Manitoba trip

I met a guy afew months ago at our flytyers club whois a Alaska lodge owner . We got to talking about androunumous fish flys and speyrods . He has the lodge in Alaska but hails from Beniji ,Mn. and he also an avid waterfowler both up in Alaska and back home in Mn. he also has permission to hunt like 40 sq miles up in Manitoba all grain farms and potholes pure paridise well there are no lodge fees atached just motel costs food and gas . Ihave done lots of the logistics so far and the trip from my house to Mn. would be 1400 miles and 22 hours as per mapquest so basicly like 2 days time . The trip up to Manitoba from Beniji is like 6 hours so thats 3 days travel so if I take 8 vacation days with the 2 weekends it should cover the trip that would leave me with like 6 hunting days and 6 travel days . Idont mind driving as long as I have a reliabel vehicel so I guess I would rent a van or an suv no boat just field hunting and walk in pothole hunting that should make the traveling alot quicker without the boat . MY concerns are the following ;#1ammo is it true that you can only bring 3 boxes of sheels into Canada . If this istrue can you send a case up to youre accomidations via ups ?#2Dogs how do you bring a dog into canada and what logistics aareinvolved wit thisand also how are the motels with dogs ?Dates what are the primo dates to be up there to shoot everything divers and field hunting I would say to beat the snow no later then Oct 15th ?I have not comitted to this trip yet but it's always been my dream to go up to the top of the migration and the prarie pothole region I have a few things to figure out but I would need some more guys I always am hunting alone but a trip like this would call for more guys to help with the driving and the expense . Any input will be gladly apreciated thanks .
 
Hi Steve -

I took a trip up too Dauphin Lake area about 8-10 years ago. I flew into Winnipeg and then rented a ford explorer and drove up to Dauphin lake area with my brother and my lab. We stayed with a guide and gunned fields every day for ducks and geese. Some of the people at the same lodge preferred shooting cans on the lake. We were there in mid october and it was warm, however it can be very cold at that time as you probably know. Canada now has specific laws governing bringing in firearms, amo and dogs. You can get all the current info from immigration. No heavy lifting just takes some planning. You can also buy amo up there but selection may be limited - the farther you get fro major cities. There is also lake winnipeg and other large lakes where all the birds seem to roost and then fly out to feed each day. Because there are a lot of young birds (snow geese) - you can get away with a rag spread. The number of birds that we saw was astounding.

Hope you make the trip.

sarge
 
Steve,
The info you need is available via the internet..I went to Ontario a few years back with guns, ammo and dog in tow..Had not a problem but I made sure I knew all the rules and all the paperwork was done with with the T's crossed and the I's dotted...They were very polite and accomendating at the border...Just make sure you have the necessary info available...I may be interested in joining you if you'd like...Let me know and we can talk...
Bruce
 
I have made the trip to Manitoba from western KY the past two seasons, and it is approx 1500 miles.

From a travel standpoint, if you are driving, I would definitely break it up into two days up and two days back. We tried to tow a camper this past year, and it was no "time saver" and I blew two head gaskets in the process... Long story...

Best is to leave very early at the start, and plot a course that is about half way, then grab some dinner and a hotel, and start early the second day to finish the trip. That way you have some time to decompress, and aren't beat to death by getting in so late the night before the hunt.

To best answer your questions:
1) You are allowed to bring 200 shells into Canada duty free. After that, you have to pay the duty on the price of the shells, so hang onto your receipts. It is MUCH cheaper to take your own shells into Canada, pay the duty, than to buy them up there. I don't believe it would be cheaper to ship shells into Canada before the trip. It is cost effective to do that in the states, but not Canada. When you are at the border, they may ask you if you have ammo, and then how much. If they ask, tell the truth and then pay the duty. No big deal.
2) Dogs are no problem at all. 30 days before your trip, go to your vet and get an updated shot record. Have those documents ready when you get to the border. Whenever I have crossed the border, I have declared my dog and offered those documents, but they have never asked to see them.
3) Hotels will vary. Where I stay, they allow dogs. Some others don't. You should check with the hotel before the trip and plan accordingly.
4) Dates: tough question. Manitoba is a VERY diverse province as far as waterfowling goes. You can hunt anything from Canadas, Snows, puddle ducks, and divers. Unfortunately, not all of it is going to be primo at the same time. We hunted the last week of September in 2008, and shot snows. This past year, we hunted the first of October, and there wasn't a snow to be hunted. The Canada hunting was much better. Ducks were very plentiful in the evenings over potholes. If you want to target specifically divers, you will have to hit some different areas than the puddle duck holes. If you only have 6 days of hunting, I assume you will be using a guide to do the scouting for you. Most folks from our region that go up to free-lance take two weeks due to the need for scouting.
5) You didn't ask about firearms, but this is probably the most tricky part. You want to make sure that you register your guns on the US side before you cross into Canada. That is so when you come back into the US, you have record of that firearm. If you don't, you run the risk of having to pay a duty on your gun or have it confiscated. This is a VERY big deal if you fly to a foreign country with a firearm. When you get to the Canadian side, you will want to have your Canadian Non-Resident Declaration form filled out, but not signed. http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/form-formulaire/pdfs/909.pdf
You will have to go inside the customs office, present the forms and then pay your duty. Then you may continue on your journey.

Manitoba is great province to hunt. Very friendly people, and some spectacular waterfowling. One can become addicted very quickly...... Our group is heading back this year for the first full week in October. It is a GREAT trip.

Best,
Steve
 
Steve,
Check out Wildfowl Magazine August 2009 page 48. Great article on how to get to and from Canada and costs etcc...... I'll Go!
 
Good luck. You'll have a blast. It's definitely worth the drive. We went a few years back and really enjoyed it.

These guys gave very good advice. I'll add some more:

1) you'll need a passport

2) birds- Check the regulations for bringing birds back into the country. They gave us a HUGE hassle when we went but that was during the bird flu scare. I'm not sure if it's still as bad. The really stupid part is that while we're standing there arguing, the same ducks and geese are flying over, heading across the border.

3) lodging - depending on where you stay, look into renting a house or cabin. There's plenty more room there for sometimes less money, and it's a lot easier to cook your own birds there. I usually just google the area and look for real estate agents, etc.

Good luck,
 
Steve, I lived in Manitoba for three years. You're going to have a hunt of a lifetime. I did a lot of duck hunting in Manitoba, mostly on the big bays off lake Winnipeg.
If you're worried about bringing shells accross the border, you can buy them at Cabelas/SIR in Winnipeg once you cross over. You'll find the people in the province very friendly
and accepting of hunters. I've been back several times since I moved to Ontario, we usually stay at a local motel and freelance. In most places you can find a bird cleaning service at a very reasonable price.
If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM, I'd be more than happy to pass along any info that I have. Buy lots of shells, you're going to need them.
Dean.
 
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