesday, December 5, 2018 Day 4 of Week #5
11:00 15 degrees Fahrenheit
Kevin has a "day 4 deer".
Dec 5/18 - Kevin
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A little while later:
BANG!
and then Dean's message: "I screwed up!"
It might not be the biggest buck Dean could take but its still a nice one. Hey .. it happens!
The buck was chasing a doe and ran 100 miles an hour past Dean
(and Dean NEVER EXAGERATES!).
The doe came back and as soon as this buck made his appearance ... well lets just say that the buck stopped there!
Dec 5/18 - Dean
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***
Thursday, December 6, 2018 Day 5 of Week #5
Lori and Dick continue to enjoy the rugged wilderness of Saskatchewan but they are not seeing any bucks that they want to pull the trigger on. Lori had let that big one walk on the first day and she is regretting it now.
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Lori, along with her husband Jeff who took a nice deer earlier this week left this evening leaving only Dick to go out for his last day of the hunt tomorrow.
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Friday, December 7, 2018 Day 6 of Week #5
Happy Birthday Tim!
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Unfortunately, our good friend Dick did not take a deer today. But before he left, he gave me a deposit for next year, same week!
Only 51 weeks to go ...
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Rich sent a message after he got home:
"Here are some good photos I got this week on my camera.
GREAT TIMES WITH GREAT PEOPLE!!!
-Rich
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He took pictures of the "picture takers!"
Good pictures of our guides Che and Larry.
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What a great season it has been.
It was SO GREAT TO SEE OLD FRIENDS
and
TO MEET NEW FRIENDS!
Much laughter ...
Many stories ...
Much reminiscing ...
Much "getting to know you" conversations ...
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So glad to see you all arrive...
So sad to see you all leave ...
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The fireplace in the lodge is cold.
The deer cooler is empty.
My kitchen table is quiet.
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Three hundred twenty-eight days until November 1, 2019 ...
We can hardly wait!
See you then GOOD FRIENDS!
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