Photo Galleries

One of my trail cameras captured this image on March 17, 2012, at 7:16 a.m. I called this big non-typical mule deer “Stickers” and he had an acting role in my new movie, A Wildlife Journey. Garry Donald photo.

I took this photo during the peak of the rut in 2011. He also made a majestic appearance in my new movie, A Wildlife Journey. Garry Donald photo.

I caught up to this elusive wide mule deer in November of 2011. I also had photos of him in 2010, but last fall was his biggest year for antler growth. I never saw him again after this encounter likely because he lives in such big country. Garry Donald photo.

The 2011 mule deer rut was just starting when I found this nice typical checking out the opposite sex one November day. If he made it through the hunting season, he should be a dandy this fall. Garry Donald photo.

In November of 2011, I was spending a tremendous amount of time in deer country trying to get photos for this publication. I spotted this buck working his way to a range of hills. I knew the lay of the land well, having photographed this ranch country for many years. I was pretty sure he would cross an open area. Sure enough, he showed up, and was he ever on a mission looking for a hot doe as the rut was in full swing. I nailed him when he cleared this electric fence. Garry Donald photo.

This is the mule deer buck I called “Cowboy.” The thief went to a rancher’s place and took a lead rope, along with a rope halter, and headed for the hills. I came across him four different times in November of 2011 and then never saw him again. I often wonder if he got caught up on a fence as there are miles and miles of barbwire in the territory he lived. Garry Donald photo.

The 2011 mule deer rut was in full swing when I spotted two mule deer bucks over 400 yards away, fighting over a doe. I grabbed my camera and charged as fast as I could towards them. Of course, fights usually don't last long, and all I found was this tall-antlered buck that likely was the champ because he was still following the willing doe. Photos with glorious blue sky for a background don't come often on wild deer. As I headed back to my Tacoma, you couldn't wipe the smile off my wind-burnt face. I had now spent nearly 50 days in deer country since early August. Garry Donald photo.

I was in the right place at the right time to capture this bull elk. When the rut is on these big dudes do a tremendous amount of urinating all over themselves and the little bit of light I had left that day displays my point. Garry Donald photo.

The 2010 mule deer rut was in full swing when I came across this fellow with his unique antlers. I ran a picture of this buck on page 27 of the fall 2011 edition and took this shot just after he jumped the fence. If you think he is standing funny, it is actually a common pose at this time of year. Here is urinating over his tarsal glands, which is a form of leaving a calling card for all the deer in his territory. Garry Donald photo.

Rob Manley and I were checking out some new territory when we came across this bull moose. He was with another bull and they were having a disagreement so were keeping their distance. Garry Donald photo.

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.

I took this action shot during the peak of the 2010 mule deer rut. Garry Donald photo.

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.

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.

Garry Donald photo.

Garry Donald photo.

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.

I did my best sneak job on these mule deer. Garry Donald photo.

Photo taken on Garry Donald's trail camera on February 18, 2011.

Garry Donald photo.

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.

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.

Garry Donald photo.

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.

Garry Donald photo.

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.

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.

A ranch country buck by Garry Donald.

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.

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.

Mom and the kids. Garry Donald photo.

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.

One afternoon I set up a blind and these mule deer showed up just before the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Garry Donald photo.

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.

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.

Garry Donald photo.

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.

Saskatchewan is home to an estimated 70,000 mule deer. Garry Donald photo.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.