THE WHITETAIL QUESTION
When it comes to Canada’s favourite big-game animal, the white-tailed deer reigns supreme. Here’s why
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#1 THE AVAILABILITY
By far, whitetails are Canada’s most common large mammal. They’re found in every province except P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador, and they’ve even made their way north into the Yukon and the N.W.T. In fact, the whitetail is the most widely distributed wild ungulate in all of the Americas, ranging as far south as Bolivia. Nearly every Canadian, hunter or not, can recognize a whitetail.
Virtually synonymous with the term “big game,” whitetails have spawned or influenced the hunting world’s largest supporting industries, from camouflage, blinds, calls and ammunition, to dedicated publications, television shows and social media accounts—the list goes on.
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Yet despite how common whitetails are, Canadian hunters are more passionate about them than any other game species. There are many reasons we’re so ardent about chasing whitetails, I suppose. For starters, they’re readily available to the vast majority of hunters. Throughout my adult years, I’ve lived in Manitoba, B.C. and several locations in Alberta, and in each place, I’ve been able to hunt whitetails without having to travel far. As history has shown, they’re highly adaptable creatures, able to inhabit both remote natural landscapes and urban settings equally successfully.
Goldilocks would have loved whitetails because, when it comes to their size, they’re just right. You don’t need a team to haul out a whitetail, as you would with an elk or moose, so you can hunt them on your own without having to worry too much about how you’ll get them out. Even the largest buck can be retrieved in no more than two loads by most hunters.
Goldilocks would have loved whitetails because, when it comes to their size, they’re just right
I’m nearly always by myself when hunting whitetails, for example, and I can usually get my deer out of the bush and into the bed of my pickup by myself. All it takes is a little rope, some creative use of the natural terrain, and a simple plywood ramp. Only when I tag an exceptionally large-bodied buck, or shoot a deer well back in the bush, do I occasionally need help.
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At the same time, both bucks and does can provide enough meat to make a meaningful impact in your freezer. With just two deer, where regulations allow, your family is pretty much guaranteed to be well-fed throughout the winter. And as a bonus, whitetails are excellent on the table. When handled carefully in the field, stored correctly and prepared properly, venison is wonderfully tender and flavourful, whether it’s steaks, roasts or ground. Even those with a little trepidation about eating wild meat will enjoy a meal of venison.