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  #1  
Old 06-11-2019, 09:59 PM
MO-Trapper MO-Trapper is offline
 
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Question Waterfowling

Hello neighbors to the north. I’m new to the forum and relatively new to the Pacific Northwest (moved from Missouri 2 years ago). I’ve been reading a lot of threads here and it seems like all around good discussion (unlike some forums these days) so thought I’d go ahead and join.

I’ve had my eyes set on an Alberta waterfowling trip since I moved here as well and going to take the leap this year, so thought I’d ask for some pointers from you all. I’m certainly not looking for anyone’s spots, areas, or handouts. I’ll likely be making this trip alone with my dog. I’ve crossed the border several times and have all that figured out, I’ve just never been to Alberta to hunt. I’m focusing on the general area around Brooks. My primary focus is to chase Snows, Specks, and little Canada’s. I’ve waterfowled since I was a kid and had plenty of opportunity for ducks and big geese, just looking to chase something different. Of course if that’s a bad area or my trip timing catches the migration wrong i’ll Be willing to hunt whatever is available.

Anyways, my biggest unknown at the point is where i’m Going to sleep. Haha. I know some of the smaller towns don’t always have lodging available, how prevalent are campgrounds? I’ve heard of farmers that have houses/rooms for rent for people traveling or hunting, is there a good way to find these places (classifieds, or some web hosting site)? I’ll be fine camping most of the time, but a shower and warm bed would be nice from time to time. My other question, since i’ll Be targeting geese and fields primarily, what is the best way to locate farmers when I find a field to hunt? Is there plat books I can buy ahead of time that display who owns the land, etc? Good maps to find public lands?

I’m sure this will be more of a scouting and learning trip, and that’s fine, I’ve Done plenty of freelance trips to other areas, just always helpful to get some local insight and minimize the learning curve.

Thanks in advance and look forward to joining the discussions around here.
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  #2  
Old 06-12-2019, 10:02 AM
Hawkhills Hawkhills is offline
 
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Check out i hunter app.You can add landowners map to layer the area you are interested in. A ton of information available at your finger tips.Good luck and welcome

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  #3  
Old 06-12-2019, 10:31 AM
Drewski Canuck Drewski Canuck is offline
 
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What time of the year are you going? Early September it is going to be thin for numbers down south. Most of the birds are up north, and will hold up north until pushed out by the snow. That is why the Peace River area is so good. A big river that covers hundreds of miles of farm land, and lots of grain and pea crops.

Not unusual to see better mid season (October) around the Viking to Stettler areas. Lots of water, lots of grain crops, and some bigger roost lakes. There are waterfowl outfitters who do tie up alot of fields around Buffalo Lake, but still alot to go around as alot of land owners do not like the outfitters but like the individual hunters.

Brooks area does get the birds eventually. Think mid November - December.

Come on up and enjoy.

There are alot of reasons so many hunters love this Province. Incredible variety, long seasons, plentiful waterfowl and big game.

Drewski
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  #4  
Old 06-12-2019, 12:28 PM
Bullzeyebenny Bullzeyebenny is offline
 
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I live in Brooks. Also guide for a local outfitter. Lots of birds to hunt here. Early September can be a little tough but late September through November is great hunting. Permission is quite easy to get. Lots of hunting area within an hour of Brooks. Send me a PM and I can point you in the right direction.
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  #5  
Old 06-12-2019, 10:14 PM
MO-Trapper MO-Trapper is offline
 
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Thanks, all good information. I’ll check out that mapping site. That should be extremely helpful.

And yeah I should have mentioned a few more things, I’ll Be there September 26-October 8. I thought that might be on the early end but also didn’t want to be fighting snow and ice for the first trip up there learning the areas. And Brooks was just a starting point with lots of ag and big water nearby I thought might be a productive area, i’ll Certainly be open to moving to other areas or further north if need be. I’ll mostly have field setups but will bring a few things for hunting water if need be.

What do you think of that timeframe? Probably a little early for snows, I would think specks would be down by then. We are seeing them in Washington for our early Canada season in September.
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  #6  
Old 06-12-2019, 10:34 PM
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goose slayer10 goose slayer10 is offline
 
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Hey mo, welcome to the site, send me a pm. We kill a pile of birds out of lethbridge and we can provide some suggestions for that time of year.
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  #7  
Old 06-13-2019, 07:02 AM
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sns2 sns2 is offline
 
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Hey there. Welcome to AO. Be sure to send a message to the fellas who have offered their help.

If you are going to make your way up to Central Alberta, shoot me a message and we will see if we can help you out. Who knows, if it works, maybe you can join up with me on a hunt.

