I'm always reading about these guys in places like Montana, where they not only have a fine variety of species, but 5 or 10 deer seasons. What is the best Canadian provincial equivalent. Factors would be plentiful game as to numbers and variety. One should be able to gain access to these species, not just if you use guides, or own private property (I don't mind if the species are scatered across lots of private holdings, but if the species is severely limited to only a few areas, it might as well not be there. Say pronghorn). Multiple idividuals, more than one/year bag limits. Long seasons, or seasons that start for some species in the summer and run on through fall or winter for stagered starts. ANy exotics. The US is full of them pigs, antelope on Islands in florida, Sika in Maryland, Nilgai crossing fences in parts of Texas. A province losses some credit if it has say caribou and pronghorn, say, but you would have to travel 700 miles between them... by plane
Lots of varied small game an asset.
What would be the perfect place to live if you actualy had time to hunt... I am talking here only about residents.
I live in Pickering, and it isn't ideal, to say the least. I don't think Ontario in general is, though there is quite a bit to do.
I live in alberta and the place I hunt most often has elk ,moose,whitetail,mules and blackbear and you often see them all in one morning or evening.There are other locations in the province where you can hunt bighorn,elk,moose,muledeer,whitetail and blackbear with very little travelling required.Pronghorn can be combined with mules and whitetails.
lazyarcher pretty well has it nailed down. It's a matter of tradeoffs. You pick up the moose and bear as you go north but you loose the jack rabbits, pheasants and turkey. That's why I like the Bruce, 10 minutes to anything but pheasants and moose.
Of course the Niagara is one of the few places in Canada where you can open water fish for trout and salmon 365 days a year.
I can tell you where it isn't what it should be--Northern Ontario! Too many logging roads allowing unlimited access, hunters who all own ATV's, fishermen who pound the lakes summer and winter, locals who don't know how to count, whether its lines or fish, antiquated laws and management proccesses regarding the Manitoulin deer hunt, restrictive moose application system where one may never in a lifetime be drawn, increasingly restrictive angling opportunities from slot sizes and daily catch limits, restrictions on motorized access to many wilderness lakes (excluding A/C), laws made and designed in Southern Ontario and applied in Northern Ontario such as the elimination of the spring bear hunt, and the list goes on..............Maybe I expect too much of the area I grew up in but it no longer is the pristine environment it was years ago. Perhaps its the same in most other provinces.
I will agree with the Ontario Mention! Ossage I am from Pickering too! There is hunting around go to peterborough about an hour drive and there is some awesome deer and bear hunting. Only four hours north to sudbury to hit the moose preferably a little further north we go to WAWA. Head east out Oshawa way and you got Turkeys. FIshing all within about an hours drive. Ok you can't walk out you back door and hunt but there is good hunting not too far away! That is wild that someone else on here is a local!
Grass is always greener, but no matter where you live you'll have to drive to hunt different game. It is a 4 hour drive to our moose/elk camp, we hunt bears about 2 hours north, whitetails can be had anywhere but I prefer to hunt about 1 1/2 hrs nw of home during rifle season, mulies are available with in minutes but we usually drive a fair distance - 3 hours.(after this year I will be back to doing the same on the next draw - close to home means less good deer and more pressure in a smaller zone). Lopers numbers are coming back in the province after mis-management by the DNR and harsh winters, but your still looking at a decent drive and trip to make it worth while on a draw only season - 3-4 hours. Bird & small game hunting is real close and lots of opportunity. Same goes for fishing but yet we still drive 10 hours each spring for the monster pike and lakers. For big game the season are pretty decent in length/opportunity, bag limits vary but aren't overally generous, game numbers are good for deer, birds, small game, bears and decent for elk & moose.
I grew up here and have lived elsewhere, I love this frozen land and all it has to offer a sportsman but driving is part of the landscape and adventure. If only we had sheep I would say it is perfect for a sportsman but of course you need mountains for them So I will just thinbk if only we lived in Alberta or BC, just like you in Pickering...see grass is always greener but with a change comes trade off's. Ain't no perfect place to live unless you call it HOME!
Alberta is hard to beat. B.C. has Caribou, Stone Sheep, Black-tails and more Goat and Grizzly hunting but we have Pronghorn and I think better waterfowl.
The family went accross Canada a few years back. I looked till my eyes were sore for a deer on PEI till someone told me there were no big game animals on "Annes Island". Nice place to visit but I sure could not live there. Now if Moose hunting turnned your crank Newfoundland would be a place to live. We saw loads of moose on the Rock.
Back to Alberta, I have shot Elk, Moose, Mule deer, White-tail, Pronghorn, Big Horn Sheep, Black Bear, and coyote. Geese, ducks and upland birds. All within 4 or 5 hours drive of home. (the sheep were a horse back ride and a mountain "hike" after the couple hour drive)
I really enjoy hunting in saskatchewan. I have never hunted out of province yet because i'm pretty happy with where i'm at. I hunt whitetail, bear, moose and elk just a half mile south of my house. For me i get a good enough variety right at home. We don't really have monster elk or moose here but they are good enough for meat purposes. Waterfowl and grouse hunting is pretty darn good around here too. Once and a while i head to southern saskatchewan to hunt pheasents and that is the place to go for mulies also. Also we live an hour away from Tobin lake which is one of the top walleye and pike waters in canada. Sure we don't have any sheep or turkeys but 3 or 4 other species of game usually keep me more than busy enough. but like skeeter says "It's perfect to you if you call it home."
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Its 35 below or its 98 above and he's workin through it all cause this is what he loves.
Best resident Canadian hunting region
So I will just thinbk if only we lived in Alberta or BC, just like you in Pickering...see grass is always greener but with a change comes trade off's. Ain't no perfect place to live unless you call it HOME!
We have almost any species I can think of other than Caribou....even freakin buffalo if you want. Gotta love it! JDinAB
