Outfitter Review - Makwa River Outfitters

Outfitter Information

Outfitter Name: Makwa River Outfitters

Outfitter / Contact: Kathy Dopko

Location: Saskatchewan, Canada

Hunt Information

Animals Hunted: Whitetail Deer

Game Quality: Excellent

Game Quantity: Excellent

Accomodations: Excellent

Camp Condition: Excellent

Food Quality: Excellent/Outstanding

Guide Experience: Excellent

Other Personal Experience: Excellent

Review Information

Hunter: Frank Pierce

Phone: 906-396-3458

Email:

Would Recommend: Absolutely

Overall Impression: Outstanding

My wife and I hunted with Makwa River Outfitters during Thanksgiving week of 2008. This was actually my second hunt with them having hunted there previously in 2003. In 2003, Kathy's husband, Kenny ran the operation. Unfortunately, Kenny passed away about 2 years ago and Kathy now has Barry Brucks running the operation as the primary guide/outfitter. Barry proved to be every bit as good at what he does as Kenny - an excellent outfitter with a great deal of knowledge and experience as well as a great person with real down to earth people skills.Kathy prepares home-cooked meals fit for a king every day and all hunters/guides and the Dopko family sit down for dinner in their home dining room. Breakfast is home-cooked and delivered to the hunters log cabin every morning and lunches are packed for each hunter to take to the bush for their all day (daylight til dusk) hunts.They are licensed by the Province for up to 40 hunters per season. They have approximately 250 square miles of provincial and private properly in which they have exclusive outfitting priveleges. They take only 8 hunters per week for the 5-week season. Each week they hunt a different zone of approximately 50 square miles. When a buck is killed that stand is shut down until the next year so they do not over hunt any particular area.The deer move naturally with the major activity coming between 10 AM - 2 PM. In 2003 I took a 138" 10 point after passing up 3 larger bucks earlier in the week. I killed this buck the first thing in the morning on day 5 when the temperature was hovering around 10 below zero for the second consecutive day. I had seen a total of 30 different bucks during the first 4 days but I wasn't prepared to spend another day in a treestand in such cold weather. One hunter from Missouri was holding out for a booner and went home without filling his tag. The other 7 hunters all filled out with the average B&C score being 142" +, with the largest scoring 158" (a big 8 pt). I might add that the week prior to our hunt, 7 of 8 hunters took bucks averaging 161".In 2008, my wife took a nice 8 pt scoring 133" and weighing 230# (live weight). It had a 10" spread between the brow (G1) tines! I ended up taking a 149" 10 point on day 6 which weighed in at 270# (live weight). I had seen 24 different bucks (up to 130") the previous 5 days.Two days after taking my deer on the first day of the week 5 hunt, one of their hunters took a 210" non-typical. All of the pics are on their website. Both of my hunts were rifle hunts but I believe they will also host bow hunters. They also guide spring bear hunts with excellent success. This is one hunt that every serious deer hunter should do at least once during their lifetime.

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