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How do Canadians feel about hunters coming into your neck of the woods?

post #1 of 27
10/14/05 at 7:33am
Thread Starter 
or American's opinions welcome as well...
Seems like an odd question but one I have been pondering for a couple of days now...I went out of town for an overnight trip with a friend a couple nights ago.
They live in the "woods" which, to me, is anywhere outside of a city that has only one gas station...

We had some eats and drinks at a small town bar (I love chatting with the locals at places like this). There I met (after they attempted to hit on me until I introduced them to my boyfriend) a group of hunters from Kentucky and Minnesota.

If you live in Canada, you are used to the phenomenon of large groups of hunters from the US making one or several trips a year to hunt and fish in our large and beautiful open spaces. As I had never met any hunters (other than serving them at a restaurant), I got into a discussion with them about WHY they come to Canada. We decided it wasn't the dollar as the US dollar is almost at par with us now...The hunters expressed that it was the large amounts of wild game and fowl and fish available. They said they don't have the great amount of natural resources and game there. They asked me if I knew why??

I replied "Maybe because we don't have guns"

So, just in your opinion, how do you feel about Americans (or maybe the same phenomenon exists in other countries?) taking our animals home?

Even though there was lively debate ranging from Bush policies to gun control to crappy American beer , I admit I had a great night with our neighbours from the South, especially imitating a Kentucky accent. THey said I did really well! Though I didn't do Minnesota that great (they said I sounded North Dakotan

And much to the Kentuckians chagrin, I told him flatly that no, he would NOT be able to find sausage rounds and biscuits and gravy for breakfast

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post #2 of 27
10/14/05 at 7:53am
Speaking as the girlfriend of an avid hunter, I can say that even Bradley has gone on hunting trips in Canada. The deer where he went (I want to say he went to Nova Scotia but I could be completely wrong about that) are much larger than the ones we have here in Georgia. I've seen pictures from those trips...they guys definitely all had a great time!

My mom's side of the family is from Kentucky...they do have some great accents, don't they?
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post #3 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:11am
Thread Starter 
Oh, yes, Amy...! Lovely accents..I am a sucker for Southern accents though..Y'all talk so calm and slow. One of these young guys was so cute, I could have taken him home...if it weren't for the BF...kidding!
(oh and that they were all conservative bush supporters!)

Another thought: I wonder if the Canadian gov't grants hunting permits to outside hunters to actually control the deer population or if its because Americans add to the economy? Essentially, are our resources in danger due to this?.. or does this actually help control the number of deer who may starve due to over-population?

We likely don't have many hunters on this site so no one may know..but I am curious..
Ask Bradley if he knows?!
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post #4 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:12am
Where I live it is a huge tourist area for hunters and anglers. They come here (especially this time of year) to hunt moose. I don't support killing anything in the name of sport. But to me it doesn't matter what nationality the hunters/anglers are.

We do have very strict rules here regarding the amount, type and size of fish or mammal that can be taken home. It makes me really mad when we have visitors (from anywhere including other parts of Canada) that come here and have the "I'll take whatever I want attitude"

Us locals (for the most part anyways) adhere to these rules strictly and we help the ministry of natural resources enforce them..meaning we report anyone we see breaking the rules and the fines are extremley steep. The MNR will take their boat and fine them $5000. It may seem a bit outrageous..but it's important to preserve our wildlife.
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post #5 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:13am
I'll ask Bradley how it all worked....

I will say this: There are some hunters that hunt not only b/c they enjoy it, but because they know they are doing more to HELP the deer population than they are to HARM it (as you said, because of overpopulation). I'm very proud to say Bradley is one of those hunters . He keeps track of the deer population on their family's land throughout the year and only whatever type of deer is overpopulated (say, older does) may be harvested that year. There are a lot more ethics behind it than most people think!

Oh yeah- and there's nothing like a Southern gentleman .
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post #6 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:15am
Thread Starter 
Tracy, Aren't Moose semi-endangered? Or is that just a myth in my head?
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post #7 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ugaimes
I'll ask Bradley how it all worked....

