Glenn
Dunning is a member of New England Outdoor Writers Association
(NEOWA) and contributes monthly to Outdoors Magazine
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Outdoors Magazine, November '02 issue, Traveling Outdoorsman col. Submitted by: Glenn Dunning |
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Crossing The Border For Eastern Canada Adventures |
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If you live somewhere in New England and you like to hunt and fish than there are a lot of good reasons to consider the Canadian provinces to our immediate north and east for your next sporting vacation. Why Canada? Let's take a look at some of the factors that are contributing to the growing number of American sportsmen and women seeking adventure travel north of the border. First on the list would be proximity to wilderness areas. Flying north from Boston as an example, the view from your window seat once north of the St. Lawrence River (less than an hour's flight time) would be of heavily timbered mountains traversed by far more rivers than roads. Two hours in the air and the scenery breaks to flatter territory, even more wild and remote with thousands of lakes, large and small as far as the eye can see. A short while later, you are already approaching the tundra region, which stretches over 1,000 miles to the northern artic extremes of the continent. If you were headed out west to hunt the Rocky Mountain States, you would barely be past Chicago in the same amount of airtime. Enhancing the affordability of an Eastern Canada trip is the fact that air travel is usually not even necessary unless you are in pursuit of barren ground caribou or whitetails on Anticosti Island. In Quebec and the Maritime provinces hundreds of outfitters run quality fishing and hunting operations within driving distance from most Northeastern cities. Add to this a 35% to 40% exchange rate and a trip north of the border starts to make real dollars and sense. Not only is this huge wilderness land mass close by, but it overflows with fish and game. New Brunswick's whitetail deer population outnumbers the province's human population and quality black bear hunts are available spring and fall. Avid anglers are familiar with the reputation of famous Atlantic salmon rivers like the Mirimachi. Wing shooting for both waterfowl and upland game birds is also popular. In Newfoundland, moose and woodland caribou attract thousands of American sportsmen every year. It's a bit of a hall driving across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, then an 8-hour ferry ride but once there the remoteness of this island sanctuary makes the drive a small concession. Success rates of 75% - 85% on bull moose and near 100% opportunities on the big woodlands are common with an increasing number of outfitters also offering fishing as well as spring and fall bear hunting. The largest of Canada's eastern provinces, Quebec, offers the greatest variety of adventure travel destinations. For the fishing enthusiast few places can compete with the trophy quality walleye, pike, brook trout and salmon destinations within a day's drive of Northern New England. Exceptional spring black bear hunts with near 100% success rates and fall waterfowl, deer and moose hunting make Quebec one of Canada's most popular provinces for archers and gun hunters alike. Nearly all outfits employ bi-lingual guides to insure good communication with their American guests. Another important fact is that the provincial governments of eastern Canada as well as the private outfitters want our business. Adventure travel is a huge part of the Canadian economy and outfitters go out of their way to make travelers feel at home in their country. Guides are professional and dedicated to the successful hunting or fishing adventure of their American guests. Newfoundland and Quebec publish comprehensive directories of hunting and fishing outfitters. In order to be included in the publication outfitters must meet stringent quality guidelines and their performance is monitored annually. Finally, to fully anticipate and enjoy your Canadian hunting or fishing adventure understanding what is needed to get through customs and immigration at your port of entry is important. Albeit a close neighbor, Canada is still a foreign country with its own regulations on guns, game and the transport of either. To enter the country with a rifle or shotgun it is necessary to fill out and submit a "firearm declaration" form at the border. Available from either your outfitter or booking agent, the form is not complicated, is valid for 12 months from the issuing date and allows up to 3 firearms to be transported into the country at a time. Handguns and fully automatic weapons are completely illegal and carry heavy penalties including confiscation should a hunter be found to possess such weapons while in Canada. If your hunt is successful, you will need a Canadian export permit or CITES form from your outfitter in order to bring game back into the US. It is also a good idea to fill out a "personal affects identification card" for your guns while at American customs. This is a simple form that only needs to be filled out once and virtually insures a hassle free border crossing whenever you bring guns back into the States. Lastly, if your personal police record is less than perfect, you may be refused entry. Information concerning the specifics of Canadian immigration laws maybe obtained by calling the Canadian Consulate in New York at 212-596-1720. |
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