Hunting/fishing near Halifax

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GcG166

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I am thinking about relocating from Newfoundland to Halifax (or near Halifax). I'm wondering what hunting and fishing are like in the area? How far will I have to drive if I live in the city? What's the public hunting land situation like? Is there much or is getting private land permission necessary? Living here in Newfoundland there is little private land and I can pretty much hunt anywhere but the amount and types of game are few. I spent a year living in Ottawa, where there was much more wildlife and types of game once I left the city but it was a struggle to find a place I could hunt. So I'm wondering how nova Scotia would compare? How far would I have to drive if I lived in the city? I had a look at the hunting regs for seasons to see what was in the province, not as much variety as Ontario from what I saw but more than Newfoundland. I do as much hunting as I can, from moose to squirrel, all types of birds, coyote, would love to get a deer bear or turkey.

Also, wondering the same type of thing for fishing? For freshwater would I almost need a boat? Would I have to get far from the city to fish? There are a lot more freshwater species than Newfoundland. I assume salt water would be similar to Newfoundland and require a boat like here.

Thanks for any help. As well if I decide to make the move and anyone wants a hunting buddy let me know!
 
No Moose hunt for mainland NS it is confined to Cape Breton with very poor draw odds. The following link will provide you an interactive map, though I don't guarantee its accuracy, of NS wilderness areas, parks and protected areas. 70% of NS is privately owned so access can be more restrictive than Newfoundland, archery hunting may improve opportunities. They have no turkey hunt and bears aren't much different than Newfoundland except no spring hunt and fewer tags so perhaps opportunities for a bear are better in Newfoundland.

https://nse.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=3204485ba06f4cb4a3204e4599966fad

Fishing opportunities can be very good, there are several lakes in the HRM with good trout fishing. Atlantic salmon fishing is poor compared to Newfoundland. Shad run in some rivers and can be great fun on light tackle or fly gear. Striped bass can be found if you drive an hour or more and are excellent table fair. A boat, canoe or kayak can certainly help improve fishing odds by getting you away from the shore crowds. Smallmouth bass and chain pickerel have been introduced to some watersheds while fun and in my opinion good eating. I am not as familiar with fishing the salt in NS regarding regulations and exact species but I'd suspect mackerel, pollock, flounder, the occasional wayward bluefish and more during the appropriate seasons and tides can be caught from the shore/piers. Requiring a larger investment in gear and perhaps more regulations a surprising variety sharks can be found.

If you enjoy big game hunting, or are fond of catching large trout and/or Atlantic salmon Newfoundland is arguably the best Atlantic province. If hunting and fishing opportunities are major factors in your relocating, Manitoba and further west is where I would look.
 
GcG166 said:
I am thinking about relocating from Newfoundland to Halifax (or near Halifax). I'm wondering what hunting and fishing are like in the area? How far will I have to drive if I live in the city? What's the public hunting land situation like? Is there much or is getting private land permission necessary? Living here in Newfoundland there is little private land and I can pretty much hunt anywhere but the amount and types of game are few. I spent a year living in Ottawa, where there was much more wildlife and types of game once I left the city but it was a struggle to find a place I could hunt. So I'm wondering how nova Scotia would compare? How far would I have to drive if I lived in the city? I had a look at the hunting regs for seasons to see what was in the province, not as much variety as Ontario from what I saw but more than Newfoundland. I do as much hunting as I can, from moose to squirrel, all types of birds, coyote, would love to get a deer bear or turkey.

Also, wondering the same type of thing for fishing? For freshwater would I almost need a boat? Would I have to get far from the city to fish? There are a lot more freshwater species than Newfoundland. I assume salt water would be similar to Newfoundland and require a boat like here.

Thanks for any help. As well if I decide to make the move and anyone wants a hunting buddy let me know!
Click to expand...

https://nsgi.novascotia.ca/plv/ this mapping tool has layers that will show you Crown Land, Wildlife zones, topo...all kinds of good information. It's garbage on a phone but on a desktop computer it's great.

No fishing license required to fish tidal water which is nice.
 
There are actually no bears on my part of the island. I javent seen a bear in my life actually.

If i will be able to get a boat depends on my loving situation. In Ottawa i had a small downtown apartment with no storage, but i did manage to get a 6 foot inflatable boat woth a rigid floor. If i have space for it a 14 foot aluminum boat and outboard would likely be in the cards. Here in Newfoundland storage ismt a problem and i have access to my parents boats.

My search for a new location is first based on what work is available. I design ships so im mostly stuck with living near the ocean. Not sure how i got a job in Ottawa lol. Then i look at what hunting and fishing is around.

In Ottawa i had to druve an hour usually for hunting which wasnt to bad but i wouldn't take to have to drive to much further
 
If you are in HRM, almost every lake in the city is stocked with trout and fishable and there are lots of lakes. You can fish from shore or with a small boat. In fact the province stocks a lot of lakes see here https://novascotia.ca/fish/sportfishing/hatchery-stocking/ . Most of the lakes in NS are shallow and rocky so don't expect to get any large boats out in many lakes, canoes work best. Salt water fishing would be similar to NFLD I would expect.

There is a lot of private land in NS, finding a hunting spot is the hardest part about hunting in NS. If you are in the city expect to drive at min an hour to get somewhere huntable and even then you could be stepping on someones toes. You have to remember that NS is one of the most densely populated provinces, pop vs land size. Lots of roads and houses everywhere so you have to be really careful where you are hunting and shooting. Scouting is a must.

If you can get yourself a good spot deer numbers are good, you can essentially get 2 deer, as you can tag one out with a rifle (bow,xbow, muzzy), and another with (bow, xbow, muzzy).

Grouse numbers are generally healthy from year to year and there is a lot of bears as well, but you will most likely need to bait. Cape Breton is your only chance for moose but you have a better shot at winning on some scratch offs at the local corner store.

Pheasants if you can get in good with someone who owns farm land as that's where they all hang out.

Rabbits have been non existent for at least the past 8 years, coyotes are around but very difficult to hunt.
 
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