I will say this: There are some hunters that hunt not only b/c they enjoy it, but because they know they are doing more to HELP the deer population than they are to HARM it (as you said, because of overpopulation). I'm very proud to say Bradley is one of those hunters . He keeps track of the deer population on their family's land throughout the year and only whatever type of deer is overpopulated (say, older does) may be harvested that year. There are a lot more ethics behind it than most people think!

Oh yeah- and there's nothing like a Southern gentleman .
I never know what to believe on the media but I have seen with my own eyes several deer right in the city (we have suburban areas surrounded by woods) and last year on the news they stated that the deer were having their legs cut up from walking in the snow for too many days searching for food..I don't know if this is human caused or what, but it broke my heart.
I don't condone hunting for sport (if you aren't going to eat and use what you kill) but I would rather see deer like this put out of their misery...
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post #8 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Loveysmummy
Tracy, Aren't Moose semi-endangered? Or is that just a myth in my head?
I don't personally know anyone who is a hunter (funny thing is most of the locals aren't)..and I'm not too familair with the laws governing the hunting of moose. From what I have read though due to conservation their numbers are on the increase...remember too that they don't really have any natural enemy other than man.
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post #9 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:33am
My father goes up to Canada to go fishing once a year or so. They always have a great time. (Well, except for the bear waking them from an afternoon nap raiding their trash INSIDE the cabin! ) He goes up for a couple reasons: We don't have the fish you guys do up there, and the remoteness of the experience isn't something he can easily get here. Don't get me wrong - there are still a LOT of remote areas in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota - basically the Rockies. And he just loves the scenery and the whole area where they go, regardless of the country it's in. Canadian wilderness is very different from our geography.

Here in Colorado we do get a lot of out of state/country people coming here to hunt. For some areas it's a pretty large part of the economy. They drop a lot of money to come here to hunt and/or fish. So good, leave your money and then go home. Just please don't expect this to be the same as wherever your "home" is. (We get some very egotistical people who can't understand that this is Colorado, not California or Texas, and we do things a little differently here. They find this out and have the nerve to get seriously ANGRY that they can't get *whatever* that they have at home!)
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post #10 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:36am
Kentuckian here.

My boyfriend is an AVID hunter, and owns an archery business (killing deer w/ bow & arrow... gun season hasn't opened yet) and I've seen & watched all the guys in their tournaments. My boyfriend is probably the most Kentuckian guy you'll ever meet, from that twangy-twang accent to living on a HUGE farm.

Anyways on his dad's farm, 2 hours south of Northern KY, there is plentiful hunting. He went yesterday! Didn't kill anything, he said the 8 pointers just aren't worth dragging from the woods.

he has never been to Canada, eh. I know the deer population thingy here is quite a problem. They start to mate right about now (we almost hit one in his truck last weekend, they are EVERYWHERE) and it's called "population control". Once you hit a deer, just ONCE, trust me, you'll appreciate the hunters who live for their sport and get up & take care of the over-population.

He doesn't just hunt for sport (that's a part of it though), it's his business! and, he eats what he kills. Also he mounts the deerheads for the guys who he hunts with. He's from a long line of farmers and this is just what they 'do'.

and yes we love our Southern gentlemen.
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post #11 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:46am
Thread Starter 
I love hearing the differences between countries and even between states/provinces here..
That's probably why I like speaking to anyone from elsewhere.
I once impressed a group of Americans by singing the "Star Spangled Banner" in its entirety once..No, they didn't know "O Canada"..

Its also interesting because perhaps we don't have as many hunters here...No one I know hunts or even fishes....

And, no, the majority of Canadians do not use "eh" in their daily speech
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post #12 of 27
10/14/05 at 8:46am
I'm not sure how the number of permits are issued in Canada, but I would suspect it is similar to here. They keep track of the population of whichever species (deer, elk, etc.) and issue hunting permits in relation to how many need to be culled to keep the population in check. After a hard winter from the prior year, there won't be as many issued; but if the conditions were right that reproduction rates were high there will be more. Out of state and out of country permits are substantially higher cost than in-state, so it does bring in a lot more money to issue out of area permits (i.e. the last deer permit application I saw, which was years ago!, in-state was like $35, out of state was around $185).
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post #13 of 27
10/14/05 at 10:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Loveysmummy
I don't condone hunting for sport (if you aren't going to eat and use what you kill) (
Neither do we! I'm still trying to come up with recipes to finish cooking all the deer meat from last season!

