Western crown land VS Eastern private land

You couldn’t pay me to leave BC and relocate back to Ont, especially on the hunting/fishing front. The west in general and BC just has more to offer in terms of outdoors activities, even when you factor in crown land. Sure other people use it but there’s so much of it it isn’t hard to get into areas where you’re alone, hell just getting out of the truck and hoofing it 200y into the bush and you eliminate most of the other people out there hunting.

I’m in a good location for this though, 15-20min and I’m in the middle of nowhere and I don’t have a mortgage. Between work and play I spend most of it in the middle of nowhere.
 
Last edited:
BC is not just the lower mainland

You could buy an acreage abutting a bunch of crown land in the northern Rockies, Bulkly Valley, north of fort st James etc etc etc
 
Let's say you sell to get to Ontario, it may be near impossible to buy back into BC if Ontario ends up sucking more than your current situation. Lots of weird things in the works for the housing markets.

The hunting quality varies greatly around the province. You can have access to 50 acres of your own land adjoining 500000 acres of crown land, but if you only draw a moose tag every 10 years and your limited to bear hunting and possibly just ok quality white tail...

I moved halfway across the country in my mid 30's too. It may be challenging to restart your social circle. Leaving your hunting buddies behind also sucks too.
 
Southern Ontario is mostly private ownership. Northern Ontario on the other hand has over 800,000 km^2 of crown land. That's roughly 85% the size of BC. I bought 117 acres with a 3 bedroom bungalow, 3000 feet of shoreline, my own boat launch, 2 bay shop, no neighbors and the list goes on - for peanuts. It backs 10s of thousands acres of crown and it's only 45 minutes from North Bay which has everything a normal person would ever need.

Bear Hunting is very good, small game is decent, lots of small back lakes with good fishing plus Lake Nipissing which can be amazing. Hard to get a moose tag. Whitetail is not horrible but not out standing either. I still own property in SW ontario which has better deer hunting and offers more than one deer tag and turkey so that helps offset the meh deer hunting and lack of moose tags.
 
Last edited:
Brutus said:
Why don't you split the difference and settle in western Ontario. Whiteshell District along the Manitoba boundary is downright beautiful. Superb fishing too.
Click to expand...

^^This too. Not just Manitoba boundary. Tons of incredible places on the stretch of Highway between T'Bay and Fort Frances. Take a canoe trip in the Quetico area and the fishing and scenery will blow your mind.
 
I left Ontario 10 years ago and never looked back. Never even back for a visit and unless I really want to do a special fishing or hunting trip with friends I will not visit it. QC never was nor ever will be a consideration. BC taxes, beurocracy and environmentalism is out of control but the scenery is amazing I'll admit but not enough to sway me to move there. Currently I work in Valemount, BC and live in AB. I'll be staying put. I understand your point though. Living mortgage free is nice and if you can do it in your 30's while raising a family you can only do nothing but get ahead, just be sure to choose your location carefully. Even 50 acres of your own to hunt can be a nightmare in Ontario if you are in an area the big city citiots flock to which is basically anywhere south of the Trans Canada Highway from Sault St. Marie to Ottawa. North of that you're pretty much golden.
 
the spank said:
I left Ontario 10 years ago and never looked back. Never even back for a visit and unless I really want to do a special fishing or hunting trip with friends I will not visit it. QC never was nor ever will be a consideration. BC taxes, beurocracy and environmentalism is out of control but the scenery is amazing I'll admit but not enough to sway me to move there. Currently I work in Valemount, BC and live in AB. I'll be staying put. I understand your point though. Living mortgage free is nice and if you can do it in your 30's while raising a family you can only do nothing but get ahead, just be sure to choose your location carefully. Even 50 acres of your own to hunt can be a nightmare in Ontario if you are in an area the big city citiots flock to which is basically anywhere south of the Trans Canada Highway from Sault St. Marie to Ottawa. North of that you're pretty much golden.
Click to expand...

I think you’ve just had bad luck if you think any land south of the boundary you describe is infested with citiots. There are 50+ public bushes ranging from 50-200 acres within a 45 min drive of my home and there are seasons where there is literally zero evidence of another hunter using many of these bushes. And this is within a 45 min to 1.5 hr drive of Toronto, London and Brantford.

There’s also tons of crown land within a two hour drive of Toronto where you can camp for 1-2 weeks and maybe see another person the whole time.



Fisherguy55, where is “PG”? I’m currently shopping….
 
Blows my mind that someone who is from Quebec and who is I would assume, now well established out West, be willing to move back to Quebec over 50 acres of land.

I get it, I want to own land too, but as someone who grew up and hunted in Quebec, there is no way in hell I am going back. My lifestyle in Saskatchewan makes up for my small backyard. But that's me.
 
