BC Mule Deer

[Bigfoot1973]

I am after a little bit of advice / opinion from experienced people on the site who have hunted in more far flung places than Kent UK, although I think this is a complete no-brainer........

I am planning a trip to British Columbia in Autumn 2024 with a Guide-Outfitter for a Mule Deer Hunt. Whilst I am still working full time I am looking towards doing some combined travel and hunting/stalking etc in the future and this will be my first trip of this kind. I use light calibres here for vermin generally (no deer on my permissions in East Kent) so clearly am going to need more of a cannon in BC. The choices are..... (1) Go through the hassle of a variation on my FAC, for a rifle I will not be able to use at present in the UK other than zeroing (that is what the FEO told me), spend a lot of money on a rifle and scope and travel case, go through the hassle of travelling out of the UK and into Canada with a firearm, or (2) hire a rifle in Canada for about CAD$200............ it has to be (2) right!? Surely the hassle of travelling through airports alone with a firearm must be a lot of faffing around? In the longer run I will want to purchase a suitable rifle for deer/boar in Europe and maybe the US but I'm thinking this first trip should help inform that choice a little, and I should put my strong desire to go rifle shopping (you must all know what I mean there!) to the back of my mind and get BC done with a hired rifle. Any of you experienced guys out there got an opinion and/or experience on the whole travelling with firearms? I was going to combine with a family holiday as a bit of a last trip while the kids still want to accompany me and the Mrs, but school hol's unlikely to work with dates, so looks like I will be going alone if that makes any difference.

 

[sh1kar]

Option 1. Book some deer stalking here and then apply for your variation. 7mmRM or 30-06 if planning more future trips
S

 

[Bigfoot1973]

Thanks for the advice on calibres. I think I'm still with Option 2 for now on this trip, then I'll probably go back to Option 1 prior to future trips. I have been deer stalking in Sussex so have the very bare essentials of knowledge, but definitely need a lot more knowledge in due course.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

This might help in the planning.

Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis

Information about the Hunting & Trapping Regulations Synopsis, Management Units and General Open Season in B.C.

www2.gov.bc.ca

 

[Bigfoot1973]

Thanks Bavarianbrit..... I'm actually a little ahead of you there as I have H&T Synopsis document already, but many thanks for the input. All advice is welcome! I'm in discussions with an outfitter at present and am on the list for Fall 2024, dates to be finalised still, and I'm starting to get my kit list sorted and improve my fitness a little (sitting at a desk all week is not conducive to successful trekking through BC I have no doubt). It's likely to be 8 days in Spike Camp(s) then on foot hunting, possibly a little horseback travel but not much. It's an exciting prospect for sure and the start of a slightly new chapter for me I hope.

 

[devon deer stalker]

I assume BC is set in stone?
Non resident alien hunting is restrictive there, but of course not if you can afford a outfitter.
A 30-06 will do all you require, 4 trips to Montana, absolute PITA getting through the airport at Heathrow.
I could't afford an outfitted hunt, so I went self guided.
As you say, get fit, its rough country.

 

[Bigfoot1973]

Hi. Yes, BC set in stone as a destination, always wanted to go, a few reasons for that from the dim and distant. And you're right, the outfitter is ££££'s but after I lost my mum a year ago I thought this would be my chance to shed inheritance money and have a real adventure without being killed by a bear or kidnapped by a sasquatch
Hopefully the first of many. After this one I think I'll have the knowledge to invest in exactly what I would like rifle & optics wise, and then plan more trips from there on in. Getting to know a few people on here with experience like yours, especially as you have gone self-guided to the US, then maybe I can buddy up with contacts in the future and share some costs. That's probably the long term plan really. My only shooting mate is my dad, and at 84 he's still out with me twice a week on vermin patrol, but he's not going to be going overseas on hunt trips sadly.
Thanks for the advice on calibre.

 

[devon deer stalker]

Excellent, have a great time.

 

[cjm1066]

1 - Has a time element, how long will your application take in Kent, that might rule it out, equally you need time to build confidence with a rifle. Taking you own rifle brings nostalgia to the memory pool. My African rifle barrel went off and I replaced the rifle with no backward regrets.

