Hunting the Touchwood Hills
Many hunters in Saskatchewan feel like they've explored every bush edge, every coulee, and every field, always searching for that next great spot that offers a blend of challenge and opportunity. The Touchwood Hills, tucked away in the province's parkland belt, often get overlooked, yet they hold a unique appeal and diverse hunting prospects for those willing to learn their secrets. This comprehensive guide will illuminate the distinct characteristics of the Touchwood Hills, detailing the prime species that call them home, how to navigate access, and the most effective strategies to make your hunt a success in this truly special region.
Understanding the Unique Landscape of the Touchwood Hills
The Touchwood Hills aren't your typical vast, flat prairie or dense, unbroken boreal forest. They represent a fascinating transition zone, a rolling landscape that rises gently out of the agricultural plains, creating a mosaic of habitats that attract a wide array of game animals. This topographical diversity is what truly sets them apart, offering a different kind of hunting experience than you might find elsewhere in Saskatchewan.
Geographical Features and Habitat Mix
Imagine a landscape of gently rolling hills, often covered in dense stands of trembling aspen and balm of Gilead, forming what locals affectionately call "bluffs." These bluffs are interspersed with fertile agricultural fields—barley, wheat, canola, and oats—that provide abundant food sources. Deep coulees and draws cut through the hills, often harboring willow thickets and even small pockets of spruce or tamarack, especially in wetter areas. Add to this a scattering of sloughs, potholes, and small lakes, and you've got a recipe for incredible biodiversity. This parkland habitat, characterized by its "forest fringe" feel, offers excellent cover for big game while providing vital water sources. The varied terrain means you're rarely looking at the same scene for long, keeping scouting and hunting fresh and engaging.
This specific blend of forest, field, and wetland creates an ecotone – a transition area between different ecosystems – that is incredibly rich. The hills themselves are remnants of glacial activity, giving them their distinctive undulating character. Unlike the stark lines of farmed land or the unbroken canopy of the northern forest, the Touchwood Hills offer a soft, intricate patchwork. This complexity means animals have endless places to bed, feed, and escape pressure, which can make them elusive but also means they are consistently present. The microclimates created by the hills and hollows can also mean different snow depths or frost patterns, influencing animal movement in subtle ways throughout the season.
Key Game Species Drawn to This Area
Given the diverse habitat, it's no surprise that the Touchwood Hills are home to a variety of game species. White-tailed deer are undeniably the stars of the show here. The mix of cover and feed allows bucks to grow to impressive sizes, benefiting from both the nutritional bounty of agricultural fields and the security of thick bush. Why Saskatchewan Bucks Grow So Large is a testament to areas like this. You'll find deer bedding deep in the bluffs, slipping out to feed in the fields at dawn and dusk, and using the willow runs and coulees as travel corridors.
Beyond whitetails, moose have also expanded their range into these parkland areas. While perhaps not as common as in the true boreal forest, small herds and individual bulls can be found making a living in the thicker, wetter draws and along the edges of larger sloughs. Black bears, though less prevalent than further north, are also present, especially where dense cover meets berry patches or remote agricultural fields. For bird hunters, the Touchwood Hills are a paradise. Sharp-tailed grouse thrive in the native grasslands and brushy edges, while Hungarian partridge dart along the shelterbelts and field margins. And with all those sloughs and potholes, waterfowl—ducks and geese—are always a possibility during migration.
Prime Species and Hunting Opportunities
The diversity of game in the Touchwood Hills means you can tailor your hunt to your preferred species or even pursue multiple animals in one trip. Each species demands a slightly different approach, but the common thread is understanding how they use this unique blend of habitat.
Whitetail Deer Hunting Strategies
When it comes to white-tailed deer in the Touchwood Hills, the name of the game is capitalizing on their use of cover and food. These deer are masters of blending into the aspen bluffs and willow thickets. Your primary strategy will often revolve around understanding their travel patterns between bedding areas in the bush and feeding areas in the surrounding fields. Look for well-used trails leading into grain fields, especially in the evening. During the day, deer will often bed in the thickest parts of the bluffs or in secluded willow pockets within coulees. Setting up a treestand or ground blind along these transition lines can be incredibly effective.
