Don DeValk Saskatchewan Whitetail Deer Trophy Hunt

Q: Hi Don. Where are you from and how long have you been hunting big game?

I am from Wisconsin around the Green Bay area. I’ve been hunting Whitetails since I’ve been 17 years old. So now I’m 60. So that would be uh 43 years. Big game. Moose, Elk, and Whitetail. It started, my dad was a hunter, but not a big hunter because he worked, 11 kids and he had to work. So it wasn’t a big thing in our family but then I met friends of mine and they got me into hunting and then now it’s kind of a family deal you know. My brothers all hunt and so that’s how I got into it.

Q: How did the hunting tradition grow for you?

Got on some private land and started seeing deer and had some good luck and I was hooked. I got some Mule Deers that I shot, some Elk and some Moose. So, but mostly Whitetail in Wisconsin. That’s kind of what we have is Whitetail, smaller Whitetail.

Q: How would you describe the Whitetail opportunity back home?

Well, in northern Wisconsin, it’s not so good with the wolf population. Southern part of the state is fine, but to get access to the southern part of the state, it’s all private land. So, it’s a hard hunt. You know, you can go up north for four or five days with your kids and hunt hard and not see more than four deer. So, it’s a hard hunt.

Q: Why did you decide to come hunt with Chaparral Hunting Adventures?

Well, I did about five, six days of research, called maybe seven or eight outfitters, and I got a few that responded right away. Some responded a couple days later, and Greg responded within 15 minutes. So, I thought, that’s a good start already. Then he told me how the program worked. Then I went on his website and checked some stuff out. I went on his YouTube videos and I watched And I listened to him talk and and then I really got intrigued by it with the 150 and just the way he ran his camp. No favoritism on stands. You pick your stand and that’s the stand you get out of a hat. So it’s, you can’t get fairer than what was going on here.

Who else came on this Whitetail hunting trip with you?

My brother-in-law Scott. We both married the Strome girls. He got the young one and I got the middle one and he loves to hunt and so do I. So we hit it off right away and we go on a Moose hunts and these and so good guy.

Q: Did anything surprise you during the hunt?

Well, I didn’t realize how big they are. How the body size on them, you know, the brisket just like three inches bigger than I’ve ever seen in my life on a deer back home. The body size is what floored me. The body size on the yearlings, the body size on the doe’s, and then of course the seven and a half year old buck that I shot was huge.

Q: Tell me about the first trip to the stand, the first day of the hunt.

Well, I was just assuming that I would I would see deer here and there. You know what I mean? Well, from the time that the I could see my bait, I had deer on my bait from the time I got there till the time I went till the time I got out and left. So, it just amazed me. I seen like nine different bucks the first day. So, I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect to see that many deer. Then I’ve seen a nice big eight pointer come in around 11:15. So I was I was excited. I think that’s the same good buck that I seen and I seen two other nice eight pointers, you know, real nice, you know, 16 inches wide, nice and tall, but nice bucks all day long, but this is the biggest one I’ve seen.

Q: How did you know this one was your shooter deer?

Greg told me, you know, Greg showed me the deer. Greg knows. They know their deer. So, he showed me this deer and he said, “Yes, this is a go.” So, I knew that deer. I seen it the day before and then he showed me another picture of it and I knew that was the deer that I could shoot. So, I knew right away. So, I got the information from Greg and I seen him the day before. So, I got a real good look at him. So, I knew it was the one. I would say I was I probably in my mind probably overestimated the size of the deer because I’ve never seen nothing that big before.

Q: How well did you estimate the size of your deer on the hoof?

You know, on the hoof that big of a whitetail, you know, 213 pounds, you know, that’s a big animal for where I come from. So, as far as judging the horns, we were right on. They told me what it was and I knew then that was a shooter. So, excellent.

Q: Did you have to prepare for any extreme weather?

Yes. Yes. We come up and we were hunting and I think when I shot my buck it was, uh, minus 6 and it felt like minus 16 or something when I looked. But we were comfortable in the bodysuits that he recommends and the gear you can buy nowadays. We could sit all day.

Q: What were your thoughts as you put your hands on your deer?

I was excited. I really was for the size of the animal and to pull it out and Greg was happy and I was happy and it was just a perfect scenario. Had a nice shot on him and only went 40 yards and it was great. Nice big heavy dark rack.

Q: How far was the recovery?

Well, I texted Greg said I had a nice shot on it. I said I seen him mule kick. So, he said, “Well, I’ll give you 20 minutes to a half hour.” So, I said, “Yep, I’ll pack my gear. I’ll just be waiting for you.” He came in and I would think in 40 minutes we recovered.

Well, I had a good tracker with me, thank God. So I hit it and I I didn’t draw no blood. Hit him in the front shoulder with a 178 grain and thinking it’s going to come out the other side on an animal, but it never come out through that animal. Greg’s like, “It went this way because there’s broken branches.” And sure enough, walked in 40 yards and Greg found it.

Q: Did your guide give you any helpful advice?

Well, he preached patience, patience, patience, patience. He says, “You’re going to see a lot of animals.” He said, “Don’t rush your shot.” So, that was a key, you know what I mean? Because I’ve seen that buck and, like I said, it was two minutes, but it was all two minutes of getting the gun on the stick and just preparing myself and wait. But patience was the big thing he prepped on because I hunt a lot. But to see big animals and be ready. So, patience and have your have your equipment ready, he told us.

Q: How fast did news travel of your success?

So, well, I would think probably within a half hour. Today’s technology, you know, one push of a button and they went to the whole hunting group that I hunt with back home and that’s 11 of us. So, 10 of them got the email, right? Or the text right away. And so, I would say within a half hour, word travels fast.

Q: How are the accommodations here at camp?

Oh, I would think they’re 10 out of 10. And that’s no lie. I mean, the places, the beds, everything’s as clean as you can imagine. The bathrooms, everybody’s got their own bedroom. It’s the food is fantastic. The lodging is topnotch, clean, changing rooms to change your clothes for hunting. And we have more than enough room. This is above what I expected.

Q: Is there anything included that you did not expect on this trip?

I would say the hospitality of Greg and Shelly and Steve and Logan. How they let you walk into their house and you just feel like you’re at home, you know? It’s just, it was real comfortable.

Q: What are your plans for next Whitetail season?

Yeah, we’re in. Yeah, we’re going to book her for next year again. You bet. Very enjoyable.

Q: What three things will you remember most about this trip?

Well, I’ll remember all the deer I seen that first day was unbelievable. I remember the hospitality that I got from Greg and Shelly and the guides. And then the the guys I hunted with. This is our new little hunting group here. So, none of us knew each other. And we sit here till 11 o’clock at night laughing and telling jokes. There’s eight good people here and it’s unbelievable. That’s for sure in the top three, the people that I met in this room.