2 - What rifle are they providing, is it one you are familiar with and can use with confidence? On an opportunistic Guineafowl hunt in South African, I was given a ropy old pump action shotgun, the scene was set when it was taken from the cabinet and passed to me on the back of the track loaded! Others like pump action guns, me I detest them and have never got on with them, guess what I missed. If it even happens again I will take my own shotgun.

It’s a hassle travelling abroad with firearms, what are you onward plans, if they involve travel, do you want to cart a gun around with you?

 

[Bigfoot1973]

Hi CJM, response to your questions as follows:

1. I already shoot rifles, .17HMR for small vermin, .223Rem for fox, and have done so for years so I am confident in shot placement using my own methods. I appreciate a large game rifle has more power to it but I have stalked in the UK with a guide so have some expectation. That was with .243 from memory.

2. No idea on rifle at this stage, but it is a high quality outfitter, and a member of the GOABC, so they are a decent outfit. I have every confidence they will be providing something appropriate and of decent quality.

3. Looking further ahead I will want to take my own rifle, that is a definite, but I am going to use the Canada trip to help to inform that choice. Calibre, optics, overall weight, fixed barrel or takedown, barrel length etc. My foxing rifle I had built for me by a rifle specialist, sadly he is no longer with us, and that took me some choosing to decide upon exact spec.

 

[Cootmeurer]

Traveling in the US with firearms is quite easy, crossing the northern border becomes more difficult, but not near what it is to travel into the UK with a firearm. Go ahead and use the outfitters rifle, very likely to be a 30.06 or a 300 WinMag, but one known to the outfitter and therefore he’ll know how it’s sighted.

Most of all be willing to learn how they do it in B.C. I’ve not hunted there, but have been to Alberta and Quebec, and in neither place are sticks a common thing. I would expect more offhand shots or braced from a tree or backpack.

I would also inquire about the possibility of adding a bear tag. Usually this is fairly cheap and unless you are on the prairie, probably a good chance to stumble upon one. Definitely not something you would get a chance at in the UK.

 

[dogone]

Really quite easy to enter Canada with a firearm. Look it up on internet. You can also get the same 5 year licence a resident has. This allows you to buy firearms and ammo here. I am pretty sure the licensing can be done on line. I
Know non residents who have done it.
Have a great hunt but get fit in advance.

 

[Bo Diddley]

Sounds like you have thought it through for your own needs very well. Good luck & enjoy, I'm sure everything will work out dandy.
BC is a haven for a flyfisher... ever tried any of that? I'd be wanting to wet a line as well as shoot that Mule deer

 

[Mt Al]

kidnapped by a sasquatch

There are some very funny 'squatch' threads on rokslide! Highly recommended. If it's a female in heat, you'll know it and resistance is futile!

IMHO, option 2 for sure. Not sure if you can borrow or shoot someone else's rifle in the UK, but if possible find out what caliber the outfitter is using and shoot the same or similar before you go just to get a feel for it, prone, sitting, leaning up against a tree, on sticks, etc..

No need for a "375 super-ultra-rage-mag-tastic" to kill a deer, elk or moose in North America. Hopefully the outfitter has a cartridge that's reasonable to shoot. I use 7mm-08 or 8x57JRS for everything in Montana and am in no way undergunned.

Then, as you wrote, take the time to get a rifle that's all 'yours' that you get used to and haul it all over the planet. A DIY mule deer, black bear or antelope hunt in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and the like will be very reasonable financially in future years.

My opinion and BC is absolutely beautiful all over. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Bigfoot1973]

Traveling in the US with firearms is quite easy, crossing the northern border becomes more difficult, but not near what it is to travel into the UK with a firearm. Go ahead and use the outfitters rifle, very likely to be a 30.06 or a 300 WinMag, but one known to the outfitter and therefore he’ll know how it’s sighted.

Most of all be willing to learn how they do it in B.C. I’ve not hunted there, but have been to Alberta and Quebec, and in neither place are sticks a common thing. I would expect more offhand shots or braced from a tree or backpack.

I would also inquire about the possibility of adding a bear tag. Usually this is fairly cheap and unless you are on the prairie, probably a good chance to stumble upon one. Definitely not something you would get a chance at in the UK.