Still-hunting through the bluffs, especially on a quiet day with a bit of a breeze, can also yield results. Move slowly, pause often, and use binoculars to pick apart the cover. Focus on areas where smaller bluffs connect to larger ones, or where willow runs act as natural funnels. Hunting a Poplar Bluff at First Light can offer insight into those early morning movements. Another prime spot to consider is a bluff that sits directly between two fields, creating a natural crossing for deer. Hunting a Bluff Between Two Fields is a perfect example of this kind of setup. Pay close attention to fresh rubs and scrapes, especially as the rut approaches in late October and November. These signs tell you where bucks are actively moving and asserting dominance. Using a mapping application like onX Hunt is invaluable here to identify these bluffs, pinch points, and potential bedding areas before you even step foot in the woods. You can mark potential stand sites, track your movements, and identify property lines.
Moose and Black Bear Prospects
While not always the primary target, moose offer a challenging and rewarding hunt in the Touchwood Hills. They often frequent the deeper, wetter draws and areas with dense willow and scrub brush, especially near water sources like larger sloughs or small creeks. Identifying these low-lying, often marshy areas on a topo map or satellite imagery is key. Moose in the parkland belt tend to be a bit more elusive than their northern counterparts, often sticking to the thickest cover. Still-hunting these dense pockets, especially during the rut when bulls are vocal, can be productive. Hunting Farmland Moose Around Saskatchewan Sloughs will give you a better idea of how these animals use scattered water sources in agricultural zones.
Black bears are also present, though their numbers aren't as dense as in the northern boreal forest. They tend to stick to the heavier bush cover and can be found where there's a good food source, such as saskatoon berries, chokecherries, or even raiding oat fields. Spring bear season can offer opportunities, particularly if you find a good area with natural food sources or consider baiting, where legal and practical. Spring Bear Hunting Saskatchewan's Cutlines often involves similar principles of finding thick cover and natural food sources, even if the cutlines themselves are less common here. Bears in the Touchwood Hills are often solitary and opportunistic, making them an exciting, though sometimes infrequent, encounter. Scouting for tracks and scat around berry patches or dense cover is your best bet.
Upland Birds and Waterfowl
For bird hunters, the Touchwood Hills can be incredibly productive and offer a nice change of pace. Sharp-tailed grouse are found throughout the native grasslands and the fringes of agricultural fields, especially where there's good brushy cover for roosting. Walking up these birds can be a fantastic way to spend a crisp autumn day. Walking Up Sharp-Tailed Grouse in Saskatchewan details the habitat and tactics for these prairie gems. Hungarian partridge, often referred to as "Huns," typically hang out closer to farmyards, shelterbelts, and fencelines, often feeding on spilled grain or weed seeds. They're fast and challenging, making for exhilarating hunting. Hunting Hungarian Partridge on Saskatchewan Farms highlights their preferred habitat around agricultural operations.
The numerous sloughs and potholes scattered throughout the Touchwood Hills provide excellent habitat for a variety of waterfowl. During the fall migration, ducks like mallards, pintails, and widgeon, along with various species of geese, will utilize these water bodies for resting and feeding. Scouting these wetlands, especially at dawn and dusk, can reveal high traffic areas. Setting up a spread of decoys on a pothole or field edge can lead to some incredible shooting. Pothole Hunting Prairie Ducks offers guidance on how to approach these smaller, isolated water bodies that are so common in this region. The blend of grain fields and water makes it an ideal staging ground for migrating birds, offering opportunities from early September through to late October, depending on the freeze-up.
Navigating Access and Terrain
One of the biggest challenges and rewards of hunting the Touchwood Hills is understanding and securing access. This region often presents a patchwork of private land interspersed with pockets of Crown land, requiring diligent scouting and respectful communication.