Guys, thanks for being helpful to a new member from another country no less.
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  #8  
Old 06-13-2019, 09:24 AM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is online now
 
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I had a friend come down to hunt with me the first week of October, and the timing was about perfect. We had plenty of birds, and hunted in fresh snow one day. Some of he landowners in my area, ask if I am an outfitter, and if I am local, but you should still be able to find land to hunt, if you stay away from the larger cities.
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  #9  
Old 06-13-2019, 09:46 AM
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walking buffalo walking buffalo is offline
 
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How does an "on-your own" NR deal with possession limits on a two week bird hunt?
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  #10  
Old 06-13-2019, 11:07 AM
cpwrestler cpwrestler is offline
 
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Make sure you fill out the appropriate paperwork before arriving at the border with your gun and remember that you will not be able to bring a handgun in.

If you plan on coming to Canada regularly to hunt, you may want to consider getting your Possession and Acquisition License (PAL). Which will eliminate the need for paperwork and simplify your border crossing experience. I believe you can challenge the test if you feel comfortable, although if I were you I'd get the book before hand so that you familiarize yourself with some of the nuances of the Canadian system.

Hopefully you have a good hunt!

All the info you need is here:
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/f...visite-eng.htm
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  #11  
Old 06-13-2019, 11:45 AM
MO-Trapper MO-Trapper is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sns2 View Post
Hey there. Welcome to AO. Be sure to send a message to the fellas who have offered their help.

If you are going to make your way up to Central Alberta, shoot me a message and we will see if we can help you out. Who knows, if it works, maybe you can join up with me on a hunt.

Guys, thanks for being helpful to a new member from another country no less.
^^^ Agreed. Really appreciate the help to a guy from the states.

Also like to thank the several Native “Albertans” that helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup last night! Haha. Been a lifelong Blues fan, finally made it happen. Boumeester and Parayko were absolute studs in helping us win it.
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  #12  
Old 06-13-2019, 11:58 AM
MO-Trapper MO-Trapper is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by walking buffalo View Post
How does an "on-your own" NR deal with possession limits on a two week bird hunt?
Not trying to get into an argument here, and I think I understand your concern and questioning, but I can assure you I won’t be wasting any birds if I do get to my possession limits. I’ve done freelance trips to the Dakotas before for similar lengths of time, and you get creative. You eat a lot on the trip, always offer some to farmers that let you hunt, and if it comes down to it we’ve dropped meat off to local butchers and had it processed which was then legal to take home Not counting as part of the possession limit. I still have research to do, but I’m Not sure bringing processed food will be an option coming back into the US from Canada. I’ve gotten jammed up and searched at the border for trying to bring a few oranges back that were snacks so i’ll Need to do my homework and avoid that.

But to answer your question, i’ll Figure it out, and it will be a good problem to have if I’m That successful. At minimum I fully intend to bring back my possession limits to the states.
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  #13  
Old 06-25-2019, 01:58 PM
DSD Addict DSD Addict is offline
 
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You definitely cannot bring processed meat back across the border. Don't try.
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  #14  
Old 06-25-2019, 09:54 PM
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tikka250 tikka250 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MO-Trapper View Post
Thanks, all good information. I’ll check out that mapping site. That should be extremely helpful.

And yeah I should have mentioned a few more things, I’ll Be there September 26-October 8. I thought that might be on the early end but also didn’t want to be fighting snow and ice for the first trip up there learning the areas. And Brooks was just a starting point with lots of ag and big water nearby I thought might be a productive area, i’ll Certainly be open to moving to other areas or further north if need be. I’ll mostly have field setups but will bring a few things for hunting water if need be.

What do you think of that timeframe? Probably a little early for snows, I would think specks would be down by then. We are seeing them in Washington for our early Canada season in September.
dont get to caught up in looking for "big water" with no freeze and low pressure that time of year the small water gets just as many birds as anywhere else. if you dont find birds at big water look for areas with lots of small to med ponds near or in AG land.
as for your timeframe your actually probably bang on for the height of the migration in the area. im a few hours north of brooks and a friend comes up end of sept for birds and we are almost always setting up multi species hunts around that time. lots of specks ducks and snows.
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  #15  
Old 07-02-2019, 11:48 AM
dmcrobb12 dmcrobb12 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DSD Addict View Post
You definitely cannot bring processed meat back across the border. Don't try.
You most definitely can bring meat across the border. I went on a DIY elk hunt in Idaho early September last season and brought all the meat home. You just have to follow the import export guidelines (ex: no brain or spinal matter, hide has to be properly preserved ect...)
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Old 07-02-2019, 06:57 PM
Rackmastr Rackmastr is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmcrobb12 View Post
You most definitely can bring meat across the border. I went on a DIY elk hunt in Idaho early September last season and brought all the meat home. You just have to follow the import export guidelines (ex: no brain or spinal matter, hide has to be properly preserved ect...)
Bringing processed birds across the border is a tricky issue actually. Environment Canada often does enforcement projects that they check the exporting of waterfowl and monitor possession limits and species identification. As the OP was asking about exporting from Canada and importing into the USA, its a relevant post to consider, especially when crossing with waterfowl.
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Old 07-02-2019, 08:20 PM
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sns2 sns2 is offline
 
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Sure seems to be pretty onerous a task.
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  #18  
Old 07-04-2019, 10:16 AM
dmcrobb12 dmcrobb12 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DSD Addict View Post
You definitely cannot bring processed meat back across the border. Don't try.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmcrobb12 View Post
You most definitely can bring meat across the border. I went on a DIY elk hunt in Idaho early September last season and brought all the meat home. You just have to follow the import export guidelines (ex: no brain or spinal matter, hide has to be properly preserved ect...)
EDIT: I'm sorry DSD Addict I was mistaken, you are correct when you said you cannot bring any 'processed' waterfowl across the border into the US. I spoke before doing my research.

