The author's October buck is a heavy main-frame 5x5 with split G-2s and a split brow on the right side. Sometimes, judging these big-bodied Canadian bruisers can be a challenge. With a 17-inch inside spread, Tim's buck had 5 tines over 10 inches in length. The deer grossed in the 170s.

I've been fortunate over the past 29 years to pursue whitetails in more than 20 states. During that time, I always wanted to take one of those heavy-racked northern whitetails of Saskatchewan fame. But to be honest, I despise cold weather. My line for not hunting Canada in November was always the same: "I don't want to hunt bad enough to sit all day long for six days in below zero temps."

Stories I'd heard about low deer densities -- seeing one or two deer a day, or sometimes none at all -- did not sound like much fun to me either under such brutal conditions. But last fall I found the answer to my problem.

SASKATCHEWAN BOUND
After hearing stories from a few friends who had taken good bucks during the Saskatchewan muzzleloader season in mid-October, I began doing some research. Over years of videotaping hunts for television shows like "Outdoor America," "Whitetail Country" and "Game Trails," I've come to realize that the effort you put into finding the right place to hunt is often the most important factor in your success. You have to go to the right places with the right people if you want to consistently harvest quality animals.

My good friend Jon LaCorte of Nikon doesn't share my aversion to cold, and he loves to hunt the Far North during bitter cold conditions. Jon told me that he and a group of friends had hunted on numerous occasions with Barry Samson of Safari River Outdoors near Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Jon said that they had always taken great deer.

I also spoke with my friend and fellow outdoor writer Mike Hungle, who is a Saskatchewan resident. He hooked me up with Jason Peterson, a Canadian outdoor TV host. Jason also recommended Safari River, and he introduced me to Barry. We hit it off immediately. I could tell right away that Barry was organized and detail-oriented. I confessed to him about hating the cold, and he told me that he felt sure he could put me on a good buck in October when temperatures were much more tolerable. I love to hunt with a muzzleloader, so planning my trip for the October blackpowder season was right up my alley!

COMPLICATIONS GALORE
I convinced my friend Larry Caan to go with me on the trip, and on Oct. 26, we made the three-legged flight to Saskatoon. We were the only passengers to have luggage problems.

My duffle of clothes was there, but no gun case. Larry got his gun, but no clothes. We filed claims forms with the airlines, but they couldn't tell us where our bags were or when to expect them. We left Barry's address behind and drove the three hours on to camp.

I had packed enough Under Armour hunting gear to outfit a platoon, so I told Larry he'd be fine. Fortunately, my gun case was delivered about 5 a.m. the next morning. We were good to go, except Larry still didn't have all of his gear. After daylight, we went out to check the scopes on our muzzleloaders.

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