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All photos by Garry Donald unless otherwise noted.
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I snapped this photo in October at one of the new blinds I had set up, and also got some neat video footage of him. When the rut kicked in, I never saw him again as he must have moved to new territory. Garry Donald photo. |
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I took this action shot during the peak of the 2010 mule deer rut. Garry Donald photo. |
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In 2010, I spent a great deal of time in deer country. Some days were uneventful while others proved to be exciting. One day I came across this mule deer buck and snapped a couple pictures of him. When I got home and enlarged the photo, I realized he had one eye poked out, likely from fighting.
Garry Donald photo. |
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Here is the mule deer we called “Majestic the Second” in all of his glory. This was the last picture ever taken of him as he was shot that same year. Bill Longman took photos as I focused my Sony video camera on the impressive specimen and started rolling the tape. Here he was warning the other bucks to stay away from his girlfriend or else they were in big trouble. The antlers ended up scoring just over 219 non-typical points. Text by Garry Donald. |
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Garry Donald photo. |
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Garry Donald photo. |
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There is getting to be lots of wild pigs in Saskatchewan. Because they are a major concern for wildlife management, they can be shot on sight in most regions of the province. This photo was captured on Garry Donald's trail camera.
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I did my best sneak job on these mule deer. Garry Donald photo. |
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Photo taken on Garry Donald's trail camera on February 18, 2011. |
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Garry Donald photo. |
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This buck was pretty darn happy when he came across a small herd of does and fawns during the peak of the 2010 rut. I managed to get up-close-and-personal with him. I found his right antler in the late winter of 2011 and his remains a mere 60 yards away. He would have been a dandy this fall, but Old Man Winter proved too much for this typical. Garry Donald photo. |
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Photos in the shed gallery below by Garry Donald.
Photos in the shed gallery below by Bill Longman.
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This is the great mule deer that I crossed paths with in 2010. I had never seen the buck before, and after this fateful day, he disappeared. I ended up with good photos and amazing video footage later that afternoon. He is typical on one side and has extra abnormal points on the other. I'm sure that one antler would score nearly 100 inches. Garry Donald photo.
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Garry Donald photo.
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Once the 2012 rut really kicked in, I was out on the deer trails nearly every waking moment. I had days when I hardly got a picture, and then there were days when it all came together. One sunny day, I was on a rancher's property where I had permission. While checking a likely spot, a friendly mule deer doe showed up and right behind her was a nice buck. I couldn't beleive it when I got this neat photo. |
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Garry Donald photo. |
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There is quite a story with this whitetail buck. I first saw him while muzzleloading in the fall of 2009. Then he disappeared and was a no-show during the long rifle season. When the sheds started hitting the ground, I spent as much time as I could in deer country. At last one day I jumped a small group of whitetail bucks that still had their headgear. Lo and behold, the non-typical was leading the pack. I decided to pack a bag of oats to this area, which was way out of my familiar territory. I dumped the bag and set up my trail camera. The first card was full of magpies and does. I decided one more bag would be dumped, and if that didn't work, to heck with it. I am getting too darn old to pack oats over fences and thick undergrowth. The next card revealed a big mule deer buck, and 50 photos later, there he was in all his glory. I looked hard for his sheds, but it was a friend who found them, five miles from where I had captured the buck on film. He didn't shed till the end of April 2010. Text by Garry Donald. |
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The magical rut brings out some of the biggest boys you will ever see. I got numerous photos of this buck in 2008 and brief video footage of him in 2009. I never saw him after that. Garry Donald photo. |
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A ranch country buck by Garry Donald. |
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This big mule deer was pretty elusive and it took me several weeks to finally catch up to him. One cloudy afternoon I saw him enter an area that was fairly thick. I headed in and set up in the only opening I could find. Lo and behold, he came through the only spot that was possible for a quick picture. I found one of his sheds in March, and Bill Longman matched it up for me two weeks later. Garry Donald photo.
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I spotted this bull moose one morning in a huge slough
surrounded by willows. One hour later, I came back and figured he
was now bedded for the day. I couldn't find him and had only one
more spot to check when suddenly his black form rose in front of
me. The rut was at its peak, and as he took a few steps towards
me, I realized I might be in trouble. After four photos, I hollered
at him, and he slowly rambled off.
Garry Donald photo.
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Mom and the kids. Garry Donald photo. |
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In late August of 2008, my brother-in-law Len Polachek
and I were checking out a place to set up a blind for photography.
Suddenly Len spotted antlers sticking out of tall grass and weeds.
I jumped out and started walking towards what I thought was one
buck. At 35 yards, these two bucks exploded out of their beds, and
my camera got this action shot. Garry Donald photo. |
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One afternoon I set up a blind and these mule deer showed up just
before the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Garry Donald photo. |
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This wide 4x4 whitetail entertained me on a number of occasions last fall and during the winter of 2008. On the second last day of the 2007 deer season, I had him along with eight other deer at 40 yards. I decided to pass on him. He and Heavy Duty got into a terrible fight in November, and the 4x4 held his own. However, my video camera missed the majority of it. I was so upset with myself, I turned my tail to the wind and walked back to the truck. Garry Donald photo. |
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I took this photo in the first week of December 2007. As you can see, the main beam is busted off his right antler. This is a young deer that has great potential. One of Bentley Coben's shed hunting clients picked up both sides in April of 2008. Garry Donald photo. |
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Garry Donald photo. |
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This photo was taken in late September of 2006. I spotted the deer feeding about 300 yards away and made an almost perfect stalk. With only 20 yards to go, a doe suddenly jumped up, causing deer to scatter in every direction. I sprinted to the top of the hill and got this one shot before he turned and disappeared over the hill. I haven't seen the buck since and wonder if some lucky hunter got him. It looks like he would easily score over 200 non-typical points. Garry Donald photo. |
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Saskatchewan is home to an estimated 70,000 mule deer. Garry Donald photo. |
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This huge-bodied Alberta mule deer is courting his love of the week. The handsome specimen's main goal is to pass his genes into the deer herds. It won't take long before he will be searching for another willing doe.
Photo by Bob Rose, Calgary, Alberta. |
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During December of 2005 and early January 2006, I managed to get many photos of this Saskatchewan whitetail. I also took excellent video footage of him in that time frame. He had a four-inch drop tine, but a fight took care of that. Garry Donald photo. |
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This big typical showed up in December of 2006.
Many times photos just don't show the true size of a whitetail and
this is the case on this buck. Garry Donald photo. |
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The 2005 rut was in full swing when I spotted this mule deer buck checking out the local doe population. I did my best sneak through a large poplar stand in hopes of getting close to him. At the edge of the bush, I saw movement to my left. My Nikon camera started clicking as I took six quick frames of him before he cleared a fence and disappeared. Although he is already a dandy, this buck has the potential to be a real trophy as he is still fairly young. Garry Donald photo. |
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I was in my blind in December of 2006 when these
deer, including "Heavy Duty", became nervous and started
looking back into the the bush. Bill Longman and I had seen big
cougar tracks a week earlier, and I wondered if I was going to get
the cat on film. About five minutes later, three coyotes showed
up heading south. The deer had vacated the area for the next county
by then. The coyotes ruined my evening.
Garry Donald photo. |
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This is the legendary deer “Mars”. We picked up many sheds from this Saskatchewan whitetail. In his prime he had very impressive headgear. He died in 2006 when he was 13 years old which is remarkable for a wild whitetail.
Garry Donald photo. |