Driving into Canada (BC) for a moose hunt

MTmils

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Mar 7, 2019
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19
Location
Montana
Heading to BC for a moose hunt in October, I'll be going with a family friend who as hunted out of country before but not in a while. I've never hunted out of county and I'm looking for tips and trips to help with the border crossing with hunting rifles and hopefully a couple of moose on the the return trip. We will be crossing at Eureka, MT and hunting near Cranbrook, BC.
Any info on paper work for rifles and gear need to cross the border anything help would greatly be appreciated

Thanks
 
Start by downloading the ArriveCAN app. It's use is mandatory now.

US Customs webpage will provide all required info for your return with meat.

There are forms going in both directions you will need to have filled out in advance and/or have in your possession.

Just came back from a bear hunt in May. All was slick and easy except one member of our party was randomly selected at the Canadian point of entry for a Chinaman Fever test. The program is not set up for hunters going to a remote location without connectivity. A real pain in the hindquarters.
 
Arrivecan app and upload required documents. Make sure you have a "quarantine " address in Canada provided by your outfitter. You can fill out your trip info such as where you're going as well as what time you will be crossing the border no sooner than 72 hours before your arrival time. It's a pretty easy process

If you are taking a firearm. Find the 5589 Non-resident firearm declaration form and fill it out. DO NOT Sign the bottom of the form until asked to do so by the border agent. They will charge you 20-25 bucks to sign it. Also make sure it prints out on the legal size paper, think it's 8.5"x13".

Before coming back to the US, make sure you get a 4457 form signed by a border agent. If you need to stop by the us border before going into Canada to get one, it will save you headaches when you return. It's basically a form that proves that the gun you are bringing back into the US is yours and you didn't purchase it in Canada. I also have my scopes and optics added to the form.

If ya have any other questions, let me know. I drive up there a lot to hunt.
 
No sadly Canada is still stuck in full blown no vaccine no entry mode. Also don't bring any kind of hand gun along. Just pretetend you are going to China. I wish I could say I was kidding but I am not. Canadians are great but our government not so mcuch. I hope you get your moose and have a good time.
 
No sadly Canada is still stuck in full blown no vaccine no entry mode. Also don't bring any kind of hand gun along. Just pretetend you are going to China. I wish I could say I was kidding but I am not. Canadians are great but our government not so mcuch. I hope you get your moose and have a good time.
I feel for ya guys. Since your my neighboring state I follow your politics and tone closely. Before the fear virus enamored the vast majority of your country we spent lots of time in Canada. It's scary how fast and far the totalitarian shift has been. With the spring action of emergency powers and current legislation in the pipeline... my trips to goose hunt Alberta, taking the wife to the sunshine coast, and my much missed al can trips are done.

Good luck on the trip, wilderness is spectacular but the country is changing in alarming ways.
 
I've crossed the Canadian border probably 25x to hunt bear and moose. Never once was I asked for a 4457 form. Not the Canadians and not the US Border guys. I had never even heard of the form until my last return trip. We stopped at the US border to check in a bear that my buddy took. An overly aggressive US agent decided to have a little fun with us for no particular reason because, other than the absence of the 4457 form, everything was in order. As LEOs ourselves, we were all respectful and professional.

The agent insisted that we were always required to have a valid 4457 form to reenter the US with firearms. That's technically untrue, it's just a tax avoidance form. He said how does he know the rifles weren't stolen, even though we produced the Canadian firearm forms indicating that we brought them over 7 days earlier. They emptied our SUV and had 3 of us remain in a room like a bunch of wall hoppers. No cell phone use, no bathrooms, no nothing. It took them over an hour to verify that the firearms weren't stolen. Then they had us fill out new 4457 forms which made little sense since we were already back in the US. And while the agent suggested that he could refuse us entry into the US, my attorney claimed that agents are without authority to keep US citizens out of the US. We all had passports even though they weren't required to drive to Canada and back.

Moral of this story - make SURE that you have all of your paperwork in order. Dot the Is and cross the Ts. You just never know who you'll run into at the border.
 
They need to get rid of the arrive can app. It's killing our tourism. I'm only 15 miles off the ND border and last time I went down it took me 2 hrs to get my app to work before I could leave. Was only picking up a package and my trip was maybe 20 minutes long. Total joke. Sorry for the rant. Hope you have a great hunt.
 
Again this info is priceless!!!
I have a folding MDT HNT26 on my Winmag, it's overall length is longer then limit but just curious on how Canada is going to like/dislike a folding stock with a detachable 5 round magazine?
Thanks
 

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