FINLAND: Whitetail Hunt January 2016

Just returned from a very cold but very enjoyable whitetail hunt in Finland after kindly being invited by good friends to experience something a little different.The first day was minus 21!..
the hunting was primarily over wheat and carrot in heated cabins and under a full moon.The hospitality from the finnish hunt club and there respective families was wonderful and we ate some great Finnish dishes including zander,pike and reindeer.After zeroing the rifles ( I got scope eye again) we set up in separate cabins to wait and see what would step out.Long story short I saw a total of 30 whitetail over 3 nights and most were does, my friend saw none at all over the trip which was unfortunate and my other friend saw does only. On the last night 4 very wary bucks stepped out and after my heart stopped hammering in my ears I gave one the good news
I was very lucky to have taken a great buck (for finland) and never realised how big bodied whitetail were!

 

Nice shooting @Environ . Growing up in the northeastern US, I can tell you that is a very nice bodied buck. I have heard the Finland population of whitetail is one of the largest bodied on Earth. Very nice dark antlers as well.

 

Good show Evinron!,

Congratulations on an excellent Finnish whitetail buck - beauty.
One of my friends here in Alaska is originally from Finland and told me when he was finally allowed to immigrate to the USA (ultimately becoming a Naturalized Full Citizen here), whitetail deer were no more common where his family farm in Finland is located, than elephant or kangaroo would have been there.

Upon returning for a long over-due family visit, he was quite shocked to have to wait a bit, until some white tail deer completed their crossing of a country road, near said farm.
The proliferation of this specie is a happy story from my point of view (not sure the crop farmers enjoy these hungry deer so much but as a hunter, I was glad to learn of the white tail's new territory).

I suspect the ones from Canada, Montana, Wyoming, etc., could survive here in some parts of Alaska (near the temperate coast line), as I suspect mule deer from cold places could survive here.
Unfortunately, The Alaska Fish & Wildlife Service is not interested.
Something about negative impact on moose numbers.
(These are the same folks who's legacy is apparently going to be the extinction of king salmon in much of our beloved state).
I wish Finland's Wildlife Biologists could pop over to enlighten our well paid "experts" here in Alaska.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

@Environ you do get around and i never knew they had whitetail deer in finland........

 

That's why I hang around here you never know what you will learn.I never knew there were Whitetail Deer in Finland.Very interesting indeed.
Cool report Thanks!

 

Congrats on a nice buck.
Heated cabin sounds good, and getting around that full moon to get your buck is impressive.
The further north those bucks are the bigger bodies they get. They certainly aren't Roe deer.

 

Congrats! !! And thank goodness for heated blinds.

Learn something new every day around here.

 

Thanks for the kind comments guys, the whitetail were introduced in the 1930s from an original herd of just 8 animals as 6 died in transit, there are now an estimated 25,000 in Finland.

 

That is a nice whitetail I would have been super happy to harvested him.

 

Thanks Enysse I was mate

 

@Environ how are the genetics from so few animals, or were others introduced over the years?

 

@Environ Nice buck! Another one for the list!

 

Thanks mate going to have him shoulder mounted for the trophy room

Yes very good point Spike they must have added to the stock but I am not sure, ill find out.

 

We will have to try and combine a trip together with Fran for the future.

 

to finland or zambia?

 

Very nice. Congrats on great whitetail. Well done. Bruce

 

Congratulations on your trophy.

I too never knew there were whitetail in Finland.

 

I like the way you think, Spike!

 

Wow what a nice whitetail, well done indeed.

 

Excellent trophy Environ.
You did have a good hunting. Congrats.
Witold