Structural problem with some northern outfitter models

[Billy Meyers]

I want to share a recent video that I came across that is worth watching, especially for guys considering northern Canadian outfitted hunts:

This isn’t a “poor me” post—I tagged my deer. But I had to fundamentally change how and where I hunted to do it, and I think this video makes a good point of that. Whether they intended to do that or not!

Often what you’ll be sitting in (referred to as prison in the video), is a permanent blind that’s been in place for years. Multiple hunters have sat this exact spot— week after week and sometimes season after season. It’s well known, its easy access, looks good to the unsuspecting hunter and heavily relied on by the outfitter for their story.

The problem is predictable: the deer know it.

Adjacent trail data, modern geo-referencing, and long-term observations in movement patterns clearly show mature bucks avoiding these locations. They aren’t “just late,” and they aren’t "ghosts"—they’ve simply shifted travel based on pressure – some of which has been applied year after year. In the north, the bucks your outfitter wants you to shoot are in the upper age class... they know their territory and where the threats are.

In several cases, the so-called target bucks being discussed had either:

• Already been harvested earlier in the season
• Shifted their routine entirely due to pressure
• Or were never consistently using that location to begin with, but the picture works!

What ultimately worked for me and as seen in the video was moving my setup, abandoning the established blind system, and hunting areas that weren’t part of the outfitter’s long-term rotation. Once I did that, deer behavior immediately made sense again and observations were multiples higher.

This isn’t about blaming guides or outfitters—many are working within a system that incentivizes efficiency over adaptability. But as hunters, especially those spending serious money, we should be honest about what high-pressure (a month of rifle season), long-established setups actually produce.

If you’re considering a northern outfitted hunt, ask hard questions:

• How long have the blinds been in place?
• How many hunters have sat them over the last few days, weeks or years?
• How does the operation adapt when deer patterns shift due to pressure?
• Are the pictures or videos even realistic and appropriately dated?

The north is still incredible hunting—but pressure, predictability, overlapping access and reusing stands absolutely changes outcomes. Ignoring that or pretending it doesn’t exist, doesn’t help anyone. Kudos to the hunters in the video for realizing they needed to try something different-their experience paid off.

 

[Beagle1]

My standard line is the hardest buck to kill is the one that knows he’s being hunted