Does the MNR use a helicopter to identify hunters, camps? (ONT 63A)

Brandon

Brandon

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I hunt in Ontario 63A as mentioned, and last week the morning of the 3rd or 4th, there was a very low flying helicopter. At first I thought someone was lost, cause of how they were flying, pretty slow and in a grid. They went back and forth probably 7 or 8 times then moved onto the next area. We hunt on private land, but there is a lot of crown land around.
Not sure if it was the MNR checking on hunters? or maybe someone doing training? I found it a little irritating, cause at one point they were uncomfortably close, so I waved "hello" and they moved on.
Anyone else encounter this?
 
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I was at a camp in bancroft and was on a watch on top of a very high ridge .I hear something coming my way and it gets very loud so loud that I jump on my atv and drive it off the trail in to the woods .I was sure it had to be a very big log skidder or a dozer .what do you know it was a big four propeller bomber plane flying about 100 feet above the trees..I was sure I was going to get run over on the trail before I seen it .it was right on top of me ...lol.turns out we were not to far from a air base .could be the case with your chopper a training mission. ..never know what you are going to see..Dutch
 
I see the Hydro Utility using choppers to check hydro lines and right of ways here....they fly pretty low . The RCMP also use aircraft and Choppers to check for pot grow-ops as well.....
 
dutchhunter said:
I was at a camp in bancroft and was on a watch on top of a very high ridge .I hear something coming my way and it gets very loud so loud that I jump on my atv and drive it off the trail in to the woods .I was sure it had to be a very big log skidder or a dozer .what do you know it was a big four propeller bomber plane flying about 100 feet above the trees..I was sure I was going to get run over on the trail before I seen it .it was right on top of me ...lol.turns out we were not to far from a air base .could be the case with your chopper a training mission. ..never know what you are going to see..Dutch
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I've seen it a few times at the BIL's cottage in Coe Hill, SW of Bancroft. Most likely a Trenton Herc doing a low altitude training run flying visually using only ground-based markers. A friend was stationed there a few years back and fondly remembers the "big red barn" in the Coe Hill area that was their marker back then.
 
dutchhunter said:
I was at a camp in bancroft and was on a watch on top of a very high ridge .I hear something coming my way and it gets very loud so loud that I jump on my atv and drive it off the trail in to the woods .I was sure it had to be a very big log skidder or a dozer .what do you know it was a big four propeller bomber plane flying about 100 feet above the trees..I was sure I was going to get run over on the trail before I seen it .it was right on top of me ...lol.turns out we were not to far from a air base .could be the case with your chopper a training mission. ..never know what you are going to see..Dutch
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My dad and his friend both had the same experience in the Bancroft/Gunter area a few years back. Do you know what the base is called? He just told me a big hurcules flew over our cabin every day last week. Usually mid morning till noon. Also he said he saw helicopters some days.
 
Common practice with the game wardens around here (WMU 13). Just bought a 160 acre property in early October and so far this year we had a helicopter hover over our trucks on opening day for deer (was just doing work on the property though and not hunting), and then on a separate day had a plane circling over a few times at a stand site. Speaking with neighboring property owners this is common, they fly over looking for orange and often will then walk in to stands/etc where they see hunters from the air to check people out when they are doing a "blitz" in the area.... haven't had anyone walk in yet. I have had the planes circle me when target shooting on crown land in past years as well.
 
Our cabin on 215 arces in area 62 has constant fly by's by both helicopters and single props through out the summer. It's the heli's that fly by low. I just way hello and carry on my business. One day a single prop did a grid pattern fly by.
 
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Back in the ealy 90s I had a helicopter repeatedly buzz a bull and cow moose I was stalking on a brush island in the middle of a timber clear cut several times with obvious clear intentions of foiling my hunt.
The pair spooked and ambled off the ilsand and into the tree line on the opposite side of the cut.
I reported the description and numbers on the side of the copter to the mnr with view to laying charges of illegal interference with a lawful hunt but didn't hear back from them.
The silence spoke volumes.
Probably one of their own aircraft.
 
I've been out in the bush a ton this year and never noticed anything until opening week for deer here where I've had many low flying fixed wing aircraft fly over my property more than once. Paranoia? More than likely, but it's a strange coincidence.
 
In southern Quebec they used to use spotter planes looking for deer hunters, but that's when I lived there long ago, and now I can't say. Same government planes that were used looking for pot growers, allegedly. They were wanting to send their guys to check for licences of course, not harassing hunters into failure.
 
I do know for a fact they have fixed aircraft at their disposal, heli;s are a bit out of their budget range unless it's a joint force cost sharing. 63A falls into an area that is surrounded by property that's owned by Domtar an a few other company's.
 
I was just thinking, which is a bad thing on the best of days, but what if you were to report the plane that was chasing the moose away form you to Transport Canada?

They have rules about flying that might overpower the rules that MNR have to follow.

Not a pilot, but my brother works in aviation, and the rules are mindblowing: he spends half of his time filling out paperwork
 
Don't know about checking on hunters but I did have one experience while fishing (about 12 years back now).

A couple of us had done a canoe trip into Algonquin park - three day hump in on one of the (laid out) routes. We hadn't seen anyone for the three days, we were well into the interior with initial access in the north east end which see's "light use" at best (no roads in).

Anyhow we were fishing on Radiant Lake when a float plane circled then landed and kinda idled it's way over to us.

The door opens and a CO pops out and ask to see our fishing licences. We showed them and he went on his way.

I was often struck by that experience - like did they think that we paddled and portaged some 30 kms just to try and poach a couple of trout?

Licence dollars at work...
 
A friend spotted helicopter flying over his bush and on his way out an mnr truck was beside theirs. At the gate. My friend asked how he knew he was hunting and they said the air patrol was going around looking for orange. All was good and on the way they went.
 
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