I am looking for my first hunting rifle. Primarily deer on the island and the interior, so blacktail, whitetail, and muley.

I’ve been trying to get as many different bolt actions into my hands to feel what they’re like and form an opinion. The thing I haven’t been able to do is spend time behind any at the range or similar, so I don’t have experience with different calibres and how they feel to shoot.

I’ve got a cz 457 stainless that I love and use for target practice and enjoyment. Something with a similar silky bolt feel would be great.

Options I've held:

Savage Axis - stock 2/5, bolt 2/5

Savage 116 stainless (not sure how it's different than a 110?) stock 3.5/5, bolt 3/5

Tikka T3x - stock 4/5, bolt 5/5

Ruger American Gen 2 - stock 3.5/5, bolt 3.5/5

Mossberg patriot - stock 2/5, bolt 1/5

CVA Cascade - stock 3.5/5, bolt 3/5

Weatherby Vanguard - stock 4/5 bolt 3.5/5

Bergara B14 - stock 4/5, bolt 4.5/5

Options I want to check out but not around locally: Sauer 100.

Top chambering choices: 6.5 creed, 308, 7mm-08, preferrence barrel length is 20 or 22, threaded is a bonus.

The options firmly on my radar:

1) used Savage 110 Storm w/ Vortex Crossfire ii 4-12x44 in 7mm-08. ~40 rounds, $800 to my door - pros: versatile calibre, cheap (relatively speaking), lightweight. cons: not my preferred optic, not as nice as tikkas, ammo less available.

2) used (from a dealer) tikka t3 (not x) stainless, very good condition, 270win, $900 shipped. pros - tikka bolt, durable af, cheaper by a fair bit than new ($1350) - cons - long action cal, too much recoil, not a flush mag.

3) new ruger american gen 2 predator in 6.5 creedmore - ~$1000 to my door - pros: cerakoted, threaded, brake, adjustable LOP for potential kids usage, warranty! cons - not as nice as the tikka or bergara, potential mag/feeding issues in some cals

4) new sauer 100 veil alpine ti in 6.5 creedmore, $1095 to my door . - pros: smoking deal (normally $1500-1700), top choice (on paper) for chamber, cons - haven't felt or held, much less aftermarket support.

Eventually if I want to get into bigger game like moose or roosevelt elk I would grab a secondary firearm in a magnum cartridge, so I'm not too worries about it being "enough" gun as long as it's fine with any BC deer.

Anybody have any thoughts on the Sauer? is the storm at decent first time gun if I go that route? Thanks all!

Hey y’all, 27y/o late onset hunter from BC living in Montreal looking for mentorship and hunting buddies! A bit of background, I grew up in the woods as a Boy Scout and camping with the family and friends but no hunters in the family. I have been duck hunting a few times when I was young with some of my dad’s friends. I had a junior PAL in teen years, but it didn’t get much use. I have been living in Quebec for 6 years now and have been increasingly getting the itch to hunt. Last year I re-took the safety course and acquired my PAL. I also completed and received my Quebec hunting permit. I currently only own a Ruger American Gen 2 ranch 556 (see picture) for target shooting to get dialled. I intend to buy a gun to suit the species when I have an idea of what is possible this season.

I don’t know any hunters in the region and I’m hoping someone is willing to take me under their wing. I’m eager to learn and I would be satisfied even just to tag along without a gun to learn the ropes. I’m ready to put in work, I have a vehicle and I’m willing to drive most anywhere. I’m also fluent in french

And you don’t gotta worry about giving up your spots cause I’ll be moving back to BC next year

Any insights and advice are appreciated

Thanks!

Guys new hunter here, wanna try to explore this area in wmu62. Question is how do i get to the area btw road 15 and mellon lake?

Seems like a marsh terran?

Any advice can help. Thanks 🙏🏻

Hi all, looking for some steer from experienced bear hunters. I have a rural property that fortunately has quite a bit of wildlife around. I've hunted for years, never bear before, but this year black bear could easily be on the menu.

The problem is, I live in a rural community where the municipal dump is unfenced and bears frequent it. I'm about 6.5km from that dump and 10km from another similar small/unfenced one.

Is it worth attempting a bear hunt under these conditions or am I likely to have a dump bear issue? I don't want to feed the family on garbage bear, but really don't know what to expect. It's low human population density around here and tons of chokecherries filling the bear scat, but can't deny that bears also frequently visit the dump.

Looking for advice based on experience, appreciate hearing it if you have some.

