Alberta vs BC for hunting opportunities?
- Thread starter eltorro
- Start date
I hunted in the Chetwynd area this past fall for moose and whitetail. The cost is almost unbelievable. I am from Alberta so the application was around $55 then when I went in to buy the tags (which you can only do at a government office if non-resident) it cost over $500 for the two tags. I was only allowed to hunt the one area and for moose they had to be bulls either spikers or 10 points or better (might have been 12). I spent a week up there and on the 6th day I finally found some sign in the form of tracks frozen into the ground that was it. Alot of winter kill from all the snow I suppose. No sign of any deer but man alive did we see grizzly. 9 in total in about a five day period.
I spent another 3 days accompanying (could not hunt) a friend around a large crown area east of Prince George we travelled cutlines, walked through cut blocks, drove down abandoned roads and never saw anything either. Again lots of snow the winter before so who knows. Don't think I am bashing BC here as this was my first attempt out there and I believe it takes time to get to know the lay of the land so to speak.
I also hunted north of Peace River for moose (saw some nice deer up there but no moose) I have been hunting up that way for many years and I have never seen wolf sign like that before so I guess there are lots up there. Was only there for two days and did not get my moose but I saw lots of sign and am sure if I had been up there longer it would have happened. I then went to Fox Creek area to a friends camp and hunted for Whitetail. Saw a number but all very small, did finally see 5 moose, but no tag for the area. Ended it all off with sucess on a pure black female wolf on second last day so something at least.
I would have to pick Alberta only because I am familiar with it but as mentioned already BC has some large crown areas that I am sure would be awesome to hunt.
I spent another 3 days accompanying (could not hunt) a friend around a large crown area east of Prince George we travelled cutlines, walked through cut blocks, drove down abandoned roads and never saw anything either. Again lots of snow the winter before so who knows. Don't think I am bashing BC here as this was my first attempt out there and I believe it takes time to get to know the lay of the land so to speak.
I also hunted north of Peace River for moose (saw some nice deer up there but no moose) I have been hunting up that way for many years and I have never seen wolf sign like that before so I guess there are lots up there. Was only there for two days and did not get my moose but I saw lots of sign and am sure if I had been up there longer it would have happened. I then went to Fox Creek area to a friends camp and hunted for Whitetail. Saw a number but all very small, did finally see 5 moose, but no tag for the area. Ended it all off with sucess on a pure black female wolf on second last day so something at least.
I would have to pick Alberta only because I am familiar with it but as mentioned already BC has some large crown areas that I am sure would be awesome to hunt.
15 iirc
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
15 sounds pretty generous. But how big is the average weight of these adult deer?
How many deer carcasses can one take across the BC ferry in one go?
Curious because I don't know.........
I would suggest Alberta.
BC hunting sucks.
Shot all to hell, the regulations need lawyer's understanding, the grizzlies
come to the dinner bell with a vengance and if the grizzlies don't get you,
the sqwatch will.
Then you need to figure what tooth or molar needs to be submitted.
Or which testicle they will accept.
Just poor poor results with all the paper work, tags, licences, do's and don'ts.
Naw, Alberta is far nicer to hunt.
BC hunting sucks.
Shot all to hell, the regulations need lawyer's understanding, the grizzlies
come to the dinner bell with a vengance and if the grizzlies don't get you,
the sqwatch will.
Then you need to figure what tooth or molar needs to be submitted.
Or which testicle they will accept.
Just poor poor results with all the paper work, tags, licences, do's and don'ts.
Naw, Alberta is far nicer to hunt.
BC Bigbore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- BC's Peace Country
Guess that doesn't apply the the oil/gas industry. When I lived in Alberta, the same job paid about a third less than BC. I have buddies who have to work both sides of the border and hate the lower wage rates they get paid when working in Alberta. I know several fellows (from Alta) who brag up Alberta constantly but when asked why they don't move back, they tell me the same story...higher pay rates in BC.
You can bring up to your possession limit, which is 5. They're usually in the 60-80lb neighborhood.
longbranch*
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Victoria,BC.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I only have one question for BC hunters:
Do blue grouse taste good?
They look to be a bit larger than ruffies.............
Depends........
Remember this province has been all shot out.
Tough to find fur and feathers.
Now freetards we have plenty of.
badgreenbird
Regular
- Location
- Dawson Creek, BC
young birds are best. Once they've spent a winter feasting on fir & spruce needles, the meat is very very dark. They are bigger than ruffies.
BC has good bird hunting: 3 species of ptarmigan, ruffed, spruce, blue (now 'sooty' and 'dusky') & sharp-tailed grouse, quail, chukars, pheasant & turkey. Not many huns left, and no sage grouse. Finding a place to hunt in the Okanagan and lower mainland can be tough, but lots of Crown land elsewhere.
As another poster found out: BC means Bring Cash.
Lots.
Close, but keep going.
I figured you two would have nailed this. Keep guessing.....
Your 15 on the Queen Charlottes is only 5 at a time so its a bit tricky to 'bag out' there.
You get 3 on the mainland (and Vancouver Island).
Don't forget you get another 5 fallow deer on the Gulf Islands.
Hows a potential 23 deer a year legal bag limit make you feel??
To be fair, 20 of those deer will be 50 some pounds each on the butchers hook, but a trio of alpine mule deer or interior whitetails will have a freezer bulging at the seams and last time I checked 5x50 was a big number.
IIRC, we counted 22 or 23 deer available over the counter here in Alberta.
Some travel, and some changing up of the harvest method, of course, was the order of the day.
Then there are the Draw opportunities, which add to the total, if they do not cross up on other over the counter options.
Gotta have some skills as a Lawyer, to navigate the Guide Book charts to really keep a handle on it.
Add in over the counter opportunities for Moose (archery) and Elk. Makes for a really large freezer required.
In truth, I figure if you need more than the deer that you can get over the counter, to feed your family, they should also have tags. Typical loadout for tags among the guys I know. is the two tags for whitetail (General (either ###), and Antlerless (under 4 inch antlers is Antlerless, License includes tags for two deer). Lots of guys buy teh over the counter tags for Mulies, just in case.
Yeah. BC has the Sal####er fishing. Ab. has Walleye, pike, etc. Pretty much a wash as to who has life better. Same but different, IMO. Life is good either side of the rocks!
Cheers
Trev
Some travel, and some changing up of the harvest method, of course, was the order of the day.
Then there are the Draw opportunities, which add to the total, if they do not cross up on other over the counter options.
Gotta have some skills as a Lawyer, to navigate the Guide Book charts to really keep a handle on it.
Add in over the counter opportunities for Moose (archery) and Elk. Makes for a really large freezer required.
In truth, I figure if you need more than the deer that you can get over the counter, to feed your family, they should also have tags. Typical loadout for tags among the guys I know. is the two tags for whitetail (General (either ###), and Antlerless (under 4 inch antlers is Antlerless, License includes tags for two deer). Lots of guys buy teh over the counter tags for Mulies, just in case.
Yeah. BC has the Sal####er fishing. Ab. has Walleye, pike, etc. Pretty much a wash as to who has life better. Same but different, IMO. Life is good either side of the rocks!
Cheers
Trev
I Never get involved in these debates because I believe everyone is entitled to thier opinoin .
I lived and hunted in BC most of my life now have recently moved to sothern Alberta .
I can tell from first hand experiencs that Alberta so some fantastic mule deer. Even if you have to be drawn to hunt them with a firearm they are world class .
The thing I find frustrating is you are constantly having to get permission. Something I rarley ever had to to in BC .There is tons of crown land available . BC has fantastic hunting opportunities and yes if your from out of provience it is expensive . Honestly I believe the people that work and pay taxes in thier provence should be given first opportunity whether it's BC, Alberta or Nova Scotia .
One thing no one has addressed about Alberta in this forum is the chronic wasting disease issue .
I have done hours of reading about this subject and by no means am a expert .But when the world health authority recomends against consuming any animal infected or possiby infected , it sort of sends up a red flag . I know they test for it in every animal but there is alot of people who just don't bother sending the head in .
The other issue is it dosen't seem to be clear if it is present in the muscle tissue before it shows up in the tested part of the animal or not .
I even read one artical that recomends wearing protection against aoirborn particals when handeling the carcass .
Like I said I am by no means a expert but it sure would be nice to see some more conclusive answers on the subject .
Now having said that whos to say it isn't in BC but one this is for sure, it is here in Alberta and it is only getting worse
I lived and hunted in BC most of my life now have recently moved to sothern Alberta .
I can tell from first hand experiencs that Alberta so some fantastic mule deer. Even if you have to be drawn to hunt them with a firearm they are world class .
The thing I find frustrating is you are constantly having to get permission. Something I rarley ever had to to in BC .There is tons of crown land available . BC has fantastic hunting opportunities and yes if your from out of provience it is expensive . Honestly I believe the people that work and pay taxes in thier provence should be given first opportunity whether it's BC, Alberta or Nova Scotia .
One thing no one has addressed about Alberta in this forum is the chronic wasting disease issue .
I have done hours of reading about this subject and by no means am a expert .But when the world health authority recomends against consuming any animal infected or possiby infected , it sort of sends up a red flag . I know they test for it in every animal but there is alot of people who just don't bother sending the head in .
The other issue is it dosen't seem to be clear if it is present in the muscle tissue before it shows up in the tested part of the animal or not .
I even read one artical that recomends wearing protection against aoirborn particals when handeling the carcass .
Like I said I am by no means a expert but it sure would be nice to see some more conclusive answers on the subject .
Now having said that whos to say it isn't in BC but one this is for sure, it is here in Alberta and it is only getting worse