Stephanie, I think Bradley would LOVE your boyfriend- his favorite way to hunt is with a bow and arrow!
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post #14 of 27
10/14/05 at 10:48am
Thread Starter 
Well, once I had deer jerky and it was rilly rilly GOOD! My friend in high school was a hunter (and didn't tell me it was deer until after I said how good it was )
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post #15 of 27
10/14/05 at 11:02am
I dont like hunting... oaky now that is said... In my area there are visiters and I dont mind your coming but leave it as you found it minus your hunt..
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post #16 of 27
10/14/05 at 11:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

Another thought: I wonder if the Canadian gov't grants hunting permits to outside hunters to actually control the deer population or if its because Americans add to the economy? Essentially, are our resources in danger due to this?.. or does this actually help control the number of deer who may starve due to over-population?

We likely don't have many hunters on this site so no one may know..but I am curious..
Ask Bradley if he knows?!
Just found this thread so I thought i would pop in with my two cents worth. I work for a provincial government with the Ministry of Natural Resources. Our ministry allocates a certain number of tags (deer, moose etc) based on scientific research and population monitoring. The number of tags depends on the size of the population and the amount of hunting that would not affect the sustainability of the population. Some of our tags are reserved for Ontario hunters and some are set aside for hunters from the US and other places.

There is no danger to any of our resources due to legal hunting/fishing here. Even poaching has little effect on deer or moose as there numbers are generally healthy here. Hunting is a good economic resource for remote northern communities and provides for jobs and tourism etc. But the first priority is still always the sustainability of the resource.
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post #17 of 27
10/14/05 at 11:07am
Stephanie, I think Bradley would LOVE your boyfriend- his favorite way to hunt is with a bow and arrow!


Amy! Tell him to visit KY! Jeff has an AWESOME shop with indoor target practice contests every Friday night... we just had a big ol down on the farm party for all the shooters, their wives & kids last weekend. Man talk about FUN!

He wants to teach me to shoot a bow & arrow, but I can't use his... it's got like 200 pounds of tension in the string. There was a little girl there learning to shoot, hers is like 25 pounds of tension. I could do that.

Amy do you like watching Bradley shoot? I get all riled watching Jeff... his arms are really muscular and them puppies pop way out when he's holding the bow taut. Kind of makes me feel like Lady Marion watching Robin Hood or something.
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post #18 of 27
10/14/05 at 11:08am
Thread Starter 
Good point, Renny! Thanks for the input. I hadn't thought about the boost to the northern economies with the fly-in resorts getting much needed business they wouldn't otherwise.
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post #19 of 27
10/14/05 at 5:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renny
Our ministry allocates a certain number of tags (deer, moose etc) based on scientific research and population monitoring. The number of tags depends on the size of the population and the amount of hunting that would not affect the sustainability of the population. Some of our tags are reserved for Ontario hunters and some are set aside for hunters from the US and other places.
I'm just slightly late with my response but Renny adequately summarized it!

And it you need more reading material on hunting in Ontario, here's a link:

Hunting In Ontario

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post #20 of 27
10/14/05 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkeyedgirl
I get all riled watching Jeff... his arms are really muscular and them puppies pop way out when he's holding the bow taut. Kind of makes me feel like Lady Marion watching Robin Hood or something.

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post #21 of 27
10/14/05 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

Another thought: I wonder if the Canadian gov't grants hunting permits to outside hunters to actually control the deer population or if its because Americans add to the economy? Essentially, are our resources in danger due to this?.. or does this actually help control the number of deer who may starve due to over-population?
Bradley said that they were issued white tail buck tags by the government in New Brunswick, which they paid $500 for. They are issued for management reasons; he said that the # of deer per square mile was higher than it was supposed to be in the winter time. Outfitters are granted special tags to hunt deer for management purposes.

Bradley said that Canada takes deer management VERY seriously (which is good); venison (moose, caribou, or white tail deer) cannot even be stored in freezers for longer than 6 months b/c of thir tight, tight regulations.
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post #22 of 27
10/14/05 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkeyedgirl
Stephanie, I think Bradley would LOVE your boyfriend- his favorite way to hunt is with a bow and arrow!


