Whitetail hunting on Lake of the Woods is a very unique experience because of the very rugged nature of the surrounding bush. This area is so rugged the deer here are some of the largest, hardiest deer on the North American continent with good Bucks weighing in at our processing plant at up to 250 lbs. field dressed. Mature Bucks dressing out at 195-225 lbs., not bad considering these deer have no agriculture to feed on. These deer have to survive on the nature twigs, nuts, berries, acorns, lichen and others browse what mother nature has to offer. An example of a good local Buck is Steve Hager;s 19 point non typical Buck that scored 208-4/8 and dressed out at 250 lbs.
Whitetail here have to be big for this is about as far north as their range extends, only a mere 80 miles farther north and the deer peter out and only the Moose, Caribou and the odd very big, tough Whitetail can survive.
The Whitetail season opens the first Monday closest ti the 8th of October until November 15th for non-residents.
With most of the land open for public hunting, you will have many different options available. The islands on Lake of the Woods are a good bet, but the the bush is very thick and the deer are usually driven by man or with dogs. A hunter can stand on the trails, but be prepared for zero degree temperatures as it can get very cold by the time the first rut peaks around the ninth of November. Hunting logging cuts can be very productive and can offer shots from 25 yards to 300 yards if you are dialed in to handle long range shooting. Also power lines and pipeline right right of ways can offer some challenging long range shots.
You are also allowed to harvest Timber wolf on a small game licence. The wolves are usually hunting the same deer you are and quite often at the same time you are, this can make for some trilling hunts. Sitting in a Whitetail ambush with Timber wolves howling nearby is a real thrill.
Another very unique fact about our area, is that Moose also co-exist with Whitetails and in some cases ensure the smaller deers survival by breaking trails in snow sometimes to deep for the Whitetails to get through by themselves, allowing them access to new feeding areas.
The myth that Wolves only kill the weak and injured deer has been proven wrong by the many trophy Whitetail racks we have found during our many snowmobiling adventures. The fresh kills of big bucks have revealed evidence through tracks in the snow of spectacular battles often with only one or two mature Timber Wolves. Wolves however are also partly responsible for the Whitetail deers survival in years of heavy snow. Deer have been known to yard up and eat themselves out of house and home, and ultimately starve to death instead of searching for new food. When the wolves home in on these yards they break up the herds, eat what they can and the deer that escape are forced into areas with new food supply.
Hunting this country you should not expect to see large numbers of deer like you would in farm country.
However, you will be in good Whitetail country with lots of good signs that will further increase your knowledge of the habitats of deer in big bush country.
One thing is for sure, there is some monster bucks in our area with usually one or two 200 lb. 140- 170 in. plus bucks in 5 - 6 sq. miles.
A local guide, Bill Fadden guided a guest to a big brute that dressed out to 255 lbs. with a 16 pt. non-typical head gear (Oct. 2000). With non-typical antlers on the 200" range possible. Ontario's number two typical 183 4/8, was taken in our area by a local police officer, with our local "museum quality" taxidermist Andrew Percy doing the work.
But, as you well know, Whitetail bucks don't get to monster status by being careless, but like big bucks everywhere, when the sweet essence of doe fills the air, even the big boys throw caution to the wind. Rattling and calling is very effective here for the deer, but don't be surprised if you attract any number of predators, namely Wolf, Coyote, Fox and even Fisher and Pine Marten, Bald Eagles and Owls.
The way I see it is these critters all earn a living by checking out potential food sources.
Believe it or not, the Ravens interesting behavior will often offer clues to where the big game animals are. We can teach you certain stunts a raven uses to direct the hunter to what could be an easy meal if the hunter (man, wolf or bear) is successful.

Click Here for rates