Alberta vs Vancouver Island, huge difference!

[castironcook]

Just some random thoughts I think you might enjoy.

Moved from Edmonton to Vancouver Island a few months ago. Was always a goal of mine to get out here so when the chance came up I jumped on it.

I'm not talkin' politics, work, pay etc. Just outdoorsmen stuff, hunting, fishing, trapping. Things I have always enjoyed but never had time to do in Edmonton.

Here goes, some of the big differences.

The ocean

I walk 5 minutes to the public boat launch, 30 minute walk (10 min. by car) to a place where I can harvest HUGE oysters at low tide, I can drive 15 minutes to a place where I can throw crab traps out right from shore and cast for salmon if I want to try that.

Catching shrimp (daily limit is 200) is totally a no go until I get a boat, they are usually trapped at depths of 200 - 300 feet deep.

Lots more to learn about living by the ocean as soon as I can get a boat, fishing will become a much bigger part of my life.

Freshwater Fishing

Here we have trout of course (Rainbows and Cutthroat). Both wild and hatchery are common.

There are NO Northern Pike, Sauger, Walleye or Perch. I don't think there are any Lake Trout either.

There are however many lakes with long established populations of Smallmouth Bass (A great fighting/eating fish).

Searun Fishing

What I mean here is fish you can get in both fresh and saltwater, Salmon, Trout & Steelhead.

Trapping

I've had a Resident Alberta trapping lic. off and on for more than 25 years. Never really did any serious trapping though but always enjoyed going to Halford Hide to add to my small but always growing supply of trapping equipment.

There are some really big differences here as well.

Vancouver Island has NO Wolverines, Fishers, Badgers, Coyotes, Foxes, Bobcat or Canadian Lynx.

Weasels (Ermine) and skunks are mentioned but so uncommon that Fish & Wildlife wants to know right away if you do get one.

Raccoon's are common as well as Marten, Beaver, Muskrat, Mink, Otter, Red Squirrels and lots of Wolves. Nutria are also mentioned but I don't think they are as common as they may have been in the past.

So aside from Marten it's basically a water trappers world out here.

Hunting Big Game

Big differences here as well.

No Bison, No Caribou, No Whitetail Deer, No Muleys, No Moose, No Grizzly, No Sheep, No Goats, & No Pronghorn Antelope.

Vancouver Island does have lots of small Blacktailed Deer, Elk (Draw only), Black bears, Wolves and Cougars. No coyotes as mentioned above which kind of sucks because there's really no option to shoot a few and use them for gas money like in Alberta. Lots of seals but no sealing industry like down east so they are out as well.

Hogs? Nope and if there are any they are surely just recently escaped livestock. Guess I'm stuck dreaming of a Safari to Texas for that. Like most of you in Alberta.

Hunting Small Game & Birds

If you ever move out to the island say goodbye to Pheasant shooting, apparently house cats have decimated the population. I haven't met anyone yet who has seen one in recent years.

Other Birds

No Spruce Grouse, Ptarmigan or Partridge. There are Quail out here and I have seen them (But man oh man they are small and fast). Ducks & Geese are common. For upland hunting you're basically stuck with Ruffed Grouse and Blue Grouse (That's O.K. in my book though).

Not really sure about hunting them but a person might see the odd escaped Peacock if the Cougars don't beat you to it.

No Turkeys out here either.

Small Game

I always wanted to take just 1 porcupine so I could stock up on quills and some guard hair for fly tying (A recent hobby of mine) but guess what? Not a single porky on the whole island.

Other animals they mention but I really don't expect to see (because they are very rare here or failed introductions from years gone by) are Nutria, Skunk, Opossum & Snapping turtles.

Snowshoe Hares! Sorry! Don't have them either. But out here we do have Invasive Eastern Cottontail Rabbits and European Rabbits both of which are No Limit, No Lic. required & No closed season. So at least I still have the perfect excuse to be in the woods with a rifle at any time of the year, Rabbit hunting, if the Eagles don't beat you to it.

Squirrels you say? Red squirrels are native but I haven't seen one yet. (probably back in the woods a little deeper than I've gone) Trapping only anyway just like Alberta. Eastern Gray Squirrels (both gray & black variety) are common and like rabbits, no limit, no lic., no closed season. Problem is they all live in urban areas where there is no hunting anyway.

