Canada has some unique animals. Stone sheep, Mountain Caribou, Quebec-Labrador Caribou, Central Canadian Barren Ground Caribou to name a few. Sadly, they are not as friendly toward our chosen method of hunting as most of the rest of the world.

Have any of our more travelled handgun hunters been able to obtain a waiver to bring hunting handguns into Canada?

NO! I'm heading to Quebec Tuesday for Quebec-Labrador caribou and I would be hunting with a handgun if at all possible.

How many members do we have here? I wonder if a writing campaign would do any good. I would like to hunt all varieties of caribou with a revolver. If we could explain or illustrate to the powers that be in Canada that hunting handguns are effective and safe, perhaps we could change some attitudes.

They've tried it before to no effect.

Yes on the license but I was in route to here in AK.
I was the first American to go through that border station allowed to transport a handgun through Canada. That was in 2005. Still have the license as a memento.

Don`t know how true this is but I was told that a number of years ago the SCI handgun chapter paid for the Canadian Minister (responsible for their hunting and its laws) to come to Texas and hunt with a handgun, which he did and had a great time, and hopefully change his mind and allow handgun hunters into Canada...
The answer was NO.....We screwed up back in 1812.....Canada should belong to us (U.S.).......................

Given that the recently elected Canadian government is their equivalent of the Democrats, then I doubt there's any likelihood of success. Real shame, I've family in Canada and would love to combine family visits with hunting trips.

AROUND 30 YEARS AGO HERB BOCHIN STARTED AND/OR WAS USING THE SCI HANDGUN HUNTERS CHAPTER TO LOBBY CANADA TO ALLOW HANDGUN HUNTING. I REMEMBER WRITING A BUNCH OF LETTERS TO ALL SORT OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AS DID MANY OTHERS. NOTHING EVER CAME OF IT AND AS I RECALL HERB JUST GAVE UP ON THE PROJECT.

ON A SIMILAR NOTE, AND SOMETHING MORE CURRENT, AND PERHAPS POSSIBLE, I READ SOMEWHERE ON HERE THAT GARY SMITH AND .... HAD GONE TO NAMIBIA TO SEE ABOUT OPENING UP HANDGUN HUNTING THERE, WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THOSE EFFORTS?

MANY YEARS AGO I WAS BORED AND LOOKING FOR A LATE SUMMER HUNT, I GOT AN OFFER FOR A DALL SHEEP HUNT WITH A BLACKBEAR THROWN IN FOR FREE FOR $5,000. I ALMOST BIT ON IT BUT I DID NOT WANT TO GO DOWN THE GRAND SLAM WITH A HANDGUN ROAD BECAUSE: 1) STONE SHEEP ARE IN CANADA, AND UNAVAILABLE FOR HANDGUNNING AND 2) DESERT BIG HORN CAN PUT YOU IN THE POOR HOUSE.

That's it exactly Rey. I would like to go down that road with Caribou and a revolver. The grand slam would be a great goal as well, but even a stone sheep is $30,000.00.

I guess it's been tried before. What a shame.

James....I almost spit out my Copenhagen laughing after I read your comment...Two thumbs up my friend.

As a columnist of a bear hunting magazine I had the opportunity to hunt black bear in Canada on several occasions. The caveat was that I had to use a rifle so the prospect lost its luster for me.

glad you laughed at that Charlie, cause I laughed after reading your post

Its good to be alive

It's still in the works. Marina Lamprecht has been lobying and might be making some headway. After Razor Dobbs did his recent handgun safari he let me send his pics to Marina to show how successful a handgun can be. While it's a slow process I believe we will see them open up to handgun hunting in the next couple of years.

NAMIBIA WITH A HANDGUN, MIGHT BE WHAT I NEED TO GET ME BACK TO THE DARK CONTINENT

One thing some might find interesting (or not) is that Fred Bear had a permit to carry a handgun in Canada. Its referenced in the book Trailing a Bear by Robert S. Munger. On an archery grizzly hunt in 1962 customs agents in Vancouver asked if he had any firearms with him. He replied that he had a 44 revolver. The agents replied that its illegal to carry a revolver in any province of Canada and that even the guides couldn't get a permit. Fred replied that he had a permit to carry a handgun, then pulled the document from his briefcase. The customs officer said in all his years he'd never seen one. The customs "head honcho" was called out. He looked at the document and shook his head saying he'd never seen one either. It was an official document from the Canadian government allowing him to carry a handgun while hunting with archery gear as a safety precaution (I know, not for handgun hunting). The officials finally let him keep the gun and proceed through customs and on to his hunt. I always found that interesting.

I was unaware that it has been illegal to carry a handgun in Canada for that long. I thought Canada made handguns illegal in the 1990s.

I got held up at the border by six border agents for 2 1/2 hours until they verified my license to carry it through. Seems they messed up on the serial number and had to wait until the Yukon Territory office opened. Once they amended the license with the correct serial number they all apologized and that is when I found out that I was the first American to legally transport a handgun through Canada at that border crossing.

That-is interesting. But not surprising so long as he had gone through the right hoops (there are case by case permits that exist, although they aren't simple to aquire; plus would be strictly protection and not for an actual hunting-arm)
I'm a Canadian myself, hunted & trapped with my dad and granparents since I was old enough to hang onto a pellet gun & set the springs on a leg-hold; still do too... I'm also a big supporter of revolvers and sidearms for the tools they are, and VERY-MUCH wish that in my-time before I'm pushing dandi-lions that I'll see some form of handgun hunt happening up here as much as you guys do.

I'd like to comment a bit on that SCI handgun-hunt lobby that was mentioned as well... I didn't ever know anything about that, but bet if there was a group abroad (like that/today) with all the reports and successes that there have been in handgun hunting ever-since, you know there might be some weight in favor of that fight... I'd say keep at it you guys! That one would likely be a proof is in the pudding type lobby over & above anything else, and it would likely require help from guys like yourselves and an organization with muscle like SCI has to get any credibility. There's no doubt at all that the "block" on the subject is beaurocratic and not reflective of the hunting/shooting community here... that said though, Canada hasn't got the hunter/shooter/populous of what you Americans have south of the line and that's our biggest problem. (But) there definitely is support among the guys that-do fall into that bunch of the population just like there is there. 100% there is.

So like I say, if someone's got the ties and pull to table such a thing, now, I'd say get the ball rolling. Current government isn't promising but by the time any presentation or lobby would be organized (hopefully speaking) there will be changes in our government and some glimmer of light be back on the table.. likely (now) is the best time of any to make an effort for such a thing

Now that's what I wanted to read.

Welcome to the forum old colt from a Alaskan.

Sad how politics makes life hard for our Canadian friends and us..

Lady who cuts my hair is from Maine,, a Canuck l think she calls

herself.. Fluent in French and English too. Growing up in her

home town the border pretty much runs thru the middle of town.

They'd go back and forth no barriers. After9/11 all that nonsense

stopped for their ''safety''. Her sister lives in Canada across

street.. A journey that used to take 3 minutes is now 2 HOURS