Hey guys,

I drew a solo bull moose LEH for the first September period in MU 5-11, Zone A (draw 4177). Pretty stoked about it, but this is my first time hunting this particular area, so I'm hoping someone who's spent some time in there can give me a bit of local knowledge.

A few questions:

1. How do people handle the 8 LEH authorizations?

The synopsis shows 8 tentative authorizations for what looks like a pretty small piece of land. Since we don't know who the other successful hunters are, what's the usual etiquette in there? Obviously, with an LEH this specific, "I'll just go somewhere else" isn't really an option.

Just trying to understand how people normally share the area when several guys have tags for the same small unit.

2. Access / vehicles

The area is motor-vehicle restricted. For those who've hunted it, am I correct that guys generally park at the nearest legal trailhead and hike in?

3. Other hunters / other species

I've been looking at Map E17 from the synopsis and it appears that the surrounding portion of Tweedsmuir is a No Hunting Area, with the exception of the designated LEH bull moose area.

Am I reading that correctly that it mean only bull moose hunting is permitted ?

If so, can I reasonably expect that the hunters I'll encounter inside the LEH area will essentially be the other LEH moose hunters, rather than guys hunting deer, grouse, etc. under the regular MU 5-11 seasons?

Just trying to get a realistic idea of how much hunting pressure to expect and who I'll potentially be sharing the area with.

Not asking anyone to give away their spots lol, but does anybody have any tips for finding land, or is there something obvious missing from my plan?

My Plan:

What I’ve been doing so far is scouting the Crown Land maps for Crown land with small water bodies on it that are close enough to hike into from a road, while also being as far away from private property as possible. My thought was to find a suitable spot on/near the water and just set up with some decoys, a duck call, and a book.

Is there a step in this process that I’m really missing? Are there certain types of water bodies or areas that I should be focusing on when looking for spots?

I know that typically this isn't really a self-taught activity. I do have extended family who hunt, but they haven’t offered to take me out with them. I don’t want to impose, so I haven’t asked.

I’m basically trying to figure out if my approach to finding a spot makes sense, or if there’s something I should be considering that I’m completely overlooking. Little worried about doing something overly stupid.

Looking to hunt small game with a 22 at 46, contacted municipality and they told me it was not specified whether it’s allowed and to contact mnr, I emailed mnr and got an automatic reply saying it can take up to 15 days for a reply, was wondering if anyone here already has the knowledge for it.

If I'm going out black bear hunting in the fall can I bring my 30-06 as well as my 12GA in case I come across ducks and geese? Obviously when they are season and I have my migratory birds license. I think saw something that says I can't.

I would put slugs in my 12GA but I don't trust I could take a clean shot at a bear with the bead sight unless it was super close.

Why Can’t I find any squirrels around ontario crownland? specifically wmu 46, I went fishing in a good portion of 46 and hiked some bushes to scout some areas for future small game hunting and I noticed there is not a single squirrel, I saw turkey, grouse feathers and others but not a single squirrel

Hey I was wondering if people would be willing to give some guidance.

I'll be getting a bird dog soon and want to get it into hunting and pointing.

It will be a puppy so have some time.

I am looking at purchasing some land in northern Ontario where I could use it for hunting.

Question is what would be the minimum distance from the Mississauga arra would one start looking for good upland bird land. I understand further is better for the most part but I am hoping for somewhere thats manageable to drive up a few times during the season.

Thanks in advance,

Ps: I'm also a new hunter so this would be learning curve for us both.

What ammunition do you guys usually use for turkey hunts my my shotgun is a Winchester SXP 12 gauge 2 3/4” bore cylinder bore it’s the only shotgun I got and want to take down a turkey this year going to be my first time hunting in general so any tips would be much appreciated thanks.

Hi. I am looking at areas on Peterson road east of Bancroft, east of 62. Looks to me from all the mapping that I am looking at that there are I maintained logging roads and paths off Peterson that you can hunt on.

Anyone familiar with the area. Curious if these are gravel logging roads that are huntable.

Thank you.

Hello all, I recently bought a 12 gauge and a .22 but have nowhere to practice. I’ve used the crown land atlas to try and locate spots, but i’ve never been able to get a response from the municipality that the land is in. Buying a range membership isn’t an option, as i’m moving away from school in a week. This being said, does anyone know of any (or can steer me to) crown land within a 2 hour drive of barrie where I can practice? Any help is appreciated.

A friend of mine and myself have been wanting to go deer hunting in anticosti and would like some general knowledge in regards of what to expect and bring. We are planing to go in 2028 in the early season.