As a young man (13 maybe 14 years old) I spent many a day wading the swamps of central Ontario with a pellet rifle looking for big American Bullfrogs to shoot and eat. I've been missing that all my life. UNTIL NOW! WOO HOO!
Can you tell I'm excited again about being a real outdoorsman again?

Yeah. Bullfrogs are an invasive species out here and they are flourishing. They very much encourage the harvesting of this no limit, no lic. no season creature. I have already scouted out a few good places to go next summer when they come back out of their winter slumber. Spear, bow, net, fishing rod, lights, pellet rifle and bb guns all ready tuned up tested and ready to go.

By the way, NO BOWFISHING or SPEARFISHING in freshwater on Vancouver Island anywhere at all, but Fish & Wildlife said I'm good to go with bowfishing gear for bullfrogs.

=====================

Just a little bit more for you all if I haven't bored you all to death yet.

Snowmobiling never was a big thing with me and I am sure there are parts of this place where it is great but I see a nice big stable sea kayak in my future. A canoe is a must have item as well.

Dual sport motorcycles are very very common out here as well, I see them every day. Get yourself a good weather proof riding outfit and you're good to go all year (Where I live, near Duncan).

I walk (up hill of course) 15 minutes from home and I am in a shotgun/bow only zone. I take my recurve bow and a small pack out every few days and hiking 10+ km is a no brainer now. A refreshing 4 hour walk in the woods. Lost a bit of excess weight, can easily pull my bow now, quit smoking (almost) and feel like I'm 52 going on 12.

A couple days ago while out hiking with my bow (It's called hiking if I don't harvest anything, it's called bowhunting if I ever do) I stopped to listen to the native Pacific Chorus Frogs that seem to wake up for an hour or two even at this time of year. After a minute or so I turned to continue down the path I was on and got a face full of spider web. Mid December and believe it or not but last week I also saw a grasshopper enjoying the sunny break.

I've been reading all your posts for many years but never posted myself, just thought I'd share a little since many of you are my friends, I've known for many years from all the places I've worked or hung out at over the last few decades. Milarm, Canarm, Premier, Custom Guns, Klondike, Uncle Ed's and of course the local gun shows.

If you have experience with VanIsle life and I am wrong about anything you have read or you just want to add anything please do so, or correct me if I am wrong.

Seasons Greetings everyone, have a great Christmas, get outdoors if you can and have a great day!

Mike
Cast Iron Cook

[Birddogin]

Ive spent time in both provinces, and have always enjoyed the opportunities each of these places offer the outdoorsman.
Glad your enjoying your new life there.

[Jayhad]

you do have some pretty good sea-run brown trout fishing if you can lock it down.

As well as freshwater browns

[IronNoggin]

Originally Posted by castironcook

[B]... If you have experience with VanIsle life and I am wrong about anything you have read or you just want to add anything please do so, or correct me if I am wrong.

Welcome to Lotus Land CastIron!

Came here for a "short stint" - 20 years ago now and never left.
Place kind of grows on ya!

Sounds like you're settling in and discovering some of the better things about Island Life. The critters on your "missing list" can be found throughout BC. All it takes is an Uber Expensive boat ride across The Moat, licenses and you're off to the races.

Just a head's up (and you're likely aware) deer season ended on the 10th Island Wide.

Best of the Season to you too Neighbor!! Hope you Enjoy a Great Christmas!!

Cheers!
Nog

[ex811]

I was posted to Comox for 5 yrs back in the late 70's/early 80's. Best posting I had in Canada. I would retire there in a heatbeat...cept the wife Does Not Like the rain.
All you said about the Island are true, but I see it as so much more in relation to the hunten, fishen and general outdoors.
Any place where you can go fishen/shrimpen/craben while hunting coastal black bears is what my dreams are made of. Hunten blacktails in the mountains with an ocean view is 'a good thing'. Also, being a BC resident, it's only a ferry ride away from all the other big game animals you mentioned. And lets not forget salmon fishen in the morning then doing some trout fishen in the evening...
All that with almost No snow, yeah, you are a lucky individual castiron.
Any work out there?

[Bigmountainrider]

Good first post.

[Islander]

Glad to hear you're enjoying Island life! I grew up on an acreage up the Old Cowichan Lake Road, near Paldi, and spent a lot of time cruising the woods all over the area. You pretty well nailed everything about the Island, both good and bad. Tons of fun hunting there, but definitely no day trips for all the other species B.C. offers. That ferry gets you coming and going, literally

That said, I was out in Duncan/Lake Cowichan for a couple weeks in August, and remembered why I'd love to move back. The pace of life is very enjoyable, with not much of a rat race to speak of. Alberta has plenty to offer a young family though, so it'll be a while before we make any kind of move. Both my brother and my mom have businesses in Duncan, and they are doing quite well, so there is actually work out there, despite what most in Alberta seem to think...

