Non resident carrying a rifle

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RBM

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I am in northern Alberta but resident of another province, how can I legally hike in the woods carrying a rifle but with no intentions of hunting? Is bear season now and although I like to take long walks on the trails after work, the idea of running into a bear without a gun make me nervous. To get a non resident license is not a solution, the non resident must be accompanied by a resident hunter or guide according the Alberta regulations. Is this possible or my only choice is bear spray?

Of course the rifle is legal and I have a hunter's number, and most times I will be carrying a camera, lenses and sometimes a tripod, is this enough excuse?

Not sure if this is the right forum (maybe legalese?) Thank you for your comments.
 
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To the best of my knowledge that is perfectly legal in alberta, provided you are not hunting.

I would however simply call the alberta co's and ask. for stuff like that it's always best to hear it from the horses' mouth, rather than rely on internet opinion.
 
I suspect you would have a hard time explaining yourself to a CO with a dead black bear, a rifle and no license. What part of the province are you in, there is a big difference between GRizz country and black bear country. Where I live I don;t even think about black bears and they are all over the place.
 
In Fort McMurray, my concern is black bears, am I paranoid? So far I've seen only one (and that was from my office, not on the trail) and droppings a couple of times, one dried, one fresh.
To get a license was my first thought but for a non resident requires the hunter to be guided or accompanied by a named resident hunter.
 
Gibbs505 said:
Why not just get a hunting licence, a bear tag and not worry?
Click to expand...

As a non-resident, he CANNOT hunt without either a guide, or a resident Hunter Host... Can't even buy a tag.

Basically, he can't legally hunt unless he did a bunch of paperwork a year ago, and has either his guide or resident Host at his side... He already conveyed this...

Personally, I would be equally concerned about blacks and Grizzly- I work in black/Grizzly country daily and much of the time I have a firearm handy in both AB and BC. Bear spray is good, but if you get into a mess with an aggresive black bear, a short shotgun with proper slugs is a much better solution.

I'm not sure about the legal requirements. I'm an Alberta resident, but when I fish & camp in B.C. I have a defense firearm in camp.

As far as arming yourself for protection; as a non-resident, you have the same privledges and liabilities as a resident.

Shooting a bear in defense is not hunting, and thus no license is required.
 
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RBM said:
In Fort McMurray, my concern is black bears, am I paranoid? So far I've seen only one (and that was from my office, not on the trail) and droppings a couple of times, one dried, one fresh.
To get a license was my first thought but for a non resident requires the hunter to be guided or accompanied by a named resident hunter.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you are being paranoid, I regularly come in close contact with them armed with nothing more than a 9 iron and so far so good.
 
Alberta doesn't have the stupid "if you have a gun in the woods your hunting" rule that Ontario has.

Welcome to AB. You have a gun, a PAL and you're out for a walk in the woods, nice to meet you. It's not a problem for any resident (provided you're not in a provincial or federal park with firearms restrictions) and I don't believe it will be a problem for any Canadian citizen from another province. Check with the CFO. You'll be justifying it to a wildlife officer if you shoot a bear without a tag regardless of your residence status, so you had better be able to reasonably justify you were at risk. A black bear won't give you much grief, but if you shoot a griz, be prepared for a major inquest. Shooting a Grizzly in Alberta is a major sensitive topic at the moment.
 
Whatever the laws are, I think it would be worth a little legal trouble if it means you guarantee your own safety. I wouldn't trust bear spray nearly as much as I would a 12 gauge slug to stop a charging bear; be it black, grizzly, or panda.

Of course, if you find yourself shooting at a panda while walking through the Alberta woods, perhaps your map should be a bigger worry than the local CO.
 
Take your gun if you feel more comfortable...I've had more nasty encounters wiht black bears than grizzlies.

Don't give any indication you are "hunitng"

Carrying a firearm for protection is recognized in most western areas.
 
I'm a little surprised at the casual attitude some take regarding Black Bears. I have dealt with these critters for at least 45 years, and one thing I have learned, is they are unpredictable. Yes, 90%+ of the time, they will cut and leave in the presence of humans. It's the other 10% or so that are not trustworthy. These will attack, and their intent is to do serious harm to you. I'm not talking about momma bears with cubs here, just the run of the mill blackie. I was involved in bear control many years ago in orchard country. Often when I got a call, there were multiple bears in an apple or plum orchard. Most would scatter when I shot one of them, but every once in a while, one of the others would head straight for me, and it was clear that he was displeased with my presence, and intended to put the run on me. I shot several of these "agressive" bears over a three year period, and invariably they were 3-5 year old males. Possibly a "macho" thing going on, I don't know. What I do know is they would have been bad news had I not been armed and ready. These days I view ALL bears as a potential threat once they have spotted me. If they do not immediately hi-tail it out of the area, then I regard them as something to watch very carefully. I wouldn't want this to be misinterpreted, I am not paranoid nor afraid of bears, but I do not believe taking a cavalier stance is wise. Regards, Eagleye.
 
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