Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Does anyone here have a hunting cabin in Canada?

Rent it and just park it for 10 days while I’m there? I guess that is an option. I’ll think about that one.

We have a place in NW Ontario. Ours is more of a fishing place. I'd like to hunt in NW Ontario, but like tonight, I'm farming at the prime hunting season.
A place would not be cheap by any means. Keep doing homework, and good luck with what you do.

It is very difficult for a non-resident to draw a buck tag in ND. Heck, it's difficult for a resident to do so in most units. There is very little good habitat left on the landscape, and deer numbers are about 1/3 of their peak from 15 years ago.

Pheasants are not much better. When crop prices went through the roof 7 years ago or so, all the idle land was put into row-crop production. Ain't no place for critters to live anymore.

I had heard rumors to the effect.

This was probably 15 years ago and it sold to an Alberta iirc oilman. I wasn’t involved in it as it’s my friends wife’s family that owns it, merely given broad details that was none of my business anyway. It’s truly a one of a kind property. They are thinking of selling and need to invest in another place and my buddy wanted to keep it in the USA this time. They were considering Steve Millers house in Friday Harbor but they’re traveling and we haven’t gotten together recently, except for the death of our best friend, his friend of 41 years. Their neighbor, amongst others, is Elvis Costello and Diana Krahl. Maybe I heard wrong and it was 18 million but I remember the cost of taxes.

There were 3+ cabins on the place but only 1 was nice.

I have a place in NW Ontario and have been going there for over 60 years. You can hunt small game there such as grouse, but for big game such as deer their hunting regs for non-residents are very restrictive - non-residents must use a licensed guide to hunt big game in Ontario. Fees for a guide start at $1000 and up. And since most of the licensed guides are resort owners, they'll expect you to stay in their resort in order to use their guide service. What do you get for your $1000 guide fee? They'll drop you off somewhere in the woods and pick you up in the evening. In Canada, especially in tourist heavy areas, the government writes the laws to help the resort owners. You can't even camp in certain border areas of NW Ontario. If you want to hunt deer, you're better off in the U.S.

Sound like Texas, but without refilling the feeders.

Walt sums it up.

As much as I would like to encourage all of our American cousins to come on up, the hunting regulations for non-resident aliens (as stated by others like Walt and Wabigoon) would make your life a misery.

Aces; a few of my thoughts and observations, Oceanfront land in certain areas of "the Island" aka Vancouver Island can be incredibly expensive with associated high taxes, and the Parksville area is one of the most desirable on the island . British Columbia also "goons" non-residents and non-resident aliens with property taxes much higher than those of residents.

In rural areas away from cities land prices are lower and taxes very low if a good deal of the land is deemed to be agricultural as opposed to recreational. My 1/4 section (160 acres) 1 hour ENE of Edmonton Alberta has property taxes of $750 per annum, which is high because we are hit hard on the two small cabins on the property,if it was strictly agricultural land taxes would more like $450 +/- annually.

Back to the OP, in short if hunting is a primary concern you are far better buying land and /or spending your dollars in the US. I like JIm Conrad's thoughts of the "airport car".

Good luck in your search.

All the best. GRF

A group of us are looking at buying a cabin here in MT. The one we are looking at is on 10 acres but borders giant acres of public lands as well as the river. We are considering doing the current house as an airbnb sort of thing. Maybe add a couple rv spots. It would seem like that model may become more and more common.

At the minimum, draw up LLC/INC legally. Filed appropriately.

The Airbnb stuff is a HUGE exposure to liability. IANAL.

It will be an LLC and probable not airbnb but they are the model people understand.
One of the “us” has a condo in Maui and operates it as a short term rental.

GRF, Thanks for your firsthand insight, I figured that waterfront acreage around Parksville would not necessarily be indicative of the rest of Canada. Parksville is a really nice area and like most of Canada it’s clean and the locals are wonderful folks. We’ve pulled in some decent Kings the past few years up to 32# with most in the 15-20# range. Even though I’m only about 55 miles southwest of the Blaine crossing it’s still a full 8 +/- hour day just getting there. We figure 2 hours to get to the ferry, 3.5 hours for the ferry crossing and about 1.5 from the terminal to the cabin. I can hop a flight to Ketchikan and either a Beaver if I’m going straight to the land in the cove or a Cessna Caravan for IFR runway landing. The float planes are hit and miss with weather. 😫. In other words I can get to my place on POW in Southeast in less time than my buddy can get to his place which is some 600 miles closer AND it’s in the United States which makes everything easier.

I love western Canada and the good folks that reside there but I would not want to spend my hard earned money on a hunting cabin in a country with so much hatred of firearms. I understand that one can jump through a bunch of hoops, file the paperwork, pay the extortion money and hopefully get the ok to bring your firearms into the country but I much prefer the simplicity of flying domestically when it comes to traveling with firearms.

Canada would be perfect without its gun laws.

That settles it. I have no interest in using a guide. Thanks for all of the info. I guess I will hold onto my property in VT for a couple more years and see what happens with the grouse numbers. If West Nile Virus continues to wipe the out, I’ll start looking at other states. It really is a shame how few wild gamebirds we have left in the east. We used to have pheasant and quail in PA. Now you have to drive 12 + hours to find them.

This ^^^^

Home is Quebec for me since I was 12, other than my time in Alabama and the UK. Always maintained a home here. What the gentleman above said is the absolute truth, period.

I was born in Ontario, I have family there who hunt moose and bear and have camps here in Quebec. The say Quebec is better because of "Less hassle, less bullshit, more game, and more acceptance for hunters than in Ontario".

Maybe you should post this in the Canada Forum, and on a few Canadian hunting forums. Research the huntings laws pertaining to Ontario and Quebec, see what the differences are. Check the property markets in both provinces, and get a feel of the land.

A place to look:

https://www.landwatch.com

Good Luck !

Lynn

Thanks for the info. I am more concerned about reading a deed or the hunting rules than conversing. I guess I would not blend in well either. I generally get along well with people though, even as an outsider. Does Quebec have weird restrictions for non-residents like requiring a guide? Thanks

Fugg Canada and their gun laws, Iowa isn't that far from PA and they have good pheasant and deer hunting. I just drove thru Missouri on the way out to Colorado, it looked like deer heaven!

I know any number of people who are family and or close friends in Ontario and Quebec that would be happy to help in such a matter. Bilingual notaries and translators are available to you.


Here are the restrictions and the rules and regulations for non residents of Quebec.

https://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/english/pub...ulations/special-rules/non-residents.asp

https://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/moose-hunting-new-rule-for-non-resident-hunters/?lang=en

https://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/english/publications/online/wildlife/hunting-regulations/index.asp


Here are the restrictions and the rules and regulations for non residents of Ontario.

https://files.ontario.ca/mnrf-2019-hunting-regulations-en-04-0-2019.pdf

https://www.ontario.ca/page/hunting-licence-non-residents-ontario

https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-hunting-regulations-summary

Hunters galore in my neck of the woods, they hunt here in the Chateauguay Valley and up north in Moose/Bear country in Quebec. Any one of them would be more than happy to lend knowledge, advice, and a hand to you. They are good people.

Anything else you might like to know, if I can help or find out, I will be happy to be of service.

Lynn

If you still are thinking of Canada, maybe you should study and pay the money to just stay at a camp near there.

Check around a bit while there. You may have a better idea of what yo want to do long term.