going to canada on a bear hunt next year,is it hard to go through customs , any info you guys or ladies can give me will be great[8D]

Not too bad, never went to hunt but I know from crossing,DO NOT try to bring a handgun

Jaimie,

I'm not sure what kind of hunting you will be doing. Also, laws can always change, so you should make sure you call Canadian customs a month or so before you go.

Right now the easiest process with a non-restricted firearm would be to fill out a Non-Resident Firearms Declaration form at the border and pay the amount. I think the amount right now is $ 25 per gun which will cover you for 60 days.

If you think you are going to be making multiple trips over the next few years, you might be interesting in going through the process of getting a Purchase and Acquisition License (PAL) and then register your gun in Canada. This process costs $ 60 and covers all your guns for a 5 year period. All in all, the process of getting your PAL is a good 2-3 months (I can go into more detail if your are interested). The process of registering your gun and receiving your certificate is another good 1 - 2 months.

Above, is assuming you are bringing in a firearm which is deemed non-restricted which covers any normal hunting rifle.

If you are hunting with a bow, the process is much simpler. Somebody else might chime in here, as I have not received a good response from customs to date. I don't think bows are a controlled item. It may be a good idea to purchase a hunting license before you come up as one person in customs gave me a vague answer about needing a hunting license to bring a bow into the country. Whatever the case, it's much easier than bringing in a firearm.

Good luck,

Dan

$25. is for 60 days and covers all the guns you register. I just did it in preparation for my woodland caribou hunt next week in Newfoundland.

Archery equipment is not a controlled item in Canada and should not cause any problems crossing the border.

Hope you don't have a DUI on your driving record. Its a point of contention for them. They will run your record at the border and may not let you enter if you have a DUI.

Make sure you get your paperwork done EARLY! Otherwise, if you try to cross without it, it will get confiscated, and you just donated a gun (they do give you a receipt for a tax refund though). The days over declaring and filling out paperwork on the border are over.

Thanks for the feedback on the bow.

Good luck next in New Foundland next week CI. I'se the bye!!!!

THANKS FOR THE INFO GUYS,I HAVE SOME MORE RESERCH TO DO, I DID GET, OUI, ABOUT 13YEARS AGO THATS MY ONLY RECORD ,IAM GOING TO CALL THE CANADIAN,CUSTOMS TO SEE WHAT I HAVE TO DO, I LIVE IN MA. AND WE HAVE ONE OF THE TOUGHEST GUNLAWS , AND I WAS STILL ABLE TO ABTAIN MY PISTOL PERMIT CLASS A. LICENSE TO CARRY, LOOKS LIKE IAM ON A LONG ROAD, IS THERE ANYONE WHO HAD THE SAME SITUATION

My father had the same situation. His was long ago enough that it wasn't an issue. We sweated it after reading there regulations, but when we crossed the border it never even came up. Most likely you won't have any problems either since it was 13 years ago. Best of luck!