Alberta vs BC for hunting opportunities?

eltorro

eltorro

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There was a tread about this, a while back, but I can't find it.
Not stirring the pot, but wondering if anything changed in 5 years....

Which is better for hunting opportunities? AB or BC?
 
I think BC has it hands down better for all the mountain dwelling big game.
But, Alberta has the prairie province advantage of deer hunting though.
Black bears in Alberta & BC are so numerous, but thier differing policies are almost totally opposite in thier official view. For trophy heads, a slight nod to BC, but if you want more numerous deer tags, then Alberta has the advantage IMO.
Then you have the Queen Charlotte Island deer hunt, but how many can take full advantage of it? So it's hard to make a call here I think.
 
I live in north eastern bc and can hunt a huge variety of game within a 2 hrs drive of my house;Whitetail and mule deer,moose,elk, caribou,mountain goat, stone sheep,black bear,grizzly bears(LEH). There are tons of small game and predators like: wolves, cougars(rare),wolverine, lynx, and coyotes.

If I travel from home or put in for some of the leh draws I can hunt Bighorn sheep (Rocky mountain and California),blacktail deer, bobcat, cougars, dall sheep,Roosevelt elk. There might be more but I think I covered it all. I think BC is one of the best places to live in North America if you are a hunter.
 
Blacksheep, you missed Bison, lol.
Having lived and hunted in Both provinces, I believe that BC has a slight edge, overall.
For trophy whitetails & muleys, AB has an advantage, but outside of that the nod goes to the westernmost province.
Eagleye.
 
Lots of deer, elk and moose in Alberta, most of which are accessible without a priority draw. As much as I love Alberta, the opportunities for sheep and goat are limited. Yes we still have some open zones and non-draw tags, but BC has several species of sheep, Grizzly, and Blacktails.

I wish that both my wife and I had a career that could easily move to BC. I would be gone from Alberta in a heartbeat without ever looking back.
 
talking to farmers around here , it seems that we have some elk / deer hybrids ( not sure if they are mulies or white tails ) .
i've seen white tail / mulie hybrids .......

i'm thinking it has to do with a high concentration of deer in a small area .

does this happen in alberta ?



to me it seems that the wind is a heck of a lot less intense than over in alberta , making hunting more pleasant over here .
 
For hunting BC of course wins on variety. Everything from Roosevelt Elk to Grizzly to Stone Sheep. I came for BC, and the only time I miss it is when it comes to hunting draws. Alberta is incredible, and no slouch, but more limited. On the classic species, Deer, Moose, Rocky Elk, Black Bear it's a wash. Add in the more exotic species and there's no argument. That said, the same job in BC pays 10-40% less, taxes are higher, etc. So, we're in Alberta. :)
 
Brutus said:
No offence intended but every time I see a golf course I get a little sad.
Because it's a terrible waste of a perfectly good rifle/archery/pistol/trap&skeet range! ;)
Click to expand...

Ya tell that to the Vernon fish & game club... Predator ridge was its back stop!

I lived in the Okanagan valley for many years, logged from nakusp to the upper seymore valley... I have seen more game on my 20km drive to work in the last year here south of GP then I ever have in the BC back country with hundreds of thousands of km's of bush roads traveled... But that's just my personal experience.
 
I'm not an avid sheep/goat hunter, so for me the difference between the two provinces in this regard was never a consideration.
Refering more to the availability of game (deer, elk, bears, grouse), access to hunting areas and over-the-counter tags. The one-in-a-lifetime goat tag or the elusive bison tag in AB should not weigh in this at all. Nor should the hard-to-get LEH (the ones you get once in ten years).
Taking in the account all the above, is there a clear winner for a good 'ol hunter?
 
eltorro said:
I'm not an avid sheep/goat hunter, so for me the difference between the two provinces in this regard was never a consideration.
Refering more to the availability of game (deer, elk, bears, grouse), access to hunting areas and over-the-counter tags. The one-in-a-lifetime goat tag or the elusive bison tag in AB should not weigh in this at all. Nor should the hard-to-get LEH (the ones you get once in ten years).
Taking in the account all the above, is there a clear winner for a good 'ol hunter?
Click to expand...

If you are in the southern portion of the provinces, BC has more crown land, and I believe more available open seasons. The easy access to vast areas of huntable crown land is the kicker for me. No permission to beg for, and here in region 4 most species are an over the counter tag. The species you mention are over the counter tags here, except grouse, they don't have a "tag" you buy the hunting booklet and your good to go on that one. An elk tag is $32ish, deer and bear are $16 each. You can shoot two white tail and mulie in most of region 4, I'm not sure on other regions.

We also don't have the "no atv's before noon", here it is either a motor vehicle closure or open. Roughly 40 to 50% of our landbase is closed to motor vehicle, so if you like to walk, horseback or pedal you can get away from the atv/truck hunters.
 
i've lived in both. BC wins hands down... 3 extra varieties of sheep, realistic goat hunts, and grizzly, caribou, over the counter tags for mule deer, and a longer season.

the only thing alberta has on BC is a long wait for antelope and big whitetail deer (which just don't do it for me).
 
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BC hands down. There's so much more accessible crown land and more varieties of huntable of big game. My favorite hunt is mountain goat (2 so far and been on several with others) and sheep are on the bucket list. I live in Princeton now but spent the last 4 years in Houston (northwest) and there were a few areas within reach that were open for goats and some below 1:1 odd LEH areas for goat with excellent opportunity if you were willing to put in a serious day hike. Very thankful to live here.
 
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