Thanks for all of your input guys! I'm still passively looking at land back east and it is hard to pass on living a mortgage/debt free life. Anyone have any experience hunting in ZEC's or Reserve Faunique in Qc? Is it like crown land or is it highly regulated?
 
canadian hunter312 said:
I think you’ve just had bad luck if you think any land south of the boundary you describe is infested with citiots. There are 50+ public bushes ranging from 50-200 acres within a 45 min drive of my home and there are seasons where there is literally zero evidence of another hunter using many of these bushes. And this is within a 45 min to 1.5 hr drive of Toronto, London and Brantford.

There’s also tons of crown land within a two hour drive of Toronto where you can camp for 1-2 weeks and maybe see another person the whole time.



Fisherguy55, where is “PG”? I’m currently shopping….
Click to expand...

Having left Brant County 12 years ago for the west, there is no comparison. I understand if you have other things keeping you there, to try and say the hunting is good....lets not try and make it out better than it is! Its only gotten worse with people and urban sprawl since I left, just look at the farm land getting gobbled up between Brantford and Toronto, or every other "bedroom community" to TO. Not only do I find access to crown land out here to be incredible, the mind melting part to me was how open and welcoming farmers, ranchers and private land owners are to strangers for hunting out here. Unless you were a friend of a friend back in Ontario, there was very little reason to knock on doors for permission in Southern Ontario. But if you're getting on okay, all the better! Ontario can keep its 14 million people and climbing!
 
arcticcathonda said:
Having left Brant County 12 years ago for the west, there is no comparison. I understand if you have other things keeping you there, to try and say the hunting is good....lets not try and make it out better than it is! Its only gotten worse with people and urban sprawl since I left, just look at the farm land getting gobbled up between Brantford and Toronto, or every other "bedroom community" to TO. Not only do I find access to crown land out here to be incredible, the mind melting part to me was how open and welcoming farmers, ranchers and private land owners are to strangers for hunting out here. Unless you were a friend of a friend back in Ontario, there was very little reason to knock on doors for permission in Southern Ontario. But if you're getting on okay, all the better! Ontario can keep its 14 million people and climbing!
Click to expand...

You're telling me hunting is not good here? Okay. Keep in mind Brant is a large area and the NE to SE end is completely different than the NW to SW end that's a 30-40 minute drive away. Like I said, with over 50 properties available to the public there are far more opportunities than people realize.

Obviously where there's fewer people the hunting will be better, but if you'd read my post you quoted you'd see that not once did I say its better here than out west ;)
 
canadian hunter312 said:
You're telling me hunting is not good here? Okay. Keep in mind Brant is a large area and the NE to SE end is completely different than the NW to SW end that's a 30-40 minute drive away. Like I said, with over 50 properties available to the public there are far more opportunities than people realize.

Obviously where there's fewer people the hunting will be better, but if you'd read my post you quoted you'd see that not once did I say its better here than out west ;)
Click to expand...

You're correct, it's good hunting, everyone should keep moving there and continue to seek out the 50 public properties to hunt on!
 
Overlander2018 said:
Thanks for all of your input guys! I'm still passively looking at land back east and it is hard to pass on living a mortgage/debt free life. Anyone have any experience hunting in ZEC's or Reserve Faunique in Qc? Is it like crown land or is it highly regulated?
Click to expand...

Reserve Fauniques are strictly regulated. And Zecs .... well they are a different story all together ...


 
Overlander2018 said:
Thanks for all of your input guys! I'm still passively looking at land back east and it is hard to pass on living a mortgage/debt free life. Anyone have any experience hunting in ZEC's or Reserve Faunique in Qc? Is it like crown land or is it highly regulated?
Click to expand...

Out east .... accessible crown land looks like this .....


chasseur_sign_1.jpg


chasseur_sign_2.jpg
 
I've lived and worked in QC, ON, SK, AB and BC. If you can manage the cold, SK is my preferred place to live. The game is plentiful and accessible without worrying about Crown land. Everything that isn't a reserve or treaty land entitlement lands, is private or community pasture. Posted land must be respected. But I found if I asked for permission, I was usually allowed to hunt private land on foot.

As for where in the province to locate, the communities towards AB like Swift Current and Maple Creek have economies that include agriculture and resources; better than maybe Yorkton or Indian Head which has reserves nearby and agriculture. Weyburn and Estevan have very sunny dispositions, although oil and gas money has bumped real estate prices.
 
Property prices are important , but there are other factors as well to consider such as the job rate , traveling time , temperature/climate , quality of life , recreational activities , shopping/services , political climate/govt. services ,and access to good schools and healthcare .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom