Different Type of Hunting Thread - Relocating to BC

Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray

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So my life has changed drastically in the past year. I've found myself single and mostly without family. I've also come into enough money to make the move from Ontario to BC relatively comfortably. Not to buy a place but to rent. It's something I've always wanted to do, as BC is billed as a hunters paradise.

I've got lots of experience working in a plywood mill in all different types of jobs, as well as years of experience as a railroader. Track Maintenance work/Foreman specifically.

What I'm wondering is, if you were me, and you could go anywhere you wanted in BC ( as well as the Yukon and Alberta ) where would you go and why?

Primary reason to go is to make money but high on the secondary list is hunting opportunities.

What do you guys think? What would you do?
 
Not the lower waste land. I'm from NS 2 years ago but moved to a job. It's on a small island so its cool but. It's like 20 hours to drive to the north. Even half way up the province is over 8 hours.

I'd say live more nother then Williams lake, unless yours over in the Kootenays
 
Kootenays is nice. Not a lot of bugs. Lots of fruit and orchards. A bit expensive now. I'm thinking of moving to Saskatchewan. Look for work in the 3 western provinces and go from there. Properties are less in Saskatchewan and looks less populated less traffic. There are some trade offs
 
Having lived and worked in both BC and AB without the slightest hesitation AB. BC is absolutely rife with stupid regulations and taxation beyond compare anywhere next to QC. The Yukon requires a king's ransom in wages to survive. Depending on what you like to hunt I'd say for an all around area in AB to experience everything from great waterfowling to fantastic big game hunting you cannot go wrong around the GP area and you are only a short hop to BC if you want to hunt there as well. AB & SK are my top two pics especially if you are following what is happening with gun ownership legislation. SK is leading the charge to prevent the Feds taking our guns.
 
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the spank said:
Having lived and worked in both BC and AB without the slightest hesitation AB. BC is absolutely rife with stupid regulations and taxation beyond compare anywhere next to QC. The Yukon requires a king's ransom in wages to survive. Depending on what you like to hunt I'd say for an all around area in AB to experience everything from great waterfowling to fantastic big game hunting you cannot go wrong around the GP area and you are only a short hop to BC if you want to hunt there as well. AB & SK are my top two pics especially if you are following what is happening with gun ownership legislation. SK is leading the charge to prevent the Feds taking our guns.
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I appreciate the input from you particularly. You don't know me but from your posts, I know that you're originally from the same area that I'm from. NE Ont. We know some of the same people. I'll take as much advice from people who've walked the same path before me as I can get. Thanks.
 
Kootenay's area was the main area that I've been thinking about but maybe I've been too narrow minded. I'll have to think about AB as well.
 
Don’t overlook rural Saskatchewan and Alberta. No mountains but great hunting and fishing, long seasons. Winter is too long.
The best part is the people, still lots of common sense and pragmatism.
My high school son is at a football camp in a small town this weekend. I asked him about his billets, he never met them. He and a buddy are staying at a young farmers house in town. Farmer is busy seeding and staying out at the farm house and gave them the run of the place.
 
If you can pass a piss test there are all sorts of labour-type jobs available in most of the Cariboo: Quesnel, Williams Lake , and 100 Mile house. If you have a trade look more towards the mines rather than logging or mills.
 
Cariboo is like the Kootenays with less people and game diversity.

Anything north (or west) of PG may not be the BC you are expecting but would be my preference. The north is not for amateurs but not without its charms; "northern" Ontario it ain't
 
I was born and raised in the Okanagan/Shuswap area of BC, but have resided in Prince George for the past
38 years. I like it here, and plenty of work opportunity, plus hunting in every direction.
Stay away from the lower mainland. Too many people that have their noses in the air.
Alberta has some great areas as well, though, and as mentioned, lower taxes EE.
 
Money's not everything.

If I could get back all the time I worked over and above my 40 hours, I'd give back the money.
 
Lived in MB, SK, AB, BC. I can say that AB would now be my choice, except I am retired in BC and it's easier on the arthritis. I would move in a minute back to Alberta though due to attitude and taxes, except the Calgary Police were not a good thing in my opinion.
Almost everyone I have met that I considered a hard worker in the Shuswap, originated in Alberta.
 
While Prince George downtown is a Sch )(^% ole, there are lots of well paying Jobs especially in the Mining Industry available. Good hunting can be had within 15 minutes out of Town.

If at all possible buy a House in the College Heights Subdivision which can still be had for 250K, move into the Basement and let the Tenants pay for the Mortgage.

If you squander your Money now, you likely will regret it for the rest of your life.

Good Luck
 
Depends what you can tolerate in terms of people and climate.. William's Lake and north is preferable in terms of low density of people (but do your research on the communities first). Kootenay area is too 'settled' for me. I really love the Peace region, but the winters are really starting to wear on me as I get older : minimum 5 months; some years 7. Grande Prairie & general surrounds is very nice, but maybe a bit less hunting opportunity compared to BC... lower cost of living and politically correct BS is a bonus.
 
What are you after, in what balance? Work opportunities, or hunting and life adventures foremost? BC and Alberta don’t compare in hunting, lived in, hunted in, and still own homes in both. The mountainous areas of Alberta are like slices of BC, and amongst the most beautiful places you can adventure so I’m not putting Alberta down. I’m just being real, if you’re moving for hunting, it’s BC or Yukon.

Alberta will edge on job opportunities if you’re into the oil patch, BC will win every time as mentioned on hunting that’s no surprise. Anyone who argues different… just smile at them, 19 of the 29 North American big game species live in BC, more than any other state, province, or territory. Yukon is right up there, I’d put it right with BC if I didn’t need the ocean and rainforest in my life.

Don’t base where you live in your chosen province or territory on the local hunting, all the adventure hunts are a travel proposition anyhow. Only place I lived with wild mountain hunting on the doorstep was grande cache, but that’s not a mill you want to seek a job in financially. I’d stay away from Grande Prairie and the flat land oil towns, not the adventure in life you’re seeking from my summation of your post, you’d just be in a cashed up version of where you’re coming from.

Anything else you wanna get into outdoors wise? Mountain biking, hiking, surfing, skiing, climbing, sailing, salmon fishing, gold prospecting…? Let those and a town with good job prospects be your guide. Oh, and if people travel from around the world to hunt and travel where you’re considering, that’s a good sign.

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Dorian Gray said:
... move from Ontario to BC ... BC is billed as a hunters paradise.... Primary reason to go is to make money but high on the secondary list is hunting opportunities. ...
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What kind of hunting are you interested in? There tends to be A LOT of accessible Crown land wherever you look in most of BC, and the actual hunting can vary quite a bit depending on your location.

How remote do you want to be? What kind of amenities do you want, versus how wild you want?

And if you're talented and motivated, reasonably well-paid work shouldn't be a problem wherever you go. But this depends on your expectations, of course.
 
Dorian Gray said:
Kootenay's area was the main area that I've been thinking about ...
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The Kootenays do have a nice balance, depending on what you're looking for. Parts of it are very close to the US if that interests you. And the climate can be significantly warmer depending on exactly where you go.

I'll agree with much of what Ardent says above, but disagree that local hunting conditions don't matter. It depends what you want. Adventure hunts, as he says, are certainly a travel proposition (with very few exceptions). But there is a lot to be said for living somewhere where you have easy access to "pretty darn good" hunting country just minutes from your door. You don't need to take time off from work for hunting season because you can go for a decent hunt any weekday after work, without any special effort. It's part of your quality of life equation, matters more to some than others.
 
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Wherever you decide to go be mindful of how far you'll need to travel to access crown land. I'm in central Alberta and it is a pain to drive 2-3 hours before reaching the start of public land.
 
I have travelled and spent a little time in Alberta so I cant speak on that suggestion. I Love BC and the Yukon.

Born and raised in the Lower mainland, Currently in the Fraser Valley with plans to relocate when the right job presents itself.

As others have said we have allot of different and beautiful areas. If I was relocating with just hunting I would pick Prince George. Strictly for location. You are basically Central in the province and can travel in any direction to hunt with relative ease. Its big enough that you get the benefits of a major City without all the hassle of being stuck in the lower mainland. If all my family wasn’t stuck in this area I would have moved long ago. I have a good friend who is based right in between the Kootenays and the Thomason Nicola and he loves it. Don’t think he has bothered with an LEH application since he moved.

My Dream would be the Yukon but hunting is a small part of it. I worked in the Yukon for the Highways Department for a little while and absolutely loved it. Both for work and for personal time. I however didn’t get into the middle of winter so I cant tell you what its like. For Spring and Summer it was absolutely beautiful Just vast wilderness with no end. My goal is to go back and propose to the girlfriend at some point. We are both outdoors lovers, She isnt much of a hunter but appreciates the wilderness. Its the most beautiful place I have seen on this earth. If I was a religious man I would call is “Gods Country” I also prefer the cold to the heat so that might be another reason I want to head that direction.

I am sure you will find the right spot for you. Let us know where you end up. Good luck on the adventure.

Cheers,
B
 
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