More than 100,000 whitetails roam over 800 square miles of unique territory where no natural predators exist. Some call it paradise, Quebec calls it Anticosti Island.

In this week’s episode of Destination Whitetail – the first of a two part series which airs tonight on the Sportsman Channel – cameras follow two veterans of the Anticosti Island as they travel back to the beautiful, mysterious whitetail heaven to explore its unique history and impressive deer hunting opportunities.

The island’s rich history is as complicated as it is fascinating, shaped by beauty and danger, but hunters are most interested in the origins of its large whitetail deer population. The history of the white-tailed deer’s introduction to Canada’s Anticosti Island dates back to a French chocolatier purchasing the island in 1895.

Today, hunters recognize the island as one of the great whitetail hunting adventures where one can truly hunt deer in their natural habitat. No food plots, feeders or agriculture are present anywhere on the island; in the harsh winter the herd survives by migrating and finding the ocean’s bounty washed ashore.

Tune in to the latest episode of Destination Whitetail for the exciting history lesson. Destination Whitetail airs on the Sportsman Channel on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. EST and 11:30 p.m. EST, plus an additional showing on Fridays at 9:30 a.m. EST.

Destination Whitetail, produced by F+W Outdoors, premiered in 2012 on the Sportsman Channel. The series investigates the people, places and ways to hunt whitetail throughout North America. In the 43 states that have deer populations, their habitat varies as greatly as the traditions and methods used to hunt them.

Destination Whitetail goes behind the scenes with some of the outdoor industry’s most prolific personalities and learns how whitetails have contributed to their success. After its first season, Destination Whitetail was named a finalist for the 2012 Sportsman Choice Awards for “Best New Series.”