Some questions i have:

How far on average should you expect to shoot, from a google search it says the whole island with exception of shorelines its all dense woods? Is there a point to bringing my 270 or should i just use a 3030?

As somebody who is infatuated with meat eater are you allowed to do your own camping style hunt there? I know you still have to go through an outfitter but is it any difference in price compared to a cabin?

Do you bump into other hunters frequently?

Is the trip worth waiting out for a 10 point or bigger? Are big deer common there?

Is there opportunity to also hunt water fowl or grouse, pheasants?

If you went, please comment your experience there and things you found surprising, unexpected issues, or things you couldnt have prepared for until getting there.

Id like to be as prepared as possible so its a fun trip.

Thanks guys

Long story short but my family is currently wanting to move possibly to southern BC. We are currently in northern BC so hunting is a easy after work venture

But the 6 months of steady frigid -40c and a high of -20c weather and long dark winters have taken the toll on everyone. Every time we travel somewhere warm, We are depressed to go back and deal with the winter weather and short summers that are filled with bugs and rain. Yes I realize you can dress for the weather. I grew up here so I realize all those comments will come. But try and take a young kid out side for a decent amount of time in -30c and it’s not fun at all for them.

So my main concern is that my life revolves around hunting. I look for sheds all spring and then sheep/goat hunt and then switch to elk all fall.

Wondering how bad it is just to travel when wanting to go hunt vs hunting local often. My current only big trip is sheep. I honestly love the fact of taking the trip. It’s all I focus on vs hunting the evenings at home.

Anyone ever make this kind of switch and regret it

Has anyone here hunted brown bear/grizzly in Canada?

I know that with B.C. gone the opportunists are now limited to the Yukon, NWT.

This has always been a bucket-list item of mine, I’m aware that I would require an outfitter as a non-resident and they are not exactly cheap.

Curious to hear from anyone who has done this. What was the experience like? Were you successful? Which cartridge did you end up using?

I know there are mandatory submission WMUs.

Last year we got a couple deer in November. We were able to hang it for a week and a half before processing.

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For folks who archery hunt deer, how do you handle the processing? Especially with CWD submissions?

One of the thoughts I had was bone out and break down into prime cuts. Set up a dedicated fridge to store it, be able to give it a bit of time to still rest before freezing. If it comes out positive, dispose of it and bleach the fridge.

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What have folks here done?

I’ve been reading some stuff online and it seems quite complex for non Inuit residents, can anyone provide more details? Can you hunt muskox or caribou or grizzlies etc? What’s the process? I love hunting and considering a job up north so it would be very helpful to know this information, thanks!

Hello,

I am looking for a scope for a 270win that will eventually be moved to a 6.5creed.

I hunt in areas with dense shrubs, the occasional pushed/driven deer, and a lot of ag land edges.

I'd estimate that I shoot anywhere between 50 or 80yards out to 300-400yards.

I have been looking at the Leupold vx-3hd and vx-4hd lines. I like the sound of the CDS-ZL (that I would wait to use on my personal rifle when I get it).

My big questions are:

Is 3.5 or 4 kinda high for a low-end?

Is the extra $400-$600 worth the step from the 3hd to 4hd? (I've got 20/15 vision with my glasses if that makes any difference)

While I am of the "buy once, cry once" philosophy, I also know there is a point of diminishing return.

When do you get to "thats a really solid scope" and whats the point of "Oh, this is very slightly better"?

Thanks folks!

Ontario hunter here that hunts our big 3 (White Tail, Black Bear & Moose) every year. I'm wanting to try a new hunting experience, whether that be new terrain, new game or both.

I know that most (all?) non-resident hunters require a guide outfitter or resident hunter to hunt in another province, just wondering if there were any exceptions.

Do any provinces allow for out of Province hunters to buy OTC tags or enter draws?

I'm based in the GTA and currently looking for new hunting buddies for deer and turkey season

I'm 36 and this is my second year hunting

Hoping to connect with like-minded mature and responsible individuals in the GTA or other areas of the province

If you are looking too, please hit me up

Hi Everyone,

I own two Spypoint cameras that I love, except that I can't disable remotely. I have friends/family visit the property somewhat regularly, and it's getting annoying (for everyone) to keep reminding people to turn on/off the camera when arriving/leaving.

Best I can do remotely is set the duration between detections to the max; if I disable the camera remotely there is risk it won't work after.

Currently have the older Flex model with built in solar panel and SIM card.

I have elk, bear, whitetail, and waterfowl allocations available for this season if anyone is interested.