One of my favourite things to do when the blacktail and/or bear seasons were closed, was exploring new small lakes in the backwoods with my float tube. Found some fantastic fishing in some unnamed lakes; most folks don't give them a second look if they're not labelled on the map.

Take care out there, and feel free to throw up some pics for us Islanders; I know I'm not the only one out here!

[TBark]

I Could never make AB money on the Island,
If I could, I would be out there already.

TBark

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by TBark

I Could never make AB money on the Island,
If I could, I would be out there already.

TBark

I lived for 35 years on Vancouver Island and have a pretty good idea what the average primary earner in a household would make. I make north of three times what I would be making back on the Island doing the same job in Alberta.

Alberta is a great place to work and it has a lot of great things to offer.

But the salmon fishing does kind of suck.

[castironcook]

A quick reply to a few of you.

Re: Deer season, well aware, I'm at heart a small game guy anyway. When I do take the bow I have 2 broadheads (that I never shoot) 2 small game arrows (field point with adders on flu flus) and 2 bludgeons on flu flus.

The only thing in danger is maybe a rabbit but haven't seen one in the woods yet. And even then it would have to be close (7 yards or less). The stumps are taking a beating though!

Even the squirrels are safe. Why you say? Even though my first bow kill was over 15 years ago I feel like a beginner all over again. Shooting arrows at squirrels when your at my current skill level is like making paper airplanes out of $10 bills.

Truthfully though the bow skill is coming back quickly, it's great to call a shot on a leaf 15 or twenty yards away and actually hit it once in a while.

As for brown trout, forgot all about them. I'm going to regret not doing the Bow river thing I bet.

In the 70's my father was in Comox (Air Force) so I spent many a summer out there back then as well. We used to rent a boat at Bate's Beach or King Coho so we could go out and catch Dogfish. Never did catch a salmon, but I still have the "How to catch Salmon" booklet he gave me back then, and before I moved out here he gave me my old Penn Delmar 285 reel I used to use.

Work. No luck yet. Not even a low level, low paying job like I usually end up with.

[bigjohncdn]

Sounds like you'll have a good time.

I grew up on the Island, then was in Alberta late '70's and early '80's, then back to the Island until about a year ago.

There are a few Grizzlies up on the north end of the Island now. A few have made it across on log booms etc and have established a small population. Fish and Wildlife have determined there are males and females, so soon there will likely be a bit of a population.

If you want shrimp without the boat try wharfs. During the height of the season you can get them in shallow water and on pilings. We used a fine mesh landing net that was reshaped to slide up the side of pilings. Also bicycle wheels with fine mesh and a fish head in the middle, lowered into 30 or 40 feet of water, to the bottom works well. For commercial style shrimp traps, you need the deeper waters.

You do, occasionally get Ptarmigan, but they are rare. Again, usually more northerly on the Island.

Down in the Duncan area there are lots of Cougar and Black Bear. Cougar is great eating.

Some of the good hunting areas out that way are out towards Cowichan Lake. If you take the south side road to Mesachie there is a (now paved ) mainline logging road that runs down to Port Renfrew. They call it Pacific Marine Rd now. There are plenty of nice secondary and loop roads that run off this one. Great places to go for Deer, Bear, Cougar and birds. Also, most of the smaller lakes up in this area have trout.

If you continue along past the turn off at Mesachie you head further west along the south side of the lake towards Bamfield. You'll come to Caycuse. If you go up Caycuse Main it will hook you up into Mclure Lake and a circle route that can take you around S - SW to Nitinat lake and back N to return through Nitinat back to Caycuse and home to Duncan. Or, if you go S - SE you'll loop back through and meet up with the Pacific Marine Rd again.

Anyways, feel free to PM me if you like and want to know anything about the area. I spent the better part of 35 years hunting, fishing, camping and prospecting that area.

Best of the Season to you!

[KWO]

Thanks for the write up. Very interesting.

[Ceilidh69]

Great post thanks

I have spent lots of time on the Island and always love going there. The fishing alone can consume most of your time. Great climate and great pace of life. I may end up there one day as well once the kids get out of the nest.

Enjoy