Thanks for the advice, I did think about the bear tag and may add then when finalising things with the outfitter. Thanks for the knowledge on firearms.

 

[Bigfoot1973]

Really quite easy to enter Canada with a firearm. Look it up on internet. You can also get the same 5 year licence a resident has. This allows you to buy firearms and ammo here. I am pretty sure the licensing can be done on line. I
Know non residents who have done it.
Have a great hunt but get fit in advance.

Thanks for the advice, getting a 50 year old 'desk body' in shape may be difficult but I have already started so I should be on form in 12 months. Thanks for license advice.

 

[Bigfoot1973]

Sounds like you have thought it through for your own needs very well. Good luck & enjoy, I'm sure everything will work out dandy.
BC is a haven for a flyfisher... ever tried any of that? I'd be wanting to wet a line as well as shoot that Mule deer

I have fished the Itchen once, enjoyed it but didn't hook anything. Interestingly one of the reasons for BC is because an old friend of my dad's, sadly long gone, was a rod maker called Bob Southwell. Quite famous in the fly fishing world at one point. Bob used to go to Merritt BC most years I think, and fly fish. I remember going round his house and seeing the photos and hearing stories from him and his wife. I have a hat from the place he used to stay and thought I might try to drop in there. My dad still has one of his rods. He was a really nice old boy and I still remember him well.

 

[Bo Diddley]

I have fished the Itchen once, enjoyed it but didn't hook anything. Interestingly one of the reasons for BC is because an old friend of my dad's, sadly long gone, was a rod maker called Bob Southwell. Quite famous in the fly fishing world at one point. Bob used to go to Merritt BC most years I think, and fly fish. I remember going round his house and seeing the photos and hearing stories from him and his wife. I have a hat from the place he used to stay and thought I might try to drop in there. My dad still has one of his rods. He was a really nice old boy and I still remember him well.

Fantastic, so if you can cast a fly line try and fit a day in with someone in BC I'm sure you wouldn't feel as if you have wasted a day... and if you have inheritance money burning a hole in your pocket I'm sure those looking down upon you would approve

 

[Bigfoot1973]

There are some very funny 'squatch' threads on rokslide! Highly recommended. If it's a female in heat, you'll know it and resistance is futile!

IMHO, option 2 for sure. Not sure if you can borrow or shoot someone else's rifle in the UK, but if possible find out what caliber the outfitter is using and shoot the same or similar before you go just to get a feel for it, prone, sitting, leaning up against a tree, on sticks, etc..

No need for a "375 super-ultra-rage-mag-tastic" to kill a deer, elk or moose in North America. Hopefully the outfitter has a cartridge that's reasonable to shoot. I use 7mm-08 or 8x57JRS for everything in Montana and am in no way undergunned.

Then, as you wrote, take the time to get a rifle that's all 'yours' that you get used to and haul it all over the planet. A DIY mule deer, black bear or antelope hunt in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and the like will be very reasonable financially in future years.

My opinion and BC is absolutely beautiful all over. Hope you have a great trip.

Lets hope its a female in heat and not a male in a rage!!
Thanks for the advice, if I can find out calibre maybe I'll post another thread on here and see if anyone local to me can help me with some experience on that calibre. I have shot a .308 and it definitely had a lot more oomph than my .223, as it obviously would. Hunting in some of the US states looks to be another trip to add to the growing 'Wish List'....... so back to the grindstone to try to earn the money to pay for it all!! When my three children are fledged from the nest that should hopefully see my life expenses drop a little

 

[Bavarianbrit]

My best pal is a vet here in Germany and he did a guided sheep hunt and then again on another trip did a moose hunt both were in BC 15 years ago, his guide/German BC resident mate has since died and now he wants me to organise as I am an English speaker either a DIY or guided antelope hunt somewhere in the USA for him with me as a come along for his company as I had worked for 8 years over there but that was way back in the 80-90s. I am back in Dover Kent so not very far away from you as of 13th Nov. My main trudge effort at the moment is getting my right to Canadian citizenship verified due to father getting his naturalization in the 1930s.