How To Find Ontario Crown Land to Shoot On

If you can hunt on crown land i don't see a difference since either way you are still discharging a rifle.

I have shot at a quarry with a friend near his cottage before but haven't ran into OPP. The spot was mentioned to him by locals. As much as we clean there are still tons of shells there so it must be a hot spot but it is still not crown land it is private...
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Does anyone of any experiences shooting on crown land in Ontario near Durham region (around 2hrs away)? Any stories dealing with OPP?
 
I am trying to find either a private farm or crown land with 200 yards+ for rifle shooting. Spent some time today driving around Guelph area. Visited a 2 quarries, but they apparently were operational. Got a few crown land PDFs by calling the ministry of forest...something :) Have a few more places to check out.
It seems those who found good crown land spots are keeping it to themselves. :(
Not everyone wants to blow up things and spread trash everywhere and wish guys like that had it easier... I'll be happy to tag along with someone to prove it :)
 
ST0NE said:
If you can hunt on crown land i don't see a difference since either way you are still discharging a rifle.

I have shot at a quarry with a friend near his cottage before but haven't ran into OPP. The spot was mentioned to him by locals. As much as we clean there are still tons of shells there so it must be a hot spot but it is still not crown land it is private...
>
Does anyone of any experiences shooting on crown land in Ontario near Durham region (around 2hrs away)? Any stories dealing with OPP?
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The days of gravel pit and quarry shooting anywhere near Durham Region are long gone,sorry to say. Durham Regional Police,OPP and local Crown Attorneys have ZERO tolerance for unlawful discharge of firearms. Make a mistake and you WILL pay the price and it is SEVERE. It's simply not worth it to shoot outside a certified range. Unfortunately,every one of them in this area has a very long waiting list to join and commercial ranges are very few and far between.

JordanKovx said:
Hey there. Does anyone know of crown land in Mississauga area?
Oakville, Milton,etc.

Thanks
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If there are small parcels of Crown land,they will be completely land locked and strictly controlled by municipal by-laws. Google searches may help you find commercial ranges in the general area.
 
Original poster Strathglass this is excellent information about the CLUP Atlas for Crown Land in Ontario and the LIO web site for topo maps and I thank you! I have used those sites often for many years. Like others mentioned, Municipal Bylaws trump provincial land use generalities. Especially since the amalgamation of many Townships into the big Municipality folds in Ontario a few years back. It is incumbent on shooters to look at the local Municipality ByLaws and official plans in detail in addition to just "Crown" or Public Land maps.

For example, and not just Crown but private land related, I was visiting a buddy near Omemee and wondered if I could take a .22 for some plinking while visiting his rural residence in a subdivision. It took a bit of internet searching to find the now big "City of Kawartha Lakes" boundaries and detailed firearms bylaws within that municipality. And some almost lawyer-type reading of each section, exemption, and referencing the official plan map for the designation codes in each area. But in the end I determined that he did not live in a designated Hamlet or Village, and shooting on other private land was allowed provided it was safe, the bullets did not leave the property and it was for the purpose of target shooting (this applies only to my specific exact location research).

My point is that it is more than just "where is the Crown Land", and the Municipal Bylaws must be referenced to see if they are applicable. But generally it is all available online for the determined shooter. Thanks again for your information CLUP Atlas and LIO map post!

Dan
 
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Can someone quickly clarify something for me ? I own some property with a good bit of adjacent crown land, no nearby neighbors etc.

What's the minimum distance you have to be from the road / highway when shooting ? Is there an Ontario-wide ruling on this ?

I've consistently heard that you cannot shoot across or along the road (obviously) but I can never get a clear answer on the minimum distance. Some have said 400 meters or more, others have told me 30 meters, others have said no minimum distance. My townships website doesn't seem to have any firearms bylaws listed, and when I called them the people on the phone were honestly not sure. Just trying to avoid getting in trouble here.

If someone could clear this up for me I'd really appreciate it.
 
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Bulka4457 said:
Can someone quickly clarify something for me ? I own some property with a good bit of adjacent crown land, no nearby neighbors etc.

What's the minimum distance you have to be from the road / highway when shooting ? Is there an Ontario-wide ruling on this ?

I've consistently heard that you cannot shoot across or along the road (obviously) but I can never get a clear answer on the minimum distance. Some have said 400 meters or more, others have told me 30 meters, others have said no minimum distance. My townships website doesn't seem to have any firearms bylaws listed, and when I called them the people on the phone were honestly not sure. Just trying to avoid getting in trouble here.