Locating Crown and Private Land
Unlike vast tracts of unbroken northern forest, the Touchwood Hills are characterized by a mixed ownership landscape. You'll find agricultural private land, often actively farmed, mixed with smaller parcels of Crown land, including some Wildlife Habitat Protection Act (WHPA) lands or other public access points. This means relying solely on intuition is rarely enough. The absolute best tool in your arsenal here is a robust digital mapping application. Brands like onX Hunt or GoHunt provide satellite imagery overlaid with property boundaries and land ownership information. These apps are indispensable for quickly identifying public access points, such as road allowances, certain Crown land sections, or specific Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF) lands. Checking Hunting Saskatchewan's Crown Land Access will give you a general overview of Crown land, but specific details within the Touchwood Hills require precise mapping.
For any private land, securing permission from the landowner is not just a courtesy; it's the law. Getting Private Land Permission in Saskatchewan involves respectful communication, typically in person, well in advance of the hunting season. Landowners in the Touchwood Hills are often busy farming, but many are receptive to ethical hunters who ask politely and respect their property. Knowing exactly whose land you're asking about, which a mapping app can provide, shows you've done your homework and builds trust. Always be prepared for a "no," and never trespass. A good reputation in farm country goes a long way.
Road Networks and Travel Challenges
The Touchwood Hills are crisscrossed by a network of grid roads, gravel roads, and minimum maintenance roads. While these provide general access, their condition can vary dramatically, especially during wet weather or after significant snowfall. During a wet fall, some of the lower-lying roads can become slick, muddy quagmires, making travel with a two-wheel-drive vehicle difficult or even impossible. Four-wheel-drive is highly recommended, and having a winch or recovery gear isn't a bad idea, particularly if you plan on venturing onto lesser-used trails or accessing remote bluffs. Winter Truck Kit for a Saskatchewan Hunt offers advice for preparing for potentially challenging conditions that can arise throughout the hunting season in this type of terrain.
Similarly, early winter snows can quickly drift on exposed stretches of road, cutting off access to certain areas. It's vital to check weather forecasts and road conditions regularly. While main grid roads are usually maintained, side roads or trails into Crown land are often not. Always let someone know your travel plans and expected return time, especially if you're heading into a more remote area. Cell service can be spotty in some of the deeper coulees or heavily treed areas, so don't rely solely on your phone for navigation or emergencies.
Using Mapping Tools for Scouting
Modern hunting has been revolutionized by digital mapping tools, and nowhere is this more apparent than in complex landscapes like the Touchwood Hills. Utilizing platforms such as onX Hunt or GoHunt allows you to conduct extensive pre-hunt scouting from your couch. You can identify potential bedding areas in dense bluffs, pinpoint pinch points where deer are likely to travel between cover and feed, and mark various water sources that might attract game. These tools let you analyze elevation changes, spot subtle trails, and even identify old homesteads or abandoned farmyards that can be natural magnets for game.
Before your boots even hit the ground, you can use satellite imagery to virtually "walk" the terrain, understanding the flow of the land, the density of the cover, and the proximity of food and water. This dramatically cuts down on time spent on unproductive ground. Furthermore, in the field, these apps provide real-time GPS tracking, ensuring you always know where you are in relation to property lines, roads, and your planned hunting zones. You can mark fresh sign, track your path through dense cover, and even share waypoints with hunting partners, making coordinated efforts much more efficient and safer. This level of detail and convenience is truly invaluable in a diverse habitat like the Touchwood Hills.
Effective Hunting Tactics for the Touchwood Hills
Hunting in the Touchwood Hills demands a flexible approach, combining elements of bush hunting with prairie strategies. Success often hinges on adapting to the specific conditions of the day and understanding how game utilizes this unique habitat mosaic.
Still-Hunting and Stand Placement
Still-hunting is a highly effective tactic in the Touchwood Hills, particularly within the aspen bluffs and along willow runs. This involves moving slowly, taking a few steps, then stopping to scan the woods for any sign of movement or a partial animal form. The goal is to move quietly enough that you detect game before it detects you. Focus on areas of slightly thicker cover, observing how the wind moves through the trees. Hunting into a light breeze is often best, as it carries your scent away from the animals. Pay extra attention to transitions, like where a dense bluff thins out near a field, or where a willow draw opens into a slough.
