Gophers Across Our Nation

[kastles]

So if I were to take a quick drive across Canada(BC and east) would I have to buy a hunting licence and small game permit in every province? I'm hoping not cause that would cost a little much. Are they pests antwhere where I can just hunt?

kastles

 

[purple]

You don't actually need to "hunt" gophers.You just find some and shoot them with landowner permission.
I've lived across the country from BC to NB and must say that you need'nt travel any further east than about Portage la Prairie, MB before you run out of gophers. They have rodent- like critters in the east, like woodchucks and ground hogs, but no gophers. Prime gopher turf is in the prairie provinces. Gophers, Saskatoon berries, and oil are what the Lord left to compensate for the crappy winters.

 

[proonur]

In Alberta, you just need permission from landowner.

 

[Longwalker]

In Sask, no licence required. Permission to hunt private land is certainly recommended, but not legally required unless the land is posted. I think we may be unique in Canada that way. There is a legal restriction about needing permission to shoot within 500 M of occupied buildings or corrals.

 

[ben hunchak]

I thought that the trespass laws changed here in Sask. just a year or two ago, and now you can be charged with trespassing whether the land is posted or not. You would need a small game license in Ontario but i don't think there are many gophers there.

 

[Cinch]

Not sure why a person would travel beyond AB or SK if gopher shooting was the objective - you're unlikely to find anywhere better to shoot.

 

[kastles]

Driving across anyway thought I may kill some of the boredom(and local pests).

 

[Slithery]

You will need a small game license to shoot varmints in Ontario. Though, I don't think gopher shooting happens much here. I've lived and worked on a few farms, and don't remember gophers. Plenty of groundhogs, though. Not sure on the land owner's permission, if not posted. However, be best to ask anyways. Ontario is not friendly to firearms, and all it takes is one landowner calling the police, saying someone is shooting on their property for the gov't to make another law.

 

[dan belisle]

So all those guys on Jane and Finch have small game licenses? That explains it. - dan

 

[Shifty2]

So all those guys on Jane and Finch have small game licenses? That explains it. - dan

They also have ATC's from their "crib" to the hard working, honest man's home they are going to rob. Who the man inside doesn't have an ATC so he can not stop his family from being killed.

But this is a huntin' thread. Ontario has some big groundhogs, but it's hardly worth a cross-country drive to do some shooting. The other way around would be great though! I was in Alberta a few years ago and some of the fields looked almost disgusting from the amount of critters.

 

[dan belisle]

yeah, some years they're everywhere. Some years not so much. Still, always fun to head out to the field and pop a few. I only wish we could take handguns out after them, that is a great deal of fun (done it down south a few times). - dan

 

[daBear]

Just returned from a Gopher Safari in S.SK..Couldnt reload fast enough. Averaging over 100/hr and barely putting a dent in the population..Wheeee
dB

 

[M12shooter]

I've driven through Saskatchewan...aka, "The Gap" before and shot gophers. Never been turned down in the south central or SW. Just that at times it's near impossible to find the landowner. Only problem being that if you get a couple real windy days your beat.

 

[oopswasthatyourdog?]

The non-resident small game permit that you would need to hunt groundhogs in Quebec would cost you 84.50$......ouch