Amy! Tell him to visit KY! Jeff has an AWESOME shop with indoor target practice contests every Friday night... we just had a big ol down on the farm party for all the shooters, their wives & kids last weekend. Man talk about FUN!

He wants to teach me to shoot a bow & arrow, but I can't use his... it's got like 200 pounds of tension in the string. There was a little girl there learning to shoot, hers is like 25 pounds of tension. I could do that.

Amy do you like watching Bradley shoot? I get all riled watching Jeff... his arms are really muscular and them puppies pop way out when he's holding the bow taut. Kind of makes me feel like Lady Marion watching Robin Hood or something.
Stephanie, I think Bradley is in love! He's going hunting in Cadiz, KY in late November....too bad he won't be in Florence or he'd be at that store in a heartbeat!! Those target practices sound like a blast...too bad we have NOTHING like that around here (not even a shooting range!).

Oh yes, I LOVE watching Bradley shoot. Talk about sexy....grrrrrrrrrrowl! Don't feel bad about not being able to shoot with one of his bows- it is SOOO hard to do!
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post #23 of 27
10/14/05 at 7:08pm
I am very surprised to find these responses! I thought everyone here would be anti-hunting!

I don't mind if someone hunts, but when I visited my sister in Colorado and saw the deer coming just outside her kitchen window, it made me wonder how her dh could get a permit and go one mountain over and shoot deer!?! I am glad my dh doesn't hunt, so I don't have to deal with it up close. He does have a bow and arrow for target practice.

I know hunting is necessary to manage wild populations. There were outbreaks of some illness in Wisconsin, due to overpopulation. But it still seems very sad.
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post #24 of 27
10/14/05 at 7:46pm
Hunting is very strictly regulated in the Maritimes too - and yes, it is a provincial jurisdiction - usually natural resources tho the depts have different names. I actually DO know quite a few hunters but many of them have camps in the woods more for the fun of it than ever shooting anything. Usually the most anyone can shoot is one deer or moose anyway. Moose licenses in NB and NS anyway are highly coveted tho moose seem too plentiful for me -given that I wrecked my car tho came out alive after one ran into my vehicle in the middle of the road!!

That said, the mahority of Canadians are urbanites and know little or nothing about hunting except what we see on those TV or National Geograhic, lol It really irked me that the Canada Pavillion at Epcot makes the country looks like some vast hinterland. That is the Canada people know only of they live in the far north.

And oh God, I wish the dollar was at par, lol It IS higher tho which has all the pulp and paper industry ppl, my dad included, complaining. He likes it in Florida tho, lol

As to how I feel about it - as long as the industry is strictly regulated and no cruelty is allowed, like deer jacking which still occurs too much for my liking - by both locals and visitors. I could never kill a deer or any living thing for that matter (except in self defense) but I understand why we need to cull certain populations - sort of like silviculture in the forestry industry.
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post #25 of 27
10/14/05 at 10:56pm
i know lots of minnesotans head north, some just way nothern mn some up to canada....your our neighbors. heh

that being said i dont hunt. but i think its something that has to be done with populations.
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post #26 of 27
10/15/05 at 4:47am
AZ has deer (mule and whitetail), elk and javelina seasons. Depending upon the population of said animals, the number of tags issued is varied. Dove hunting is also big here.

I don't see any problem with wildlife management. In good years, the animals overpopulate and end up starving to death and, in bad years, they just starve to death.
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post #27 of 27
10/15/05 at 3:54pm
I grew up in Southeast New Brunswick about 8 miles from the local urban centre and almost every male in our area hunted during the hunting season and the meat was canned for winter consumption (after the first few steaks were enjoyed fresh). Breakfast often consisted of eggs and deer or moose steak. A moose license was a coveted thing. I must admit I much preferred the taste of moose to that of the deer. Venison tastes a little wild to me. I've never shot an animal (and I don't think I could) but I was taught to use a rifle on targets and I've carried my share of meat out of the woods.

Most of the areas outside towns and small cities in our area had their hunters chomping at the bit to get out there during hunting season. My dad and his friends often used to go to another county hunting.
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