Stand placement, whether a treestand or ground blind, is another cornerstone of Touchwood Hills hunting. Identify natural funnels, such as narrow strips of bush connecting two larger bluffs, or distinct edges where heavy cover meets agricultural fields. Deer will habitually use these corridors. Position your stand to take advantage of prevailing winds, ideally allowing you to observe these pinch points without your scent blowing directly into them. Consider setting up where game trails cross or merge, or overlooking a small water source hidden deep within the bl bush. Hanging a Stand on a Saskatchewan Bush Edge provides excellent tips for placement in these transitional zones. Patience is key in a stand, as deer often move cautiously through this varied terrain.
Reading Sign and Adapting to Conditions
Understanding and interpreting game sign is crucial in the Touchwood Hills. Fresh tracks leading from a field into a bluff indicate recent activity. Rubs on small trees and scrapes in open areas, especially during the pre-rut and rut, are clear indicators that bucks are in the area and actively moving. Pay attention to the size and freshness of these signs. Droppings can also tell you about an animal's recent diet and presence. When hunting after fresh snowfall, reading tracks becomes significantly easier. Reading Sign After Fresh Saskatchewan Snow can really help you understand deer movement patterns and density.
Beyond permanent sign, you need to adapt to daily conditions. A sudden cold snap might push deer to seek thicker thermal cover. A day of high winds might keep them bedded down, only moving in sheltered areas. Heavy hunting pressure in one area might push deer into more secluded, often overlooked pockets of cover. This dynamic environment means you need to be flexible. If your initial spot isn't producing, be willing to move and explore other bluffs, coulees, or field edges. Don't be afraid to try different tactics, from calling to still-hunting, as the day progresses or conditions change.
Group Hunting and Drives
In areas of particularly dense or expansive bluffs within the Touchwood Hills, group hunting tactics, such as drives, can be highly effective for white-tailed deer. This involves one or more hunters acting as "pushers" or "drivers," slowly moving through a block of cover, while other hunters are strategically positioned as "standers" along known escape routes or pinch points. The goal is not to aggressively scare animals out, but to gently encourage them to move naturally towards the standers. This requires careful planning, good communication (often via two-way radios), and a thorough understanding of the terrain.
When planning a drive, consider the wind direction to keep the scent of the standers from spooking deer prematurely. Identify clear boundaries for the drive, such as roads, open fields, or distinct changes in cover. Ensure all participants know their roles, the boundaries, and safety protocols, especially regarding shot angles and identifying targets. Drives can be particularly useful during the late season when deer are often congregated in the heaviest cover and can be reluctant to move. Remember, the idea is to encourage movement, not a full-out stampede. This method can also be used to push deer out of smaller, isolated willow runs or slough rings that might otherwise be difficult to hunt alone.
| Game Species | Preferred Touchwood Hills Habitat | Best Time to Hunt | Key Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitetail Deer | Aspen bluffs, willow runs, field edges, coulees | Dawn/Dusk (feeding), Mid-day (bedding) | Stand hunting, still-hunting, drives |
| Moose | Thick, wet draws, large slough edges, dense bush | Early morning/Late evening | Still-hunting, calling |
| Black Bear | Dense bush, berry patches, remote field edges | Spring/Fall (food sources) | Spot-and-stalk, baiting (where legal) |
| Sharp-Tailed Grouse | Native grasslands, brushy field edges | Mid-morning/Late afternoon | Walking up with or without dog |
| Hungarian Partridge | Shelterbelts, farmyards, fencelines | Early morning/Late afternoon | Walking up, pushing lines |
| Ducks/Geese | Potholes, sloughs, grain fields | Dawn/Dusk (feeding/staging) | Decoying, jump-shooting |
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Laws, prices and regulations vary by location and change over time. Consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation.
