STOUGHTON - East of Stoughton, there is a unique farm, which does not have your ordinary farm animals, except for the five dogs and his domestic cats.
Chris Cheater is an experienced outfitter, and it has been his life for 20 years, but that is not all he does. He raises elk, wild boar, wild turkeys and pheasants.
The herd of 57 elk is quite large with long legs. They are actually called wapiti, which means whitetail, and are located in North America.
Cheater has raised elk for 30 years, and genetics in his herd are most important, providing quality hay, minerals and salt to ensure the herd stays healthy. Elk cows reach 600 pounds, as the bulls are double that at 1,200 pounds. A cow’s pregnancy is nine months. Cheater rarely knows when they deliver, as they sneak off to the trees and return with a calf. This usually occurs in June.
The massive antlers grow larger every year as the bull elk mature. It does not take them long to grow, either. Cheater said one can see the growth of the antlers daily by four to inches inches, and they lose their racks yearly.
When the new antlers begin to grow, they are soft and velvety. In June, these velvety antlers are sawed off. Cheater said, “It does not cause them pain; it’s like us cutting our nails.”
This form of antler is immediately frozen. From Saskatchewan alone, a sea-can full can be shipped to China. There it is ground up and made into a supplement for joint and arthritis pain.
Once the antlers have grown to maturity and fall off, they are stored indoors to stop the sun from bleaching them white. They are wanted in their natural colour for furniture making.
Elk also have pure ivory teeth. They are used for jewelry and shipped to Montana for pieces with Montana silver.Cheater’s herd is checked yearly. His homemade shut was built just for elk. It is all electric powered, with a floor that rises and sides that drop down for easy access. Elk do not mind the enclosed area at all.
He has more unique animals in a herd. Cheater also raises wild boar. In order to do this, he must have a government inspected enclosure.
A three-foot trench is dug with chain link fencing attached, and then the trench is closed in. For added insurance, an electric fence is also around the inside of the large pen.
These wild pigs are not like regular pigs. They do not like a small area, and if it is too small, they will kill their young. Boars are also not left with the herd. They too, will kill the young and tend to get lazy and not do their job. Cheater had just received 15 piglets in the two days before.
Sows close to delivery go into the shelters and hide their young in the deep bedding for a couple of days. It is at this time that the sow is overly aggressive, and they should be left alone.
Boars reach 600 pounds and their tusks easily grow to six inches. They are intimidating. It takes them five years for the tusk to grow to the outside of their mouth.
Cheater’s wild boar meat is in huge demand. He ships across Canada and he at times struggles to keep up. The Happy Nun Café spoke highly of the product. Last year alone he proceeded 95 boars. It is his hope to increase his herd, due to the demand. When these pigs are processed, they dress out at half the weight. They have a natural two-to-three-inch thick armour along their sides to protect them in fights.Cheater is an avid hunter and is now off to Lac La Ronge where he has a bear camp. It’s located 250 kilometres north of Prince Albert. Lac La Ronge is a Glacial Lake, which sits on the edge of the Canadian shield.
His bear hunts usually start in April and go until the end of June. They start again in August and continue into October. This has been a big part of Cheater’s life for 13 years. Approximately 30 Americans make the trip yearly to seek out their black bear. Each booking lasts for five days.
For each bear that is hunted, a tooth is extracted and sent into the government biology department for accessing. It is also how they determine age. The blacker the middle of the tooth is, the older the bear. The oldest one being 32 years.
Cheater’s dad Don was also an outfitter and bush pilot for the same area. He has flown into places like Hudson Bay. Don began in 1963 with hunting and fishing, with his first clients being Neil Armstrong and Johnny Cash.
Cheater has hunted all over the U.S., but also in Africa. He said this was an amazing experience. There he tracked blue wildebeast, zebra, giraffe and more. He has the proof on his wall. He went on to say the village of 50 people was grateful when he took down an old extremely aggressive giraffe. He stood 17’2” and provided 1,700 pounds of meat for the village people. Zebras also have an aggressive attitude.So, if you are a hunter and want a distinct experience, Cheater can arrange that for you. Hunts can be set up for elk, wild boar and bear.