Here is a link that may help out the OP with prerequisites for bringing waterfowl back home to the US:

https://www.fws.gov/le/bird-hunting-canada.html
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  #19  
Old 07-05-2019, 01:45 PM
32-40win 32-40win is offline
 
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Suspected the wing thing would be the issue on that, birds are under different rules than big game.
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  #20  
Old 07-05-2019, 03:19 PM
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Chuck_Wagon Chuck_Wagon is offline
 
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https://www.canada.ca/en/environment...ions.html#toc2

The requirement to retain a fully feathered wing on the carcass of a harvested migratory game bird applies until the bird is prepared for immediate cooking or until the bird is taken to the owner's residence for preservation. Migratory game birds may be processed into jerky or sausage. Because processing migratory game birds into sausage and jerky involves cooking procedures, it is considered lawful to remove the fully feather wing from the carcass of a migratory game bird when it is being processed into sausage or jerky.

Sausage and jerky containing migratory birds may not be exported to the United States because U.S. law prohibits a person from returning to the U.S. with waterfowl that does not have a completely feathered wing attached to the carcass.

https://www.fws.gov/le/bird-hunting-canada.html

If you are a U.S. resident and plan to hunt game birds in Canada, you need to be familiar with wildlife importation rules and regulations enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The information below should help you complete your hunting trip within the law.

Service Requirements:

You may bring migratory game birds (ducks, geese, swans, doves, pigeons, cranes, rails, coots, gallinules, woodcock, and snipe) and other game species that you legally kill in Canada back with you to the United States.
Each migratory game bird you import must have one fully feathered wing attached so that its species can be identified. This wing must remain on the bird until you reach your home or deliver the carcass to an appropriate processing, taxidermy, or preservation facility in the United States.
Because of this identification requirement, you may not import processed items made from birds you take, such as sausage.
You may not import any birds belonging to another individual.
You may enter the country with game birds that you legally killed in Canada through any U.S. Customs port of entry or border crossing.
You may also mail or ship your game birds back to the United States. You must put the full name and address of the exporter and importer on the package. You must also conspicuously mark the package on the outside with an accurate description of the contents, including the number and species of birds.
You may import as many waterfowl as Canadian authorities allow you to export. This number usually corresponds to daily bag and possession limits.
You may not import doves and pigeons in excess of the amounts found in 50 CFR 20.61(a) during any calendar week beginning on Sunday.
You may import sandhill cranes (a species listed on Appendix II of CITES--the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) without a Canadian CITES export permit only when you bring your hunting trophies home as part of your accompanying baggage. This exemption does not apply to taxidermy trophies. All other relevant permit, certificate, or license requirements still apply, and these documents must be presented to officials at the border as required.
Because you are importing wildlife, you must file a Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish and Wildlife (form 3-177) with the Service or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when you come back to the United States.
You must also provide any export permits, tags, or other documents required by Canada, including a copy of your hunting license.
You may download and print a copy of the required import/export form 3-177 or you may contact any Service inspection office or CBP before you leave.
If you return to the United States at a border crossing or airport staffed by Service officers, our wildlife inspectors may examine your birds. Wildlife inspectors monitor wildlife imports and exports; conducting physical inspections helps them ensure that both commercial shippers and international travelers comply with U.S. and international wildlife protection laws and regulations. CBP officers may also look at your birds.
You may not import waterfowl or other game birds killed illegally under any Canadian law, including provincial hunting rules and regulations. Such importations violate both the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act – a U.S. law that makes it a Federal offense to import wildlife taken in violation of state, tribal, or foreign law.
If you have additional questions about importing waterfowl or other game birds from Canada, please contact any Service wildlife inspection office.
Other Agency Requirements:

Other Federal agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), also regulate the importation of game birds. In addition to reviewing the information provided below, we recommend that you check directly with these other agencies before you trave.

You must present your Service declaration (form 3-177) to a CBP officer if you import game birds at ports where no Service inspectors are stationed.
USDA/APHIS regulates the importation of animal parts including game birds. That agency may introduce permit, consignment or other requirements at any time in response to the outbreak of wildlife diseases (such as avian influenza).
To obtain up-to-date information on such requirements, hunters should consult the USDA/APHIS National Import-Export Center at (301) 734-3277, by fax (301) 734-8226, or via web at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/.
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