If someone could clear this up for me I'd really appreciate it.
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Hey Bulka4457: There is no simple answer to this question that applies across Ontario. It depends on where, in what season, signage and the maintenance schedule for the roadway. Here is an excellent presentation given by a Ministry official at an OFAH event that explains all the intricacies of the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Act about this question. I hope it helps you and others answer this common question/misconceptions: http://www.ofah.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MNRF-Loaded-Firearms-and-Roadways.pdf.

The Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary also has more concise information on pages 23-24-25 (chart with Counties on page 23) that lists rules for Possession and Discharge of Firearms on Roadways at: https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-hunting-regulations-summary

It is important to note that some of the rules relate to "for the purpose of hunting" vs just target shooting, and Municipal By-laws trump it all locally.
 
Thank you for those links and information Dan! The second link is something I haven't seen before so any new official printed information is good to have.

Again I appreciate it !
 
Bulka4457 said:
Can someone quickly clarify something for me ? I own some property with a good bit of adjacent crown land, no nearby neighbors etc.

What's the minimum distance you have to be from the road / highway when shooting ? Is there an Ontario-wide ruling on this ?

I've consistently heard that you cannot shoot across or along the road (obviously) but I can never get a clear answer on the minimum distance. Some have said 400 meters or more, others have told me 30 meters, others have said no minimum distance. My townships website doesn't seem to have any firearms bylaws listed, and when I called them the people on the phone were honestly not sure. Just trying to avoid getting in trouble here.

If someone could clear this up for me I'd really appreciate it.
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when i did the firearms course last month they had said minimum distance from the road is 8 metres.so thirty feet and youre good,no shooting across or along the road.also,i too am interested in this whole crown land and shooting.i still have yet to get my test confirmation back from the CFO.its been 7 weeks now and it feels like forever
 
Very helpful thread. Been shooting for a few years now recently purchased a new .308win for some big game hunting next year. Currently shooting on private land owned by my girlfriends family in the mount Albert area. Over 100 acres. Only problem is the bylaw restricts anything over .270 soooo I am now searching for some land I can start practicing with my .308. Anyone that has a spot and is looking for a shooting partner let me know. I know people on here really don't like to give away their secret spots. But I do not mind sharing my private spot with anyone.
 
Jordanrb said:
Very helpful thread. Been shooting for a few years now recently purchased a new .308win for some big game hunting next year. Currently shooting on private land owned by my girlfriends family in the mount Albert area. Over 100 acres. Only problem is the bylaw restricts anything over .270 soooo I am now searching for some land I can start practicing with my .308. Anyone that has a spot and is looking for a shooting partner let me know. I know people on here really don't like to give away their secret spots. But I do not mind sharing my private spot with anyone.
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Doesn't the restriction only apply to hunting? I would call and ask to confirm but I'm pretty sure you can target shoot with whatever you want, you just can't hunt the property with it
 
justinb1981 said:
Doesn't the restriction only apply to hunting? I would call and ask to confirm but I'm pretty sure you can target shoot with whatever you want, you just can't hunt the property with it
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Apprenently the bylaws in this area are very specific. No discharge of a firearm unless durin a hunting season. Nothing over .270. Was actually just talking to someone and I just found out in our area there is no sighting in or target practice because the excessive shooting disturbes the wildlife. My girlfriends family has been shooting on the property for many years and as well as their neighbours and no one has had a problem. I will note as well there is no rifle hunting seasons in that area. Deer is bow and shotgun only. I really don't understand how they can tell someone with 150+ acres they are not aloud to shoot on their own property.
 
Strathglass,
Great information. I've been looking for these types of maps regarding Crown Lands for years. I going to study some geography for next deer season. Thank you for the knowledge.
 
seems like the only Crown land closest to Ottawa is over an hour away, southwest of Arnprior and Carleton Place.....

ouch.
 
Jordanrb said:
Very helpful thread. Been shooting for a few years now recently purchased a new .308win for some big game hunting next year. Currently shooting on private land owned by my girlfriends family in the mount Albert area. Over 100 acres. Only problem is the bylaw restricts anything over .270 soooo I am now searching for some land I can start practicing with my .308. Anyone that has a spot and is looking for a shooting partner let me know. I know people on here really don't like to give away their secret spots. But I do not mind sharing my private spot with anyone.
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You can target shoot with your .308 on your in-laws farm. You just can't hunt small game with it.....key words being "small game".
 
Don't know if this was previously posted, but if you're scouting out new land to shoot on it might be best to confirm the location on the atlas is crown land with the MNF.


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The atlas shows the location to not be crown land, but the MNF confirmed it indeed was.

There could be mistakes both ways, so best to double check and stay safe guys.
 
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